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My dad is King Cole, president of Expo '74. The fair was his brainchild; he provided the leadership, vision and international acumen that made the fair a reality for Spokane. Even though our lives were dominated by Expo for a few years, your memories and images from the Fair match my own. Others of mine are: watching the downtown and riverfront area change before our very eyes--Spokane used to look like downtown Wenatchee--only seedier. The fair totally tranformed the city. Pictures of Danny Kaye at our house with my little brother John mugging in the background of every photo; watching my dad point out the proper location of the American flag to Jimmy Carter, as he was facing the wrong way with his salute during the national anthem; getting married on "Montana Day" (how could I have done this to my parents that summer, of all summers?); hot summer days by the river, watching the Filippino stick dancers and hearing the carousel music in the background; wondering whether the delegations that had arrived from so many foreign countries were even remotely concerned with the future of our planet's ecosystems, or if this was just one more marketing opportunity. Remember the mechanical goat that ate trash? Kids used to line up to throw their snow cone papers and popsicle sticks away. I loved IMAX! That schmaltzy movie with Chief Dan George was so '70s! I do hope you hear from my brother Marty, as he lived and breathed the fair that summer. Thanks for creating a space for the memories!
—jduffell

This Web site is great! I am one of five proud daughters of King Cole, the President of Expo '74. I was 20 years old at the time of the fair and worked in Hospitality Services. I remember going every day through the fair site and seeing all the masses of people going through--laughing, eating, kids in strollers, and especially the food vendors! I also remember my mother hosting so many different visitors at our house. The Soviets, who would usually leave immediately after dinners, stayed much longer to enjoy the "Grand Center Station" feeling of our household.
—mkalin

Great site! I lived In Spokaloo and was eight and we went to the Expo all the time! Our friends came from Cali for it, too. It was so cool! And the Imax--WOW! Too bad I didn't know what acid was back then. My grandma loved the Mariachi band and I loved the Mexican jumping beans. I remember getting Chinese coins and asking this guy how old they were and he said, "I dunno, I just work here" At the Russian pavilion, my sis and I got these cool Soviet pins commerating the expo from this giant Russian guy who picked us up by our ears. Yah, to be eight again.
—spark

Swell site, but as another formerly 13 year old fairgoer, who lived in Spokane, and (practically) lived at Expo '74 those six months, I was a bit disappointed not to see some mention of the daily performers at the fair. They were amongst the first folks to steer my interests towards the arts. A partial list follows: Mandrake the Magician, the Dixieland Band, the Village German Band, Koko the Clown (probably have the name wrong), the Shakespearean couple, the Roto Rooter Goodtime Christmas Band and the incomparable Don MacLeod, mime par excellence. Aside from that, goody-good flashbacks. Thanks!
—bunnyboy