http://www.pne.ca/ David Kincaid is wrong: sushi has been there for a number of fairs now. Thousands expected at PNE kickoff Lumberjacks, Peking Acrobats just 2 of many shows to wow crowds Nicole Tomlinson Vancouver Sun Saturday, August 16, 2008 VANCOUVER - Sunny skies and free gate admission until noon is expected to draw about 100,000 people to today's opening of the Pacific National Exhibition, the fair's CEO said. "We're expecting one of our largest crowds," Michael McDaniel said. "We're going to have some extra shows and staff." Sun-lovers can take advantage of the heat this weekend -- the temperature is expected to soar to 33C today and 29C on Sunday before showers creep back in to the forecast, according to Environment Canada. "It's going to cool off significantly on Monday, and there's good potential for rain on Tuesday and Wednesday," Environment Canada meteorologist David Jones said. "If you're going to the PNE, go early -- unless you don't like the heat, then take your chances." People who do visit the exhibition this morning can enjoy breakfast when the gates open at 9 a.m. "until the pancakes run out" for a minimum $3-dollar donation to the Safeway Foundation, McDaniel said. If flapjacks aren't your thing, check out the lumberjacks, which are on the PNE agenda for the first time in about a decade, fair spokesman Andrew Harvey said. The West Coast Lumberjack show will be a "high-energy, head-to-head" competition that includes log rolling, cross-cutting with "old-style saws" and tree-climbing, Harvey said. The show will run three times during the week and once a day at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays during the fair. A winner will be crowned daily. The show is free with gate admission. The Peking Acrobats, a troop from China that performs four times daily during the 16-day exhibition, is another free act at the fairgrounds that is back by popular demand, Harvey said. The show combines "centuries of Chinese history and folklore" with acrobatic feats such as wire-walking, trick-cycling and the human pyramid, he said. "They're able to manoeuvre in ways that you didn't think was possible," Harvey said, adding that last year "there were lines forever" to see the show. These acts, combined with others such as a daily pyrotechnics show, motorcross and headliner bands like 54-40, Spirit of the West and Glass Tiger, make the $12 off-site discounted regular admission a steal, even though it's gone up $2 since last year, McDaniel said. "We're spending more than $4 million to mount our entertainment lineup," he said. "The value is far above $12, but because of the volumes of people we're able to keep it that low." Regular admission is $15 at the gates -- children under five get in free and tickets for people over 65 are $6 onsite, offsite and online. Discounted passes are available at Safeway, 7-Eleven, Shoppers drug Mart or through the PNE's website at www.pne.ca. ntomlinson@vancouversun.com ONLINE - See video, historic photos, news, reviews and more at vancouversun.com/pne - You be the judge: Comment on this year's PNE at vancouversun.com/Usaid © The Vancouver Sun 2008 http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=5ca3525b-620f-412e-b831-0d5ca7519357