KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — May 1, 1982 served as the beginning of the World’s Fair in Knoxville Tenn., and now 40 years later, it has not been forgotten.

“While we are not going to celebrate and commemorate the event quite like recreating it, we are trying to do something special,” Kim Bumpas, the president of Visit Knoxville said.

The Tennessee Theatre held a special showing of the 1982 World’s Fair, taking a trip down memory lane through the preparations, celebrations and everything in between of the 5-month event.

“If you fast-forward forty years, it’s definitely an event worth recognizing, remembering and really celebrating because the people that were behind the scenes that pulled off having the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville Tennessee, they did some magical work to make that happen,” Bumpas said.

What happened in 1982 is something Bumpas said is worth reliving in a new way. So by seeing what took place decades ago, it helps bring the 40^th anniversary to life.

“There were performances from all over the world. There were pavilions set up at the celebration and at the World’s Fair. The Sunsphere was obviously built for it, so that was welcoming people, and really the primary focus was energy,” she said.

Now Bumpas wants others who are in the area to take the time to learn or revisit the memory of the event.

“Engage with the celebration in that capacity because it’s a great way to learn about the history of Knoxville Tennessee,” she said.

More events around the World’s Fair can be found on Visit Knoxville’s website.