Daily Archives: February 15, 2014

Photo copyright  Janet M. Webb

“This line is endless. The kids are antsy. I can just take them down to the Sandwich Gardens. I’ll grade some papers while they eat, then we’ll meet you under the 7-Up clock in a few hours.”

“No, George, you didn’t come all the way to the World’s Fair to work. The line’s moving…we’re almost in. When else will we see Spain for twenty-five cents? We’ll eat paella inside…and Life mentioned some fruity wine punch. Look, kids! Flamenco dancers! George, what are they saying?”

“¡Felicidades! You are our three-millionth visitor! ¡Bienvenidos! Please, be our guest at the Jewel of the Fair!”

________________________________________________

Rochelle’s creative use of historical fiction for many of the Friday Fictioneers photo prompts has inspired me to explore that genre for my response to Janet‘s photo this week. It is widely accepted that sangria was introduced in the US at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. Lines to enter the Spanish Pavilion were often so extensive that ticket sales had to be suspended until the Pavilion had emptied–was it Goya or sangria the people were after? Pavilion organizers celebrated visits by countless dignitaries and celebrities, and also made quite a fuss over milestone visitors like George K. Bird, a Massachusetts teacher who’d come to the Fair with his wife and four children.