I have never attended the Minnesota State Fair, which is a real shame. It has a tremendous reputation, and every year I hear raves about the weird food, the entertainment, the fun atmosphere. I’m afraid, though, that the huge crowds intimidate me. I’d struggle to get parking, would have to deal with the congestion, and it’s a 3 hour drive each way to get there.
The Great American State Fair in Washington DC has no such problem.
Photos and video of the small crowds, a lack of seating and near empty food booths were widely mocked on social media, while the Daily Beast called the event “virtually deserted” and The Atlantic noted in a headline: “The Great American State Fair isn’t very great.”
Maybe I should go? Except I don’t think there’s much to see.
The Great American State Fair is underway at the National Mall to mark the United States’ 250th birthday. But not everything is off to such a great start.
The event has quickly faced problems including power outages, melting ice cream – and a lack of representation from states that declined to send delegations.
While organizers assured visitors all parts of the nation would be represented, at least 10 states and territories refused to participate, with many citing the price tag to send staff to the 16-day event as their reason for opting out.
As usual, everything Trump touches turns to shit.
Yeah, everything he touches turns to shit. But at least this whole thing is hilarious!
And it’s not even in a state …..
bluerizlagirl 2, that’s even funnier than the ongoing War on Photosynthesis!
Reports are that the Smithsonian is having its annual Folklife Festival in the Arts and Industries building adjacent to the Mall (this seems to be one part of the pre-Trump celebration that is still going on though trimmed down since Trump took over the Mall). Theme this year is ‘Culture Of, By, and For the People”.
https://festival.si.edu/
Smithsonian is also doing a “Our Shared Future: 250” https://www.si.edu/250
I’m not sure how much Trump appointees have affected it.
Just about no one feels much like having a party this 4th of July.
What is there to celebrate anyway?
I will go to the local 4th of July celebration though.
It at least doesn’t require much driving and in the evening they have some good live music.
I have been to County and State Fairs a lot recently.
I go for the rock concerts and I’ve seen some really great outdoor in the summer shows that way.
Jefferson Starship, the Beach Boys, Foreigner, Blue Oyster Cult, Rick Springfield, Boston, etc..
Depends on my schedule and who is playing.
This year it will be at least one and maybe two fairs.
Vandals used box cutters to cut a 500′ gash down the middle of the Great American State Fair. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Yeah, the 250th year 4th of July celebration in Washington DC isn’t going well.
And why should it? What is there to celebrate anyway?
He made it into a partisan event and most of the US people actively avoid those involving him these days.
It is the same old story that we’ve seen for the last 18 months.
Everything Trump touches dies.
Let’s all chant it together now: E.T.T.D! E.T.T.D! E.T.T.D!
So, when will he?
Oh,wat, NO, if he goes then we get the stupid, malicious vancehole raping and pillaging the ruins of this country!
OOPS. meant to write: Oh,WAIT, NO, if he goes then we get the stupid, malicious vancehole raping and pillaging the ruins of this country!
And, if the vancehole is somehow banished, we get mofo mikey the xtian terrorist weasel. Even Worse!
My chant is becoming D.S.A.! D.S.A.! D.S.A.!
I’m old enough to vaguely remember the Bicentennial in 1976. We had been through Vietnam and Watergate, though I wasn’t all that aware of such things. Ford was president. Stuff wasn’t super great back then, but the 250th now has been pretty much ruined by our current president. Sad.
I’ve seen some of the related spectacle. A NASCAR street race on a naval base. Not the UFC event featuring the Macy’s Thanksgiving float of Joe Rogan with a microphone. Maybe the upcoming Indycar race in DC, depending on my schedule that day.
But celebrate? Now? What?
@5 raven I had seen two of those bands live in the early 80s— Foreigner and Jefferson Starship. Saw Rush play at the State Fairgrounds in Tampa several times, but not for a fair. Ford Amphitheater at the time. Not seeing them live this tour though they have a much better drummer. Too pricey. Youtube is your friend.
Sadly Vanilla Ice got rained out. Oh well.
Trump supporters treat “patriotism” the same way they treat their usually evangelical Christianity. “Through faith, not works.”
