OUR STORIES: A world's Fair; Knoxville's triumph

On May 1, 1982, the world came from Knoxville.

After eight years of planning, politics and preparation, the blighted lower Second Creek Valley became a magnificent center of pageantry, culture and entertainment.

The bands played, the balloons soared, and Tennessee native Dinah Shore was mistress of ceremonies. The special guest of honor was President Ronald Reagan, who officially opened the Fair.

Nearly 100,000 people streamed through the gates on opening day, and they kept coming for the run of the Fair. The 2 millionth visitor was on May 31st. On that same day, the Sunsphere was the setting for the wedding of Carl Vanwagner and Sandra Hopkins, both of Michigan.

Among the many huge stars who performed during the Fair was Bob Hope, and journalists from all over the world came to Knoxville during the Fair's run.

WBIR offered extensive coverage during the Fair. Our newscasts were broadcast from studios set up at the Fair itself. There were special five minute programs each day, and Edye Ellis hosted "Welcome World," a weekly 30 minute magazine show on Fair activities.

Everyone agrees the World's Fair helped make Knoxville what it is today.

"We can see it was a defining moment in the history of this community because it gave us direction, it gave us purpose," said Former Mayor Randy Tyree. "To my dying day I'll be so proud of this community to be able to come together and accomplish the success of the 1982 World's Fair."

Fair officials predicted there would be 11 million visitors. On 12:15 p.m., on the very last day of the Fair, that goal was realized when Charles and Helen Hutchinson from Cincinnati came through the gates.

After 187 days, the Fair closed on October 31, 1982. The "scruffy little city" had overcome many hurdles during the Fair's eight year history, from conception to completion.

But as Dr. Bruce Wheeler wrote in his book "Knoxville, Tennessee," "A dazzling future awaited the post-Fair city. The next day, November 1, 1982, it all began to come unraveled."

Dr. Wheeler refers to the Butcher banking scandals, which rocked Knoxville and the entire region. On our next "Our Stories" segment, we'll take a look back at this watershed moment in Knoxville history.