The nearly 100 year old amusement park is getting ready for a huge restoration project which could take up to 13 years to complete and will increase the size of the park from 6 hectares to 9.

The first annual PNE fair took place in 1910 and Happyland, the original name for  Playland opened in 1926.

Some of it's signature rides like the Roller Coaster which opened in 1958 and the Wave Swinger which opened in 1960 are more than a half century old.

The renovation not only calls for modernizing the rides but also for introducing a softer, more welcoming look and feel. 

The changes are all part of a much larger plan adopted in 2010 which aims at transforming the entire 63-hectre Hastings Park, including Hastings Racecourse, The Pacific Coliseum, The Agrodome and livesstock barns and Empire Fields.

The intent is to turn the park into a greener,  more inviting year-round destination.

Some of the changes already made include the new Creekway Park which is a former parking lot restored to its natural state including uncovering an long buried creek and the new Plateau Sports Park, a  complex with volleyball courts and other facilities which is scheduled to open in November.  

This all sounds very exciting - I just hope they don't change the good ole Roller Coaster too much!!!