World’s Fair returns to Atlas Park

BY PETE DAVIS

Thursday, August 9, 2007 10:04 AM EDT

The weekend of August 11-12 at the Shops at Atlas Park is a chance for Queens residents to relive the 1964 World’s Fair with a celebration of the different cultures that represent the borough.

“Queens by all accounts is the most ethnically diverse county in the country and arguably the most diverse county in the world,” says Dave Kerpen, President of the Kbuzz, and founder of World’s Fair at Atlas Park.

The festival will feature food, artwork, displays, performers and other entertainment from around the globe on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Each day will feature various cultural performers with a $1000 prize awarded each day to the top performance group as voted by the Atlas Park visitors.

“It’s momentous that we can bring the World’s Fair back for the residents of Queens,” says Kerpen. “As a Queens resident, I am personally excited to have the opportunity to celebrate all the dozens of different cultural groups in this county; it’s a great opportunity to get the word out about the diversity of Queens - a melting pot of people representing all four corners of the earth.”

The festival will feature booths from 25 different groups representing 20 different cultures selling cultural artifacts or simply displaying what the specific organization does.

“Queens hasn’t seen anything like this since the last World’s Fair,” says Damon Hemmerdinger, Director of Development at The Shops at Atlas Park. “We are ecstatic to be able to bring back a tradition that provides younger generations with the opportunity to experience diversity and culture in a fun and lively community like Atlas Park.”