Photography courtesy of St. Louis World's Fare
Once upon a time, 110 years ago, St. Louis blew the whole world’s collective mind by hosting the World’s Fair. The city has never forgotten about it, and a group of artists, historians, and entrepreneurs is hoping to rekindle a bit of that wonder this weekend.
The St. Louis World’s Fare takes over Forest Park all weekend, in an extravagant and ambitious party billed as a heritage festival. Much like its namesake, the Fare will have a bit of everything: food, music, art, dance, feats of strength, and derring-do, and a skate ramp. (OK, maybe that last one wasn’t around in 1904, but you get the idea.)
“It is such a monster part of our history,” says Michael Landau, president of public relations for the three-day event. The festival’s organizers have been planning the event for three years, with the hope that it will continue and grow.
In addition to the typical festival stalwarts like music and food, the fare has a strong historical component, shored up by partnerships with the Missouri History Museum and the 1904 World’s Fair Society.
Some of the athletic events, in particular, hark way back. Not since 1904 have the St. Louis city and county fire departments competed against each other in a tug-of-war. But on Friday at 6:20 p.m., they’ll muscle it out. The departments are also organizing a marathon, and skateboarders will compete at a ramp near the basin.
The arts and food areas have the same names as they did in 1904, the Artist Palace and Culinary Pike. Landau says he learned in researching the Fare that the Dogtown neighborhood got its name by providing ingredients for some of 1904 World Fair’s more exotic international offerings on the Culinary Pike. A juried “Chef’s Challenge” will be ongoing throughout the weekend, ideally with no canine component. It includes more than 30 restaurants and 10 dessert booths.
Qualifying rounds among the bands competing in the “Battle for the Fare” have been taking place around the city in recent weeks, and the finalists will compete Saturday, with the winner opening for headliner Chingy on Sunday. The dance competition, with break dancing, hula-hooping, and featured dance, is a chance for local dancers and choreographers to move the crowd.
Saturday afternoon, check out an excerpt from the play Lights on the Grand Basin. Written 20 years ago by Jack Za but never produced, the play examines electricity at the fair in 1904, when a decent number of the nearly 20 million attendees might never have seen a light bulb.
“To see it completely lit up like that, your heart would just pound,” Landau says. “It would be like you’re looking at a spaceship or a UFO or something.”
If you ever wondered if Grandma’s World’s Fair paperweight is worth a fortune, bring it on down. The Historical Road Show, set up all weekend, features reviewers and assessors who can look over the trinkets folks may have from a few generations back.
“It was souvenir city,” Landau says. “A lot of those things are still floating around.”
The event includes kid-specific programming, bike check-in, a business expo, and plenty more. It’s free to get in, but bring money for those food trucks.
