I'm wondering if anyone else out there has any recollection of this.   Was it an official Hoover-sponsored setup or could it have been something our local store devised on their own?

Back around 1960 our hardware store had a fun gismo to demonstrate the suction power of the Hoover vacuums they sold.  There was a seat, something like a porch swing which hung from some sort of hydraulic apparatus which was connected to a vacuum cleaner.  When you sat on the bench and turned on the vacuum you were hoisted up in the air. 

Needless to say, I LOVED to go to the hardware store with Dad, and I have a hunch the guy running the store was probably happy when we finally left. :-)

Neil

Jonathan,

that's more or less exactly what I remembered from my childhood.  I highly doubt the one in our hardware store was the very same equipment from the World's Fair since the store where I grew up wasn't built until around 1959, but it's amazing to find out the concept existed way back in the 1930's.  I'm sure it must have caused quite a stir and generated more than a few sales among fairgoers!