On May 22, Bill Robinson dedicated a portion of The Wishing Tree in the lobby of the Savoy Theater at noon in an attempt to break the “jinx” hanging over the Amusement Zone. However, the Tree is supposed to carry its own jinx. On the way to the Fairgrounds, the taicab crashed and the porter’s back was sprained. To counteract the jinx, Robinson poured some water from Missouri’s Kaw River, famed baptismal place for African Americans, over the stump during the dedication. However, the slump at the Savoy is thought to be the result of moving part of The Wishing Tree there.

A large section of The Wishing Tree was stolen on July 6. A hundred-dollar reward was issued. A few days later portions of it were discovered back in Harlem.

The clothing on the large, jitterbugging figures on the Savoy’s exterior were protected by glazed transparent paper, guaranteed for six months. But, within four months, the mosquito spray used by the fair caused the coating to discolor.