Two vendors make their first appearance at SEMO District Fair

Among the corn dogs and funnel cakes, two new vendors hit the midway at the 2011 SEMO District Fair; Cinnamon Station from Bolingbrook, Ill., and D-Rails BBQ of Delta.

Cinnamon Station is on the north end of the fairgrounds. Its owner, Nancy Connors, said that a love of cooking, traveling and people are what drove her to quitting her job in June and selling cinnamon rolls full time.

A former IT specialist and a three-year cancer survivor, Connors said she has a passion for what she does and seeing her customers satisfied.

"We are living our dream. It's not just a job for us, it's our lifestyle now." Connors said.

Cinnamon Station also has a carryout option.

"At the end of the fair, people are stuffed," Connors said. "There are lots of good things to eat here, and while no one takes any of the other delicious food items home, they can take a cinnamon roll home and it does reheat excellently."

Connors' rolls are all made from scratch. From the window, customers can watch Connors create the rolls and see the detail that goes into her work.

Sharing Connors' passion for cooking, Darrell White of D-Rail's has been smoking meats for more than 20 years. While White has sold his barbecue at local festivals before, the SEMO District Fair is his first fair, he said.

The Boston butt is smoked for 14 hours using only wood -- no charcoal, electric or gas. All of the barbecue, their hamburgers and hot dogs are smoked and never grilled.

White constructed his specialized smoker to replicate a train engine. The name "D-Rail" comes from a nickname White received while living in Texas.

"When I lived in Texas, I met a man down there who taught me how to barbecue and I worked for a company that did a lot of cook-offs. I always went to the cook-offs and started to like barbecuing." White said.

White and his wife, Jean, were excited for the first day of the SEMO District Fair to start, although they encountered a few electrical issues at first.

"We are ready and we are hoping that we sell out," Jean White said.

D-Rails is on the south side of the fairgrounds next to the Cape County Republicans tent.

Pertinent address:

Arena Park, Cape Girardeau MO