Author: Easin' Along

I’ve dipped my toes into many different waters in my professional life. Most of those dips were both challenging and rewarding; a couple could be classified simply as a bridge to something better, and I can think of only one that was miserable. Let me tell you about one dip that was as close to pure fun as a person can have.

In 1981, I was completing a short-term project and looking for another opportunity. Around that same time, the pieces of a puzzle that had been under construction in the city of Knoxville for several years were coming together at a rapid pace.  Within about a year, a project that began as a simple idea shared with a few of the right people was about to explode into an experience that ultimately would entertain millions. The project was the 1982 World’s Fair, and I had the good fortune to be a tiny part of it.

A family friend served on the Management Committee and referred me to Fair President Bo Roberts. I was granted an interview with the World’s Fair General Manager and the Executive Vice President of Marketing and Entertainment. Within a few days, I was offered the position of Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Entertainment.

The city of Knoxville faced some challenges in the 1970s.  Many businesses were moving away from the downtown area, leaving vacant storefronts. In the lower Second Creek Valley, a deteriorating railroad yard stood as an ugly eyesore on the edge of downtown. A recession had hit the area hard, and jobs were hard to come by. Knoxville needed a lift.

Similar conditions had existed in Spokane, Washington, before the 1974 World’s Fair held in that city. The success of that Exposition did much to renovate a blighted urban area while pumping $150 million into the local economy. Knoxville officials felt that the same could be done here.  Many others doubted that a scruffy little city (as depicted in the Wall Street Journal) on the banks of the Tennessee River could pull it off, but that only added fuel to the fire. The challenge was on, and by 1981, the Knoxville World’s Fair was well on its way to transforming an idea into an actual happening.

As an employee, my duties were primarily to help coordinate and facilitate the requests from the hundreds of individuals and businesses outside the gates who wanted or accepted a role on the inside. An example would be fielding requests from print publications and other media for World’s Fair advertising. I heard from individuals and groups who wanted to entertain at the Fair.  A representative of talk-show host Larry King called and wanted to bring his show in for a week, although we couldn’t work out the dates. I worked with a television production company who came and filmed a television special soon after the Fair opened. We had an on-site television station designed to inform guests of daily happenings on the Fair site. I was the point person for that project. Glen Campbell taped his television show at the World’s Fair, and I worked with his people, including meeting Glen at the gates and escorting him to the stage.

Helen worked at the Fair also.  Our children were young, and she could only work part-time, but never wanting to be left out, she spent a few hours every day in the ticket booth. 

The gates to the 1982 World’s Fair opened on May 1^st. President Ronald Reagan came to cut the ribbon and welcome the first-day crowd of over 87,000 people. Tennessee native Dinah Shore served as the MC.  Governor (later Senator) Lamar Alexander joined the dignitaries along with Bank President Jake Butcher, the primary supporter of the Exposition.

It was a glorious day in East Tennessee, and the weather was perfect for a successful opening. The crowds continued to come for six months—May 1 to October 31, bringing in over 11 million people, making it one of the most successful World Fairs of all time in terms of attendance.

Fair organizers helped ensure success by securing participation from 22 countries that erected elaborate displays and Pavilions and brought in magnificent exhibits depicting their people and their culture. Among my favorites were China, Canada, Peru, and Egypt (my grandmother’s favorite).

Fair entertainment was non-stop, emanating from the many venues on the site. I had the pleasure of meeting many of the stars.  In addition to Glen Campbell, I rode in an elevator with the great Red Skelton, who was as funny in person as he was on stage.  Jerry Lee Lewis greeted me between acts with a wink and a smile, and countless others have long since faded from memory.

In addition to the excitement from all of the sights and sounds around us was the fascinating collection of people we worked with. The Fair staff was filled with professionals with expertise in almost every endeavor thinkable from the top-down.  People with skills in engineering, finance, marketing, health and safety, transportation, entertainment, food, and retail, came to Knoxville to put their skills to use. The benefits of those skills are still felt in our city today.

