I do hope that the stories I’ve seen lately about the impending demise of the county fair in many parts of the U.S. have been greatly exaggerated. I look forward to this time of the year, when one can choose from the large state fairs or smaller district or county fairs to revel in good old Americana.

Although I grew up in the city (or maybe because I did), I love roaming the livestock barns and checking out the huge draft horses, cuddly bunnies and exotic fowl, and then heading to the “home arts” halls for the baked goods, quilts and other needlecraft, the grange displays of all kinds of fruits and veggies, and the art and photography of talented amateurs. All of that wandering and admiring has to be fueled, of course, by a generous sampling of fair food: corn on the cob dripping with butter, swirly fries, funnel cakes, barbecue and lemonade.

Shortly after we moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, several years ago, my husband and I decided we’d enter into the competitive spirit of the local fair. I submitted a berry pie, and Harry entered his AMAZING baklava (The reason we got hitched is because he got me addicted to it, and I had to marry the source.). My pie earned a red ribbon, but the baklava won a best of class and a big blue ribbon. As Harry picked up his prize of a 10-pound bag of sugar, we noticed a few older ladies giving him the evil eye . . . no doubt they did not appreciate this male interloper intruding on their territory.

A few years ago I garnered my own blue ribbon and a best of show at the Chelan County Fair for a last-minute entry of some purple bell peppers from my garden. The effort and expense to submit them were minimal, especially in proportion to the pleasure I still get from recalling the pride and surprise of my win.

If you get the chance as this summer winds down, take in a day at the fair and enjoy a little old-time fun.

 Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

Last week I used this space to ask you what you wanted to read here. The response was great. Many people left comments on the blog and even more emailed me directly. I appreciate the feedback and have tabulated the results.

Celebrity travel stories & meet and greets - 20%

Reader contests (perhaps for GT stuff) - 15%

Conventions coverage - 15%

Business info for smaller cities - 12.5%

Info on GT staff and behind the scenes - 12.5%

Expanding on GT articles - 10%

Travel deals - 5%

Diet and fitness on the road - 5%

Travel bloopers - 2.5%

Very specific topic ideas (aka the rest) - 2.5%

All are interesting ideas. I can start delivering some of the requests immediately. Others will show up gradually. Unfortunately, some are out of my control, but not out of the question. Each suggestion has been noted and is appreciated.

I will continue to write celeb stuff, because I like it and my work brings me in contact with a lot of celebs. I will start getting travel stories from them. As a matter of fact, on a recent trip to Los Angeles, I started working on this. Those stories will be told in the near future.

I meet most of the celebs at conventions. Since I work with the people who run the conventions, I will give more in-depth coverage of the specifics of the convention’s inner workings.

I would be happy to share my travel bloopers. I usually don’t make it through any trip without at least one mishap. Since I do a lot of work in smaller cities like Kokomo (IN), Novi (MI), Rosemont (IL) and Madison (WI), I can bring some attention to them as well.

I will do the best I can with all of the ideas. This is your blog, as much as it is mine. I hope you continue reading, responding and suggesting.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist

Just about every week in eFlyer, we run an item about a new contest for winning a free trip somewhere, and these are always among the most-clicked items. After all, who wouldn’t want a free vacation?

I think it’s the “vacation” part that’s motivating. Even people who travel a lot for business get turned on by the idea of a trip that has nothing to do with business, especially if they don’t have to go alone.

My own favorite “win” was courtesy of Virgin Atlantic. There was a large press lunch, held at–if I remember correctly, it was about 15 years ago–the Peninsula Hotel in New York. We all dropped business cards into a bowl as we entered. (I know that’s not an unusual thing in general, but I don’t recall it ever happening at a press lunch before or since. ) The announcement du jour–the reason for the press event–was that Richard Branson was opening his private Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands to private rentals, I believe.

Anyway, after the lunch and the presentation, the PR chief (I’m pretty sure I remember her name but I’m not going to test my memory any more) said something to the effect of, You’re probably wondering why we were collecting all your business cards–we’re going to give you a chance to experience Virgin and Necker Island for yourself. They picked a card–and no, I don’t remember who won–and announced that the winner was going to Necker Island, with friends.

