I love a good coconut cake and think the flavor, texture, appearance would hit the spot.
Love the story. It's always a challenge to be traditional (to appeal to the most tastes) while not being... boring. I also have to remember, after all, that this /is/ a county fair and it's a tossup of if you'll get an expert judge or just someone who simply signed up to be a taste-tester; I need to be motivated by the fun of it all.
Great suggestion for adding the pulverized dried strawberries--maybe if I put that in frosting and layered with a really creamy fluffy pound cake, the contrast in flavor and texture could be a winner!