FAIR PARK

24. Fair Park Bandshell

After serving the two expositions, the bandshell was used as a venue for live entertainment. In 1941, it hosted Opera Under the Stars, the precursor to the Dallas Summer Musicals program. It continued this practice until Music Hall had air conditioning installed in 1951. A musical called State Fair used the location for one of its scenes. Starring Pat Boone and Ann Margaret, the remake of the original 1945 film was released in theaters during 1962.

The most popular and longest-running entertainment show at the bandshell was Birds of the World, which made its big debut in 1988. The educational production featured a wide variety of birds from all parts of the globe, all of them performing tricks to display their behaviors and instincts. It all began in 1974 when a man named Steve Martin met with a bird trainer working for Universal Studios. Steve, currently working for a bird veterinarian, was told that he should seek work at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. He took the advice and started the first free flight bird show in the nation two years later. The whole purpose was the promotion of education and conservation. This philosophy clashed with the wishes of his supervisor, who wanted the inclusion of novelty acts. Because of his refusals to comply, Martin was fired from his job in 1980. Instead of seeking work elsewhere, he decided to take his show on the road, performing mostly at zoos and other wildlife venues. The company has grown considerably over the years, evidenced by the 34-acre Florida home where the birds live. In 2013, after twenty-five years of providing entertainment, the bird show was performed for the last time. It was replaced by Wild West Pet Palooza, a program of rescued stray animals performing a variety of tricks.



November 28, 2016
© Clint Skinner

FAIR PARK - Attractions:

1. Fair Park Station
2. Main Entrance
3. Founders Statue
4. Women's Museum
5. DAR House
6. The Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial
7. Sydney Smith Memorial Fountain
8. Music Hall
9. Fair Park Esplanade
10. Centennial Building
11. Automobile Building
12. Hall of State
13. Tower Building
14. Big Tex Circle
15. Grand Place
16. Old Mill Inn
17. Magnolia Lounge
18. Hall of Religion
19. African American Museum
20. Leonhardt Lagoon
21. Dallas Museum of Natural History
22. Science Place I
23. Children's Aquarium
24. Fair Park Bandshell
25. Texas Discovery Gardens
26. WRR Headquarters
27. Science Place II
28. The Texas Star
29. Cotton Bowl Stadium
30. The Texas Skyway
31. The Embarcadero
32. The Creative Arts Building
33. Food and Fiber Building
34. Pan American Arena
35. The Woofus
36. The Swine Building
37. Briscoe Carpenter Livestock Center
38. Livestock Pavilion and Arena
39. The Horse Barn
40. Fair Park Coliseum
41. Top of Texas Tower