{"id":4264,"date":"2026-06-27T14:34:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T14:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4264"},"modified":"2026-06-27T14:34:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T14:34:21","slug":"at-the-great-american-state-fair-you-can-find-a-dinosaurs-rib-cage-unity-is-another-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4264","title":{"rendered":"At the Great American State Fair, you can find a dinosaur\u2019s rib cage. Unity is another matter"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 A dinosaur rib cage. A 7,000-pound sandcastle made with Jersey Shore sand. Two rocking chairs in an unstaffed booth as well as a number of empty spaces.<\/p>\n

Read more German highways are buckling under extreme heat as Central Europe sizzles<\/a><\/p>\n

This is the Great American State Fair. <\/p>\n

The fair kicked off this week and is a run by Freedom 250, an organization created by President Donald Trump to run his administration\u2019s official events. Its creation caused tension with America 250, a congressionally created group that was designed to plan the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary. The event on the National Mall will run into July.<\/p>\n

Crowds came in small numbers early Friday, spending little time at security. The entryway led straight to a 110-foot tall Ferris wheel, the lone ride at the fair, and a smaller arch, similar to the ones that the Republican president has used to adorn other events.<\/p>\n

The consensus among people who were interviewed was that the fair was a great idea \u2014 and perhaps an opportunity missed.<\/p>\n

A fair for America that highlights divisions for some<\/h3>\n

Familiar to anyone who has ever attended a fair were the goats, sheep and a calf whose mooing could be heard across the Mall, all courtesy of the Washington High School Future Farmers of America from Jefferson County, West Virginia. Baby chicks, resplendent in all of their downy softness, were a huge draw, and there was the promise of a cowboy performance with bucking broncos to highlight the rise of the American cowboy. <\/p>\n

Visitors were united by their enthusiasm for states to come together and show off their unique characters, famous natives, industries and history and geographical diversity. They were also drawn by a desire for a nonpartisan celebration of American unity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nice people, nice events, nice family events,\u201d said Sharyn Bovat, who said she lived in Florida but has remained in the Washington area since having a heart attack this year. \u201cHalf the country is divided with the other half. I wish they would create a USA 250 for all the people. I\u2019m tired of the politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the arch was the main thing that gave the event a political overtone. \u201cIt makes me think of Germany,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The fair booths, all inside structures that resembled the neoclassical architecture of the nearby National Gallery of Art, offered snippets of Americana to visitors.<\/p>\n

The varying aspects of America on display <\/h3>\n

Among the items representing Montana was a gigantic rib cage, a scaled-up version of apatosaurus, which is a cousin to the better-known brontosaurus.<\/p>\n

Virginia\u2019s booth offered a journey through the state\u2019s role in American history. For the District of Columbia, there was a huge banner for visitors to sign, along with a tree filled with cherry blossoms. South Carolina invited people to enjoy a putting green.<\/p>\n

Texas included a space capsule, a facade of the Alamo and a statue \u2014 Big Tex. The one place where there was a line outside was for Arizona\u2019s exhibit, which had an interactive that allowed visitors to put themselves in terrain from the state.<\/p>\n

Read more Chinese dissident who fled by dinghy to South Korea arrives in Canada, his friend says<\/a><\/p>\n

Visitors to New Jersey\u2019s booth saw an ornate sandcastle made from 7,000 pounds of sand brought from the Jersey Shore and built over the course of four days by an artist.<\/p>\n

Andy Walters and his wife, Kirsten, were there with their three children from Wapakoneta, Ohio, the boyhood hometown of Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong. \u201cI think it\u2019s nice. I wish all the states were participating,\u201d Andy Walters said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little underwhelming but it\u2019s a great idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kirsten Walters said she wished something similar would be held more often, without the overtones. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to be here and participate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Not all states participated or staffed their booths<\/h3>\n

Most states participated, treating the fair almost like a tourism opportunity. But there was not full representation.<\/p>\n

Maine, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania opted to not send delegations, citing costs, scheduling or politicization concerns. <\/p>\n

Some booths, including those for Hawaii and Alaska, were unstaffed. Hawaii\u2019s did feature a couple of rocking chairs, which tired visitors put to good use.<\/p>\n

Alonzo Lewis Jr. and Kelly Domizio, from Rome, New York, took advantage to take a load off.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was really pretty cool,\u201d she said. \u201cBeen going to all the different states.\u201d<\/p>\n

But her husband had a different view. <\/p>\n

\u201cWas it necessary, I don\u2019t think so,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cIt feels forced. There\u2019s so much separation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Domizio said she remembered the bicentennial in 1976. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a sense of pride\u201d and togetherness she said. \u201cWe are enjoying the day but it feels forced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more NC Amber Alert issued for endangered New Bern teen traveling with man: Police<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 A dinosaur rib cage. A 7,000-pound sandcastle made with Jersey Shore sand….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAt the Great American State Fair, you can find a dinosaur\u2019s rib cage. Unity is another matter - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4264\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"At the Great American State Fair, you can find a dinosaur\u2019s rib cage. 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