What are the Weight Watchers Points for Fried Candy Bars? (6 of 16)

Fair food is fried food—and you can deep fry anything: pickles, cheese, Oreos, Snickers bars, even Coca-Cola. At left is a deep fried cola, which involves soda, funnel cake batter, hot oil, powdered sugar, a cherry, and a willing disregard for flavor. At right was the most prominent food version of the festival theme: turkey drumsticks the size of a small child, surprisingly often seen being consumed by small children. I saw a girl about five years old walking through the fair with the bone end of a turkey leg clutched in her tiny fist, turning the meat in slow circles for small bites, much you’d eat an ice cream cone.

The Politician & the Preacher (5 of 16)

You wouldn't want to miss breakfast in the Main Street Diner, where the $3 breakfast bowl gets you eggs, sausage, potatoes, and gravy. Ate with The Politician & The Preacher, as they are known, who hold court and greet everyone who enters. (Think Click & Clack of Appalachia.) Tom, the Politican (left) moved back to McArthur after years away because the area was in decline and he wanted to do something about it. Jim, the Preacher (right), goes “yard saling,” convincing people not to throw away clothes that he can donate to Goodwill in exchange for clothing credit for poor people. This matters because the general budget for the county lost $200,000 this year—almost 10% of its budget—with the same percentage lost in Family Services.

No place like home (4 of 16)

For $50 cash a night, I got a twin bed, a sink, and a tv, all in a small, dark room full of Indian-themed tchotchkes. Among the decorations: this framed print of what appeared to be Ricky Martin’s early work as a model for Romance Novels about love between warriors and settler women; and a curio shelf that featured a sad Indian clock and Native American Troll doll who apparently loves me “this much.”

Any place I hang my hat...(3 of 16)

I checked into the Hotel McArthur, built in 1839 and the oldest building in town. Owner Krazy Katie—a nickname she chose herself—told me that although the vast second floor ballroom had been partitioned long ago into smaller rooms, the original sprung-wood floors may still be found underfoot. A handwritten sign on the front door reads "Smile, you're on camera." Once through the door, you'll find a bar on the first floor, the Buzzard’s Knest (with a “K” for Katie), where Bikers are Welcome. Recently gave up her hotel license to instead run the place as a boarding house that takes overnight guests, a distinction that allows her to ignore the state rules that prohibit smoking in rooms. The Wild Turkey Festival midway was set up directly in front of the hotel. From my room, the amplified live entertainment—nightly shows by up-and-coming Country Music artists—filled my room with echoes of steel pedal and the throb of bass guitar.

18 wheels on the main drag (2 of 16)

Here in hardwood country, 8 sawmills are the core of industry. Tractor trailers burdened with logs roll down Market Street on their way to Highway 50. The yellow cab on this truck is the only sunshine on the first day of my visit, where smatterings of rain hurt festival attendance.

Entering Vinton County (Turkey Fest, 1 of 16)

Entering Vinton County following the curves of Rt. 93 brings you to McArthur, population 865. At the end of Main Street, this stately tree presides over the smaller of the town’s graveyards (now more populous than the town itself, according to a local preacher).

First Up: Wild Turkey Days in McArthur, Ohio

Friday morning, I head south southwest into Vinton County Ohio to tiny McArthur (pop. 865) for Wild Turkey Days. I’ll be staying in a boarding house known as Hotel McArthur, the oldest building in town, built in the mid-19th century. (The Governor has publicly described the owner, whom he calls Crazy Katie, as “a hoot.") In the next couple of days, I’ll meet the queen contestants, attend a turkey drop (more details to come), attend the Grand Parade, and talk to as many people as I can. Stay tuned for my report, with pictures and quotes from the people of Vinton County. (Photo credit: Vinton County Travel.Com)