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The Fair was, of course, intended (originally at least) to be uplifting, educational, and inspirational. According to most authoritative accounts, the Amusement Zone was only admitted to The Fair rather late in the game, when organizers realized that if they wanted to attract the crowds they hoped for, they would have to include something to appeal to the baser instincts. The Amusement Zone (dubbed "The Great White Way") was segregated from the main Fair grounds, and most amusements required additional admission.

But there were other entertainments to be enjoyed that were perfectly in keeping with the vision of The Fair's creators. For a number of years I had heard (read, really) that the documentary films "The City", "The Plow That Broke The Plains", and "The River" were shown at The Fair, but I could never confirm this detail. Well, after a little bit of research at The New York Times, I was able recently to determine that these films, along with a few others, were, in fact, screened as part of The Little Theatre Film Program in the Science and Education Building, located right next to the statue of George Washington at the very center of The Fair.

See Today, 1pm for Showtimes

And guess what? These three films are available on DVD. A fourth, Let My People Live, can be seen and downloaded here. So you can program your own Fair Film Festival! 

The City is available here...

And Plow and River here...

I have to confess, though. As interesting and as important as these films might be as historic documents, as examples of documentary filmmaking, they're pretty dry, pretty tough to sit through. No wonder Fair-goers needed to take a parachute jump, or enjoy some "Living Magazine Covers"!

A still from The Plow that Broke the Plains

It's Cocktail Time!

Okay, this isn't, strictly speaking, a Fair relic. But it is an interesting and fun little piece of Fair history that you can re-create at home. It's the Zombie, a rum punch popularized at The Fair during its second year. In 1940 Monte Proser opened an establishment at The Fair, named after the potent potion. Which he apparently stole from the drink's creator Donn Beach. Proser also stole the "no more than two to a customer" gimmick from Beach, as well. Which would have pretty much guaranteed that folks would come back for a third.

The original recipe was long believed to be lost, until 2007 or so when mixologist Jeff "Beachbum" Berry cracked the code of what he believes to be Beach's original 1934 recipe.

So...I followed Berry's recipe almost to the letter; I couldn't get some of the brands of rum he suggested, just the Appleton Estate. I learned what FALERNUM is, and bought a bottle. I EVEN made my own grenadine and cinnamon syrup! The result of this costly and time-consuming little lesson in 1930s mixology?

I didn't like it. At all. Heavily redolent of cinnamon, it tasted more of Christmas than voodoo. And, in a personal first, I had no trouble stopping after just one!

Recipes for the libation abound on the internet, including several from the 1930s. I may just steal one of those myself and pass it off as the genuine article.

(Non-copyrighted souvenir photograph found at Tikiroom.com.)

The Eiffel Tower of Brooklyn

Another Fair relic known to every Fair enthusiast is the parachute jump, which has been a fixture of Coney Island's boardwalk since shortly after The Fair closed. The ride, originally sponsored by Life Savers, was moved to Steeplechase Park in 1941, and continued to thrill (according to wikipedia at least) until 1968. The black and white photo below (from New York Public Library) shows the parachute jump in operation at The Fair.

Above: a really cool view of the parachute jump from the Aquacade. The boat house can be seen to the left at the foot of the jump. (Non-copyrighted photograph from a recent eBay auction.)

Two of Coney's major thrill rides that actually pre-date the parachute jump by more than a decade are still in operation today: The Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone. 

What's Left of The Aquacade

The New York State Amphitheatre (aka Billy Rose's Aquacade) survived 2 Fairs, only to be demolished in 1995. Though preservationists lost the battle to save the Aquacade, a few relics were salvaged and incorporated into the sad, sorry little snack bar that now squats on its former site.

I believe these gates are original
from the Acquacade.

I have never seen this snack bar open for business!

No comment.

How Original Is Original?

The Boathouse during its 2011 "restoration"

At the far southern end of Flushing Meadows Corona Park, along the edge of Fountain Lake in what was formerly the Amusement Section of The Fair, sits the Boat House, frequently cited as the second of only two original Fair structures still standing in their original locations. This status seems to be universal in its acceptance by historians and Fair enthusiasts alike.

But I'm not so sure about this. Compare today's Boathouse with photographs taken in 1939: the differences are striking. Most notably what looks like a limestone facade with classical elements has been replaced with brick. Anyone looking at two photographs side by side doesn't need me to elaborate on the differences. But this begs the question: how much of the original structure is actually still standing? How original does original have to be to actually be original? Let me know what you think.

1939 photos from the
New York Public Library