The CNE's archive of film footage is not only an overview of Canada's changing culture, but it also captures activities and unique moments documented nowhere else.

Traditionally, the CNE's annual opening ceremonies included dignitaries appearing for the ceremony and leaving without much fanfare. But in 1969, then-Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau added a personal touch to opening day. "He rode the Alpine Way from one end of the grounds to the other," says CNE Sound and Moving Image Archivist Christina Stewart. "He took in the Aquarama show, the car show, and several of the exhibits. The films show him shaking hands with people who stood in line waiting for him at lunchtime."

"Then there was the riot," she continues. The only such melee in CNE history occurred in 1980 when an Alice Cooper grandstand concert was cancelled. Disappointed fans showed their displeasure by tossing chairs onto the stage and ransacking the carts of T-shirt vendors. "The Metro Toronto Police rode in to disperse them," says Stewart. "And the whole thing is documented on film."