Virtual trip to North Carolina State Fair is fruitful

Today, I took my weekly trip to the public library in Cerritos.  It is a large and impressive facility, complete with an aquarium near the entrance, several themed rooms, a third-level meeting and party room, and a huge lab with over 80 Internet-connected computers for public use.

After my regular visit to the Field of Schemes site, which tracks the use of taxpayer money to build professional and major-college sports venues in the U.S., I go to other sites which are either newsworthy or for which I am interested somehow.

Because I have a storyline for an upcoming season of Gone Barefoot in which Miss Hambone is crowned the "redneck queen," I decided to visit the website of the North Carolina State Fair, at which said event
would be held.  The fair opened with a preview on Thursday and officially on Friday; it will continue until Oct. 25.  What I found was more than I bargained for, as I got relevant news and ideas of all kinds.



First, I learned about a real one-man band that will perform throughout the fair.  His name is Marc Dobson; he is pictured on the right and is the subject of a blog post on the official site of the state department of agriculture, which organizes the state fair.  I had seen other one-man band photos before, but they didn't capture an actual performer in all his glory like that one.  Believe me, I have plans to superimpose Bunky's face above Dobson's for a future Photoshop project, and I'll bring it to you here.  Matter of fact, I'll have Bunky say that Dobson is the biggest influence in his own career.  It makes sense, as the state fair is in Bunky's hometown of Raleigh.



Then there's the Village of Yesteryear.  This part of the fair features dozens of artisans make clothes, pottery, musical instruments, and other items in the old-fashioned way.  It is my hope that some of the visitors to the fair are inspired to learn these crafts and pass them down to future generations, so these methods are not lost in a world of automation and mass production.  The village has its own year-round website.

Also, the Barefoot last name shows up at least twice, based on the sites I went to.  The first listing I encountered was when I browsed a map showing vendors of food and merchandise, as well as rides and shows.  One of the food vendors is listed as "Barefoot," which presumably is the seller's last name.  According to the map, he (or she) sells "Hot Dogs, Italian Sausage, Fries, Chili Cheese Fries, Steak & Cheese & Drinks."  To find this vendor, click on the food and ride finder on the fair webpage and type up "barefoot" in the search box.

The second time was I went to the page with the press releases.  The first food judging contest of the year was for the best recipe using peanut butter and jelly.  And guess what?  Samuel Barefoot of Benson was the third-place winner and took home $100!  See his recipe as well as that of the other prize winners (Gretchen van de Carr of Durham won the top honor) at this address.

Congratulations to all the Barefoots at the North Carolina State Fair, real and imagined.