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The Slice: The theme song? ‘Dust in the Wind’
Talking to readers about the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair got me wondering.
What if, after Expo ’74, Washington had continued hosting international expositions every 12 years?
And while we’re hallucinating, let me add one more hypothetical.
What if the subsequent fairs had, against all odds, been held in Eastern Washington?
Just imagine.
In 1986, we could have had the World’s Channeled Scablands Fair in Davenport, Odessa and several other communities.
The breakout event for the “geology is cool” movement, this extravaganza could have “rocked on” and taught the world that not all of the Evergreen State is soggy. And it would have gotten certain religious fundamentalists’ noses out of joint.
In 1998, legume fans from every nation could have gathered in Pullman for the World’s Fair and Feed the World Lentils Exposition.
Visitors could have ridden the Fiber Frenzy rollercoaster, attended concerts in Colon Health Hall and had their pictures taken with the Soup Queen and Pea Princesses.
After that, smiling children of every race and creed could have gathered for the 2010 Chewelah World’s Fair and Chainsaw Expo.
With a theme of “Sustainable Irascibility,” this international celebration might have focused on the desire of many people to keep their distance from cities. A rip-roaring festival of peace, homebrewing and futuristic self-defense technology.
If there had never been an Air Force base here … : “Spokane would be a more liberal place with less of a jingoistic, might-is-right attitude,” said Mike Kraft.
Slice answer: “When folks call our house, they think that we have guests,” wrote Jean Retzler.
Often, it’s just the family’s African Grey parrot having a conversation with himself. “He’ll talk in my voice, then change to my husband’s voice. Quite an entertaining little guy.”
Warm-up question prompted by an old Eagles song: What part of Spokane is “the cheatin’ side of town”?
Today’s Slice question: If we were to think of Spokane as a species, what would be its scientific name?