Subtopic : Starting a Second Century: The Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition, 1905: The Fair as Entertainment
Themes: Social Relations, Arts
When they wanted a diversion from display cases and dioramas, fair goers had plenty of choices. The management offered daily band concerts. There were balloon trips and movies in the National Cash Register Company pavilion (later moved to the St. Johns neighborhood in Portland). Visitors could patronize twelve restaurants, fifteen ice cream and soft drink stands, and seventy-six souvenir sellers. Along the Trail were novelties (the diving elk and Princess Trixie, the educated horse), scientific marvels (infant incubators), and replicas of exotic places (the Streets of Cairo, the Siberian Railway). The Carnival of Venice was the best show, but required a subsidy from the Exposition. Indeed, most of the Portland investors who backed the amusements lost money in the face of competing attractions like downtown theaters or the new Oaks Park.
© Carl Abbott, 2004
Themes: Social Relations,Arts
Regions: Portland Metropolitan Area
Date: 1905
Author: Carl Abbott
Summary:
Fair goers had a number of choices when it came to entertainment, ranging from band concerts to Princess Trixie, the educated horse.
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