HemisFair '68 (San Antonio)

Subject: HemisFair '68 (San Antonio) Wed 05 Dec 2007, 6:39 pm

The HemisFair -- which is said to have been the first World's Fair to be held in one of the Southwestern states -- spanned the months of April through October, in 1968. This was the event out of which grew the Institute for Texan Cultures, and for which the prominent Tower of the Americas was built .... the top of the structure having been designed by O'Neil Ford. I believe, also, that the Hall of Texas Wax Museum was created for the HemisFair.

The year of 1968 was the 250th anniversary of San Antonio's founding.

Did anyone happen to be in San Antonio during the these months of 1968? My family did visit the city in 1969 or 1970 .... after the Fair had closed but when the excitement surrounding it still lingered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYP8oSp2WTQ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HemisFair_'68

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/HH/lkh1.html
_________________
The woman of the frontier made the best of her situation, for she had developed a respect for the land that gave her freedom as well as the courage to live in it.
~~~ from the perspective of Anne Seagraves

Subject: Re: HemisFair '68 (San Antonio) Sun 09 Dec 2007, 5:43 pm

I've never heard of this fair. So there was an official "World's Fair" in San Antonio?

Age : 68 Joined : 04 Feb 2008 Posts : 5

HemisFair 68 (as it was officially spelled) was indeed an official world's fair, licensed by the Bureau of International Expositions and recognized by the U.S. government. I worked there 1966-1968 as a writer in the Architecture and Site Development Department and made many wonderful friends that I still keep up with. The Fair was not a financial success (like all world's fairs) but it stimulated the development of tourism and hotel-building in San Antonio and revived the Riverwalk, now San Antonio's main tourist attraction. It was great fun, too.

Lonn Taylor
Fort Davis, Texas