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"YOUR GOVERNMENT" -- #5 From: Governor's Office
by Farris Bryant Tallahassee, Florida
Governor of Florida
FLRIDA AT THE UORLD"S FAIR
The Florida Pavilion at the New York World's Fair is a
big success. It is the finest promotional tool Florida has had
in a score of years. It is making money, and we are giving no
thought to closing it before the end of the two year running time
of the entire fair.
The Florida World's Fair Authority did agree to pay off
construction costs at too rapid a pace, but they have been meeting
all of their obligations and will continue to do so or secure
through a re-negotiation an understood deferment of them.
The Pavilion, located precisely where it was in the highly
successful 1939 Worlds Fair, has been drawing the largest crowds
in the Lake Amusscent Area of the fair and has been averaging
thirty to forty thousand people a day.
The success is all the more startling since the main
gate of the Fair is at the farthest point from the Pavilion. The
main gate draws 66% of the total traffic into the Fair. Oates
Five and Six, into the Lake Amusement Ares, draw only 185 of Fair
visitors. This small percentage and the difficult access to the
area from the Fair prOper has contributed to the recent troubles
of the Louisiana Exhibit, the closing of the muscial revue at the
Texas Pavilion, and the closing of the Vonderworld Show which
occupied the amphitheater adJacent to the Florida Pavilion.
The woes of other exhibitors in the Lake Amusement area
have left a greater burden of Florida to draw Fairgoers.
Then too, the New York World's Fair Corporation threw a
few surprises our way. They cancelled plans to construct a moving
sidewalk to bring visitors from the Fair prOper to the Lake Amusement
area. Originally, a tremendous nightly fireworks display had been
planned from the Lake Amusement Area. This was shifted by the
World's Fair Authority to the center of the fair.
The Florida Pavilion is situated on Meadow Lake. we had
planned to use the lake to stage several water-borne exhibits, and
the exhibition of Florida water sports, but the lake is not now
permitted to be used for that purpose.
In spite of all this, the Florida Exhibit has steadily
increased in popularity. A recent survey by the Market Research
Corporation of America, taken at the Fair Corporation's request,
showed Florida to be the second most popular exhibit in the Federal
and States area. Only New York, the host state, with it's fourteen
million dollar exhibit, ranked ahead of Florida.
Others given rating below Florida were, in order, New
York City, Hollywood-USA, Hawaii, Illinois, New England, United
States Pavilion, Missouri and Maryland. The survey was based on
interviews with Fair visitors.
Many reasons are given fer the Florida Pavilion's
leadership in the amusement area. There is the fabulous live
porpoise show, generally considered to be the hit of the Fair.
It has been averaging close to 3,500 paid admissions daily.
Revenue that we derive from the Porpoise Show more than
meets the operating expenses. It is producing about $5,000 a
day now, and the box office continues to improve.
In additon to that we have established the EVerglades
Exhibit to produce some extra revenue without in any way affecting
the free Exhibit Hall. Out of these potentials we hope to receive
enough money to meet all obligations.
The new Everglades Show, which played to 12,500 people in
its first week of operation late last month has a spiraling
attendance and this part of the exhibit looms as the "sleeper" of
the Fair. It provides continuous entertainment throughout the day.
;.m-ssion is a nominal 25¢ and treats the visitor to the exciting
R-ss Allen Reptile Act from Silver Springs, alligator wrestling,
authentic Seminole Indians, and an act from Naples featuring a piano
playing duck!
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The Exhibit Hall at the Florida Pavilion is free. One of
the chief attractions is the cultural art exhibit in the center of
the circular building.
Paintings include several internationally famous old
masters, and a few of the modern variety. Included are the works
of Ruben, Paolo Veronese, Frans Hale, Alesandro Magnasco, Hinslow
Homer, Paul Cezanne, Renoir, and others. The art, owned by private
collectors living in Florida and by museums in the state. is valued
at over two million dollars. It was selected for the Florida
Pavilion by a committee headed by Kenneth Donahue. director of the
Ringling Museum of Art at Sarasota.
Tourism, the state's leading industry, is stressed in many
free exhibits in the exhibition hall.
Visitors may also tour a model Florida home.
The entire area is authentically landscaped with sub-
tropical plants. Live Flamingos wade about an artificial swamp.
It has been estimated that over 70 million peeple will
see the Citrus Tower during the more than two years the structure
will be standing.
Other contributing factors to the Pavilion's success are
the excellent press coverage it is receiving and the friendliness of
its attractive hostesses.
There is every reason to believe that even greater crowds
will attend the Exhibit since the Fair has begun to live up to its
attendance forecasts. For example, on July 27, attendance was
2&6,212 and the total for the ninety seven days of the Fair was
18,197.68u. At this halfway point the attendance is near one half
of the total of #0 million expected to visit the Fair in 196.
August and September are expected to be the most successful months
from an attendance standpoint.
Floridians can be proud that the Pavilion not only displays
the fun qualities of Florida -- but it exemplifies her culture,
her charming communities, her wide variety of industry.
The tremendous orange crowned pylon at the Florida Pavilion
serves as a landmark to fairgoers. Word is traveling fast that
this little bit or Florida is a must at the New York World's Fair.
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