'Great American State Fair' kicks off 250th anniversary celebrations

WASHINGTON - With a 110-foot Ferris wheel, a rodeo demonstration and an eye-popping array of junk food, “The Great American State Fair” opened on Washington’s National Mall on Thursday to start a 16-day celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary.

Much of the 1.5-mile promenade linking the U.S. Capitol with the towering Washington Monument was fenced off for the event, which President Donald Trump kicked off on Wednesday night with a campaign-style rally organized after many of the performers who had been scheduled to appear dropped out, citing concerns about the event taking on a partisan tone.

“We are here to just celebrate America, a long journey that she has had,” remarked Ashley, who said she was visiting from Ohio but declined to give her last name. “My kids have been wanting that aerial view from the Ferris wheel. They are excited.”

The event, a tribute to the state fairs across the U.S. each summer that star homemade quilts, butter sculptures and pumpkins the size of small cars, is one of a series of events across the nation leading up to the July 4 Independence Day holiday, which commemorates the American colonists’ Declaration of Independence from Britain in 1776.

The pavilions set up along the Mall, between the museums of the Smithsonian Institution, are temporary, unlike some of the more permanent changes Trump is in the midst of making to Washington -- including tearing down the East Wing of the White House to make way for a massive ballroom, a hasty renovation of the National Reflecting Pool facing the Lincoln Memorial and a proposed 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery.

Anniversary politicized

Thursday’s crowds were dotted with supporters wearing the red hats of Trump’s Make America Great Again movement -- a common sight in Washington. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted this month found that a majority of Americans, including three-quarters of Democrats and half of Republicans, think that the events celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary have grown too political.

Seven U.S. states -- all with Democratic governors -- declined to send official delegations to the fair, though the event’s Freedom 250 organizers said all 50 would be represented.

Freedom 250 is a public-private partnership created by the White House to coordinate celebrations of the U.S. 250th anniversary alongside federal agencies.

Among the states boycotting was Oregon, where a spokesman for Democratic Governor Tina Kotek said: “The State of Oregon will not be participating in the Great American State Fair due to both the cost of participating in the Fair and growing concerns that the event in Washington, D.C., is shaping up to be a more partisan affair than originally presented.”

Trump has faced criticism for promoting what civil rights advocates say is a revisionist history that downplays critical parts of the country’s past, such as slavery, the abuse of Native Americans and the negative impacts of U.S. foreign policy.

That was evident at the fair, which hardly had any mention of those chapters of U.S. history. Trump has said that before his presidency, there was excessive focus on those issues.

Still, attendees on the first day said they were less focused on the politics than their efforts to enjoy the weather, the music and the attractions.

“It’s a good family time on a nice summer day is how I see it,” said Sarah Parker, who was visiting with her husband from neighboring Virginia. “It’s a good way to get a feel of the country.”

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.