May 4th - May 10th: It All Begins

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 call it, Expo '74.(1)

The gates opened to all ticketed visitors at 10 a.m. While the pavilions would not welcome visitors until after the opening ceremonies, the amusement rides were available right away. Most visitors looked for a place from which to view the opening ceremonies, which would be held on a floating stage in the middle of the river.

The opening ceremonies began at 10:40 with the firing of aerial salutes and a fanfare played jointly by the NORAD band and the official Expo ‘74 band.(2) The official Expo ‘74 party was brought to the stage on an “honor barge,” escorted by members of the Quinault tribal nation in canoes. Traveling from upriver in decorated floats, the visiting nations arrived at the stage one by one. The nations exhibiting at Expo ‘74 were Australia, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), Iran, Japan, the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Republic of Korea (South Korea), the Philippines, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United States.

As outlined in the Spokesman, “After all 10 national floats have been moored to the floating stage, a massed chorus of 1000 voices will sing, ‘What the World Needs Now Is Love, Sweet Love.’” Officials from the Washington State game department then used a large hose to fire 1,974 startled rainbow trout into the river.(3)

Various other presentations followed, most notably entertainer Danny Kaye reading the Expo '74 Credo. The keynote speaker was, of course, President Richard Nixon. His speech praised Spokane and the state of Washington for having initiative and an independent spirit. Like most Expo exhibitors, he stretched the concept of “environment” to cover his own areas of focus: “Today, we speak of the environment in terms--as we should—of cleaning up the air and water, of a legacy of parks, of all of those other things that have to do with making our cities and our towns and our countryside more beautiful for our children and those that follow us. The environment means all those things, but environment also means other things to people. It means, for example, for every family in America a job so that he can enjoy the environment around him.”

Nixon was not having a very good time in May of 1974. Copies of the Watergate transcripts were for sale outside the Expo gates on opening day. Pro-Nixon and anti-Nixon protestors were both there. Earlier that day, when Governor Dan Evans had introduced President Nixon for a speech at Fairchild Air Force Base, Nixon had opened his remarks with "Thank you, Governor Evidence." (4) In Evans' own words, "I thought, 'God, I can't laugh. But it was really funny.'"

Whatever problems were on his mind, President Nixon didn't forget that he had a job to do at Expo '74. He concluded his speech as follows: "It is my high honor and privilege to declare Expo '74 officially open to all the citizens of the world." Bells rang, fireworks crackled, twelve hot air balloons and fifty thousand helium balloons rose into the sky. A chorus sang "Meet Me By The River," a song written just for this fair. Expo '74 was officially open.

THE WEEK'S EVENTS

May 5th (Sunday) was the first normal day of operations for Expo '74. The fair was on regular operating hours: gates open at ten a.m., pavilions open until 10 p.m., amusement rides open until midnight. From noon until eight p.m., the Folk Life Festival celebrated Scotland. Activities included Scottish dancing, piping, boot-making, and crafts.

On May 6th (Monday), the Pointer Sisters played the Opera House and the Trinidad Steel Band was on the floating stage. The Silver Spurs performed at the International Amphitheatre and Mandrake the Magician roamed the grounds. Four Expo restaurants were approved for liquor licenses.

May 7th (Tuesday) was a big day for high school and college bands and choirs. "Ballet Folk" appeared at the International Amphitheatre. The Don McLeod Mime Theater did a grueling eight shows on the floating stage. More high school and college ensembles played on May 8th (Wednesday), along with the Trinidad Steel Band and Mandrake the Magician. The Opera House stage was commanded that night by famed mime Marcel Marceau.

May 9th (Thursday) and May 10th (Friday) saw more high school and college ensembles perform. Friday also saw a "Traditional Ukrainian Golden Wedding Anniversary Party" at the Folk Life Festival. Pianist Roger Williams played the Opera House that night.

ATTENDANCE

As of close-of-business Friday, Expo officials reported an attendance of 227,517 to date. The average day had more than 20,000 visitors. Opening day saw an estimated 85,000.

SOUVENIR OF THE WEEK

NEXT WEEK

Gordon Lightfoot. "Wood Week." A kid falls out of the skyride. A man channels a million volts of electricity through his body.

That's all for this one! Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might enjoy it. See you next time!

Footnotes/References:

1. While the Bureau International des Expositions today categorizes Expo '74 as an "International Exposition" rather than a "World Expo," the seventies were kind of a weird time for the BIE and its fair categories. They amended their definitions in 1992 and retroactively designated most fairs from the 1970s and 1980s as international expositions, not world expositions. International expos, formerly called specialized expos, are supposed to be smaller, shorter, and have a theme. Although Expo '74 certainly had a theme, it was much larger (in participation and in square footage) than international expos are supposed to be, and it ran for the full six months allocated to a World Expo, not the 3 months allocated to a international expo. Regardless, either type of expo can call itself a world's fair.
2. Powers, D. R. (1974, May 4). President, First Lady Come Back to Spokane Today to Open Expo '74. Spokesman Review, p.1. Via Newspapers.com.
3. Lemon, J. J. (1974, May 4). President Opens Expo. Spokane Daily Chronicle, p. 1. Via Newspapers.com.
4. Youngs, J. W. T. (1996). The Fair and the Falls: Spokane's Expo '74. Eastern Washington University Press.