FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SATURDAY, OCT. 17, 2009

CONTACT:

Brian Long, director N.C. State Fair Press Office (919) 839-4662

 

 

Winners of State Fair tobacco stringing contest announced

RALEIGH – A team of three sisters known as the Bensonites won the 2009 tobacco stringing contest at the N.C. State Fair.

The winning team consisted of Nancy Stewart and Susie Allen of Benson and Peggy Gaddis of Clinton. They won $200 and a plaque.

Teams competed to see how fast they could tie tobacco leaves onto a tobacco stick. Contestants were judged on the speed and quality of their tying.

The tying process, known as stringing or looping, was used in North Carolina until the mid-20th century. Farmers tied tobacco onto sticks and loaded them into barns, where the tobacco was cured.

The contest was sponsored by the John Deere Ice Cream Boys, Duke Homestead Historic Site and the State Fair.

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