Congratulations Misty Goodbar on winning the 2026 Cover Art Competition.
Hi, my name is Misty Goodbar. My husband Kevin and I live in Monterey with our ten-year-old
daughter, Ellie. I grew up in Blue Grass and my dad, Herman, loved the Highland County Fair.
My entire family has always attended the fair each year. When I initially saw the fair theme, I
quickly envisioned the outline of the drawing in my mind. Then, as I started sketching my idea, it
all came together. I wanted to represent as many elements of the fair as possible. The
mountains were drawn with inspiration from local surroundings, such as the Devil’s Backbone
and Trimble Knob. Some images were added with a personal thought in mind.
As a kid, I remember going to the cornfield with my dad to choose a winning stalk of corn to enter in the
fair. He would stand on the truck and find the tallest stalk, and then I would attempt to direct him
to it. I thought of my Grandad C.I. when drawing the horse, whose many fair ribbons still line the
wall of our old farm house from horse shows in the 50’s and 60’s. Arts and crafts was a favorite
in our household, and my Grandma Hilda was always proud to enter her crochet work in the fair,
and couldn’t wait to go see how many ribbons she’d won.
My mom would enter exhibits in the fair for me and my sister when we were younger, everything from arts and crafts to vegetables.
My husband and I continue the same family tradition with our daughter. It’s always fun to go to
our apple orchard and choose the “perfect” apples to enter, in hopes of winning a blue ribbon.
I draw as a hobby and creating something so relatable was a fun experience. The fair holds a
lifetime of good memories for me and I’m glad that I had the opportunity to create a piece of art
that will hopefully resonate with everyone else who loves the Highland County Fair. It’s a time
we can all come together and celebrate what the fair embodies; friends, tradition, community,
and fun!