Confession: I can’t stop looking — and laughing — at takedowns of the Great American State Fair, another Trump-a-palooza shitshow happening in Washington D.C.
And of course, it’s reminding me of my first state fair, my ur-state fair, the Ohio State Fair. IYKYK, as the kids say. It was the one I grew up going to, and it was magnificent. Maybe it still is. Michigan’s barely exists anymore, so lord only knows what Republicans have managed to do, now that they control Ohio.
On the other hand, it was a Republican governor who made the OSF what it was. Big Jim Rhodes was a country boy, and loved anything that celebrated other country boys and girls. (College students he had little use for, as any Kent State grad of his era can tell you.) I can’t think of many things Rhodes did that I approved of, but as a child and teen, the state fair was A-OK with me.
There are certain things that should be found at every state fair, no matter where it is: Funnel cakes and fair food of all kinds. Blue-ribbon produce and pies. Rides operated by greasy carneys. Freak shows, admittedly something that’s likely gone away, and no one should miss, but I enjoyed them. Farm animals, and competitions between farm animals. Farm kids sleeping on cots in the next stall, with a huge fan blowing the heat and flies away. A grandstand, with nightly entertainment. (This is one area where the Michigan State Fair could stand alone, as they had all the Motown artists for years. It always tickled me that the celebration of all things rural was held in the state’s most urban area. The fairgrounds were on 8 Mile Road, for crying out loud.) Finally, there were the commercial buildings, with exhibits for chambers of commerce, farm-implement dealers, politicians and others. You could wander through a commercial building or two and pick up all kinds of free loot — keychains and bumper stickers and refrigerator magnets and nail files and pocket calendars.
The fair lasted about two weeks, as I recall. If you played your cards right as a kid, you could go at least twice, maybe more times.
So with all of this in my memory, I looked at the layout for the Great American State Fair and came away…not just disappointed, but contemptuous of these losers, to call this collection of slapdash crap a fair at all, let alone a great one. The scale replica of the Trump victory arch alone is shame-inducing, or should be.
Here’s the website. It contains lies; there aren’t exhibits and displays from “all 56 states and territories.” In fact, this whole paragraph is pretty much bunk: “…the Great American State Fair will showcase the very best of America through state pavilions, industry displays, family-friendly attractions, movie screenings, musical performances, military ensembles, spectacular flyovers, daily cultural programming, and an iconic Ferris wheel on the National Mall.”
Firsthand reports reveal a thinly attended, incredibly boring assemblage of slapped-together crap, the one redeeming feature of which is its ludicrous awfulness. Gene Weingarten:
One booth at this supposedly apolitical event is run by AMAC, the Association of Mature American Citizens, a far-right advocacy group that sells itself as a conservative alternative to the presumably communist-infiltrated AARP. The booth is distributing its glossy magazine, the cover story of which carries this headline:
THE GREAT AMERICAN COMEBACK – How Trump Is Setting the Stage for an Era of Historic Prosperity.
And:
At one booth, run by a group called Revival Ministries International, I was handed something called “The Gospel Soul-winning Script” which I am apparently supposed to carry with me at all times to proselytize the promise of eternal Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Lord. It’s about 300 words long and reads like a telemarketer’s cold-call script with “(fill in the name)” helpfully added at all appropriate points, as in the familiar spiel “Bruce, I am telling you, Bruce, this is how, you, Bruce, can find redemption between Jesus and yourself, Bruce…”
Wow, how fun. You should not be surprised that the food offerings are not funnel cakes and Tom Thumb Donuts, but overpriced burgers and Thai food. Today, July 1, is “Faith, Values, and Inspiration” day at the Great American State Fair. Bruce better steer clear.
Coming in August will be the Patriot Games, “…a premier national competition featuring outstanding high school students from across the nation. Male and female athletes will be selected to represent their home state or territory on a national stage as they compete in a series of high-intensity challenges designed to test strength, speed, agility, teamwork, resilience, and leadership.” No specific sports are named, only “challenges,” which I suspect will be something like American Ninja Warriors, only with teenagers.
I covered an open casting for American Ninja Warrior, in Fort Wayne. Interviewed a few Ninja Warriors, the permanent cast members. You never heard a more complaining, Tylenol-addicted bunch outside of a retirement community. In your life.
Anyway, this is what the Trump administration has on offer to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, and it makes me marvel that Trump only bankrupted two casinos, and not more.
In other news, Rep. Tom Kean, R-New Jersey, is back on the job and explaining his four-month absence from Congress. Diagnosis: Depression, severe enough to require hospitalization. How long? He didn’t say. There was a lot he didn’t say:
“Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing,” he said in a short speech on the House floor during his first day on Capitol Hill since disappearing more than 100 days ago. “I was given the diagnosis of depression.”