I wasn’t very disappointed; up til that point, the only thing I had ever won in a raffle was a nun doll in grammar school. But then they said, we have consolation prizes. They drew two more names, each of whom won a pair of Upper Class tickets between New York and London. One of those names was mine.

I remember clearly the woman in charge saying, “This is not a busman’s holiday. We want you to experience Virgin and London the way your readers do. Use these tickets at any time to take a vacation, and we don’t expect you to write about it.”

So, a few months later, I packed my bags and my then-husband and headed for England. I’d lived and worked in London, and taken him with me there before, so we rented a car at Gatwick and headed for Devon and Cornwall. I’d traveled extensively throughout most of England, Scotland, and lots of Wales, but I’d never been to those counties before. It was beautiful, and relaxing, and I think my husband enjoyed being on a level playing field. We stayed in St. Mawes in a hotel overlooking the English Channel, visiting a castle nearby where they demonstrated falconry, ate at pubs, moved to a bed-and-breakfast in the Devon hills and hiked through sheep-filled pastures, moved to St. Ives on the northwest coast and watched the fishing boats come and go in St. George’s Channel.

Anyway, I think that’s why business travelers like contests. Not so much that it’s free, but that it’s a vacation, and you don’t have to go alone.

–Mary Hunt, editor, eFlyer

There are a lot of exciting opportunities for Global Traveler blog readers happening right now! I suggest taking part in three of the options and joining in on the celebration as our May issue will see Global Traveler’s ABC audited circulation reach 100,0oo+ for the first time ever!

Opportunity 1 - Participate in our online auction to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! I know I have talked about this before, but since the auction kickoff on February 1st, the bidding action has been heating up and I wouldn’t want you to miss out on all the action. More great items to bid on are still getting added and some prizes bids are well over $1000. Act now because there is less than 2 months left until the auction ends on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 11:59.999 p.m. This is an opportunity to get your hands on some premium hotel and airline trips at a steal and to help a worthwhile charitable cause. To participate, visit www.globaltravelerusa.com/auction. The auction this year has become particularly meaningful as one of my close friends was recently diagnosed with lymphoma - I urge you to help this cause.

Opportunity #2 - Global Traveler has teamed up with Conrad Hotels & Resorts to create “The Luxury of Being Yourself” contest. To enter, submit a short (100 word) essay telling us what the luxury of being yourself means to you when you are staying a hotel or resort. The grand prize is a weekend stay for two at the Conrad Miami including two spa treatments and dinner for two. To enter for your chance at the grand prize today, submit your essay at www.globaltravelerusa.com/conrad.

Opportunity #3 - For those of you who are not subscribers, this offer is for you! Global Traveler has entered into a partnership with InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club Rewards. We are currently offering members of the Priority Club Rewards program discounted subscription rates and PCR points when they subscribe for a 1-, 2- or 3- year term. Double the benefits at www.globaltravelerusa.com/priorityclub.

- Kimberly Krol, circulation and public relations executive

Our eFlyer/AAdvantage eShopping Mall contest closed on schedule this past Wednesday afternoon, and five lucky winners were picked out of a bowl by a disinterested third party here in sunny Florida (okay, so it’s not the snow-covered Christmas scene you might have imagined–it’s the thought that counts, as they say).

Thanks to the nice folks at Weber Shandwick, American Airlines’ PR agency, the five grand prizes–8GB iPod Nanos–were overnighted to our five lucky winners in plenty of time for gift-giving.

The winners, like our readers, were scattered all over the country (sweepstakes rules prohibited us from accepting entries from our international reader contingent). They are:

David Johnson, San Francisco, Calif.

Dana Mincer, Media, Penna.

Marty Paz, Las Vegas, Nev.

Mark Smith, Charlotte, N.C.

John J. Stanton III, Milford, Conn.

To those of you who didn’t win–better luck next time! And we hope that your visit to the AAdvantage eShopping Mall gave you some ideas for your Christmas list.

–Mary Hunt, editor, eFlyer