WINCHENDON – Lisa Gauthier said she hadn’t even heard of the Great American State Fair until a friend invited her to make the trip to Washington D.C.

Gauthier, of Winchedon, traveled to the nation’s capital over the Fourth of July holiday to attend the fair, where she helped support the Massachusetts booth.

Held June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall, the Great American State Fair was part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. The event featured exhibits representing states and U.S. territories, along with food vendors, entertainment and cultural displays.

“Oddly enough, I didn’t even know anything about it,” she said.

After making plans to attend, Gauthier learned Massachusetts would not be officially represented at the fair. She found out Greenfield resident Donna Festinger had received permission to run the Massachusetts booth, but initially only had a few things to display.

Wanting to help, Gauthier decided to gather additional materials to bring with her to Washington.

“Our flight included check-in luggage. I’m like, ‘Well, I’ll just fill my check-in luggage with flyers,’” she said.

By the time she boarded her flight, Gauthier said she had packed about 52 pounds of Massachusetts tourism literature collected from Winchendon, Gardner, the Otter River Campground, Lake Dennison and other sources.

Once she arrived in Washington, Gauthier brought the materials to the Massachusetts booth, which also included maple syrup samples, donated cookies and handcrafted key chains. A man dressed as Uncle Sam was there, while a woman dressed as a Revolutionary soldier gave periodic presentations.

Gauthier said the booths focused on what each state or territory was known for, rather than politics. The Florida booth gave away alligator and manatee Beanie Babies, while Kentucky offered brisket. She described Puerto Rico’s presentation as “beautiful” and said she spoke with a veteran involved with the display.

“There were people from every walk of life, every country, every religion, any type of person you could possibly even imagine,” Gauthier said.

She recalled meeting people from Kuwait, some of whom were finishing military training, while others were just beginning.

Gauthier said everyone she encountered was friendly, even as extreme heat and severe weather created challenges during the event.

Thunderstorms led to evacuations at both the fair and the July 4 fireworks celebration. Gauthier said people took shelter in large cooling tents or left the grounds and returned later. Despite the heat and long waits, she said the crowds remained calm.

“Nobody was yelling and screaming and freaking out,” she said.

Free bottled water was also available throughout the fairgrounds, including pallets of water stationed around the event. Gauthier said signs directed visitors to water stations, while workers distributed water to attendees.

She said looking out for one another was “the theme throughout the whole place, the whole entire time.”

She experienced that firsthand while waiting in line for the July 4 fireworks. Gauthier, who said she has Lyme disease, began feeling unwell in the heat. Strangers encouraged her to sit in the shade, offered to hold her place in line and, without telling her, called an ambulance because they were concerned about her well-being.

“I couldn’t be mad at these people,” she said. “As embarrassing as it was, they were just being caring.”

Gauthier said she experienced a similar kindness during the fireworks after her phone died. One of the young men she met at the event took her phone number and sent her photos and videos from the celebration the following morning. He also stayed in touch with her until she arrived home.

“Everybody was wonderful,” she said.

Gauthier said she hopes the Great American State Fair returns and would encourage others to attend if it does. She said she was disappointed Massachusetts did not officially participate and felt the state, given its history, should have been represented.

“For Massachusetts, the people stepped up,” she said.