By SUSAN BLOWER Indiana Correspondent
CHICAGO, Ill. — The 80th anniversary of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair will be celebrated at the annual World’s Fair Memorabilia Show in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove Village, Ill. on Sunday, April 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A video loop of actual footage from the 1933/1934 fair will run continuously at the show’s site at the Elk Grove Holiday Inn. Memorabilia from the 1933 World’s Fair will be on special display. More than 20 tables of world’s fair items – including other world’s fairs and Chicago ephemera – will be for sale. They can include items like tickets, China, magazines, cocktail shakers, photos, beaded coin purses, miniature cast iron Greyhound buses, and posters, said Rick Rann, show organizer. Most items for sale are less than $100, Rann said. He said some items are crossover collectibles, such as the miniature buses, which are desired by toy collectors.
This is the 19th show that Rann and friend, Bob Conidi, have organized in the Chicago area. “We started this because we both collect, and there was no show specifically for our interest. It helps to bring interesting items out of the woodwork. You can’t find this much variety (of world’s fair collectibles) at an antique store,” Rann explained.
Rann personally collects pennants, flags, and pinball machines from world’s fairs. Based on past years, Rann said he expects 400-500 guests. Admission is $6 and $5 for seniors. Preview admission starting at 9 a.m. is $20.
“We sign up 50-100 new people each year for our mailing list. We advertise and send out 5,000 flyers,” Rann said.
“They don’t all come to collect. They may try to sell an item or find out what it’s worth. They may come to see the video footage because they had a parent who worked at one of the exhibits.” More than 39 million people attended the Chicago World’s Fair during 1933 and 1934. Due to the popularity of the 1933 fair, an encore was presented the following year. The fair’s theme was “A Century of Progress,” to commemorate Chicago’s founding centennial. The fair highlighted advances in science, as well as projections of what the future would bring, such as the “Homes of Tomorrow” exhibit, which had 12 futuristic homes.
Elk Grove Holiday Inn is located at 1000 Busse Rd., Elk Grove Village, Ill. For more information, call Rann at 708-442-7907 or email ukczech@att.net. The website is www.worldsfairshow.com. |