…Before his brief speech and afterward, he was silent in the hallways of the Capitol, appearing wan and mute as reporters asked him where he had been, how he was feeling, why he had not been more transparent about his health condition and whether he was still fit to serve.
Inside the House chamber, Mr. Kean, who described himself as “a private person by nature” who had struggled to share his journey, delivered a deeply personal speech that left out some important details.
He did not say what had originally landed him in the hospital, but said his doctors had told him the fastest way to recover was to stay there.
I don’t doubt one detail of Kean’s diagnosis, nor of his pain or suffering. I’ll only note that hardly anyone gets a hospital stay for depression treatment, unless it’s a three-day hold for danger to self or others. Maybe he’ll remember this when the next time comes to vote on Medicaid coverage for the less fortunate.
If he survives his election, that is. Meanwhile, welcome to Wednesday. As I write this, it was the promised 96 degrees, and tomorrow, more of the same. Ugh.
diane said on July 1, 2026 at 12:51 am
I just want to add to comments made by a couple people to the prior post about establishment Democrats needing to wake up. They certainly got a wake up call in today’s primary here in Colorado. We are a very purple state but the purple comes from extremes, not the middle ground (as in Colorado sends both Lauren Boebert and Joe Nuegese to Congress). Anyway, tonight almost 30 year Congresswoman Diana DeGette lost her primary to a young (29 year old) Democratic Socialist. It was quite an upset and the state party is reeling.
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Candlepick said on July 1, 2026 at 1:27 am
I still think fairs are the only place in the world to get a yardstick.
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basset said on July 1, 2026 at 2:47 am
Tennessee’s state fair declined until it was finally closed, the name given to a bigger and better county fair nearby, and a soccer stadium built on the former fairground.
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David C said on July 1, 2026 at 5:57 am
I went to plenty of county fairs as a kid and to the Winnebago County Fair a couple of years ago. One thing I never saw was a full immersion baptism tank which the Great American State Fair ™ has. So at the very least, it has somewhere to cool down when it gets hotter than balls in DC.
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ROGirl said on July 1, 2026 at 7:34 am
I saw the Supremes at the State Fair, back before they were Diana Ross and…
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Jeff Gill said on July 1, 2026 at 7:58 am
Rhodes also established a tradition no Ohio governor has yet chosen to break, which is sleeping one night out in the stock barns. They get nice cots & fans & all, but it is an amusing annual piece for local media.
Last summer, it was grand. High hopes for this August. Ohio’s state fair still has a butter cow, but now with company (I expect a butter Declaration of Independence, with supporting cast), and the art display & competition is equal to that of the Indiana State Fair. The last few years I’ve managed at least one visit to each, and the art building is always worth the price of admission right there. Plus a pork chop sandwich.
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linda said on July 1, 2026 at 8:39 am
The Michigan State Fair was easy for an inner city kid like me to get to (crosstown bus and Woodward transfer) to see cows and chickens, and horses without cops on them. Also saw Gladys Knight and the Pips, my first real big time music act, when I was nine.
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alex said on July 1, 2026 at 9:22 am
Great American State Fair… Even a diehard numbnuts MAGAt should feel the smack of the condescension in this whole effort, and not because it’s cornpone but because it’s so half-assed. Trump and the people surrounding him have no clue what the public really wants, and they’ve never made it more obvious that they don’t really give a shit. If these were normal times, the country would have a state fair on steroids, not this mislabeled hodgepodge of garbage. Hell, our local fall free fair has more attendees and more excitement than this sorry excuse for a celebration.
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Suzanne said on July 1, 2026 at 10:59 am
Looking at pics of the Great American State Fair boondoggle, I can’t help but think of photos of celebrations like the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893 and a world’s fair there in 1933 which were fantastic. I get that this mess is Washington was never intended to be on the world’s fair level but nonetheless, it is pathetic in comparison.
I have only been to the Indiana State Fair a handful of times. It was always hot and dusty and loud and smelly. The county fair near where we used to live in rural Indiana was, well, boring. I know the organizers have had a great deal of trouble the past few years getting enough volunteers to keep the food tent open for the duration. Our kids participated in 4H for a few years but it quickly became apparent that one’s last name mattered way more than the quality of one’s work, so they dropped out.
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Jeff Borden said on July 1, 2026 at 11:02 am
Here’s a good, even-handed story from Slate on the Great American State Fair.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/07/trump-great-american-state-fair-maha.html
Re: tRump. He has always been a cheater and a cheapskate. Tales of his shortchanging vendors, contractors, suppliers and workers in New Jersey while building his two eventually bankrupt casinos are legendary. The word in the gambling industry was that high rollers avoided tRump’s properties because he didn’t cater to the bit whales as other casinos did. No comped suites. No tickets to a hot show. No use of a limousine. So, the whales did not swim into his places and his joints got a reputation for cheapness and neglect of high-rolling gamblers. He would have gone bankrupt even faster if Daddy Fred hadn’t driven down to Atlantic City, bought more than $3 million in chips, then drove home without using them.
