Whether `Stringing' or `Looping,' Tobacco Is the Tie that Binds Many North Carolina Farm Families
A dozen teams competed as 12-year-old Sophie joined three generations of her family in a contest that honors tobacco-farming traditions.
- At 12, Sophie Sunday became the youngest contestant in the North Carolina State Fair's tobacco stringing contest on Friday, October 16, competing in Raleigh for the $250 first prize.
- Once the state's largest cash crop, tobacco has fallen to North Carolina's third most valuable commodity, with growers producing more than 248 million pounds last year valued at nearly $546 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Teams battled in 90-degree Fahrenheit heat to string at least 36 bundles of leaves, with the fastest participants completing the process in under one minute.
- The Benson Nites secured the win with a time of just under one minute and four seconds, edging out the defending champion Maple Hill Loopers; Sunday's team, The 3 Suckers, did not place.
- Despite concerns about tobacco's health impact, Sunday plans to teach her future children the looping technique, acknowledging the plant's emerging potential in vaccine production and pharmaceutical research.
53 Articles
53 Articles
Three generations compete to keep NC tobacco tradition alive
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — When Sophie Sunday told her schoolmates she was taking off halfway through the school day, they couldn’t wait to find out why. “I’m going to loop tobacco at the fair,” the seventh grader told them. “And they’re, like, 'What?' They don’t have a clue.” To be fair, most people don’t. At [...]
Sentinel Colorado
The National HeraldWhether stringing' or looping,' tobacco is the tie that binds many North Carolina farm families
Twelve-year-old Sophie Sunday joined three generations of her family to compete in the North Carolina State Fair's annual tobacco stringing contest, a traditional event honoring the state's agricultural heritage.
Whether `stringing' or `looping,' tobacco binds NC farm families
It's called “stringing” or “looping,” depending on what part of North Carolina you're from. Twelve-year-old Sophie Sunday just calls it fun. She was the youngest competitor in the annual tobacco stringing contest at the State Fair in Raleigh last week,…
Whether 'stringing' or 'looping,' tobacco is the tie that binds many North Carolina farm families
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — When Sophie Sunday told her schoolmates she was taking off halfway through the school day, they couldn’t wait to find out why. “I’m going to loop tobacco at the fair,” the seventh grader told them. “And they’re, like, 'What?' They don’t have a clue.” To be fair, most people don’t. At [...]
Whether `stringing' or `looping,' tobacco is tie that binds many North Carolina farm families
It's called “stringing” or “looping,” depending on what part of North Carolina you're from. Twelve-year-old Sophie Sunday just calls it fun. She was the youngest competitor in the annual tobacco stringing contest at the State Fair in Raleigh last week,…
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