Photographs, narration and music educated visitors about problems facing the farmer, including soil erosion, pests and waste disposal. After getting the bad news, visitors entered the next part of the exhibit, which showed a gigantic farmer bathed in the light of hope. The final section displayed photos of solutions to agricultural problems and stressed a need for cooperation between urban and rural dwellers. The pavilion was a joint-effort between agri-business companies and state commodity boards.
An all-wood building (surprise!) divided into five zones. In the first, you learned about different types of forests. In zone number two, you learned how different environmental factors affect forest management. The third zone described actual forest management decisions being made. Zone four demonstrated how the timber industry was preparing for future problems (nothing about the Spotted Owl). The final zone was a plexiglass maze showing man's relationship with the forest.
 A scale model of the Bell System pavilion. |
The theme of the Bell Pavilion was that movement is an integral part of life. There were two main parts to the pavilion: the exhibit hall and the Main Show Theater. The theater showed a film called The Right Move, which demonstrated how man has changed his environment and how those changes created problems that need to be corrected with the right move. The unusual thing about the theater was that you had to stand up to watch the movie. The centerpiece of the exhibit hall was a 20-foot high display showing how new phone equipment could stop crime, assist in education, aid the handicapped and how you could save money on calls. The pavilion saved energy by doing away with air conditioning in favor of louvered panels near the roof.
The Boeing International Amphitheatre was a 1,000 seat arena with benches made from recycled railroad ties. It was mostly a site for national celebrations by the countries sponsoring pavilions, but also hosted speakers and musical acts from those countries.
The railroad showed two films, Portrait of a Railroad and Partners With Nature. The latter outlined Burlington Northern's land management. The pavilion had a cedar-shingled roof and one wall was glass and overlooked the Spokane River falls.
Boasting the theme, "Energy: Gift from the Past; Problem of the Present; Challenge of the Future," the Energy Pavilion was sponsored by the American Gas Association, American Mining Congress, American Petroleum Institute, Atomic Industrial Forum, Edison Electric Institute, Rahco and a couple other equipment manufacturers. Exhibits included photo mural of a working strip mine, an introduction to supply and demand via a slide show visit to "Energy City" and a look at energy in the year 2000.
The Ford Motor Company Pavilion was housed in a geodesic dome and featured the theme, "Sharing the Environment." It was intended to show how mobility and portability are in integral part of human life. Displays included a 22-foot high mountain with waterfalls, a 1929 Model A (the first station wagon built on a moving assembly line), a dugout canoe, covered wagon and motorized pogo stick. Movies emphasized Ford's concern for the environment through reducing emissions, boosting gas mileage and exploring alternate energy sources.
General Motors' theme was "Mobility In Harmony With Our Environment." The pavilion was made of four canvas and aluminum domes and a courtyard. Inside were displays of the company's Sigma I gas mileage indicator (It was supposed to continually calculate and display gas mileage. The fact that your present car doesn't have one tells you how successful it was), a device that would prevent your car from working if you were drunk (we could use that one), the catalytic converter—which would become standard equipment beginning in 1975, air bags, child restraints, an electric car, most of GM's 1974 model cars and something they called the Basic Transportation Vehicle (with catchy names like that, it's no wonder Detroit lost so much of their market share to Japan).
Small exhibits from businesses and social groups, all dedicated to the loose theme of "today's lifestyles." Exhibitors included:
Amtrak - The 37-foot long cutaway model of a coach used projection screens to simulate a train journey.
Environaire - A film showing how Earth might have looked before pollution.
Key Tronic - The computer keyboard maker showed how computers can solve environmental problems.
Fiberform - Boat designs.
United Airlines - A film on the beauty and diversity of the United States.
Rahco - Models and photos of how their heavy equipment is used to build dams and canals.
Schweitzer Ski Basin - The Idaho ski resort contributed the film, Day at Schweitzer —made for the fair.
Union Pacific - The Roundhouse Theatre took viewers on a slide show trip through time, paralleling the growth of the railroad with the growth of the West—projected on a 360 degree screen.
U.S. Air Force
Whirlpool - The circular kitchen of the future.
Housed in the Washington State Pavilion, the Czech Kino-Automat exhibit featured the film, One Man and His World. Miroslav Hornicek ("the Bob Hope of Czechoslovakia") starred as Mr. Novak—a loser who asks for help from the audience in making important decisions in his life. Buttons on the armrest of their seat gave visitors a chance to vote at six points during the film. It was also seen at the Montreal World's Fair in 1967, the San Antonio World's Fair in 1968 and the Osaka 
The pavilion was an inflated red and yellow-striped dome, with the theme, "Know the Land the People Through Photography." It was an eight-minute slide show featuring contributions from some of the best Pacific Northwest photographers. There was no narration, only taped music by local performers.
The exhibit was an authentic Chinese junk anchored in the Spokane River. Visitors could board and check out the 48-foot vessel.
Displays from Hughes Airwest (official airline of Expo '74), Spokane River Expeditions, Pacific Northwest Information Center, Leisure America, the American Association of Retired Persons, Reno-Tahoe Recreation and a post office and currency exchange comprised this commercial display.
