The Great American State Fair Could Have Been Extraordinary
I have spent nearly 40 years walking the floor at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, where the future often appears before most people know what to do with it. I have watched technology move from camcorders and compact discs to smartphones, artificial intelligence, robotics, spatial computing, and smart glasses.
I am also a photo archivist. My work is built around one belief: history matters most when people can feel it.
That is why the America250 Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, DC, felt like such a missed opportunity.
The event was designed to celebrate 250 years of American history. According to the official site, the Great American State Fair takes place from June 25 to July 10, 2026, on the National Mall between 14th and 4th Streets. It features state pavilions, exhibits, entertainment, food vendors, and patriotic programming (Freedom 250). Ideally, this celebration could have been a year-long experience to truly honor the milestone.
That setting should have been magical.
Instead, several reports described an event that struggled to match the moment. The Washington Post called it “rushed, simulated and oddly sterile.” The Washingtonian described opening day as “sparsely attended and shockingly boring.” Axios reported that America’s 250th state fair was “getting roasted.” (The Washington Post)
The problem was not that every pavilion lacked effort. I am sure many people worked hard. Some states may have created thoughtful exhibits. The problem was the format. Too much of the experience felt like a high school trade show: banners, tables, brochures, static displays, and visitors moving from one small setup to the next.
- America did not need bigger tents.
- It needed a bigger imagination.
Imagine walking onto the National Mall and receiving lightweight AI smart glasses with built-in audio. They would not simply show history. They would tell it.
As visitors walked, the Mall itself would become America’s living storybook. You would see and hear the American experience unfold around you, not as a video loop, not as a poster, and not as a pamphlet, but as an immersive journey through time.
America250 Could Have Made the National Mall Come Alive
Imagine visiting the National Mall with just your smartphone and earbuds. When you point your camera at a monument, memorial, or historic site, your phone instantly recognizes what you’re looking at. Beautiful archival photos, historical scenes, maps, news stories, video clips, and lifelike animations appear right on your screen, blending seamlessly with the real world. Meanwhile, a captivating audio story starts in your AirPods, featuring voices, stories, and key moments from that place. As you walk, the experience follows you, revealing new chapters automatically and turning each stop into an engaging journey through American history. Instead of merely viewing landmarks, visitors get to experience the stories that shaped them — through the device already in their pocket. Think how inexpensive this could have been?
Stand near the Washington Monument, and the summer of 1776 begins to surround you. You hear the arguments, hopes, fears, and contradictions that gave birth to a nation. Walk toward the Lincoln Memorial, and the voice of Abraham Lincoln fills your ears as the Gettysburg Address reminds visitors what the country nearly lost and what it was still trying to become.
The Mall already carries America’s memory. It has held inaugurations, protests, celebrations, marches, vigils, and national grief. It is where millions gathered for civil rights. It is where the AIDS Memorial Quilt once stretched across the grass, turning personal loss into a national act of remembrance. Imagine AI letting visitors stand there and hear the names, families, love, fear, activism, and heartbreak behind that quilt.
Walk toward the United States Capitol, and the story changes again. The AI engagement could explain how laws are made, how democracy has expanded, how power has been challenged, and how generations of Americans have argued over the nation’s direction. Visitors could hear great speeches, fierce debates, and the voices of people who demanded that America live up to its own promises.
Move toward the White House, and the experience becomes about leadership under pressure. War. Depression. Civil unrest. Scientific breakthroughs. National tragedy. National renewal. Not a parade of presidents, but a reminder that decisions made there have shaped ordinary lives across the country and around the world.
Then extend the experience across the river to Arlington National Cemetery. The tone should change completely. The narration should become quiet. The pace should slow. Visitors should hear letters from service members, stories of Gold Star families, and the meaning behind the rows of white headstones. In that somber setting, no flashy technology would be needed. The silence would do much of the teaching.
That is how you tell America’s story.
- The glory and the grief.
- The invention and the injustice.
- The courage and the cruelty.
- The ideals and the times we failed to live up to them.
That is how a serious nation learns.
AI could let every visitor explore history in a different way. A child could follow an adventure. A teacher could open original documents. A veteran could trace military history. A family could follow immigration stories. A visitor from another country could hear everything in their own language. The experience could answer questions in real time and let curiosity decide the path.
That is what America250 should have felt like. Not a walk past displays. A walk through history, with America’s story seen and heard.
As a technologist, I know the tools exist. As a photo archivist, I know why memory matters.
America’s 250th birthday should not have looked like we went back in time. It should have reminded the world that America’s greatest invention is its ability to keep reinventing itself.
[Op-ed by Mitch Goldstone, CEO and Chief Photo Archivist at ScanMyPhotos.com, a national photo digitization company based in Irvine, California].
FAQs: What America250 Missed
1. Why did the Great American State Fair feel disappointing? It had the National Mall, 250 years of history, and a huge national moment, but too much of it felt static instead of emotional.
2. What were the shortcomings? America250 did not require larger pavilions and a carnival-style ferris wheel. Instead, it necessitated greater imagination, enhanced storytelling, and a compelling reason for visitors to engage with history.
3. How could AI have improved the event? AI technology and audio could have turned the National Mall into a living storybook, with history unfolding where it happened.
4. Why does the National Mall matter so much? The Mall already holds America’s memory, from inaugurations and protests to civil rights marches and national grief.
5. What is the larger lesson? History should not sit behind tables and banners. It should be seen, heard, felt, questioned, and remembered.
Updated July 3, 2026
