The Great Lakes Exposition (also known as the World Fair of 1936) was held in Cleveland , Ohio , in the summers of 1936 and 1937, along the Lake Erie shore north of downtown . The fair commemorated the centennial of Cleveland's incorporation as a city. Conceived as a way to energize a city hit hard by the Great Depression , it highlighted the progress that had been achieved in the Great Lakes region in the last 100 years and indicated the path for future progress. Covering over 135 acres of Cleveland's lakefront, it featured numerous attractions, including rides, sideshows, botanical gardens, cafes, art galleries, and much more. Similar to the Chicago World's Fair , the exposition also wanted to expose visitors to other countries' cultures, celebrate American industry, and promote local businesses. Although the Great Lakes Exposition was not as much of a world fair as the Chicago World's Fair was, the exposition drew 4 million visitors in its first season, and 7 million by the end of its second and final season in September 1937 — a total of 13 million visitors.
17-403: It featured a subway that connected the vast grounds with an area for pedestrians as well as for vehicles. The total cost of the exposition after two years was $ 70 million. The Midway was a big, central area in the exposition and encompassed many of the attractions including rides, sideshows, a Court of Presidents, an Automotive building, an art gallery, a marine theater, horticultural gardens, and
34-695: A Flushing, Queens resident and the first woman to swim the English Channel , appeared in the Aquacade in 1939. Morton Downey , Frances Williams, and Bill Robinson appeared on stage. In late 1939, Rose married Holm after Holm had divorced singer Art Jarrett and he had divorced his first wife, comedian Fanny Brice . Buster Crabbe replaced Weissmuller in 1940, for the second year of the Fair. In 1940, Aquacade also opened in San Francisco at
51-410: A 5,000-seat amphitheater that could seat 2,000 diners. There was a 128 foot wide floating stage constructed on barges that could be moved to shore electrically for use as a dance floor. Dance bands such as Wayne King , Shep Fields , and Glen Gray and his Casa Loma Orchestra performed there. Later Aquacade moved to the 1939 New York World's Fair , where it was the most successful production of
68-684: A Hall of Progress, which had a television theater. Added in the second year of the exhibition in 1937, Billy Rose's Aquacade put on water ballet shows and was the most popular attraction. Stretched out to Lake Erie , the aquacade had a 5000-seat theater-restaurant where the audience could dine while watching synchronized swimming, diving, and performances by Olympic champion swimmers Eleanor Holm and Johnny Weissmuller . The show featured 4 episodes: "A Beach in California," "Coney Island," "A Beach in Florida," and "The Shores of Lake Erie". Although it
85-554: A career in music. After playing alto saxophone for the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, he created "Wayne King and His Orchestra" in 1927. The group opened the new Aragon Ballroom in Chicago in 1927, and they continued playing there for much of King's career. He began recording for RCA / Victor Records in 1929. However, the orchestra didn't rise to prominence until they were featured on "The Lady Esther Serenade",
102-470: A national radio program sponsored by Lady Esther cosmetics from 1931 to 1937. The orchestra disbanded during World War II , and King joined the army , advancing to the rank of major . The orchestra was reestablished in 1946. In 1948, the half-hour Wayne King Show was syndicated on radio via transcription discs . King's orchestra had a television show in Chicago from 1949 to 1952. The telecast
119-558: The Bob Crosby Orchestra. The exposition was dismantled quickly, taken down right after closing day on September 26, 1937. Only the Donald Gray Gardens were left standing behind Cleveland Stadium until 1997 when construction started on Cleveland Browns Stadium on the same site. The total number of visitors after both summers was 7 million (compared to Chicago's exposition of 27 million total visitors) and
136-567: The Golden Gate International Exposition where Esther Williams and Virginia Hopkins joined the show. Wayne King Harold Wayne King (February 16, 1901 – July 16, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader with a long association with both NBC and CBS . He was referred to as "the Waltz King" because much of his most popular music involved waltzes; " The Waltz You Saved for Me "
153-659: The 1930s . This exhibition, which was available for view until September 2011, prominently featured the Great Lakes Exposition. Billy Rose%27s Aquacade Billy Rose's Aquacade was a music, dance and swimming show produced by Billy Rose at the Great Lakes Exposition in Cleveland, Ohio during its second year, in 1937. The show featured Olympians Johnny Weissmuller , Eleanor Holm Jarret , Dick Degener , and other performers in
170-724: The Annie Whittenmeyer orphanage in Davenport, Iowa , for a brief period of time. He returned to Savanna in 1911 to live with his aunt and uncle, where he was the quarterback and captain of the football team at Savanna Township High School, where he graduated in 1920. He briefly played professional football with the Canton Bulldogs . He also began taking saxophone lessons as a teenager. King attended Valparaiso University in Indiana for two years, but left to begin
187-510: The World". Although the exposition had no over all theme, "The Romance of Iron and Steel," became the unofficial exhibition theme. To promote their businesses, companies like White Motor Company , The Standard Oil Company (Ohio) , Firestone Tire and Rubber Company , Sherwin Williams , Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company , Higbee's department store, and General Electric were represented at
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#1732772480777204-483: The exposition. Standard Oil had its very own exhibit and provided souvenir maps of the city, Higbee's had a store on site and an impressive tower, General Electric promoted its new fluorescent lights, and Goodyear provided blimp rides for visitors at the cost of $ 3. Another attraction was a floating stage on the current site of the Great Lakes Science Center; the stage was home to jazz concerts by
221-409: The fair (Lowe). The Art Deco 11,000 seat amphitheatre at the north end of Meadow Lake was designed by architects Sloan & Robertson . Shows were staged by John Murray Anderson to the orchestrations of Ted Royal . The pool and the 300 by 200-foot (61 m) stage could be hidden behind a lighted 40-foot (12 m) high curtain of water. In addition to Weissmuller and Holm, Gertrude Ederle ,
238-980: Was carried by most Midwest NBC Television affiliate stations. In early 1958, he appeared as a guest challenger on the TV panel show To Tell The Truth . King was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Radio category in1960. King's orchestra played its last engagement in March 1983 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Florida . King died in July 1985 in Paradise Valley, Arizona . His wife, silent film actress Dorothy Jones King , kept his urn with her for
255-533: Was his standard set-closing song in live performance and on numerous radio broadcasts at the height of his career. King's innovations included converting Carrie Jacobs-Bond 's "I Love You Truly" from its original 4 time over to 4 . Harold Wayne King was born in Savanna, Illinois , the son of Harvey and Ida King. His father worked for the railroad and traveled frequently, so when King's mother died in 1908, he and his brothers lived in
272-765: Was less than hoped for. Any plans for permanent recreation facilities along the lakeside were not achieved. Although the Great Lakes Exposition gained some international attention, it never became a world fair. The area of town that was used for the vast exposition is now home to the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . In October 2010, the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. opened an exhibition titled Designing Tomorrow: America's World’s Fairs of
289-477: Was the most popular attraction at the Great Lake Exposition, it became more well known at the 1939 New York World's Fair . The "Streets of the World" was an exhibit created to expose visitors to other countries' cultures and featured cafes and bazaars inspired by the countries they represented. Food samples, entertainment, and goods from 40+ different countries were all provided on the "Streets of
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