Last week, some staff gathered for a 40^th reunion of the 1982 World’s Fair, and Helen and I attended.  It was so good to see everyone who came.  I didn’t recognize a few at first, but I am sure many of the attendees said the same about me. Fair President Bo Roberts addressed the gathering and did a great job summarizing the events leading up to the Fair and listing all that was accomplished. Several in attendance spoke, and all agreed that we had participated in a once-in-a-lifetime event. In the end, everyone came to the same conclusion–We’re so glad we were there!

May the memories live on…

Five years ago, Helen and I began traveling in an RV and immediately fell in love with the lifestyle. Those five years have included about six extended trips, which we have shared on Easin’ Along.  We took an extended trip to California and back earlier this year but plan to remain closer to home for the foreseeable future for reasons explained in previous posts. Nevertheless, the lifestyle still calls us, and we plan to spend as much time in our beloved fifth wheel as possible.

Grand Design RV is the manufacturer of our trailer and does an outstanding job of reaching out to owners of their products to keep them informed and connected to the company.  Social media is the primary vehicle for passing along items of interest to RVers. We read about product developments, tips for troubleshooting common problems, maintenance reminders, and company news daily. 

In addition to the above, Grand Design sponsors owner rallies several times a year throughout the country and posts pictures from the events on Facebook.  The idea of attending a rally has always interested Helen and me, but the timing of the events never meshed with our schedule…until this year.

Grand Design scheduled an owners’ rally in Sevierville, Tennessee, for the weekend of May 12-15 and began accepting reservations this past January.  Sevierville is outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and less than an hour away from us. Since we planned to be home around that time, we reserved a spot for the weekend and followed the Facebook posts as the planning for the event evolved. May is not our preferred month for extended RV travel since schools are letting out about that time, and finding sites in campgrounds can be a challenge.

We arrived at Sun Outdoors Resort last Friday afternoon to find a beehive of activity.  The campground has 186 campsites, and all of them were filled. Many of the attendees arrived earlier in the week and sent out Facebook messages about where to gather for opening day activities and Happy Hour(s). Volunteers greeted us at the entrance, checked us in, handed us a bag of goodies, and led us to site 146. I set up our campsite while Helen mingled about before the evening meal. 

Many of the campers had attended Grand Design rallies for years and had made friends with fellow attendees.  Large groups of old friends and acquaintances gathered to catch up, share stories of life on the road since their last meeting, and make plans around the weekend schedule. Helen didn’t take long to make new friends and return to our camp to give me the program. The program began with dinner for 385 of our new friends. Helen attended a Bingo session after the meal.

On Saturday, I attended a griddle cooking demonstration sponsored by Blackstone Griddles. The griddle chef prepared a superb offering of bacon, corn, onions, and spices intended as a side dish.  It was excellent. He also shared tips for cooking on large outdoor griddles and suggestions for cleaning and maintaining them.  Interestingly, almost all of the attendees were men.

I also attended a class on RV maintenance that dealt primarily with lubrication points.  The class leader is a quality control engineer with Grand Design, and he knew his subject very well.  The class, scheduled for an hour, went on long beyond that as the questions continued. I left the class feeling guilty, making a mental note to buy a grease gun when I got home.

We were on our own for dinner on Saturday evening since many campers chose to visit the National Park and nearby Gatlinburg during the day. I loaded up a pork nacho plate and couldn’t eat it all.  The pork was smoked to perfection, and I tried to finish it off, but I finally waved the white flag. I don’t remember what Helen chose. I remember her saying that it was good.

The weather was perfect for an evening gathered around a campfire while a group of musicians entertained us with selections of mainly old favorites. The music wafted gently over the campground for several hours, and many campers stayed well past closing time in a very relaxing environment.

We left on Sunday morning, but not before we said goodbye to a lovely couple camping next to us.  Gayle and Andre traveled from southern Georgia to spend their weekend with Grand Design owners.  We met them shortly after we arrived and enjoyed their company immensely.  Andre is very handy and shared several tips on RV maintenance that I will use soon.  We promised to stay in touch.

A three-day camping trip is much better than no camping trip, and we made the most of this one. Life is good.  We’re blessed, and we’re Easin’ Along.