University of Tennessee Knoxville - Volunteer Yearbook (Knoxville, TN)

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BOON OR BUST? Counterpoint The desire and enthusiasm for the World's Fair were not shared by all area residents. One of the most outspoken opponents of the fair was Joseph W. Dodd, associate professor of political science. “I’m very much opposed to it. said Dodd, in perhaps his gentlest appraisal of the coming event. Dodd was the spokesman and research director for Citizens for a Better Knoxville, a group which attempted several times to have a city-wide referendum on acceptance of the World’s Fair. The group began work when the city council passed a bond issue in January 1977, involving public money for the first time. My im- mediate reaction to that bond issue was, ‘How the Hell could something like this happen without anyone knowing about it? ’ Dodd said. He explained that the only reference to the bond issue vote in the local press was buried at the bottom of a story concerning a social par- ty. Except for frequent letters to the local newspapers from Dodd, he said publicity in the local press consisted largely of promotion for the Fair. Negative aspects were glossed over or ignored. “What wc have here is economic and political people both promoting it, with neither checking on the other. And the newspapers haven't wat- ched out either, Dodd said in relating that one of his biggest objec- tions to the Fair was that most of the economic benefits would go only to a few downtown businessmen. “My immediate reaction to that bond issue was ‘How the hell could something like this happen without anyone knowing about it?’” Besides all the problems connected directly to the Fair, Dodd seemed even more concerned about the image of the city and of Knoxvillians as a group. “All of the ads suggest that here is an opportunity to see what the world is coming to,” he said, referring to advertisements for tickets that implied that a single admission would pay for activities inside the Fair. “Ticket buyers will not know that they’re not going to Opryland, where admission covers all inside attractions. At Expo, Funland will cost SI.25 a ride, a movie will cost a dollar, and it will even cost a dollar to ride the elevator to the top of the sunsphcrc.” Dodd said. “I’d call that gross deception in terms of their ads. Dodd was also amazed at the exorbitant room rate increases pro- jected by local hotels. If they keep on going like it looks like they’re going, Knoxville will be known as ‘Greed City, USA’. A non-image Knoxville will surely have an image, and I suspect it will be one we won’t be proud of,” he said. “Fvc been surprised at the extent to which pcplc are taking advan- tage,” Dodd said, referring to local merchants and innkeepers. 1 would have expected a small rate increase, but some hotels are doubling and even tripling their rates. At first, I couldn’t see why hotels in Knox- ville would lobby for the Fair, since they’re 70 percent full year-round 1---------------- Jifei-ph NV. Dixtd, I I jsMicbtv priili vMir of poliltv.il ovikv. and 100 percent full in summer. But with rate increases, their reasons became apparent. Many Knoxvillians believe the future of Knoxville is heavily depen- dent upon the success of this event. In Dodd’s words. I’m afraid they’ll have something on their hands that they’ll be sorry for.” “What we have here is economic and political people both promoting it, with neither side checking on the other. And the newspapers haven’t watched out either.” Will all these bad aspects keep Dodd away from the Fair?“I will not go. They could not pay me to go. he said. “They don’t have enough money to pay me to go. “If they keep on going like it looks like they’re going, Knoxville will be known as ‘Greed City, USA’.” Randy Weaver World’s Fair 25 I «try Maloocy

