Rhode Island skips out on the Great American State Fair, joining growing list
Add Rhode Island to the list of states that will not participate in President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair when it kicks off in Washington D.C. June 25.
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Faith Chybowski, spokesperson for the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s office and RI250 Commission, said officials turned down the invitation to take part in the upcoming 16-day summer exhibition on the National Mall due to “financial and staffing limitations.”
“Rhode Island’s semiquincentennial commemoration is taking place in Providence on July 4, and staff are also supporting many other 250-related events across the state at the same time as the State Fair,” she told Rhode Island Current in an email Friday.
Officials from Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, Illinois, North Carolina and Connecticut have also backed out, citing high costs, CNN reported Thursday. Maine has also backed out, according to the Bangor Daily News.
The fair organized by Freedom 250, the Trump-aligned nonprofit behind several semiquincentennial events across the nation, is billed as a “world-class exposition and modern-day World’s Fair” with exhibits from all 56 states and territories showcasing “the very best of America.”
But those displays, and who will staff them, fall entirely on state delegations, Chybowski said. The RI250 Commission, formed in 2021 to promote semiquincentennial-themed programming across the state, was given a little more than $324,000 from the General Assembly last year to show off the state’s revolutionary role.
Most funds were used for marketing, commemorative highway signs and holiday ornaments, banners for the Revolution and Rhode Island exhibit at the State House. A little more than a third of the state’s funding were toward the commission’s one full-time staffer, Chybowski noted.
“It was a huge ask with not a lot of resources,” she said.
The General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Legislative Services provided another $1 million to the commission last year, but Chybowski said those funds are primarily being used for a special July Fourth lighting of WaterFire in Providence. The remainder was dedicated toward grants awarded to municipalities and other local organizations hosting their own historic events.
Freedom 250 confirmed that Rhode Island has pulled out due to budget constraints, but noted all states that are no longer participating in the fair will still have some presence.
“Whether represented by a governor’s office, a tourism board, or a beloved state company or organization, every community will be celebrated, and every American will see themselves in this once-in-a-generation event,” spokesperson Rachel Reisner said in a statement to Rhode Island Current. “Freedom 250 is a celebration for America — which, last we checked, includes all of it. Every single star on that flag. See you there.”
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Reisner said that all 50 states and six U.S. territories each were able to receive approximately 600 square feet of space “to build immersive, interactive exhibits showcasing their unique culture, history, and contributions.”
Keith Stokes, Rhode Island’s historian laureate and member of the RI250 Commission, said the state is not missing out by skipping the fair in D.C.
“At the end of the day, you control what you have,” he said in an interview. “With so much uncertainty with the economy, it’s about being creative inside the box.”
If anyone wants to learn more about Rhode Island’s role in America’s founding, Stokes said, there’s more than enough to do in-state. He highlighted an upcoming exhibition at the Rosecliff mansion in Newport that explores how diverse Newporters experienced the tumult of the Revolution.
“All of our residents and inhabitants should feel they’re part of his experience,” he said. “What makes our republic so special is that everyone is recognized.”
Even stopping by weekly planting of the state’s red maple trees is enough for Stokes to feel connected to Rhode Island’s history.
“You know the spectacle of the Bristol Fourth of July Parade?” he said. “It’s like having mini ones every week.”
Christopher Shea covers politics, the criminal justice system and transportation for the Rhode Island Current.
Rhode Island Current is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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