by Tracie Peterson
My novel Remember Me is the first book in the Pictures of the Heart series. These three stories are set in Seattle 1909 at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, or the AYP as the locals called it. This amazing world fair was put together to highlight exhibits from Alaska and the Yukon, as well as some of the islands in the Pacific. People from around the world came to Seattle from June to October to participate in this highly successful fair. It turned out to be quite a boon to Seattle.
I thought it would be a lot of fun to set my series there and let the setting become almost a secondary character. The exposition was set on the grounds of the University of Washington with a promise from the exposition officials that they would leave the grounds with new landscaping and at least two permanent buildings. And they didn’t fail to provide. The landscaping was beautiful with thousands upon thousands of flowers and greenery, as well as fountains.
Admission to the exposition was fifty cents for adults and a quarter for children. Nearly four million people from all over the world attended, and the fair was open to the public seven days a week. The one big surprise was that alcoholic drinks were not allowed to be sold on site. Most world fairs and expositions knew alcohol was a big money maker, but the University of Washington forbade it, and the AYP became one of the only world fairs that didn’t have alcohol available. Even so, it was a huge success.
The expo also featured specific buildings to highlight various locations. The Alaska Building provided exhibits from Alaska with native people there to share their culture and art. The Japan Building showed off beautiful kimonos, samurai armor, photographs of Japan and many items representing their people and culture. There were a great many displays and even a re-creation of a village, complete with native people from the Philippines. It proved to be one of the most controversial in the exposition, since the people were, by some opinions, “scantily” dressed and ate a dog, as was part of their culture at the time.
The fair included various amusements that most fairs sport. Rides to thrill and concerts to entertain. Vendors with all sorts of things sold food and souvenirs. The first book of this series spotlights the Camera Girls who go around the exposition and encourage people to have their photograph taken.
Kodak had just introduced their brand-new Brownie camera. The girls in the novel work to encourage folks to buy one at our fictional photography shop. An official photographer at the actual AYP, Frank Nowell, is mentioned several times throughout the series, but the photographers I use as Camera Girls are purely fictional.
It’s said that the weather that summer of 1909 was absolutely beautiful, with more sunshine than Seattle was used to. Even though the days were long in sunlight, the exposition officials lined the buildings with over 20,000 lightbulbs. The view at night was said to be something magical.
As I researched the various details of the AYP and Seattle, I also learned that the Sorrento Hotel, which is still in Seattle, was created for the purpose of housing expo attendees. The Sorrento, located at the corner of Madison Street and Terry Avenue, was built in the Italianate style with seven floors of luxury rooms. You can read more about it at https://www.historylink.org/file/8669. I couldn’t help but have a few of my characters stay there.
I hope my readers will enjoy this setting as much as I did. There’s something fascinating about an exposition of this type and the exhibits people focused on. Of course, in my series there will be romance and adventure, intrigue and spiritual encouragement as well, so come along with me to the AYP!
About the Author
Tracie Peterson is the award-winning author of over 100 novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Visit www.traciepeterson.com to learn more.
About the Book
During the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo in Seattle, Addie Bryant is reunited with her beau, Isaac Hanson. But after the path her life has taken, she's afraid to expose the ugliness of her former life and to move toward the future they had pledged to each other.
Did You Know?
Have you noticed an anti-Christian agenda swooping into our schools, libraries, media and government institutions? When even the Muppets and Kellogg’s cereal boxes tell your young children they can be any gender they feel like, parents need strategies. Here are some reasons why:
Textbooks are now being written with gay and transgender characters for even young elementary readers. This presents a gay and transgender lifestyle as “normal” without an opportunity for parental input.
Parents cannot afford to wait until children are older to talk about these concepts or the cultural ideologues will indoctrinate them first.
If young children are armed with God’s perspective first, they will notice the discrepancy when others tell them they can choose their gender.
We can teach children to treat each other with kindness without indoctrinating them in gender confusion.
In 2 Timothy 3:16, Scripture says,“From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through Christ Jesus.”
Cornerstone Concepts for Kids arose from the need to address difficult social/cultural issues in age-appropriate ways for young children. To accomplish this, fun and endearing rhyming text or prose is interwoven with biblical concepts to engage kids on both spiritual and practical levels. Each story develops a positive theme about God’s love and desire for goodness for His children.
-Joan C. Benson and Marjorie Wingert, God’s ABCs
Why I LOVE My Local Christian Bookstore
“I love to shop bookstores in person because I wander around and pick up books to browse through. I can try out a book before I buy, which is easier in person than online. The experience feels like an adventure.”
-Yvonne M Morgan, A Sad Little Wildflower