I think I need

a sun bonnet or a huge sombrero, maybe. I want a new, but old-fashioned

style, sun bonnet. Prairie style, maybe? A calico bonnet? I'm not even

sure how to refer to what I think I want or how to go about finding a

source. So maybe you can help me. Surely there's somebody out there who

knows somebody who still makes/sells old-fashioned sun bonnets.

I phoned Ellen

Gay McEwen, who is presently very busy with last-minute details for the

upcoming Cotton Pickin' Fair in Gay, Ga., to ask if she knew a sun bonnet

maker. She very graciously promised to go through her list of exhibitors

to look for a possible source and call me back if she has any luck.

I also called

Sharon Brockenbrough and asked if she knew where I could find one. Sharon

is the force behind The Great Gay Marketplace festival that was launched

in 1992 across the road from the Cotton Pickin' Fair.

Held twice

a year on the first weekends in May and October, these events always manage

to take some of my money. I really enjoy attending and find it amazing

that these two fairs can draw to such a quiet little one-red-light community

anywhere from 15,000 to 30,000 people twice a year.

I'm sure attendance

is affected by the weather and those who put so much time, money and effort

into such events cringe at the thought of rain. But I for one am thrilled

if it is overcast or even misting rain.

I love the

rain and am never daunted by it, unless of course there are tornado warnings,

or flash floods in the picture. One of the most fun times my family ever

had at Six Flags Over Georgia was on a rainy day. The crowds were diminished.

The lines were short. I'm sure we looked half-drowned, but we had a ball!

I like visiting

Callaway Gardens in the rain, too. Light rain, of course. I even like

walking on the beach in the rain. I suppose I could love the sun too,

if it would love me in turn. But it does not, and my sun sensitivity has

lead to this sun bonnet search because the one outdoor thing that it is

really hard to do is work in the dirt in the rain.

I have several

straw hats that just don't do the job, and I'm open to investing in a

real sombrero if anyone has a good source for that kind of sun protection.

I found several

web sites for children's bonnets. Great prices, too! Ranging from $5.95

- $8.95, some of the designs I saw looked like what I think I need, but

adult bonnets were not offered.

I even checked

out the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin, published by the Georgia

Department of Agriculture. No luck.

I checked out

antebellum costume makers/merchants on the internet. Again, no luck. I

have not sewn in more than 20 years, but at this point, I'm not above

buying a sewing machine and making my own bonnet if I could find the right

pattern.

But goodness

knows, I hope it does not come to that. My memories of past efforts as

a seamstress are not fond memories.

I know, from

a distance (I hope it will only be from a distance!), I'm going to look

like an old lady out in my vegetable and flower gardens in such attire,

but it will be worth it to just be able to go out occasionally when the

sun is shining. As it is, I only go out in the very early morning before

the sun comes up over the trees and in the evenings after it disappears.

Thus my outdoor time is more limited than I want it to be.

I've tried

sun screens but they don't really help; besides I'm allergic to most of

them! There now, have I successfully pleaded my case? Please help me,

if you can, to find the perfect bonnet or sombrero.

You guys have

never failed me yet. I can't wait to see what kind of resources you send

my way! You can e-mail me at: [email protected], or call me at 770-460-5000.

Please leave a message and I will call you back.

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