Patriotic pride on display as America 250 guests share reflections: 'Awesome to be here'

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News Digital spoke to numerous attendees and families at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C. about what brought them out for the celebration. The Great American State Fair was packed this Independence Day, drawing crowds for a mix of holiday celebration and personal reflection. As the festivities unfolded, attendees shared what spending the Fourth of July with their families means to them. "It kind of makes us emotional because of our country and the people who died, you know, and gave up what they've done," Tom Rutledge, a grandfather who traveled to the fair from Texas, told Fox News Digital. HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES RISING WITH EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS, RESEARCH SUGGESTS Rutledge brought his 13-year-old grandson along so he could experience the Fourth of July celebration firsthand. "I wanted him at 13 to experience this," Rutledge