36 The Queens Courier • march 20, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com It’s Time to Party Like It’s 1939 BY ROB MACKAY Quick question: What do Goldie Hawn and the Ford Mustang have in common? Obvious answer: They got their starts at the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows- Corona Park. That’s right. Goldie Hawn was a teenager from Maryland who had just moved to New York City to pursue an acting career in 1964. She got a job as a can-can dancer in a chorus line at the Texas Pavilion, where she was discovered. Meanwhile on April 17, 1964, Henry Ford II unveiled the Mustang at the Ford Pavilion. That same day, the two-seat, mid-engine sports car debuted in Ford showrooms across the country. It exceeded expectations by selling more than 400,000 models in the first year. The Fair, which actually ran for two, six-month seasons in 1964 and 1965, attracted more than 51 million people to Queens. The Cold War, the Space Age and the Atomic Age were the main global concerns at the moment, and the Fair had the theme “Peace through Achievement.” Various companies and countries constructed pavilions to promote their good sides. Belgium recreated a medieval village where a local delicacy, the waffle, was served. The cooked batter with strawberries and whipped cream was extremely popular, and although it had already existed for years under different names in the Old Country, the 1964 Fair solidified the term “Belgian waffle.” Even the Vatican got involved, building a pavilion that exhibited a replica of Michelagelo’s Pieta. The Unisphere was commissioned for the Fair to represent global independence. Now this 12-story, stainless-steel symbol of Earth is the borough’s most recognized symbol. But this wasn’t the only World’s Fair to take place in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The borough’s first World’s Fair opened on April 30, 1939, with a speech by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the theme “Dawn of a New Day.” This Fair also took place over two seasons and drew roughly 40 million attendees in total. The air conditioner made its debut at this Fair, as did color photographs, fluorescent lamps, nylon pencil sharpeners, TV sets and even a diner, which still exists as the White Manna in Jersey City, NJ. Fast-forward to the present, and Queens is about to start celebrating these 50th and 75th anniversaries. The fun will start on March 22, when the Greater Astoria Historical Society screens a film on the 1939 Fair. Then, over the next six months, various local attractions – including the Louis Armstrong House Museum, New York Hall of Science, Queens Botanical Garden and The Port Authority of NY & NJ -- will hold everything from lectures to concerts to exhibits in honor of the World’s Fairs. The Queens Courier is getting involved, too, and will run columns on the World’s Fair written by historians, representatives from local cultural venues and other enthusiasts. This is the first one, but many, many more will appear on these pages over the next six months. In other words, get ready to party like it’s 1939…or 1964. Rob MacKay is the director of the Queens Tourism Council and the director of public relations for the Queens Economic Development Corporation. Photo by Bill Cotter Four girls eating Belgian waffles during the 1964 World’s Fair. OBTAIN A FAST DIVORCE IN AS LITTLE AS 24 HOURS WE ARE HERE TO HELP! Visit us online or Call Now! SERVING THE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 50 YEARS! A leader in the fast divorce business has been Divorcefast.com of Massachusetts, a company that has been providing speedy, low-cost foreign divorces for 50 years. 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