“It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears
It’s a world of hope and a world of fears
There’s so much that we share, that it’s time we are aware
It’s a small world after all”
(Fandom)
Can you hear it? The tune, the sound of happy children singing? I can. And the first time I did hear these upbeat words sung has become a very happy memory for me several decades later. A memory of a once in a lifetime experience that could never be duplicated by mere image or video. A memory made by actually experiencing an event live and in person. Something that is becoming all too rare in our 21st century small world.
The year was 1965. The occasion – a family trip to the New York World’s Fair. Since we lived only about three hours north of New York City, everyone we knew – family and friends alike – were all planning trips down to the Big Apple to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event. Our little family was no exception. My mother, father and I didn’t take many vacations because our family owned a camp on nearby Saratoga Lake. That pretty much did it for our spring, summer, and early fall weekends. But the fair…that was something we couldn’t miss. And more than five decades later, after both my parents have departed this world, the happy, exciting, wonderfully magical memories of that three-day trip to the New York World’s Fair still puts a smile on my face and yes, even tears to my eyes. From the excitement of riding in a motorcoach zooming down the New York State Thruway to the Flushing Meadows fairground, staying in a motor lodge for the first time, and experiencing the amazing, captivating exhibits of the fair itself, it was an eight-year old’s dream.
Although my dad always wanted to take me on a train down to “the city”, as we referred to it in upstate New York, my first trip to the Big Apple was in the 20th-century style – the motorcoach. Motorcoaches had become a convenient way to travel to popular destinations. First, it was easy to book a reasonably priced ‘package’ deal with the motor coach tour company that bundled all the main costs for the trip – transportation, lodging, and fair tickets (which were $2.50 a day for adults and $1.00 for children under 13). Second, the expansive new highway system that had emerged in the late 1950s, The New York State Thruway, made driving downstate to New York City a breeze – especially with an experienced professional driver at the wheel. Third, these new motor coaches were ‘state of the art’ and comfortable. Our coach, for example, was a sleek blue and silver design with plush blue-grey seats and footrests that I couldn’t even reach yet at the tender age of eight. The result, after whizzing along the highway in comfort, we arrived at the fairgrounds in what seemed like no time at all and parked in the convenient, special parking area for buses and motor coaches. As we disembarked, our driver gave instructions for our pick-up time to take us to the motor lodge (or motel) that evening. Then, leaving our suitcases securely stowed under the bus, we began our journey at the fair.
My first memory of the fair itself was a view from the parking lot that was not of some famous statue or building of the fair itself. Rather, as we got off the motorcoach, my mother, always a hardcore baseball fan, excitedly pointed out the towering edifice of Shea Stadium that was literally across the street. In retrospect, I think she would have been happy to see a game and eat a ballpark hot dog! But, instead, we turned and entered a new world – one that represented an exciting and shining future.
It was an easy walk through the main gate, which was one of eight main gates, into the heart of the fairgrounds. As we approached, the magnificent, imposing structure of the stainless steel Unisphere stood out as an icon of the fair’s place as an international and universal exposition. The street leading to the Unisphere was tree-lined, with throngs of people stopping at the varied exhibits along the way. Beautiful fountains in a blue pool surrounded it, and as we walked around the structure, we saw the brilliant colors of the flags of the many nations represented at this exhibition. They stood like an honor guard in front of the area designated for international exhibits. Indeed, this side of the Unisphere has become very well known, the subject of many images that represent the 1964-65 fair.
To organize and, I think to make it easier for people to weave their way through the exhibits, the fairground was arranged into various topical areas of industrial, international, state and federal, transportation, and amusement. One of the first areas we were drawn to as we walked around the Unisphere was the area of international exhibits. My dad, who had served in the Pacific in WWII, was excited to see that some of the island nations he had been to during the war were represented at the fair. While some of these exhibits are now a blur in my memory, I do recall the exhibit of the Philippines, one of the first we visited. The building was the shape of a traditional Filipino sun hat. Inside there were dioramas carved out of wood that told the story of the history and culture of this island nation. I remember the richness of these carvings as well as the native folk dancing and music that were also part of the exhibit. And I remember my dad’s stories as he remembered this Island nation that he had seen so many years previous. The other exhibits that stood out for me, or at least ones that I remember still, now 51 years later, were the exhibits created by the masterful Walt Disney.
The first of these was at the State of Illinois exhibit. With Abraham Lincoln being one of Illinois’s most favorite and famous residents, the Illinois exhibit featured “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” and displayed a very lifelike robot of Abraham Lincoln giving all of us a history lesson. The engineering that went into this was unprecedented at the time. His lifelike features and movements that were timed perfectly to his speech were amazing. He would later become part of Disney’s Hall of Presidents, an excellent show that I saw at Disney World in Florida over ten years after the fair.
