K. D. Lunneborg - The Road Goes Ever On and On

October 6, 2026

This article was originally published in Volume 1, Issue 1 of Aquarius: The […]

And there I was. In the thick of it. Standing there, I could see my siblings, my parents, and a thousand of our closest friends. And that’s when it happened. I didn’t notice at first, but when boos erupted, I looked towards the opposite side. The Secret Service had found us. We held our ground but under threat of arrest, we were forced to leave. As we left the tent, I could see national guardsmen bearing down from the top of the hill on the crowd, making a wall and pushing us off the property.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. As Wodehouse said, “It so often pans out that way when you begin a story. You whizz off the mark all pep and ginger, like a mettlesome charger going into its routine, and the next thing you know, the customers are up on their hind legs, yelling for footnotes” (7). So if you wouldn’t mind, sit down again, please, and I’ll start from the beginning.

We arrived at the gates of the Great American State Fair at 9:55 am, July 3rd, 2026. This particular day was highlighting aviation, and right at the start of the fair, 10:00 am, the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team led by head parachuter Sgt. Jonathan Pemberton dropped with a 1,200 sq. foot American Flag. Seeing them coming in as we entered the fair was an amazing experience.

As we entered, we also found ourself in front of one of the fair pavilions – constructed buildings where sponsors had tables set up. This one was the America Innovates pavilion, centered on highlights of American progress. This building had booths ranging from American Chopper, to SpaceX, the Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO), and NASA. During our time in the building, we also had to jump outside every so often to see some of the flyovers.

We then moved out of the building and started making our way down the fair grounds. The fair was set up to have sponsor booths in three main pavilions stationed across the fairgrounds in the middle of the main strip, while the states, food, merch, and certain federal departments were stationed in rows of booths going down the sides of the fair, with even more attractions behind them.

For the rest of the morning we visited various stations. First, a tent of vehicles, then we took a look through the U.S. Department booths. They included the Departments of State, War, Agriculture (which gave out free fruit), Interior, Homeland Security, Education, Transportation, etc. During all of this, the airshows continued, which really emphasized just how amazing our air forces are. And man, I would not want to be an enemy hearing these things echo around me.

We also visited the American Canvas and Faith and Family pavilion, which housed booths for places like Museum of the Bible, Focus on the Family, Hillsdale College, and others. While I didn’t get to see all of this building, it was a pretty cool one, emphasizing the Christianity of America. After the fourth of July, we went back and visited the Made in America Pavilion, which highlighted artist Scott LoBaido, who did a painting over the span of the fair, but also had a booth I really loved from Sweet Mass Production – makers of many U.S. medals, and even the Purple Heart.

Unfortunately, shortly after the end of the airshow on the third, the heat index reached well above a hundred degrees, and they shut the fair down until five that evening. When we returned after the fourth, our time there was mostly spent at the individual state’s booths. Some states didn’t send representatives, but those who put the effort into the space they were given made good use of it. From driving simulators in North Carolina, to a complete tour of Florida, scenic views in Utah, and plenty of freebies and gifts, the states were really awesome. We also saw the scale model of the proposed United States Triumphal Arch, which was very well designed, and I hope it is executed for remembrance of the semiquincentennial anniversary.

Another main event was Rodeo 250 at America Heartlands Arena, a rodeo arena set up in the middle of the National Mall, where they hosted rodeo shows every single day. It took you through the history of rodeo, including Spanish influence, Wild Bill Cody’s shows, modern events such as barrels and roping, and the whole time had people in the arena demonstrating some of these incredible events. I heartily enjoyed their rodeo, and seeing them running it right there with the Capitol on one side and the Washington Monument on the other was amazing.

Finally, I’d like to mention the tallest attraction at the fair – the 110 foot Freedom 250 Ferris Wheel. We were joined on our ride by a delightful young deaf man, who was thrilled to be able to ride with us on the awesome occasion. Seeing the entire fair and the Capitol, and all the D.C. landmarks around was exhilarating, especially since we took the ride near dusk: the gradient of the sky was beautiful from that elevation, and with such scenery.

Finally, we find ourselves on the big day. July 4th, 2026. The Official Semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence. We had a late start, getting to D.C. proper around 1:00 in the afternoon. This time, we were mentally locked in. We were aiming to get into the Washington Monument Grounds for the fireworks show. It was about that same time that we found out that the airshow from the day before was only the prelude to that day’s airshow. The amount of aircraft, sound, and sheer power shown by the entire airshow was astonishing, scheduled straight from 1:14 in the afternoon, to 8:22 that evening, with another pass scheduled for 10:36.

