On the first day of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, there were no butter sculptures, blue-ribbon livestock or prizewinning rutabaga pies to admire. But visitors could take in a gleaming portrait of President Trump, pick up a handbill promoting Turning Point USA and hear a speaker read a poem declaring every teen to be “a conscript in a spiritual world war.”
The 16-day event that started Thursday was organized by Freedom 250, a Trump-backed group that has been involved in a quiet tug of war with America250, a bipartisan group charged by Congress with coordinating the nation’s 250th birthday. The fair consists of exhibits and pavilions conceived to represent every U.S. state and territory, along with the cabinet departments. At least 11 states declined to take part officially, many of them citing budget concerns, and were replaced by smaller groups Freedom 250 selected to fill the gap.
Overall, many of the offerings amounted to an apolitical hodgepodge of history and Americana. Visitors could see a talking hologram of Abraham Lincoln (Illinois) and a NASCAR stock car (North Carolina). A display about Georgia promoted state icons, including Vidalia onions and Waffle House. A rodeo by organizers featured bull riding. But throughout the grounds, there were more than a few hints of a more conservative union.
Volunteers with the River at Tampa Bay Church in Florida approached people asking if they knew that “Jesus loves you and has a plan for you.” Literature was distributed proclaiming that Mr. Trump was leading the “Great American Comeback.” Exhibitors included Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian institution, and the Museum of the Bible. On the edge of the grounds, performers sang hymns in a worship tent.
Under a sweltering sun, attendance was sparse, and power failures did not help — by Thursday night, the Ferris wheel had been out of commission for hours.
Across from that ride, visitors could look at a smaller-scale model of Mr. Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch. Its vinyl covering — stapled over a wood frame and emblazoned with the words “One Nation Under God” — had already started buckling.
On one of the musical stages, attendees heard a band play covers of Billy Joel and the Eagles, instead of seeing live performances from artists like Martina McBride, the Commodores and Bret Michaels. They and others dropped out of the event last month, shortly after their appearances were announced, with several saying they had been misled to expect a nonpartisan event.
It was all a bit underwhelming for Charles DeJesus, a 44-year-old from Butler, Pa., who said he had voted for Mr. Trump three times and had been planning to attend the event since he heard about it six months ago.
“It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but that’s OK,” he said. He expected more people, a bigger fairlike atmosphere and more dining options — particularly the fried kind. “The fat boy in me was looking for some good food, but that didn’t quite happen,” he said. Still, he was happy to be there and said he did not detect any partisan leanings.
“It’s just America.” he said.
A man from Marlton, N.J., who gave his name only as Earl, said he found many booths devoid of substance and said that if organizers had charged money, he would have wanted a refund.
Cary Peebles, a visitor from South Carolina wearing a T-shirt showing George Washington in sunglasses with the words “Suck It, England,” was more positive. He said he had heard about some of the controversy around the musical acts who pulled out, but found it overblown.
“I try not to pay attention,” he said. “We’re here to celebrate.”
Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington declined to send official booths. Most of them are led by Democratic governors.
Many of those states were represented by an empty, unstaffed room with photo murals and chairs.
Donna Chabot, 72, who helped set up the replacement booth for Massachusetts, had driven 10 hours to get to Washington and was exhausted, she said. But she decided last week that she wanted to represent her state as one of the unofficial booth operators.
“I made a few phone calls and they picked up the phone, and took my call, and encouraged me to come down and help out,” she said.
On display were some maple candies and syrup. “It’s the only thing I could think of to get quickly and get here,” she said. “And I think maple syrup really does represent western Massachusetts.”
Also on the table was a flier with a picture of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. But Ms. Chabot said, “This whole event is nonpartisan.”
Among the official state booths, some were elaborate. Mississippi spent six months planning its display, said Rochelle Hicks, the state’s director of tourism. The booth featured the state’s rich literary tradition, displaying authors like Jesmyn Ward and William Faulkner while also honoring Delta blues musicians, Elvis Presley and civil rights leaders.
“We really wanted to make sure that people learned a lot about Mississippi that they may not know,” Ms Hicks said.
Other states also leaned into their past, including more complex chapters. Tennessee’s showcase highlighted whiskey and country music, but also its role as a “frontier of freedom,” home to Revolutionary War heroes as well as important battles over women’s suffrage and school desegregation.
The National Mall is ringed by museums of the Smithsonian Institution, all hung with banners advertising their own 250th anniversary offerings. Since last year, the Smithsonian has been locked in a standoff with the Trump administration, which has accused it of having come under the influence of “divisive, racial-centered ideology” and promoting a disparaging vision of American history.
The Trump administration’s own view of history was featured in a Freedom Truck, one of a fleet of mobile museums touring the country that was created in partnership with Hillsdale College and the conservative media platform PragerU.
The trucks, which have been criticized by some historians as offering a sanitized version of history, mostly tell the story of the American Revolution through the founders, who narrate their life stories in A.I.-generated videos. There are brief references to Native Americans, women and free and enslaved Black Americans who fought in the Revolution. There is also a quote from Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” But it leaves out the section questioning why the principles of the Declaration of Independence weren’t extended to the enslaved.
Mr. Trump gave a short campaign-style welcome speech on Wednesday before a thin crowd, asserting that in his second term he had brought back a country that was “dead” under his predecessor.
Before he spoke, the transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, praised the military band and singers who were performing, saying they were “way better” than the artists who canceled, describing them with a denigrating term for liberals.
On Thursday, though, Mr. Peebles, the visitor from South Carolina, preferred not to dwell on politics. He stressed the fact that 250 years ago, the founders said that all men are created equal. “And we’re still a democracy, which is huge” he said.
He added, “If you like the guy who’s in the White House or not, you can pick another one next time.”
Eileen Sullivan contributed reporting.
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