Inside the Great American State Fair's carnival of contrasts

What they're saying: Washingtonian called the event "bleak." The Washington Post deemed it "crushingly dull," likening it to "a trade show for Christian groups, tourist boards and the military industrial complex."

• Online, people are posting photos of sparse crowds, flimsy-looking booths, underwhelming state exhibits and pricey food.
• It doesn't help that the Ferris wheel and food hall both briefly lost power when City Cast visited.

Reality check: When Axios stopped by, there was a bigger crowd than one would expect on a blistering weekday — the longest lines we spotted were outside the [Department of] "War" booth, and the Florida tent (credit a mini mini-golf course and "Florida Man" wall).

• Empty booths left behind by states including Maine, Washington and Oregon have been repurposed by Freedom 250 volunteers stamping visitors' "passports."
• In the vacant Hawaii space, in front of a mural with Barack Obama, a tourist wearing a "Surfers for Trump" shirt greeted visitors. He told Axios he's not a volunteer — but grabbed a passport stamper because "our tourism authority who has a big budget doesn't like us."

Zoom in: Weekend headlines added to the criticism.

• A Confederate flag was featured in a privately funded North Carolina booth (it's since been removed).
• Separately, police arrested a man for "lewd, indecent, or obscene acts" at the fair.

Yes, but: Supporters are defending the event as a success, posting pics of crowds.

• Meanwhile, the Trust for the National Mall expects to see almost 50 million visitors to the Mall this year, up from the usual 36 million, reports the Washington Post.

Anna's thought bubble: The fair is shaping up to be a carnival of contrasts.

• Here you'll find messages of bipartisan unity next to pro-Trump displays, nostalgic Americana beside AI innovation. At Maryland's booth, an AI camera sends visitors to "Colonial Annapolis" — where, thanks to a glitch, everyone becomes a colonial-era man.
• One air-conditioned tent is split between the National Endowment of the Arts and the conservative Moms for America group, alongside signage proclaiming "The Great Awakening America Shall Be Saved."

Monday's theme, "Everyday Health and Well-Being," kicked off with a protein pancake-eating competition from viral Judy's Pancakes, and wound down with conservative commentator Michael Knowles taking the main stage.

• Per the organizers: "If you're curious about feeling better, living longer, and doing it the American way, this is the place to be."

Yes, but: The fair's menu tells a different story.

• While MAHA board member "Doctor Pompa" warned about overused vaccines and breast implants, vendors nearby sold cheese-stuffed pretzel dogs and fries cooked in vegetable oil.
• "Holistic Hilda" influencer Hilda Labrada Gore encouraged attendees to embrace the "LOGS" diet — local, organic, seasonal and traditional foods — as I bit into a $16 corn dog whose batter was partially raw.

Her claim that artificial light, not sunlight, is driving skin cancer landed beneath a blazing afternoon sun, where about a dozen people watched from the sparse shade of the main stage.

Dig in: The fair food is expensive and uneven. A thick-crust "Chicago-style" square pizza slice (nearly $12) arrived thin and soggy, while a nearly $29 Chop Shop Peruvian sandwich boasted a heat lamp-imparted crunch.

• If you're craving dessert, the permanent World's Fair concession stand by the carousel has tasty cherry blossom ice cream and cotton candy sundaes.

Best bite: Especially for the MAHA message, a massive smoked turkey leg (protein!) that's cooked over an open fire on the fair's sidelines.

• It ain't cheap ($30+), but it's the one Great American State Fair roast everyone can get behind.