We joined the line on the streets of D.C. at about 2:00, and geared up for the long haul, grabbing water as was necessary from either of the nearby water tents, and meeting fellow neighbors in the line. The gates were to open at 5:00 and remain open until 6:00ish. It was amazing to meet a kid from Holland who never really lived in America, but was hardcore patriotic nonetheless. A dancing fellow even came by and lightened our hearts. Finally, the line started moving, and after passing several checkpoints, we got into the fairgrounds at about 6:00 and found a spot near the Washington Monument. The airshows had been going all day, including eight waves of flight reviews, and many amazing displays. Once we were in, though, we got to see airshows from both the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels, including the famous Delta Break of the Thunderbirds, as well as plenty of very tight formations. The pride swelling in everyone’s heart was so noticeable, and impossible to ignore. Made you want to just yell “’Merica!” for the fun of it.

With the timing of flyovers and walking in, the magnificence of it all was, well, magnificent. At times, my dad and I would just grin at each other, the entire space around us being too loud to talk in. However, that sheer fact was amazing. This was it. The real deal. The memories to make and take for years. I couldn’t – wouldn’t – sit down, so I was standing around watching the screaming aircraft fly overhead, all around the monument. Besides, the landscape and everything set up around the monument was brilliant. As it neared 7:00, my dad and brother went to get food. Not long after, he called up to us saying there was free ice cream. So I decided to go down and get some for my sister and me.

Just as I was getting the ice cream, my dad showed up. And that’s when the night fell apart. Just as I turned away from the ice cream truck, my dad said that they were shutting everything down, so we had to head back and get everything cleaned up. They shut down all federally-controlled grounds in the area. Or, rather, in the District of Columbia. It was too bad. Really bad, actually.

We started our trek out, following the sidewalks out towards the exit. But just before we left the grounds, we turned around, went back, and entered one of the tents they set up. As my mom told a guy who was following the rules and heading out, “It’s the American way.” I couldn’t help but laugh – because it was true. Now to where I started the story: me, my family, and our thousand closest friends hiding in one of the four large tents on the property. For the next hour or so, we sat in that tent, sometimes leaving for a minute or two to see the state of affairs. Once or twice, law enforcement entered the opposite side, which caused boos and a chant of ‘U-S-A!’ But finally, they announced over the loudspeakers that they would begin to arrest people who refused to leave.

Now the funny thing is, we were pushed out due to weather concerns. But arguably, the worst weather had already passed. The worst winds had passed long before, and the only other weather that hit us all night were some rain sprinkles. But we never got any of the bad weather they warned us about. Nevertheless, we did finally leave the premises and sat not far outside. Then some guys across from us read that they were re-opening the joint. That was the best thing I had heard all day. So we started to shuffle around back to the entrance, but it was rough. Half-way there, my mom found Trump’s post about it and I read it to anyone who could hear. “Our great veterans […] went through hellfire, and it didn’t stop them. It’s not going to stop us either! I’m not going to let some rain stop our 250th” (Trump). For the country rednecks who stand out on their porch when a storm’s coming, this was good news of common sense.

As we cycled back in, we unfortunately missed Trump’s speech and the proceedings due to our position in line. But we did finally get in, and just as we cleared the trees and could see the Washington Monument, now vivid blue from the projectors, the fireworks started. We sat down in the grass and whooped and hollered, high-fiving as the fireworks started going off. It was a grand show, with fireworks being launched from ten different locations, eight of which were barges positioned across the Potomac River. And on top of this, the show lasted forty minutes and was accompanied by a military band singing hits like Don’t Stop Believin’, YMCA, Livin’ On a Prayer, and Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue. The sheer number of fireworks – 840,537 to be more precise – was insane to see, and you could feel the booms throughout. The fireworks show aimed to be the largest show ever, and it succeeded. Standing on a road in a line all day was nothing compared to the excitement of that night.

This is all not to mention that the Washington Monument has a crazy projection on it, which made it look like neon lights were actually installed, saying “Freedom” and “250” on alternating sides. And then to add to the show, there was some cloud-to-cloud lightning in the distance. I could go on and on about the fireworks, but I’ll stop myself here. The show ended at about 12:40 am and it was safe to say by the time we got to the car, the adrenaline had quit and I was exhausted. But it was worth it. So worth it.

My trip was quite amazing, and I hope this column gave you a good view into the Great American State Fair, and the D.C. fireworks show. At this point, I’ve covered everything. I hope this satisfied you enough to at least remain in your chair after my pep and ginger start. Thanks for coming along with me on this trip, and I hope to see you on the next one.

Works Cited

Wodehouse, P. G. The Mating Season. Arrow, 2008.

@realDonaldTrump. “Storms bring luck…” Truth Social, 04 July 2026, https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116864681605523102. Accessed 03 August 2026.