Summer of '67 - Jason Stockl wasn't born, but reminisces
Marilis Cardinal / photo DC Hillier

Mesmerised by his father’s memories of Elvis Presley’s guitar at the Expo 67, Jason Stockl, the founder of the blog Expo Lounge, remembers being fascinated for as long as he can remember with the futuristic “mini-city” built on man-made islands and the architecture of Habitat 67. The retro aesthetic enthusiast describes his blog as a labour of love, a place for the lucky ones who attended to reminisce and for all of us to remember the summer of ‘67.

Why do you think Expo 67 was such a success?

At the time, Canada was just starting to open itself to the world, discovering other cultures. I don’t think an Expo in Montreal would be as successful if it happened today, Montrealers are a bit blasé. It’s the wide-eyed innocence of Quebec during the ‘60s that made Expo 67 so special.

What’s one of your most prized retro possessions?

My most prized possession is the official raincoat worn by a U.S. pavilion hostess at Expo 67 that I got from eBay. I was ready to unload hundreds of dollars on it, and I won it for $33 U.S.! There were no major bidders against me.

You must have collected an impressive amount of personal stories from Expo 67 since you started the blog in 2006. Are there any memorable ones?

My favourite Expo story has to do with how the Canadian pavilion was designed. One of its prominent features is a large, inverted pyramid called «Katimavik» (Inuit for «meeting place»). In the earlier stages, the architects were working on a scale model of the pavilion and, just before lunch, something had been glued and a heavy ashtray had been deposited on top of the model to make sure the pieces adhered properly. The ashtray was an inverted pyramid shape... When the architects came back from lunch, one of them remarked how elegant the shape of the astray was and the idea for the «Katimavik» was born! Canada’s pavilion was, basically, a giant ashtray!

What’s your favourite retro Montreal landmark?

I’d have to say Chalet BBQ, Montreal’s original and best rotisserie chicken. The place has been open since the 1940s and the decor has not changed one bit!

What are your future plans with Expo Lounge?

Over the years, I’ve become friends with Mr. Yves Jasmin, who was the director of public relations at Expo 67. He would like to get an “Expo 67 Foundation” started up and has asked me to be one of its founders. The foundation’s goal would be to preserve the memory of Expo 67 and to educate future generations on what Expo meant to Montreal, to Quebec and to Canada. Concretely, we’d like Expo 67 archives and artefacts to be properly indexed, and my blog could play a role in promoting an Expo 67 foundation and its activities.

expolounge.blogspot.com

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