About This Site
Financial scandals and UT National Championships aside, the 1982 World’s Fair was the biggest thing to happen to Knoxville in the 20th Century and deserves to be remembered and honored by the city and all that visited and participated.
My hope is that this website will provide a rallying point, a reference site and an inspiration to those who lived her in Knoxville in 1982 and found the World’s Fair something of value. Something to be remembered and cherished and viewed with affection and appreciation.
Not only did the world come to our door in 1982, so did our neighbors and friends. And as such we made new friends and created many, many new memories. I know there are plenty of opportunities out there to plan a celebration on May 1, 2007 to rival no other in the last 25 years in Knoxville – all we need is you!
Tell your friends, tell your City Councilmen and County Commissioners. Tell your mayor(s). And not just in Knoxville/Knox County – the World’s Fair belonged to all of East Tennessee, the Southeast, the whole U.S.A. and the world. Tell them all, and let’s remember.
You’ve got to be there!
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1.
Chris King | December 29, 2006 at 3:41 am
Hi,
I wanted to touch base with you and see if you would be interested in linking up your blog with out World’s Fair site. Your blog is full of good content and photos and we would love link the two entities together.
Let us know if your intersted.
thanks,
Chris
2.
Stephen Rader | June 7, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Great site! I was born in Knoxville and actually sold World’s Fair maps at the park during 1982 – - when I was 12!
I love the pictures. Please post more if you have them. They are wonderful!
3.
Milan | July 1, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Hey, I played (Binovec Orchestra) in the Strohause (Strohs beers) nightly(My band was from Montreal, Canada). I am very interested in participating in any reunion plans underway. Who is the lead person to contact ?
4.
Patty Leach | October 12, 2007 at 1:40 am
Hi,
I also visited the World’s Fair in 1982 when I was 14 yrs. old. My father is from Knoxville and we lived in West Palm Beach, FL at the time. We made the trip up here and I remember the carnival ride area the most. My parents left me in there in charge of the littler kids while they went to the ‘beer tent’.
We now live in Lenoir City and I have wanted to take my kids to see the sunsphere for a long time. I have heard it is reopened. Is this true? I have a home school group that I set up field trips for and would love to arrange one to the sunsphere! Can you give me any information or a contact phone number? I sure would appreciate any help in this matter.
Thanks,
Patty Leach
988-5800 home
604-2070 cell
teamleach@yahoo.com
5.
Barry | October 12, 2007 at 8:49 am
Yes, the Sunsphere is open for visiting – I don’t know the exact hours but generally it’s open most of the day during the week. Not sure on the weekends.
It’s open to the public, so anyone or any group can just ride on up. I don’t think there’s any kind of admission charge.
Pretty soon they’ll be putting a restaurant back up there, which will be cool.
6.
Steve | January 18, 2009 at 11:12 am
I attended the fair and had a great time. Years later I developed an interest in arcade game collecting and acquired a special edition of the atari game battlezone. I was surprised and intrigued to find 1982 expo tokens inside the cabinet in places unseen for many years. This explained the unusual version of this game which has side art, when no other compact version of this game has been found to have art.
I’m hoping someone out there has photos of the expo gameroom and with luck this game will be in one of them.
arcadetreasure.com
7.
Barry | January 27, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Steve,
I wish I had photos of that arcade, as I spent not a few hours there myself as a teenager
I remember discovering Tempest there as well as Make Traxx, Ms Pac Man, StarGate and several other long-time favorites. I never was a big fan of Battlezone, though interestingly it’s now part of my son’s Nintendo DS Atari Classic game cartridge, along with Dig Dug and some others.
I’ll be sure and check out your site – what I wouldn’t give to have an old StarGate or Tempest in my house
Barry
8.
Michael Tim | February 28, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I love your site!
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