I was writing a story about a new beer from Abita Brewing when the thought of the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans crossed my mind. This was such an epic debacle handled in a way that only Louisiana politicians could handle.

On the surface, it seemed like a great idea. In reality, it was the first world's fair to ever have to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. I remember going to the fair. I remember how totally unimpressed I was. I had gone to New Orleans to see my girlfriend, now wife, perform at the fair. So maybe I wasn't really focused on the fair itself.

That was before I knew about any of the financial missteps and misdeeds that were associated with the project. I am pretty sure that this exhibition in New Orleans basically sealed the deal on anyone else wanting to put on an event of this caliber.

The city did get some benefits from the fair. A lot of the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans came from the fair. The New Orleans Riverwalk was also a product of the fair. There were also a lot of warehouses that were repurposed as bars and nightclubs that are still happening spots today too.

So even if it was a flop there was some good to come out of that flop. If only the lesson of "let's never do this again" is the prevailing take away from the entire experience then I think we are better for it.

 

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