States Raised Concerns about the Great American State Fair’s Rush, Cost and Confusion

President Donald Trump promised that the Great American State Fair would be the beginning of “the most unforgettable birthday party any country has ever had.”

The party on the National Mall hasn’t gone as hoped, with sparse crowds, weather emergencies and electrical hiccups. The planning behind the scenes for the big celebration didn’t fare well either, with a rushed – and at times, confusing – effort to bring together all the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and territories, according to documents NOTUS obtained through freedom of information requests with states involved.

Organizers worked around the clock to showcase historic and cultural aspects of their state in booths set up on the National Mall. Montana brought a massive dinosaur rib cage and Iowa brought a butter cow, but in the end, only 40 of the 50 states officially signed up.

The documents show even those that participated raised concerns about the exorbitant costs, unclear plans, insurance requirements and a lack of information throughout the process.

Planning for the 16-day affair – one of the highlights of Trump’s offerings for the nation’s 250th anniversary – began only months before, in February, a timeframe that organizers of Freedom 250 said wasn’t ideal. State officials appeared sometimes befuddled by what they needed to do to participate and the demands and costs.

“We have almost no budget, so every penny counts!” a New Hampshire organizer told Freedom 250 in an email when the state committed to the fair on May 19, saying it was “unclear if there are costs above and beyond what we incur as a state to staff and fill the pavilion ourselves.”

‘Designated Provider’ With Trump Administration Ties

Part of that cost was shipping materials to the fair and arranging furniture – which involved a specific vendor, according to the documents.

“Please note that Freeman is the designated provider for material handling services, labor, and furnishings only,” a manager from the company wrote in an email to state organizers. Freeman offered a full package for logistics, including shipping, load-in and interior furnishings and restocking.

Freeman is a multi-generational, family-owned company based in Dallas. Joe Popolo, a major Republican donor and Trump’s U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, served on Freeman’s board for almost 20 years and was CEO of the company from 2008 to 2019.

“For over 20 years, he helped transform the Freeman Company into the World’s leading live event brand experience company,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in a 2025 post announcing Popolo’s appointment.

Popolo is married to Chris Freeman Popolo, who describes herself on LinkedIn as “an engaged shareholder in my family’s 95-year-old business, Freeman Co.”

Freeman does not appear to have any prior history of contracting with the federal government, according to a review of federal spending databases.

When New Hampshire received a quote from Freeman for furnishings — which was a separate payment from its booth rental — organizers were alarmed by the price tag.

“It was unclear to us that the furnishings in (tables, chairs, etc.) would be a major cost,” a New Hampshire organizer said in an email to Freedom 250. “Freeman said it is approx. $12,000 for the furnishing, which are not in the budget for NH. Even if it were, we do not have sufficient time to get the proper approvals.”

Freeman did not respond to a request for comment. The State Department acknowledged NOTUS’ request for comment from the ambassador but did not comment on Popolo’s apparent connection to the fair.

A source familiar with the planning for Freedom 250 events said there was no exclusive requirement for vendors.

“States could use whatever vendors they wished,” a Freedom 250 spokesperson told NOTUS. “Freeman was our recommendation, yes, but states did not have to utilize their services for build out.”

Freedom 250 was not aware of Freeman’s connection to Popolo, the spokesperson said.

The vendor’s close ties to the Trump administration, though, renewed worries about the fair’s organization; Freedom 250, which operates under a National Park Service nonprofit, has not released a list of donors and Democrats are calling for an investigation into how it raised money for the events.

“These corrupt revelations are incredibly concerning, but entirely predictable from an administration that has a clear pay-for-play system that rewards those most connected and loyal to Trump,” Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, told NOTUS. “What’s clear is that Americans deserve a government that works for them, not one that turns public celebrations into paydays for well-connected insiders.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

States ‘Chomping at the Bit’ for Information

Freedom 250 reached out to all governors about the fair on Feb. 2, after America250 — a congressionally sanctioned organization — “decided not to host large scale events,” Rachel Reisner, a Freedom 250 spokesperson, said in June.

“There was a shorter turnaround time than ideal, but Freedom 250 has been working around the clock to put together events that celebrate America’s huge milestone!” Reisner said in a statement in June.

States repeatedly expressed concerts about the tight timeline throughout Freedom 250’s planning process, emails show.

“We’re worried about the short time frame between now and June so would like formal approval as fast as possible if we’re going to try and do this well,” a Michigan state official told Freedom 250 on March 8, just over two weeks after the Feb. 20 deadline for states to have submitted their initial proposals for the fair.

