Fair fee will not be required to visit track

The annual fair at the Pacific National Exhibition begins Saturday, and for the first time, racing fans won’t have to pay the admission fee to go to the track. Hastings, which sits on the PNE site, has been fenced off from the fairgrounds, and patrons will be able to access the track without going through the fair.

The fair ends on Labor Day, Sept. 1, and for the next couple of weeks, racing will be conducted Fridays and Mondays. The PNE is closed Mondays, and as part of the new deal, parking will be free the next two Mondays. The first race Mondays will be at 4 p.m. Pacific.

“We had so many complaints about the admission charge from our fans last year that we thought we would give this a try,” said Hastings general manager Darren MacDonald. “Hopefully, it will make it easier for our fans to come to the races, especially Mondays, when they can park for free.”