There’s more to county and state fairs than just corn dogs and fried Oreos. These are places where strangers can hear, see, get to know each other and treat each other with respect.
Wilson County – Tennessee State Fair broke attendance records in 2024
The Wilson County – TN State County Fair recorded a record number of visitors in 2024. More than 860,000 people attended the event in Lebanon, Tennessee.
The day after the end of the Democratic National Convention, a German colleague and I drove east from Nashville to Lebanon, Tennessee, to visit the Wilson County – TN State Fair.
After weeks of coverage before, during and after the party conventions of a turbulent presidential election, we needed a break from the polarized rhetoric.
This meant eating corn on the cob and fried Oreos in 32 degree heat.
The festival, which took place from August 15 to 24, is a spectacle with rides, a Ferris wheel, racing pigs, live music, monster trucks and a selection of fried foods.
It’s a celebration of community, family and friends, and agriculture. Remember, Tennessee’s motto is “Agriculture and Commerce.”
There is something curious about the event, but over the years that I have attended, I have seen the number and diversity of visitors to the fair increase.
In fact, a record was set in 2024 with over 860,000 participants.
Going to the fair with a foreigner was eye-opening and humiliating
I have visited the fair four times in the ten years that I have lived in the Volunteer State – the last three times with German visitors who work in the Tennessean’s newsroom as part of the Burns Fellowship of the International Center for Journalists.
Our 2024 Burns Fellow, Angela Gruber, a journalist at SPIEGEL, arrived in Nashville at the end of July and has already written several columns on politics and culture, covering everything from cryptocurrencies to cat videos.
She and her predecessors, Johanna Roth and Tatjana Heid, had never experienced anything like the Wilson County Fair, which merged with the Tennessee State Fair in 2021 and 2022.
Gruber’s curious glances at nearly every exhibit, food stand and animal enclosure provided an outside perspective on how special this place is and what it means to the ability of Americans of diverse backgrounds to share common experiences with joy, kindness and respect.
It is not just about The fair; it’s about Americans taking the time to go out and see, hear and get to know each other.
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That evening, I took a Lyft ride to an East Nashville venue, and the driver, a native Tennessean, talked about fond memories he had as a child and going to the fair with his family.
Political opposites can merge and coexist in society
On Sunday I read an article in the Tennessee Weekend Exclusive about a politically divided couple from St. Louis, Missouri.
Samantha Miller is a Democrat, but her husband Andy Miller is a Republican.
Despite their differences, they agree on many issues and remain open-minded. However, they also blame each other when they unintentionally put down the other party in a social media post.
This requires determination and discipline at a time when noise and anger dominate politics.
I tell this story because it gives hope that respect, boundaries and love can overcome political divisions.
Angela Gruber and I saw America at its best at the Wilson County – TN State Fair, where people consciously chose to be among strangers.
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The most polarizing decision of the day was whether to put ketchup or mustard on our corn on the cob. (I’m on team mustard.)
Democracy is chaotic and requires daily participation
In a way, Angela became for me a modern Alexis de Tocqueville, the 19th century.th 17th-century French diplomat and philosopher who visited the United States and wrote his observations in On Democracy in America.
He pointed out things that we Americans sometimes take for granted about our democratic republic.
Sometimes Americans have to step out of their comfort zone to make better policies.
Those who hope that this election will simply pass should not rush and waste this time.
Many days will pass in which we will get to know our neighbors and have experiences and conversations with them that will help us recognize our collective humanity.
It’s easy to get lost down rabbit holes, seethe in echo chambers, and marvel at the mindset of our political opponents.
But being an American citizen isn’t just about screaming at your TV or smartphone on Election Day, waiting to go to the polls. It’s about active, everyday participation in a process that is sometimes chaotic.
Sometimes we need a break from the noise and that’s when it’s okay to go to a fair to marvel at a baby alpaca, eat a corn on the cob and listen to the sounds of adults and children having fun on the roller coaster.
Editor’s Note: The Wilson County – TN State Fair may be over, but there are still more county fairs coming up. Check out the Dickson County Fair (https://www.dicksoncountyfair.com) and Maury County Fair (https://maurycountyfair.com), both August 29-September 2. The Nashville Fair (https://www.nashfair.fun) is September 6-15 at Fairgrounds Nashville.
David Plazas is the opinion and engagement director for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is a member of The Tennessean’s editorial board. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and is curator of the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at [email protected] or find him on X at @davidplazas
