Welcome to the World's Fair Newsletter: April 2016
Don't Miss Out - World's Fair Auction
Andy Kaufman's World's Fair auction closes on April 5th. He has some wonderful items from the '39 NY World's Fair as well as items from many other fairs and expos.
Visit the World's Fair auction home page or go directly to the 1939 Fair Catalog page.
Did You Know?
Tony Sarg (1880-1942)
Almost everyone who enjoys the 1939 NY World's Fair knows about Tony Sarg, the artist who created that wonderful map of the Fair.
Tony's real love was not in illustrating but in puppetry and he found the financial backing to open a puppet show on Broadway in New York City.
During one of the shows, then Macy's president Herbert Strauss was so impressed with the artistry of the puppets that he asked Tony to create some holiday displays for the store's windows for the Christmas season. Tony jumped at the opportunity and in 1923 he introduced Macy's "Wondertown" animated window displays.
Strauss was elated with the display but wanted to stretch the Christmas shopping season and so decided to start the holiday with a parade on Thanksgiving and hired Tony as the pageant master.
On Thanksgiving day 1924 New Yorker's lined the 6-mile parade route to witness Tony's magnificent horse-drawn floats with larger than life puppets.
Since the display was at street level only those in the front rows were able to enjoy the floats, those in the back left quite disappointed.
Tony's solution was to create rubber balloon-like puppets filled with oxygen controlled from street level by use of poles and rods. These balloon-puppets made the 1927 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade a huge success.
In 1928 the oxygen was replaced with helium and the rubber with silk allowing the balloon puppets to be larger with new shapes.
And now you know where those lofty balloons got their start.
For those of you who have Netflix, take a look at "Mysteries at the Museum" Collection 2: Episode 17; "Asylum Poisoning & Naked Joe." The first part of that episode is the story about Tony Sarg.
Additional reading: "The Puppeteer Who Brought Balloons to the Thanksgiving Day Parade" by Jimmy Stamp, published in on the Smithsonian website, November 27, 2013.
Looking at the Tony Sarg map I found this on the Amusement Page. Can anyone tell me exactly where his shop was?
I would also love to have a photo of it, if you have one please share it so I can add it to the website.
People Seeking Information:
Maureen Connery
The country of Ireland displayed a stained glass work 'My Four Green Fields' by Evie Hone - it is also a song - it is a political statement regarding the status of Northern Ireland -- continues today -- 2016!! Are there pictures of this display?
If you can help answer, contact me.
View the current list of questions. If you have a question email me and I will add it to the list.
New on the Web
Photo 300 by Arie van Dort
The Queens Borough Host House, located in the north-east corner of the Amusement Zone, was the erected and maintained by the Chamber of Commerce of the Borough of Queens for the purpose of disseminating information concerning the great Borough of New York City in which the World's Fair is located. More about the Host house.
Photo 304 by Arie van Dort
The Terrace Club was situated on Fountain Lake between the Florida Pavilion at the New York Amphitheater on Orange Blossom Lane in the Amusement Zone.
If anyone can supply information or additional photos of the Terrace Club please contact me.
The World's Fair Gift Shop
Visit the Gift Shop to purchase many items from the 1939 NY World's Fair.
Money raised from the sale of items goes towards maintaining the website.
Join the World's Fair Community page on Facebook - Simply "Like" the page, while you are there, and why not add a post or a comment.
Lost on facebook?: Many people have posted on the 1939 New York World's Fair Community facebook page only to get lost on the left-side under "Posts to Page." If you want your post to be seen in the main section of the page, I need to make you an editor. Here's what you need to do:
- Send a "Friend Request" to my personal account (Paul M. Van Dort or TriviaWolf).
- Be sure to "Like" the 1939 New York World's Fair Community page.
- Send me a message to let me know you would like to be an Editor and I'll do the rest.
Links
Would you like a link on the World's Fair Website? Take a look at the links page to see how I am adding the links. Hover over the link name to reveal a descriptive panel, click the link to visit the site.
Contact me with the information that you want to appear. Links must be approved before they are added.
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