Jerry W. Engler will sign books for the public every day except Monday September 5-14 at the Book Kansas booth in the Sunflower Building at the 2008 Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson.

Engler is a former record holder for book sales at the fair. Book Kansas personnel say they enjoy him for his speaking ability in conversation with the public, and for his "genuine warmth."

Engler has two books on the market, Just Folks: Earthy Tales of the Prairie Heartland and A Heartland Voice: Just Folks Two. A third book, Highly Embellished Truth and Some Poetry: Just Folks Three, comes out this fall.

The books include fiction short stories that are predominantly humor with a good additional mix of history, authenticity, nostalgia and poignancy. The third book also has a variety of Engler's poetry.

He has created characters that are becoming celibrities themselves with the public like Harlan and Florence Medlam, Oswald K. Underfoot, Doc Frenchie, Charmin' Carmen, Hard Sell Harry, and Burford the dog to name a few. 

Promoters agree that the fair is a marathon event for an author with thousands of people passing by per hour at times. Engler has been known to go far beyond the signing times he was expected, and even skip meals as long as the public wanted to keep on talking.

He is a Kansas native growing up on a farm southwest of Topeka, and a life-long Kansas resident with a home in Marion County, "except for the usual times out young people have out-of-state for further education and the military.

"I've spent some prolonged time in Missouri too, and I always have a hard time finding the place shown on maps where the state borders stick up out of the ground."

For exact times Engler will be in the booth, stop by to ask Book Kansas staff.