The Astrodome As A Showcase

One of the many ways I like to think of the Astrodome is as a showcase.

The idea of showcasing aspects of a locality goes all the way back to ancient harvest festivals and medieval county fairs; fast forward to the Crystal Palace and again to the great tradition of U.S. state fairs and Texas county fairs. Today's Cal Expo is just one example of a state fairground that's also open year round, showing off what that state has to offer.

Harris County already has a county fair, in a way, privately operated out west near the reservoir. It's very popular and seems to have the blessing of county leaders. (Don't know what its status is since COVID.) Because it's filling a need and so as not to usurp a success, the Astrodome doesn't have to be a county fair; but certainly it can be a county showcase.

So then what are we going to showcase? Tradition suggests things like industry, technology, food and agriculture, local attractions, history, festivals, arts. Without even going outside the county line, there's no end to the things that can be showcased in the Dome, which makes this a perfect role for the Conservancy and Harris County to establish as a pillar of the Dome's programming.

It's worthwhile to remember that the aforementioned showcases from distant times and places have ALL also been FUN, with entertainment, games, feasting, and drinking. A showcase Astrodome needs all of that, and in the current century also needs immersion experiences, interfaces between in-person and virtual social spaces, and lots of selfie stations.