Statement release: City Marks HemisFair's 25th Anniversary with Citywide Celebration

The Legacy of HemisFair Fact Sheet -- 25th Anniversary

Text of speech given by William Sinkin at the 20th anniversary luncheon of HemisFair '68.

Speech given at HemisFair Luncheon commemorating the 20th anniversary of HemisFair '68.

Speech commemorating the 10th anniversary of HemisFair '68.

A publicity release from Bill Doll and Company of New York, N.Y. to accompany the photograph of the celebrity puppet of Liberace from Sid and Marty Krofft's Les Poupées de Paris show. The release mentions the names of other celebrity puppets in the show, which was part of the entertainment at the New York World's Fair.

A booklet with information about a historic house located at 426 Santa Clara, which was on the HemisFair '68 site. It was built in 1891 by George Heinrich. Included are illustrations of the house from different directions, a floor plan, maps showing its location on the HemisFair site and a cost estimate for land, restoration of the house, moving of the house, and land features.

Text of a speech concerning the "Theme Structure for HemisFair '68"

Remarks made by H.B. Zachry, chairman of the board of San Antonio Fair, Inc. just before the closing of HemisFair '68. His remarks focus on financial aspects of the fair, in a 'setting the record straight' manner. He emphasises that all San Antonio Fair Inc. bills will be paid and that there would be no costs to taxpayers. He also talks about the income and jobs generated by the fair for the city of San Antonio and future benefits to the city resulting from having hosted the fair.

A report outlining proposals for what to do with the HemisFair '68 site in San Antonio after the fair closes. The author emphasises that the focus should just not be on the HemisFair site, but also include the downtown area, and that the site re-use should capitalize on the cultural and educational heritage of the city. One of the chief proposals in the report is to use part of the fair site to establish a four-year state college.

Text is The General Electric Company's press release describing the Theaterama experience at the 1968 World’s Fair known as HemisFair ’68, held from April to October 1968 in San Antonio entitled "The Wonderful World of Progress." The Circular theater used a variety of audio visual techniques, including live-to-film, film-to-live, “op art,” “blue mat” and magic effects as well as music and lyrics. Featured was a mythical Genie of the Southwest, who spoke and interacted with the onstage hostess-housewife. The release details the writers of the show, its musical score, the 16 hostesses, the "genie" portrayed by television performer Bill McCutcheon and many of the special effects used. The release goes on to include the seating capacity of 16,100 persons and the length of the show, 20 minutes. The release also describes the performance as well as its objective at HemisFair ’68.

A news release from the Public Relations Department of HemisFair '68 highlighting some of the main buildings that have been constructed for the fair, including the Tower of the Americas, the Arena, Theatre for the Performing Arts, and Convention Hall.

A news release from the Public Relations Department of HemisFair '68, highlighting the Goliad Food Plaza, one of the food clusters at HemisFair '68, and lists a couple of food items available there.

Text of a speech given by William Sinkin who served as President of the Board of Directors of San Antonio Fair, Inc. from April 1963 to November 1964. He outlines the major purposes of HemisFair '68 in five points: how it will benefit San Antonio, build community leadership, promote ties between San Antonio and Latin America, economic advantages for staging the fair, and leaving a heritage of permanent facilities and institutions for San Antonio.

A news release from the Public Relations Department of HemisFair '68, highlighting the way that the world's fair represents an urban renaissance for San Antonio, with the construction of the Tower of the Americas and other satellite buildings.

A news release from the Public Relations Department of HemisFair '68. It highlights the lagoon cruise boats and the Mini-Monorail as on-grounds transportation at HemisFair '68.

Information item about the Tower of the Americas and the Swiss Skyride. The Tower is 622 feet tall and features two observation decks and a revolving restaurant. Glass fronted elevators carry visitors from the base to the top in 43 second. Riders in the Skyride can enjoy panoramic views of the fair site from 80 feet above the ground.

Text of a talk given by William Sinkin to the Leon Valley PTA on February 9th, 1967. The title of the talk was "HemisFair '68: a Progress Report". Mr. Sinkin first gave some general remarks about HemisFair and then talked about HemisFair financing and the economic impact that HemisFair '68 would have on San Antonio.

The souvenir book for HemisFair '68. The contents includes information about the countries participating, corporate and industrial exhibits, amusements, and food. The Tower of the Americas dominates the cover illustration.

News release announcing Governor and Mrs. John Connally's three-weeks visit to Latin American countries in July/August 1966 on behalf of HemisFair '68. He will invite countries to participate in the fair. Prior to his departure he will be honored at a reception in Washington, D.C. for his role as Commissioner General of the fair. The news release also mentions countries and corporations who have already signed up to participate in HemisFair '68.

A brief history of the World's Fair by Marshall T. Steves. The speech must have been given several years before HemisFair '68 opened as most of his comments refer to designs and planning for the fair. Marshall Steves was president of HemisFair '68.

Press release about HemisFair '68 detailing how many visitors are expected, what the theme of the fair is, how it has been endorsed by the Bureau of International Expositions, and the affect it is having on the host city, San Antonio in terms of urban renewal and change.

Draft of a promotional speech by William Sinkin, the first president of the Executive Board of San Antonio Fair, Inc., about HemisFair '68. He describes progress made in planning for the fair and some of the benefits that would result, including cultural, and educational. There are numerous hand-written annotations and revisions to the typed text.

Transcript of a meeting held August 24, 1965 with Allison Peery, Richard Wilson, and Jim Glass. The meeting discussed the HemisFair project, why it was proposed, how it would be financed, the space planning, what facilities and attractions would be offered, as well as what the fair symbols should be. The transcript is typed, with annotations in hand, on "Culberson, Slaughter, Glass & DuBose, inc." corporate letterhead.