Michigan organizers asked again for written confirmation of approval of their state’s plan from Freedom 250 on March 23 “in order to be able to begin any procurement related to planning.”

Once Freedom 250 clarified that Michigan’s plans were approved, the state began asking for a shipping address for their materials — first in an email April 6 and again May 7.

“We do need to put an address down for a number of things we’re sending to Washington that we’ve procured,” Michigan said on May 7. “I’m chomping at the bit to receive those the second you have them, please.”

After Freedom 250 shared the shipping address, organizers had a number of questions about logistics for the fair.

On May 26 — less than a month before the event began — Michigan officials appeared to not have information about their assigned booth number, dimensions of the space or whether Freeman would be able to restock their booth — as Freedom 250 indicated earlier — and help state staff move the materials from a drop-off location to the booth itself.

“Current renderings and information leave several important operational questions unanswered,” Michigan organizers told Freedom 250 in an email.

Some states including New Hampshire remained uncommitted to sending a delegation to Washington the month before the event. Freedom 250 urged the state on May 18 to finalize its plans.

“Because we’re now so close to the Fair, I’ll need to know by tomorrow at the very latest whether your team can activate on New Hampshire’s behalf or if we should plan to activate in-house,” a Freedom 250 organizer said. New Hampshire did participate.

Once states committed, Freedom 250 sent them “activation details” for the fair. States were required to submit forms by May 25 describing their plans for the booth, internal contacts, site leads, insurance and security, in addition to ensuring all booth elements were in compliance with “event-wide review.” Freedom 250 provided “optional” supplemental services, including additional power, internet and heavy equipment like forklifts.

Insurance and Staffing Concerns

Questions about insurance obligations appeared to raise major concerns for Michigan after Freedom 250 sent an email in late May requiring states to list the National Park Service as certificate holder or additional insured on their insurance policy.

“Your email earlier this evening states that exhibiting States who are assisting Freedom 250 as the permit holder in executing a possible amazing Great American State Fair are now responsible (?!) for insuring the Government of the United States of America (?!) who happens to be and is the permit holder for the event as I understand it,” a Michigan official said in an email. “Seems like this is a bit upside down and that it should be Freedom 250 insuring the participating exhibitors.”

Freedom 250 required states to have coverage amounts meeting or exceeding $1 million, a move the organization told NOTUS was at the request of the Park Service. NPS did not respond to a request for comment.

Michigan also appeared surprised by Freedom 250’s requirement that third-party vendors used by the state provide their own certificate of insurance that met the same standards of coverage — indicating that it would take time for their legal team to review the “updated insurance language.”

Freedom 250 required pavilions “to be staffed at all times” — leaving some states scrambling for help filling their booths. New Hampshire officials told Freedom 250 they could “make it work” with the combination of their own staff, a volunteer group known as Granite State Ambassadors and a staffing and experiential marketing firm called Newbridge Marketing that Freedom 250 suggested for help.

“We got pulled into the communication in early April with Freedom 250,” Julie Mehlenbacher, vice president of staffing and recruitment at Newbridge, told NOTUS. “States didn’t really start reaching out to us, unfortunately, until late May or early June, but I don’t know where the communication lag was, or maybe if that’s just when they had time to start planning.”

Newbridge helped some states including Illinois and Michigan, as well as companies like Jigsaw, a Google think tank, and Optum, a health services company owned by UnitedHealth Group, with supplemental staff at the fair. New Hampshire ultimately did not use Newbridge.

A few additional states reached out for staffing closer to the event, but Mehlenbacher said Newbridge was unable to accommodate their requests due to limited local ability and timing.

“I will say Washington [state] had some phenomenal ideas. Unfortunately, it was just a little too late,” Mehlenbacher said. Washington was one of the 10 states that did not participate in the fair.

Newbridge also offered to assist with some marketing, booth ideas and branding, but could not provide these services due to the tight time constraints.

“Had we had a little bit more of a heads-up as well, we could have supported with that, since we are full experiential, you know; staffing is just a division within our company,” Mehlenbacher said.

She added that all of her communications with Freedom 250 were “great” and “extremely professional,” and that states that did not participate in the fair cited funding issues.

“The only feedback that I received from some of the states who did decide to pull out last-minute was just due to funding within the states,” Mehlenbacher said.

The fair runs through July 10.