MAPLETHORPE — Gary Winsted, 47, a mid-level insurance adjuster and lifelong resident of Maplethorpe, has become something of a local legend this week after correctly guessing there were 1,847 jellybeans in a jar at the annual county fair, a feat residents are calling “honestly kind of spooky.”
Winsted, who reportedly used a technique he described as “just staring really hard and thinking about my grandmother,” beat out 212 other contestants, including three actuaries and a man who brought his own abacus. The jar’s actual count, verified by fair officials using what they called “a very tedious afternoon,” was 1,847 exactly.
“I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Maplethorpe Fair Committee Chair Denise Ovaltner. “Gary didn’t even flinch. He just looked at the jar for about eleven seconds, wrote down a number, and walked away like it was nothing. People are saying he might have a gift.”
Since his win, Winsted has been invited to judge the pie contest, asked to bless a newborn calf, and offered a discount at the local hardware store, which he has declined out of what he calls “humility, mostly.” Local diner The Sunny Griddle has already added a “Gary’s Guess” pancake special to its menu, featuring exactly 1,847 sprinkles, though owner Pete Marlowe admits “we lost count around 900 and just estimated.”
Winsted says he has no plans to enter next year’s contest, citing a desire to “go out on top,” though he did mention he’s already started practicing on a jar of buttons in his garage. “I’m at 632 right now,” he said. “But I think there’s more.”
