Star Trek exhibit at Fair brings fans up close with props, costumes
Visitors to the 2015 Washington State Fair, which runs through Sept. 27, are setting a course for deep space and venturing where no one has gone before.
When gates opened on Friday, roughly 1,000 people poured through the fair’s featured exhibit, “Star Trek: The Exhibition,” presented by EMS Entertainment.
Attendees got the rare chance to feast their eyes on dozens of authentic Star Trek props, costumes and artifacts dating back to the original television series on up through the JJ Abrams Star Trek motion picture reboot, starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, released in 2009.
Katie Gorbunow, operations manager for EMS Entertainment, said the collection is valued at more than $1 million.
One of the highest valued pieces, at more than half a million, is the replica of the bridge of the USS Enterprise.
“The original bridge was destroyed (for unknown reasons) after the television series ended,” Gorbunow said.
The replicated bridge includes the chair where Captain James Kirk commanded the USS Enterprise. People who have always wanted to sit in the chair can now do so and get a photo taken (for an additional fee).
“The bridge includes sound effects and blinking lights,” Gorbunow said.
The exhibit’s last stop on the road was the Mall of America in Minneapolis. There, the exhibit was set on a much grander scale. At the Washington State Fair, the exhibit is housed in a tighter 12,000-square-foot space in the Floral building inside the Red Gate. With it being on a smaller scale, laying out the many costumes, props and artifacts took some creativity but the end result delivers a powerful punch.
For Anni Henderson, a self-proclaimed “science nerd,” a chance to see all the elements of Star Trek up close was extraordinary.
“We just nicked the surface, and it’s amazing,” said Henderson, who traveled from Rochester, south of Olympia, to the Fair with her husband. “I grew up with the original series.”
Henderson remembers watching it with her mother and siblings. It was a must-watch show for her. She said her favorite villains were the Borg and the Borg Queen from the Star Trek movie “First Contact.”
For those Star Trek fans who love a heightened “fan” experience, there is a Star Trek costume contest that starts at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 and 26 at The End Zone Sports Bar at the Fair. Prizes will be awarded to first, second and third-place winners each week. A grand prize winner will be selected from the three first-place winners.
The End Zone Sports Bar will also serve up Spocktails, including Romulan Ale, and Star Trek-themed food.
Entry to the exhibit requires a separate ticket and does not include Fair gate admission. On-site tickets are $8. Exhibit hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 12:09 PM with the headline "Star Trek exhibit at Fair brings fans up close with props, costumes."