From the Annals of the Great Fair –  In 1968, Hemisfair in San Antonio opened.  The theme of the Fair was the Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas and featured pavilions from 30 countries and 15 corporations.  The 92 acre site at the southeastern edge of downtown San Antonio was largely cleared for the Fair despite housing a number of historic structure. At least 24 structures were saved for use during and after the Fair.  The “urban renewal” plan of the Fair was much criticized and is something of the poster child for how not to do urban renewal.   Highlights of the Fair included the Tower of the Americas,  the Texas Pavilion, Czechoslovakia’s Lanterna Magica – a short movie with live characters emerging from the screen, and the controversial movie US at the U.S.pavilion which showed the beauty and poverty of America in a spectacular theatre.  Today about 50 acres of the original site are designated as HemisFair Park, the Texas Pavilion is now the Institute of Texan Cultures at UT-San Antonio, the U.S. Pavilion is a federal courthouse and the Tower of the Americas is still operating.

Red visited HemisFair twice – once with family and once with his junior high class.   I visited the major pavilions, ate lunch at El Chico with my friend and lost some money on the midway. It was also the first time I ever touched a computer.  I entered my birthdate to see what events in history had happened on that date.  Prophetic, eh?