PEORIA, Ill. – The Peoria Riverfront Museum is stepping up to represent the state of Illinois at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington D.C., after Illinois declined to participate due to budget concerns.
Museum CEO John Morris discussed the opportunity during an appearance on WMBD Radio’s “The Phil Luciano Show,” explaining how the museum came to fill the role just eight weeks before the event.
The Great American State Fair is part of the Freedom250 celebration marking America’s 250th anniversary. Each state was offered a free pavilion on the National Mall, organized by the executive branch through the Department of Interior, Department of Agriculture, and National Park Service.
When Illinois’ America 250 Commission determined the state didn’t have the budget to participate with only eight weeks to prepare, they turned to the Peoria Riverfront Museum, which has been planning America 250 exhibitions for four years.
“We became known to the whole state of Illinois as kind of the epicenter of the celebration of America 250,” Morris said. “They said we’re not going to be able to go. We don’t have the budget. But John, we know your team’s done a great job telling Illinois’ story.”
Morris said the museum’s board unanimously agreed to participate, with one condition.
“It’s nonpartisan intent on our part. I don’t care what kind of event it is. We’re not in the party game,” Morris said. “We are not a partisan organization. We’re not a political organization. We’re an organization that talks about history.”
The Illinois Pavilion features a hologram of Abraham Lincoln, a wall showcasing Illinois’ prairie grass, cornfields and small towns, a display of Caterpillar tractors, and a caboose representing Illinois’ historic role in American transportation. The exhibit also highlights Illinois’ notable achievements, including being home to the skyscraper and the inventor of the World Wide Web.
A riverfront photo of Peoria’s skyline, including the museum, will also be on display.
Morris said diverse holograms of Illinois residents were created in partnership with convention and visitors bureaus throughout the state.
“We’ve got Lincoln in the hologram and then we’ve got various diverse representatives of the state of Illinois,” Morris said.
The exhibit was funded entirely through private donations, with no public money involved. Morris said the maximum projected cost was around $500,000, covering transportation, set construction, staffing and giveaways, and the museum expects to come in under that amount.
“All of that was given by private donors,” Morris said. “There’s no public money in this.”
The Great American State Fair runs June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall. Museum staff and volunteers will be on the ground in Washington to greet visitors throughout the event.
Morris said he hopes the exhibit inspires visitors to reflect on the meaning of America’s founding documents.
“Take a moment to think about the words in that Declaration. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal,” Morris said. “It is the mission statement of an experiment in all of human history where we inverted the idea that we the people have the authority to govern ourselves.”
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