Hi all, after several weekends in a row of getting a post about 80% finished before running out of time, I have to admit that this is a bigger project than I can balance with my other obligations this summer. The nature of my day job is that sometimes I
As an avid but selective collector of Expo '74 merchandise, I was delighted to find this article from June 27, 1974, predicting the value of Expo souvenirs in the year 2024.(1) It feels like they're talking to me! I particularly like the specific prediction that "
Folklife this week featured "Black Week," a celebration of African-American culture.(1) The week was scheduled to coincide with Juneteenth celebrations, and activities included music, dance, painting demonstrations, jewelry-making, quilting, and demonstrations of hair-braiding. A particularly popular artisan was Marcella Fusilier of Seattle, who demonstrated her doll-making skills.
The Folklife Festival theme this week was "Ranching," which was an easy lay-up for plenty of people in this area.(1) Skills on display included hemp braiding, sheep-shearing, a demonstration of muzzle-loading rifles, someone making cowboy boots with pegs instead of nails, a blacksmith shoeing horses, someone making
I hope you like Estonian sourdough bread, because it's Baltic Week at the Folklife Festival! Activities also included traditional Latvian amber jewelry-making, Estonian folk dance, decorative carving, and embroidery.(1) I'll take this week as an opportunity to introduce Folklife's neighbor and/or roommate,
Let me start with a confession: I'm not the world's biggest Bob Hope fan. I don't mind him, but I prefer my Bing with Astaire or Sinatra - or Bowie in a pinch. But there's no denying that he was the star
This week at Expo '74, the Folklife Festival featured "American Heritage Week." The Spokesman-Review did a nice profile on Folklife's "wandering minstrel," one Utah Phillips.(1). In addition to his music, Phillips (in his persona as wily Western trader Nathan Starbuck) provided one
Despite rain, low temperatures, and blustery winds, this week saw excellent turnout at Expo '74. The fair was beginning to hit its stride, and the second week offered a spectacular array of events. Let's jump right in. Washington State University's Waterworld exhibit hadn't
On May 4th, Spokane’s Expo ‘74 opened to the public. After years of discussion, planning, setbacks, successes, and most of all work, one hundred acres of Spokane's downtown had transformed into the site of the 1974 International Exposition on the Environment - or, as most of us
What is this? Fifty years ago, Spokane hosted Expo ‘74. I thought it would be fun to follow along week by week and enjoy Expo ‘74 together in real time. What kind of information will be in these e-mails? Each week, I’ll tell you about the festivities that were