ST. LOUIS -- One hundred years after introducing itself to the world, the Gateway City plans to reunite with old friends and hopes to make a few new ones with its centennial celebration of the 1904 World's Fair.

"Our celebration will not only be a celebration of our extraordinary past, but also a celebration of a better future," Mayor Francis Slay said at a rally Tuesday in announcing plans for the yearlong party.

"We're not going to have a World's Fair," former Sen. John Danforth, R-Mo., said. "But in the year 2004, we're going to have the biggest, best, most exciting celebration this community has had since the World's Fair in 1904.

In fact, the party starts a day early -- the first event planned by the civic booster group St. Louis 2004 is scheduled for New Year's Eve 2003 in Forest Park, the city's expansive green space that was the home of the 1904 fair.

On that night, St. Louis 2004 will unveil a 10-story tall Ferris wheel -- a highlight of the 1904 exhibition -- during an evening of fireworks and entertainment.

Most events planned by St. Louis 2004 are scheduled for weekends in the summer, with many taking place along the Mississippi River in downtown under the Gateway Arch, an engineering marvel unimaginable in 1904. They include transforming the Eads Bridge into an outdoor restaurant and hosting concerts on the Arch grounds.

Historical tie-in

There are also private groups planning to host more than 60 events in a partnership with St. Louis 2004, including a large exhibition by the Missouri Historical Society on explorers Lewis and Clark -- whose trek through the Louisiana Purchase was celebrated during the 1904 fair.