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Exhibit staffers on Friday at the Texas display with a mini-sized Big Tex at the Great American State Fair in Washington.<\/p>\n
Carolyn Kaster\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON \u2013 Phil and Monique Hardy\u00a0left the Texas display at this week\u2019s Great American State Fair praising the\u00a0Lone Star State\u2019s<\/a> contribution to the event on the National Mall.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Texas booth was one of the best,\u201d said Phil Hardy, who singled out its mock-up of a spacecraft with screens simulating views from orbit. \u201cIf you take a picture of someone against the Earth it looks really great.\u201d<\/p>\n The display is part of a 16-day event that has attracted criticism and even ridicule for its bumpy execution. Even before the gates opened, the event had become divisive. It is part of Freedom 250 event, the initiative President Donald Trump created after breaking with a bipartisan anniversary effort.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Texas trades politics for tourism. The 600-square-foot display, in a temporary structure built to house contributions from all states, showcases Texas culture, history and attractions, according to\u00a0Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s<\/a> office.<\/p>\n Dallas is represented by\u00a0Big Tex<\/a> \u2013 or more accurately Li\u2019l Tex, given the mini-me replica is roughly knee-high to the 55-foot-tall Texas State Fair icon.<\/p>\n One corner is devoted to the state\u2019s honky tonk heritage, with an Austin City Limits sign and a jukebox playing tunes from Texas artists such as Willie Nelson and Beyonc\u00e9.<\/p>\n An\u00a0Alamo facade<\/a> represents San Antonio. Replicas of graffiti-covered, half-buried autos are a shoutout to Amarillo\u2019s Cadillac Ranch, the vintage roadside art installation along the original Route 66.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The state\u2019s role in space exploration is highlighted by the capsule in which the Hardys, the couple from Washington, played the role of astronauts.<\/p>\n At the Texas display, Leonard Riddic greets visitors Friday in front of an Alamo exhibit during the Great American State Fair in Washington.<\/p>\n Carolyn Kaster\/Associated Press<\/p>\n Harsh national reviews<\/p>\n The Great American State Fair runs through July 10 and has faced several challenges, including intense heat that prompted organizers to temporarily close the event Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n A bipartisan initiative approved by Congress envisioned celebrating the semiquincentennial with major artists and a combination of massive festivals on the mall.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Trump last year\u00a0established Freedom 250<\/a> as an alternative to organize anniversary events, including the state fair.\u00a0Some musicians canceled planned concerts<\/a> amid complaints the affair had become overly political.<\/p>\n The fair\u2019s opening was marred by power outages, melted ice cream<\/a> and other hiccups. Live news shots and social media posts have highlighted how low turnout resulted in big empty lawns.<\/p>\n National pundits have issued harsh reviews of the event.<\/p>\n A Washington Post art and architecture critic described it as \u201crushed\u201d and \u201coddly sterile,\u201d<\/a> evoking the \u201csupposed Potemkin villages created for Russian Empress Catherine the Great.\u201d<\/p>\n Newsweek reported\u00a0at least 10 states<\/a>, led by Democratic majorities, opted out of sending official contributions. That has resulted in some booths that featured little more than a couple chairs and a splash of thematic wallpaper.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Schadenfreude drove Brandon Moses to the event, as he wanted to witness firsthand what he described as a disaster.<\/p>\n He said the event on the National Mall lived up to its lame reputation with shoddy infrastructure, lackluster food options and limited rides.<\/p>\n Now based in Washington, Moses said he lived in Dallas for 19 years before leaving in 2023 and he was impressed with the Texas booth.<\/p>\n \u201cThey really clearly put some thought and time into it and hit all of the major points of Texas and its history,\u201d Moses said as he left the display. Texas showed up, “but overall this is an embarrassment and quite disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n Promoting Texas<\/p>\n Others brushed aside mockery of the event, suggesting the punishing heat kept many from showing up during the week. Several questioned why organizers didn\u2019t publicize the air conditioning available in many of the enclosed spaces.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Most described the turnout as a shame and suggested attendance could grow into the weekend and the July 4th holiday.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to celebrate the 250th,\u201d Monique Hardy said. \u201cThis is such a great opportunity for kids and adults to get an appreciation for all the states.”<\/p>\n The governor’s Economic Development and Tourism Office oversees the display.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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