The day after the Democratic National Convention ended, a German colleague and I drove east from Nashville to Lebanon, Tennessee to attend the Wilson County – TN State Fair.
After weeks of pre-, during and post- political party convention coverage in a topsy-turvy presidential election, we needed a break from the polarized rhetoric.
That meant eating corn dogs and fried Oreos in 90-degree heat.
The fair, which ran from Aug. 15-24, is an extravaganza that includes amusement park rides, a Ferris wheel, racing piglets, live music, Monster trucks and an assortment of fried foods.
It’s a celebration of community, family and friends, and agriculture. Remember: Tennessee’s motto is “Agriculture and Commerce.”
There is a quaintness to the event, but over the several years I have attended, I have witnessed the fair grow in numbers and diversity of visitors.
In fact, 2024 set a record with more than 860,000 people in attendance.
Going to the fair with a foreigner was eye-opening and humbling
I have attended the fair four times in the decade I have lived in the Volunteer State − the last three times with visiting Germans working in The Tennessean’s newsroom through the International Center for Journalists’ Burns Fellowship.
Our 2024 Burns Fellow Angela Gruber, a journalist at the Der SPIEGEL publication, arrived in Nashville in late July and has already written several columns on politics and culture that ran the gamut from cryptocurrency to cat videos.
She along with 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 wide-eyed curiosity over just about every exhibit, food kiosk and animal enclosure provided an outside perspective on how special this place is and what it means for the ability of Americans of different backgrounds to share common experiences with joy, kindness and respect.
It’s not just about this fair; it’s about Americans taking the time to get out and get to see, hear and know each other.
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That evening, I took a Lyft ride to an East Nashville venue, and the driver, who was a Tennessee native, shared happy memories of growing up going to the fair with his family.
Political opposites can be married and they can co-exist in society too
On Sunday, I read an article in The Tennessean Weekend Exclusive about a St. Louis, Missouri couple who are split politically.
Samantha Miller is a Democrat, but her husband Andy Miller is a Republican.
Despite their differences, they see eye-to-eye on many issues and stay open-minded, however, they also hold themselves accountable when they unwittingly bash the other party on a social-media post.
That takes intentionality and discipline at a time when noise and anger dominate the nature of politics.
I share this story because it provides hope that respect, boundaries and love can overcome political divisions.
Angela Gruber and I saw the best of America at the Wilson County – TN State Fair where people deliberately chose to be among strangers.
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The most polarizing decision that day was whether to slather our corn dogs with ketchup or mustard. (I am on Team Mustard).
Democracy is messy and requires every-day participation
In a way, Angela became for me a modern-day Alexis de Tocqueville, the 19th century French diplomat and philosopher who visited the U.S. and wrote his observations in “Democracy in America.”
He pointed out things we Americans sometimes take for granted about our democratic republic.
Sometimes it takes Americans getting out of our comfort zones to do politics better.
For those hoping this election will just be over, don’t rush or waste this time.
There many days to come of getting to know neighbors and having experiences and conversations with them that allow us to see our collective humanity.
It is easy to go down rabbit holes, fume in echo chambers and marvel at our political opposites’ way of thinking.
But being an American citizen isn’t just about screaming at the television or smartphone and waiting to go to the polls on Election Day. It’s about active, every-day participation in a process that is sometimes messy.
Sometimes we need a break from the clamor and it’s okay to go to a fair to gaze at a baby alpaca, to eat a corn dog, and to enjoy the sounds of adults and kids having a ball on a roller coaster.
Editor’s note: While the Wilson County – TN State Fair has passed, there are more county fairs to come. Check out the Dickson County (https://www.dicksoncountyfair.com) and Maury County(https://maurycountyfair.com) fairs, both which go from Aug. 29 to Sept. 2. The Nashville Fair (https://www.nashfair.fun) runs from Sept. 6 to 15 at the Fairgrounds Nashville.
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or find him on X at @davidplazas
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Wilson County-Tennessee State Fair offered needed break from politics
