The Estevan Energy City Ex is starting today and has joined the fair and rodeo components for the first time in 20 years.

The fair, known as the West Coast amusements midway, has been visiting Estevan for a while and can be seen with the Ferris wheel and other rides towering high.

Meanwhile, the KCRA rodeo is set to be held this weekend which is normally held on its own.

The plan to combine the two has been worked on since 2020, but due to the COVID pandemic that had to be put on hold.

Now the two events can meet, with Crystal Ross, the president of the Estevan Exhibition Association, saying that it was in high demand.

"Many, many, many people have asked us to put it back together and so we're going to try it. We're slated this year to do it of course, and then next year, and moving forward we're not sure but we'll feel this out. Instead of two days of midway in June and two days of rodeo in September, four days of everything in June and we're able to honour the same gate price that the midway used to charge, and the same price that the rodeo used to charge."

The work they've been putting in has been quite the event, with a lot to do to make sure the two events work well together.

"It's been over 20 years since Estevan has had the midway and the rodeo together. It's really hard to predict," said Ross, "We're all flying by the seat of our pants because it's not as simple as taking the midway list to-do and the rodeo list to do and mashing them together, it's a lot more complicated than that."

Ross says the fairway is usually the higher-attended event, but this year they're putting on quite the show at the rodeo.

"We've also got the biggest rodeo these fairgrounds have ever seen in years. We have well over 150 entries. We have 13 bull riders, which I don't remember for a long time that many bull riders performing in an evening. That's exciting, and that's Saturday and Sunday, that's not just one day that's both days so there's going to be an entertainment factor with the rodeo."

Events run from Thursday to Sunday. You can find more information here.