introduction

 By Bruce Shawkey

I have long been fascinated by '64-'65 World's Fair. My brother, Curt, and his friend, Bert Hart, went to the Fair in Curt's car and made a giant road trip out of it. His wife, Karen, also attended the fair and drive with her friend, Alice, in Karen's Volkswagen Beetle (she and Curt hadn't even met yet).

It was really the last Worlds Fair in my mind. Yes, there was '82 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tenn., but it paled in comparison to its predecessor. And no attempts have been made since (at least in my mind) since technology is advancing as such a rapid pace that a fair could not be built fast enough to keep up.

But back to the '64-'65 Fair.  It was such a spectacle of contrasts, a world of wonders and possibilities set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and Civil Rights movement. I was only eight when the Fair took place, so I was too young to attend and appreciate its splendor and significance. But recently, I was able to vicariously take a trip to the Fair by buying an official souvenir guidebook to the Fair off eBay for $35, certainly a lot less than it would have cost to have gone there. In the blog entries that follow, are some of the exhibits I found most interesting.

I start with the General Cigar Company, blowing giant smoke rings into the sky and inviting fair-goers to see magicians perform feats of magic, anytime day or night. 

General Cigar Company, founded in 1906, is the largest manufacturer of premium cigars in the world. It is a subsidiary of Scandinavian Tobacco Group with North American headquarters located in Richmond, Virginia. What cigars had to do with the Fair's theme of innovation and progress in technology and culture I have no idea. But I present their participation in the Fair as one of the more bizarre exhibits.

Next up is the Wisconsin exhibit. It was housed in a structure built in Evansville, Wisconsin, by the Varco Pruden company, which builds prefab metal buildings. The exhibit building looked liked this:

Here is what the guidebook says was going on inside the building:

The Indian heritage of the Badger State provided the inspiration for the modern tepee that houses the exhibit. The displays tell the stories of Wisconsin's farms, industries and great outdoors. Outside the pavilion, experts demonstrate fishing and archery techniques. A 17-ton cheese, said to be the world's largest, is displayed on a huge, air-conditioned van, protected by chromium and glass. A cafeteria and a beer garden are located in the area, which is set amid pine trees. Admission is free free.

There are daily demonstrations of flycasting, Indian archery and field work with hunting dogs. Trout fishing is available for fishing enthusiasts.

RESTAURANTS. Flame-grilled steak is served in the Gay '90s cafeteria. Banjo players and an old-fashioned nickelodeon provide music in the beer garden, where the menu offers a typical Wisconsin knockwurst lunch. 

There you have it: Beer, cheese, and sausage. Not much has changed in the 62 years since the Fair. 

The building was designed by architect John Steinman and was created using only standard Pruden metal building components. Almost 20,000 sq. ft. of space are incorporated in the Rotunda and two adjoining exhibit buildings. Alternate half-frames were placed in concave and convex positions to form the folded plate roof effect while the exterior skin was covered with Pruden Panel Rib. Construction time from arrival of materials on site to completed building was less than 90 days.

When the fair was over, a man from Boscobel WI bought it. He moved into his town, with hopes of reçonstructing it there. Finally, in 1967, he sold the building to Central Wisconsin Broadcasting which reconstructed it. The building now houses the WCCN radio station and the Pavilion Cheese and Gift shop. The rooftop tower is 50 feet tall.