The second Disney created the exhibit, General Electric’s Carousel of Progress, with its song “A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” which seemed to sum up the feeling of a positive future that was all through this entire fair. This time, instead of a static stage there was the thrill of sitting in the audience and having the seats revolve around many stages. At the end of each act, the wall moved, and the seats glided into the next area where another stage was set up and ready for the performance. The show itself was a look at man’s progress in the use of technology and invention for the home and within popular culture. It started at the turn of the 19th into the 20th century and worked its way to the present (1960). This whole exhibit was a first for this time. As in the Illinois exhibit, the engineering and animation were groundbreaking. The movements and timing of the robotic actors were smooth and seamless, and the show itself was interesting and engaging.
The final Disney exhibit that I remember was the one that was done with Pepsi. It was, of course, the iconic It’s a Small World. The lines trying to get into this were very long when we were at the fair, but we waited and were not disappointed. The exhibit featured a boat ride around the globe with the colorful, robotic dolls dancing and singing in backdrops that represented their native lands. Altogether, they represented children of all continents and nations and were engaged in activities that were indicative of their culture. The song, with its upbeat lyrics, was sung in many languages as the boats traveled slowly around this amazing world. As a whole, this exhibit was a wonderful tribute to the fair in general whose theme was “Peace through understanding.” In fact, this exhibit was so creative and endearing and became so popular, it is still delighting people in many Disney Theme parks even today in the 21st century. As for me, I very fondly remember sitting in the boat with my parents, who were both beaming and pointing to various things so I wouldn’t miss something. They even bought me a souvenir record – a 48 – of the song. I still have the record in its original cardboard sleeve, although I can’t play it anymore because I no longer have a record player that can play a 48! I guess that’s progress for you!
The last exhibit that I remember, the most vivid of all, was the Vatican. Again, we had to stand in line since that exhibit was one of the most famous of the fair because of its original Michelangelo art – the white marble statue of the Pieta – that was on display. Extraordinary precautions were taken to move the treasure, first by a ship across the ocean to New York City, then through the city where it was placed in the Vatican Pavilion at the fairgrounds. This was an unprecedented occurrence that was never repeated with any Vatican art let alone the Pieta. The showing of the piece was equally amazing. We stepped on a slow-moving walkway that carried us into a dark room, while beautiful music was playing softly in the background, and then, very slowly, the statue came into view. Dark blue velvet hangings surrounded and framed the masterpiece that was protected by a solid, bullet-proof, floor-to-ceiling plexiglass wall, while soft lights made the white marble shine and glow. It’s interesting to note that in photos I’ve viewed of the exhibit since that time, there was a large cross directly behind the statue that had a drape across the top. I was so awed by the statue itself I don’t even remember this part at all. What I also know now, after the fact, is that altogether there were over 27 million others who made the pilgrimage to see this very special piece. As for me, I had become aware of the importance of this piece as a work of art and an iconic representation of my faith when I was only six because I received a small replica of the Pieta on the occasion of my First Holy Communion. Seeing the original was something I never thought would happen. To this day I still have my copy in a place of honor in my office at home where it reminds me of that amazing experience.
And the moral of this story is?
I started down this memory by stating what should be obvious…that it is born of liveness, of interaction between my parents and myself as well as the many others we saw and interacted with throughout our time at the fair. Many years later I can still see the smiles, hear the excited and happy voices, and remember. Why is this important? Because today so many of our activities are not in this real-world rather they are mediated through the prism of our technologies. Yes, we can view magnificent art online but there’s something different when you experience it in person. We can tune into television, watch movies, or view websites that can transport us to new and different cultures and give us a type of experience. But these experiences are not live and lack the real depth of connection that we get when we encounter things first hand. And finally, even when we do participate in live events, how many of us view them through our smartphones? Either taking countless pictures or texting? What makes my memories of the New York World’s Fair special are the personal touches. My parent’s reactions and their stories that emerged, talking excitedly with another family on our motorcoach about the day’s experiences instead of texting someone who was not with us at the time and experiencing the sights, sounds, smells, and touch of the fair itself. While the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair may be a thing of the past, to me, it is alive as ever in my mind’s eye and fills me with warmth as I remember the very real experiences and the people with whom I shared them.
Works Cited
Fandom. It’s a Small World Song. n.d. <http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/It’s_a_Small_World_(song)>.
Image By Ron White (en.wikipedia ((redlink) Sup4141, 2007-12-08)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons