The Great American State Fair, a national celebration being branded as a “State Fair” and a “World’s Fair”, opens June 25 on the now much-obstructed National Mall. The GASF is among the semiquincentennial events South Dakota’s America 250th Commission plans to discuss at its streamable meeting this afternoon in Pierre.
At last month’s meeting, the SD Am250 Commission approved spending $25,000 to design and produce a pavilion for the Great America State Fair. We can’t have a pavilion (or a small town) without a banner, so among the items designed and produced are these banners celebrating South Dakota’s glorious achievements and achievers, from Sue the Tyrannosaurus Rex to basketballer Becky Harmon:
The commission doesn’t provide images of sufficient resolution for us to read the finer text on this display. But this mockup clearly includes four females (I’d like to count Sue, who bears the name of discoverer Sue Hendrickson, but that T. Rex’s sex is unknown… so maybe Sue counts as transgender? non-binary? questioning?), four Indians, one Italian, and a Democrat—for all the Trumpist white male supremacy swirling about, I’m surprised to see that much diversity and inclusion in these state posters. I’m also thrilled to see that our historical commissioners choose to include among South Dakota’s great inventions the Initiative and Referendum Process, a political innovation at least as awesome as the cyclotron and the ejector seat.
You know, my memory must be fading. I thought I saw Rod Cards hit a grand slam on Americas 200th birthday. I typed in “Minnesota twin that hit a grand slam on Americas 200th birthday”. The AI told me that no twin hit a grand slam that day. I stand corrected.
Carew, I’m always being corrected.