By M. Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis, Mo. – Fair St. Louis begins Thursday at the Gateway Arch and the eastern landing of the Eads Bridge.
The event began as the VP Fair in 1981, and organizers say the Eads Bridge reopening will make this year's festival one of the largest ever.
Fair executive director Rich Meyers says security concerns following the September 2001 terrorist attacks contributed to lower attendance last year, but he expects numbers to bounce back.
"I think we're going to have a great year this year," Meyers said. "I think last year the reaction was more to the media speculation about security concerns than it was about any genuine security concern."
There will be a variety of musical acts, daily air shows, and fireworks starting at 9:45 each of the three evenings.