50 years ago in Expo history: Fair visitors topped 4 million, and the Soviet pavilion played a role in the milestone

Stephen Bevins, a firefighter from Lompoc, California, was in for a surprise when he showed up at the USSR Pavilion at Expo ’74 with his wife, two children and parents.

He was declared the 4-millionth visitor to the exhibit, and showered with gifts and refreshments. Then he and his family were given a guided tour of the pavilion.

The Soviet Pavilion, as it was also called, was by far the biggest foreign pavilion at 52,000 square feet, and one of the most popular. A group of Soviet dignitaries, including two cosmonauts, were arriving later in the week to attend USSR National Day at the fair. Washington Gov. Dan Evans was also scheduled to attend.

From 100 years ago: Irene Haller won a new auto in the Interstate Fair’s Popularity Contest. But runner-up Rena Dea declared, in essence: rigged!

Dea and her husband filed court proceedings to challenge the vote, claiming that many votes were “wrongfully counted for Irene Haller with her knowledge,” and also that the fair changed the rules after the rules had been announced.

Their complaint alleged that Dea “received the greatest number of votes legitimately cast and therefore became entitled to the automobile.”

The fair manager said it was absurd to suggest that officials favored one candidate over another, and that it was “conducted on the square.”

Haller said that she won a fair vote, thanks to her “many friends in the city.”