Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Centennial Radio Project
Jack Straw Cultural Center and producer Harriet Baskas partnered to produce a series of short radio pieces about the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
These three five-minute radio features produced by Harriet Baskas and Jack Straw were broadcast on KUOW 94.9 FM to celebrate the centennial of the 1909 Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition: Washington’s first World’s Fair. The event filled the grounds of what is now the University of Washington campus with impressive and innovative cultural, scientific and agricultural displays and shone a national spotlight on Seattle.
These three radio stories explore several aspects of the fair: the music, the souvenirs, and some of the event’s lasting legacies and innovations. The project was made possible with funding from Humanities Washington and 4Culture.
Episode 1. Meet me in Seattle: Music at the AYP
Aired on KUOW 94.9 FM
Friday, May 29th, 2009 at 2:09 p.m.
Saturday, May 30th, 2009 at 1:06 p.m.
What’s a party without music? Although neither amplified nor recorded music was readily available in 1909, the grounds were filled with music from morning until night. Fairgoers were serenaded by Dixieland and brass bands, the newly formed Seattle Symphony, and groups performing Hawaiian, German, Scandinavian, and other music.
Episode 2. Souvenirs of the AYP
Aired on KUOW 94.9 FM
Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 2:15 p.m.
Saturday, August 15th, 2009 at 12:06 p.m.
While the people who attended the fair are gone, they’ve left behind some unusual souvenirs that keep alive some special memories. In the second installment of the AYP Centennial Radio Project, Harriet Baskas brings us the story of two dresses, a table and several other treasured AYP souvenirs.
Includes excerpt from Original Music of the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition, a locally produced CD by Larry Blackstock.
Episode 3. Legacies of the AYP
Aired on KUOW 94.9 FM
Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 2:06 p.m.
The AYP brought pineapple, the Hawaiian steel guitar and the country’s first transcontinental car race to Seattle. It also brought pride of place to a rough and tumble town while presenting mixed messages about some indigenous and ethnic groups in the community. This episode features music performed by Swil Kanim and Greg Moore.
Photo Gallery: Images from the AYP collected by Harriet Baskas during her research.
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