Maybe tRump will stroke out this weekend. He apparently was apoplectic his big speech last weekend drew about 1,000 people, though he claimed 45,000. He’s going to shit when attendance at the main event Saturday is weak. The “administration” is scrambling to fill the mall for a spectacular fireworks display, but it’s not supposed to begin until 11 p.m. and the generally liberal citizens of D.C. are repulsed by the whole thing, so sparse attendance is likely.
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susan said on July 1, 2026 at 12:19 pm
Poor Christina, no place to go.
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basset said on July 1, 2026 at 12:32 pm
the Minnesota State Fair is the best one we’ve been to, built a vacation trip around it… there all day, never stepped foot on the midway and still didn’t see everything. Actually, we would go back just to eat: https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/new-minnesota-state-fair-food-reviews-2025/
One dish I particularly liked, forget what they call it, was a big dill pickle split lengwise and stuffed with a hot dog, then dipped in batter and deep fried.
Measuring it against the others we’ve attended, I would put Indiana, Kansas and Ohio in the second tier… then Mississippi, Southern Illinois, and Tennessee dead last.
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Jeff Gill said on July 1, 2026 at 1:29 pm
Iowa has a pretty amazing state fair.
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Alan Stamm said on July 1, 2026 at 2:48 pm
Jennifer Rubin on that shameful replica at the White House’s version of the Frye Festival:
“A boxy model of Trump’s proposed triumphal arch in the center of the Mall appears as if it could have been designed in Minecraft and ordered from CVS for same-day pickup.”
The WaPo refugee adds at Substack that “a midsize town’s Rotary Club could have staged this event and done it better.
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Colleen said on July 1, 2026 at 3:52 pm
Never went to the Indiana fair. The Florida state fair is in February…we went a couple of times, and it was ok. I got a great picture of the Ferris wheel all lit up.
Any thoughts on Orange Hitler’s plans to put up golden eagles? Just like the Nazis.
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Jeff Gill said on July 1, 2026 at 4:26 pm
The Where’s Waldo take on the Great American State Fair.
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Mark P said on July 1, 2026 at 4:28 pm
Colleen, spot on about the eagles. They would look right at home in a 1930’s newsreel from Germany. And he shitted out an AI generated image of a Nazi twin eagle on the front of the White House. All they need is swastikas. I’m sure the message was clear to his very fine people.
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Scout said on July 1, 2026 at 4:30 pm
One would hope that even the cult of MAGAt recognizes this half assed sorry excuse for celebrating our nation’s 250th is weak tea. Especially in comparison to the over-the-top cage fight that cost $60,000,000.00 and destroyed the White House lawn. Only the BigBeautBill tax cut recipients could afford to attend. But I doubt it.
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Icarus said on July 1, 2026 at 5:26 pm
Way off topic, but everyone was very helpful with my bathroom remodel, so I thought I’d crowdsource a new project.
Anyone renovate a closet? I’m trying to get the most out of the closet in my kids room and I’m looking for ideas.
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Brandon said on July 1, 2026 at 7:00 pm
It’s 81 degrees here, but somewhat humid.
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Julie Robinson said on July 1, 2026 at 7:57 pm
Lots of lights, and if you have space, I’d look at a system with both rods and pull out wire drawers. Our daughter was able to find that at IKEA, but there were all the usual IKEA issues.
My folks grew up on farms and never failed to drag us to every fair possible. 4-H fair, county fair, state fair, and the Great Jones County Fair in Monticello, Iowa. We showed our projects at the 4-H fair, but no animals, thank goodness (we didn’t live on either of the family farms).
The only one I really enjoyed was Jones in Iowa. I would spend the week visiting grandma & grandpa, and in return for peeling mounds of apples destined for apple pies served at the Lions Club booth, I would be cut loose with money for the midway. This was spent chiefly on the Dodge Em cars. Freedom! Then we would look at the butter cow, the animal exhibits, and the sulky racing. They looked forward to this all year.
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Deborah said on July 1, 2026 at 8:49 pm
I lived in Dallas way back when (LB was born there) and went to the Texas state fair every year I lived there. I loved it, so authentically tacky as a state fair should be. Seeing the hogs with gigantic testicles was something I had never seen before, smelled horrible, but it was entertaining.
David Foster Wallace (bless his soul) wrote a piece about the Illinois state fair which is hilarious. My husband went to the IL state fair as a kid and thought it was ridiculous.
The photos of Trumps state fair are par for the course, everything he touches dies. Tawdry.
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Mark P said on July 1, 2026 at 11:24 pm
I went to the New Mexico State fair a few times. I can’t really remember much about it other than the Indian fry bread with honey.
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