In Reply to: Maybe he can hire people to attend* posted by mh on June 26, 2026 at 10:38:58
Mad king just getting crazier all the time.
And his "great state fair" is a dud.
Thursday was opening day for the Great American State Fair, the latest round of summer patriotism planned by President Trump’s Freedom 250 semiquincentennial task force. In preparation, the National Mall has spent weeks cluttered with half-built plywood structures and has been largely cordoned off to the public. Road closures and bus detours will choke downtown through mid-July. The fanfare conflicts with the usual dates of the locally beloved Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which has moved its iconic marketplace to the Arts and Industries Building instead. Surely, I thought, this thing ought to be worth the fuss.....
The crowd beyond the gates is meager. Upon entry, the Ferris wheel smacks you in the face—it’s not very big, but the slow-moving line boasts the highest concentration of people anywhere on the Mall. One couple toward the back tells me they’ve been waiting for 20 minutes already and they haven’t even seen the ride run yet. (City Cast reported around 6 PM Thursday night that the wheel had broken down due to generator issues and was expected to be out of commission for an hour or two. We reached out to Freedom 250 for specifics and are waiting to hear back.) A few days ago, I might have been reluctant to hop on, given how the administration’s last construction project resulted in a potentially toxic algae bloom in the Reflecting Pool. But recent reporting confirmed the wheel was inspected both by DC safety officials and a third-party company, so I am tempted to join the queue. No single passengers are allowed, so I consider asking to join another group. A beaming woman swimming in American flag apparel saunters past, and she seems like she’d be a good time. I ask if she’s ridden yet. “No,” she says firmly, gesturing at the enclosed gondolas. “It looks like a hot box.” If she’s out, so am I.