Energizing Knoxville

Before America forgot how to agree, Knoxville showed the world what is possible when we come together.

In the spring of 1982, on a scrubby stretch of former railroad yard in Knoxville, Tennessee, history was made. The 1982 World's Fair ran for 184 days, welcomed 11.4 million visitors from 23 nations, and transformed 70 blighted acres into a gleaming international exposition unlike anything the American South had ever seen. \"Energizing Knoxville\" tells the improbable, largely forgotten story of how a mid-sized Appalachian city convinced the world to show up, and how the effort changed Knoxville forever. What made it possible was something seemingly more rare than a world's fair these days: genuine cooperation. Republican Mayor Kyle Testerman launched the vision, then handed it to his Democratic successor Randy Tyree, who carried it across the finish line. Democratic banker Jake Butcher and Republican businessman Jim Haslam co-chaired the organizing body together. Senator Howard Baker pressed a skeptical White House until President Reagan agreed to open it himself. The event had wound its way through the administrations of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter before reaching him. There was also a parallel battle to ensure that Black-owned Knoxville businesses had a real seat at the table, and the fair debuted the most extensive African American exhibit in the history of U.S. world's fairs. What can the 1982 World’s Fair teach us today about working together for a brighter future for everyone?

Project Website: EnergizingKnoxville.com

Director | Ryan Ritchey

Line Producer | Stacy Ritchey

Director of Photography | Greg Gant

Camera / DP Knoxville | Peter Leininger

Asst. Editor | Nathan Brubaker