SEATTLE — Seattle Center is celebrating a big birthday this year. 60 years ago it made its debut as the site of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.
The gates opened to the public on April 21, 1962. Nearly 10 million people visited during the six-month run of the fair. One of those people was Seattle Center Director Robert Nellams. He was just five years old when his mother took him and his sister to the World's Fair. Now he's in charge of the anniversary celebrations.
The events kick off on the anniversary of opening day on Thursday, April 21 with a public event at Seattle Center Armory Food & Event Hall. The celebration will include music, Seattle's Youth Poet Laureate, and several locals sharing a 60th birthday with the Seattle World's Fair. Nellams along with Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell will honor the Center's history and take a look at what the next 60 years will look like for the campus. The event starts at 10:30 a.m. and is free to attend.
Thursday's event is part of a six-month celebration that will be filled with in-person activities.
"The fact that we haven't been able to do in-person events for so long that really, our celebration over the next six months, is going to be about bringing things back," says Nellams. "There will be a number of things we'll do to highlight things and make sure people realize this is the 60th but what we're really focusing on right now is getting people back and getting them comfortable with gathering again together."
Seattle Center has more information on the 60th anniversary of the Seattle World's Fair listed on its website.
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