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tii Milunn WORLD’S FAIR Point W jlur I jiiiIhU. tkv-pivsidvnl ■ ' Kmi ilK lniuii.ili-ni.il I n»re I sptiMiUm. Everything fell into place from financing to signing internation: participants. The city of Knoxville agreed to issue $11.6 million in bon anticipation notes to acquire the site and destroy the existing building; and in 1979 KIEF, received 30 million dollars in private financing to star the World’s Fair operations center. Many significant countries signed letters of intent to participate in th Fair early in the its history, and the U.S. commitment to build a $20. million pavilion helped insure the Fair of being an international event “The countries of the world arc certainly not going to come to a Fai if the host country is not participating,” said Lambert. The U.S commitment to the Fair led the way for 19 other countries to give solit committments to KIEF, including China, a country which has no exhibited in the U.S. since the end of the Man-Chu dynasty in 1904. The most important point about the Fair for the city of Knoxville i: the fact that it is going to bring in much needed revenue. The Fair i: going to be an “economic shot in the arm with this great event,” he said. The UT Center for Business and Economic Research hasestimatec that $400 million will be spent in preparation for and during the Fair Lambert said that $100 million will be spent preparing the site for the exposition, and then the exhibitors and concessionaires will spcnc another $100 million preparing their stores and exhibits. What do you think would happen if a “scruffy little town” decided to turn a ditch into a World’s Fair? Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, nothing would happen except a disaster, but the exact opposite happened. From its inception, the Fair was on shaky ground with the residents of the city, but when the plans turned into a visual fantasy the com- munity became very supportive of this tremendous task. Walter Lambert, Vice President of the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, said that the concept of a World’s Fair in Knoxville was first met with nothing but ridicule and disbelief. “In 1975, Stuart Evans, Executive director of the Downtown Knoxville Association heard King Cole, past president of the Spokane World’s Fair talk about the effects that the World’s Fair had on downtown Spokane.” It was at this point that Evans returned to Knoxville and started talking to the business community about the possibility of having a fair in Knoxville. With constant determination, he convinced Kyle Tcstcrman, then the mayor, to appoint a citizens’ committee to examine the idea. •‘They went through nearly two years of studies. The site selection committee said look, there is already in existence a redevelopment pro- ject for the Lower Second Creek Valley, so the site was in fact pre- selected by it already being designated as a redevelopment area. That was the initial beginning for the fair and things skyrocketed from that point. “$100 million will be spent preparing the site for exposition, and then the ex- hibitors and concessionaires will spend another $100 million preparing their stores and exhibits.” “The private permanent development on the site consisting of the Station ‘82 com- plex, the Holiday Inn, and the Sunsphere are already returning more in city taxes than the whole site did before we started the fair.” “There has been $225 million spent on highway improvements,” ac- cording to Lambert. These funds would not have been appropriated un- til the mid-80’s if Knoxville had not had the Fair. Lambert said that post-site development will include at least another $100 million in condominium and office building construction, plus a large portion of the site w ill remain as an inter-city park and lake. All of this redevelopment is supplying the city with tax revenues that were non-existent before the fair. “The private permanent development on the site, consisting of the Station ‘82 complex, the Holiday Inn, and the Sunsphere, are already returning more in city taxes than the whole site did before we started the fair, said Lambert. All of this development has revived the dow ntow n area. Seven blocks of the center city have been targeted for construction of office buildings and apartments, and the apartment complexes are the key to downtown survival. “No city will ever be healthy if it is nine to five. A city, to be healthy, has to be around the clock, and what we’ve done is start a round of development which can do exactly that,” said Lambert. When the fair closes on October 31, 1982. an estimated 13 million visitors will have passed through the fair gates, and the community will have supported the fair. Lambert said that this project will make Knox- ville a can-do city because the residents of the city decided to get together and make it work. -------------------------,,arr Malonev 24 World's Fair

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Mi.Kiel Messing After Hours A Different Kind Of Energy seemed to be Sam Houston’s and Desperados. A bit closer to cam- pus, the End Zone provided a jukebox of country hits, while other bars also featured country or blucgrass music. For a slightly less noisy, more relaxed evening, the Old College Inn was popular among many students. “About 95 percent of our crowd arc fraternities,” said Laura Atherton, a freshman in marketing who also worked as a waitress at the Inn. “On football weekends it’s really packed,” she added. Nightlife at college was as im- portant as the students allowed it to become. It was not always good for grades, but certainly not always bad. -------------------Randy Weaver Intense concentration showed on the faces of those in line. This was what each one spent hours preparing for — sacrificing sleep and money. The scene was not a final exam, in organic chemistry. Rather, it was a scene that took place every night in countless bars and ar- cades along the Strip and throughout Knoxville. Nightlife activities were as varied as the students themselves. Video and pinball games were just one of countless ways for students to spend their evenings. For those students with undeclared majors, a few hours of Pac-Man or Space Invaders was enough to keep them happily undecided. For some people, every night of the week was good for drinking and relaxing. But by the time the weekend rolled around, it seemed even the most dedicated scholars were eager to take a break from studying. A short walk from any residence hall gave students a break and a wide selection of established bars. For those who wanted to get away from campus for a while. Downtown West with its theaters and nightclubs held great attraction for many students. For those with tight budgets, movies were shown almost nightly- in the University Center. Live pro- ductions in Clarence Brown Theatre or the Carousel Theatre were quality entertainment at stu- dent prices. “I always finish studying by 7 o’clock,” said . Scott Stewart, a senior in geology. “If I’m not through, I quit anyway. Why waste time studying when you can be out having fun?” Most students seemed to be more flexible with their leisure time. Patricia Ramos, a junior in English, said, “1 don’t usually study much during the day because 1 have to watch my soaps. But if there’s a movie at the stu- dent center or something else 1 want to do at night, I can usually put studying off until I get home, said Ramos. “I don’t know- if I should, but I do. A description of every nightspot frequented by students would be impossible, especially since some of the more dedicated fun-scckcrs adopted secret. obscure homes away from home. Instead, a short list of the best- known and most-visited establishments has been compiled. The list must begin with The l.ast Lap. A campus institution for many years, some freshmen developed Last Lap fixations, which lasted well into their sophomore years. The call from the Lap went out to almost everyone. Ivy’s was also a definite hotspot and quickly gained a regular clientele, especially among students living on campus and along Lake Avenue. Nightly specials were always a big attraction. For country music fans, a quick drive out west via Kingston Pike led to paradise at many locations, although the most popular spots Sonya Carr, a sophomore in business, looks on while working at the refreshment counter at the Shclbournc Towers gameroom. Pete Littleton, a senior in finance, pores intently over a game of Atari football at The End Zone lounge. 26 After Hours Michael Mtsuag