To many Christians, it doesn’t matter what you do in life so long as you accept Jesus as your personal lord…etc., etc.. I’ve seen Chick Tracts and Christian movies that features the main character leading a life of “sin” until their final moments where they offer their last few seconds to Jesus, accepting his sacrifice and believing in his resurrection. (There is usually another character who isn’t sufficiently Christian who is sent to Hell despite performing a life of good deeds.) what you actually do for others and the world isn’t important—that’s all going to be destroyed in the end times. The only thing that saves you from damnation is “pure” and “correct” faith.
The same applies to their view of patriotism. Believing in the righteousness and perfect integrity of the United States of America is what makes one American. It doesn’t matter what Americans have done over the centuries, or even if conservatives don’t practice what they preach. For instance: Donald Trump not only conspicuously never served in the Armed Forces but has been heard denigrating dead and wounded soldiers as suckers and losers. However, he’s still a “patriot” in the common MAGAt’s eye because he drapes himself in jingoism, shovels more money into the Military Industrial Complex, and threatens war against any nation that annoys them.
They don’t think they actually have to do anything to make this country a decent place, they just have to believe it is perfect and it will be so. And woe be upon those “godless communists” and “violent Antifas” who challenge their narrative and burst their red, white and blue bubble.
Au contraire! There is a cow named Melania.
It’s a ghost town at Trump’s great state fair as Melania gets an unusual honor
If as forecast, the House gets flipped in November, Mike Johnson will no longer be speaker of the House. Johnson will be cast into the political darkness. There will be much pig like squealing. Music to my ears.
@10 Hemidactylus
NPR had a piece about the bicentennial on Weekend Edition Sunday
The biggest difference is that in 1976, we could do things to celebrate the occasion (e.g. bicentennial quarters) without a demented narcissistic fuckwit making everything about himself.
This just emphasizes E.T.T.D. :
https://crooksandliars.com/2026/06/trumps-triumphal-arch-already-buckling
and, though off-topic, this martoons is so good:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/6/28/800062230/community/pride-parade/
@12 Akira MacKenzie wrote about tRUMP and magats phony patriotism.
I reply: Very insightful comment. thanks.
Also, I think if we are going to spout trite phrases we should change ‘america, love it or leave it’ to ‘america, love it and FIX it’
From the Infinite Thread
Trump begs people to attend
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/03/30/infinite-thread-xxxix/comment-page-7/#comment-2304705Trump lies about crowd size
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/03/30/infinite-thread-xxxix/comment-page-7/#comment-2304714“Nobody’s laughing at us anymore,” said the man filling in for Milli Vanilli.
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/03/30/infinite-thread-xxxix/comment-page-7/#comment-2304750Lecherous Uncle Sam arrested for putting on a show at the circus
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/03/30/infinite-thread-xxxix/comment-page-7/#comment-2304756Vanilla Ice. Confederate flags for a state that didn’t participate.https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/03/30/infinite-thread-xxxix/comment-page-7/#comment-2304809Floating pillar facades: Potemkin on the Potomac
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/03/30/infinite-thread-xxxix/comment-page-7/#comment-2304823Melania the cow
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/03/30/infinite-thread-xxxix/comment-page-7/#comment-2304835@Cheerfulcharlie – If as forecast, the House gets flipped in November, Mike Johnson will no longer be speaker of the House. Johnson will be cast into the political darkness. There will be much pig like squealing. Music to my ears.
In another post someone said if Trump and Vance get removed, we would be stuck with Mike Johnson. I thought that would be a good thing because just about any Democrat could beat him. I see him as a sycophantic dunce. Not sure if that makes sense but that is what comes to mind when I think of him. He has proven repeatedly he cannot control his sheep, constantly relies on Trump to step in, and is one of the least respected or honored politicians in America.
@12 Akira MacKenzie – “Through faith, not works.”
I was leaving my part-time retirement job today and while walking to my car I spotted a man wearing a shirt that said, “Faith Conquers Fear.”
All I could think was how ironic. You use faith to protect yourself from fear, but it is fear that your faith uses to control you. I can only conclude ignorance is truly bliss.