On the first day of the Great American State Fair on Washington’s National Mall, there were no butter sculptures, blue-ribbon livestock or prize-winning rutabaga pies to admire.
But visitors could take in a gleaming portrait of US president Donald Trump, pick up a handbill promoting Turning Point USA and hear a speaker read a poem declaring every teen to be “a conscript in a spiritual world war”.
The 16-day event that started Thursday was organised by Freedom 250, a Trump-backed group that has been involved in a quiet tug of war with America 250, a bipartisan group charged by US Congress with co-ordinating the nation’s 250th birthday.
The fair consists of exhibits and pavilions conceived to represent every US state and territory, along with Cabinet departments.
RM Block
At least 11 states declined to take part officially, many of them citing budget concerns and were replaced by smaller groups Freedom 250 selected to fill the gap.
Overall, many of the offerings amounted to an apolitical hodgepodge of history and Americana. Visitors could see a talking hologram of Abraham Lincoln (Illinois) and a Nascar stock car (North Carolina). A display about Georgia promoted state icons, including vidalia onions and Waffle House. But throughout the grounds, there were more than a few hints of a more conservative union.
Volunteers with the River at Tampa Bay Church in Florida approached people asking if they knew that “Jesus loves you and has a plan for you”.
Literature was distributed proclaiming that Trump was leading the “Great American Comeback”.
Exhibitors included Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian institution, and the Museum of the Bible. On the edge of the grounds, performers sang hymns in a worship tent.
Visitors could look at a smaller-scale model of Trump’s proposed 76m (250ft) triumphal arch. Its vinyl covering – emblazoned with the words “One Nation Under God” – had already started buckling.
It was all a bit underwhelming for Charles DeJesus, a 44-year-old from Butler, Pennsylvania, who said he had voted for Trump three times and had been planning to attend the event since he heard about it six months ago.
“It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but that’s okay,” he said.
He expected more people, a bigger fair-like atmosphere and more dining options. Still, he was happy to be there and said he did not detect any partisan leanings.
“It’s just America,” he said. – This article originally appeared in The New York Times
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