HemisFair 1968
These types of ancient festivals seem all but extinct, making them seem weird to our 2023 eyes. Will they ever happen again?
The Wikipedia entry.
The Wikipedia entry.
Comments
I don't know if we'll see these kinds of fairs again, but this post brought back very pleasant memories of when I was stationed at Fort Sam Houston in 1972. My main memory of the HemisFair site was seeing Alice Cooper on their Killer tour at HemisFair Arena in May of that year. It was one of the best concerts I've ever seen, and I saw a lot of great concerts in the early to mid-70's.
Thank you, Paul, for this post!
Thank you, Paul, for this post!
Posted by Fritz on 02/09/23 at 11:27 AM
Living in New Orleans in 1984, I had bought into all the negative media hype about the World's Fair. Some Brits I was working with wanted to see it, so I agreed to be the guide. Within an hour after being there, I realized I had been bamboozled by the b/s. Who cared if it was a financial sucess? Somebody, but not me. It was fantastic, and it was just a few blocks from my house. An incredible opportunity. Went back the next morning & bought a season pass. Went there at least 3 times/week. Turned out that the negative press kept the crowds low. That worked out fine with us!
Posted by Virtual in Carnate on 02/10/23 at 06:37 AM
Fritz...I´ll up you one. In ´72 I was stationed on Oahu and saw The Stones in Honolulu.
Posted by F.U.D in Stockholm on 02/10/23 at 12:21 PM
F.U.D. - I had some friends stationed on Oahu in late 1972, at Tripler Army Medical Center. I finished my service at Letterman Army Medical Center in San Francisco in late 1974 and lived in San Francisco for about 2 more years.
I did get to see the Stones concert at the Cow Palace in 1975. Tickets were only $10, as I recall, and they sold out in about two hours. We were only allowed to buy up to 4 tickets each. I waited in a line over two blocks long at a Pacific Stereo on Geary, but someone from the store came out and handed each of us a number, so I knew they wouldn't be sold out by the time I got to the front of the line. People farther back in line who didn't get a number had to hope enough of us bought less than our 4 tickets allotment so they'd have a chance to get a ticket. Great concert, of course.
While stationed in Japan in 1973, I went to a Ten Years After concert at Budokan in Tokyo. Budokan was built for the 1964 Olympics, not exactly a World's Fair, but a pretty big international deal in its own right.
I did get to see the Stones concert at the Cow Palace in 1975. Tickets were only $10, as I recall, and they sold out in about two hours. We were only allowed to buy up to 4 tickets each. I waited in a line over two blocks long at a Pacific Stereo on Geary, but someone from the store came out and handed each of us a number, so I knew they wouldn't be sold out by the time I got to the front of the line. People farther back in line who didn't get a number had to hope enough of us bought less than our 4 tickets allotment so they'd have a chance to get a ticket. Great concert, of course.
While stationed in Japan in 1973, I went to a Ten Years After concert at Budokan in Tokyo. Budokan was built for the 1964 Olympics, not exactly a World's Fair, but a pretty big international deal in its own right.
Posted by Fritz on 02/11/23 at 09:18 AM
Most certainly not extinct. Just look up the Wikipedia page on World Expos.
Posted by Richard Bos on 02/11/23 at 10:55 AM
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Category: Regionalism | Expositions, World Fairs, Celebrations | 1960s | Nostalgia | Yesterday’s Tomorrows