Great American State Fair has swept social media – but not for the reasons its organizers had hoped. Instead of packed crowds celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, online attention has focused on sparse attendance.
I visited the fair to see for myself.
Two days before the nation’s birthday, only a few hundred people appeared to be at the Great American State Fair around noon.
Most attendees seemed to be tourists, moving from state booth to state booth, collecting stamps in their passport books and browsing exhibits.
The California booth was as sparse as the crowd. It offered little beyond a photo opportunity with a San Francisco backdrop and a reprieve from the sun.
The space could hold around 30 guests, but it didn’t do much to compete with other state exhibits.
Arizona offered a multi-room experience showcasing the different kinds of light around the Grand Canyon State. And Florida drew a line for the stuffed alligator they had on display.
Melissa Henshaw, a 49-year-old from Virginia, took a two-hour bus ride to attend the Great American State Fair. She and her group waited in the Florida queue – the only state with a line – for the gator and because of their love of the governor.
“I wish I had come on the Fourth after being here now,” she said. “We wanted to come see what it was all about, and visit and see what each state is going to present for everybody.”
The staff members at the California booth declined to speak with the media, saying they had been advised not to do so.
Instead, their interactions with visitors were limited to a single question: “Blue stamp or red stamp?” as they stamped passport books. They did not offer a full-throated pitch for the majesty of the Golden State.
The busiest attraction was consistently the water station, which drew the largest crowd on both a 100-degree day and 75-degree day with 85% humidity.
Despite a Washington-area heat wave, enthusiastic visitors dressed in red, white and blue continued making their way through the fair.
Fair-goers seemed to take a page from President Donald Trump’s book regarding the media, denying most requests to speak with Times of San Diego.
Eleven denials to be exact. But, there were a few visitors eager to share their love for America and the fair.
Carol Ann Bergland, a 73-year-old retired nurse, said she and her husband drove from Iowa on a whim just to visit the Great American Fair — and to visit the Museum of the Bible while they were in D.C.
“Our nation is dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ, and we love that,” she said. “God created us to worship Him and to have an abundant life. And America is the land of abundance.”
There was plenty of Christian-related content to see around the event – including a “Faith and Family” popup building.
The Moms for America, Museum of the Bible and the Association of Mature American Citizens all hosted booths inside the “Faith and Family” building. Along with pamphlets up for grabs and miscellaneous merch, visitors could also pick up a “THE LEFT NEEDS TO GET A GRIP” sticker.
Logan Nichols, a 38-year-old from Texas, said he wanted the event to be less partisan and it was “so sad being out here.”
“It’s obvious from the leadership at the top … unfortunately everything is political instead of unifying,” he said outside the California booth.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture and Visit California said in a press release sent to USA Today, that the state booth was “not just to share our history, but to showcase the ‘California Dream’ that continues to drive American ingenuity and nourish the world.”
The booth, though, did little to showcase the “California Dream.” It looked more like a sparsely decorated cubicle.
If you missed the fair, you didn’t miss California – the real thing is far more enticing than the exhibit.
