Fair fan finds 'cutest' in Maine -- chicagotribune.com.
With one well-worn, battered blue suitcase, James Kopel of Moline spent the past 11 years attending every state fair in the United States. By car and airplane, he figures he traveled about 80,000 miles -- about half by air -- and spent up to $40,000 to attend the official state fair in 41 states and the unofficial, but main event, in 11 others. Wearing his John Deere cap and walking shoes, and carrying a map of the fairgrounds, the affable, retired Black Hawk College professor traversed the fairgrounds, sampling the food and viewing the livestock shows, 4-H exhibits and commercial tents at each one. To say Kopel is an expert on state fairs is an understatement. He created a state fair evaluation form on his laptop computer, rating each state fair on 90 variables, including quality and affordability of food, cleanliness and accessibility of fairgrounds and exhibits, courteous office staff, variety of entertainment and educational experience.
