Share Your Talents at the Fair: Exhibitor Guide Now Available

Posted on May 15, 2012 by akfair

Do you have a green thumb? A knack for knitting? An eye for photography? A way with animals? If so, we want to show off your talents at the 2012 Alaska State Fair! We’ll tell you how in our 2012 exhibitor guide, now available on our website.

The 2012 Fair exhibitor guide is now available.

We’re making it easier than ever for people all over Alaska to enter an exhibit at the Fair. As in past years, you can drop off and pick up entries in Anchorage or at the fairgrounds. But did you know you can also mail your entry directly to us – and we’ll take care of the return as long as it’s a reasonable size and weight? See the exhibitor guide for all the important details about entering an exhibit.

We’re also coordinating with the Southeast Alaska State Fair in Haines to transport selected winning entries to the Alaska State Fair in Palmer for judging and display. It’s all part of our efforts to reach out and involve Alaskans across the state in the Alaska State Fair. Last year, 2,050 exhibitors entered 8,793 exhibits – we hope to see that number grow even larger this year!

So what can you enter? The 2012 exhibit categories include art, creative arts and crafts, canning, clay arts, fiber and fleece, handwork and needlework, honey and beekeeping, photography, sewing, woodworking, quilts, poultry and rabbits, baked goods, crops, flowers, spirited beverages, and open livestock.

Why should you enter? Well, in addition to sharing your talent with hundreds of thousands of fairgoers, you’ll have a chance to win prize ribbons and cash premiums. Last year, we gave out 6,000 ribbons and $24,562 in premiums!

Questions? Check out our online exhibitor guide or contact Pamella Meekin, Fair vendor and exhibits manager, at pamella@alaskastatefair.org.

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Congratulations to Fair Trip Winner

Posted on April 30, 2012 by akfair

Congratulations to Laurie Sica, who recently won a trip to the 2012 Alaska State Fair! Laurie, a master municipal clerk with the City and Borough of Juneau, won the trip at the Alaska Association of Municipal Clerks annual conference.

Laurie Sica recently won a trip to the 2012 Alaska State Fair.

“I am very excited about this as I have never been to Palmer or the Alaska State Fair,” Laurie said. “And Janette Bower, the clerk in Palmer, and her deputy Shelly Acteson, are two of my favorite clerks (and people) in the state.”

The trip details are still being finalized, but we are looking forward to seeing Laurie at the Fair this year!

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June Gerteisen Joins Fair Marketing Department

Posted on April 24, 2012 by akfair

The Alaska State Fair recently welcomed June Gerteisen, who joined our marketing department as a marketing coordinator in mid-April. She’ll be providing administrative, technical and design support to help us achieve our marketing goals, and participating in the implementation of our community relations objectives.

June Gerteisen joined the Fair marketing department in April.

“I am most looking forward to being a part of the team that brings tradition and fun to the community. I look forward to helping out in any way I can to provide creative solutions that adds to the visitor’s experience,” June said about her new role at the Fair.

Like most of us here at the Fair, June is a long-time fairgoer. A trip to the Fair for her usually includes an outdoor concert, seeing Hobo Jim at the Sluicebox, indulging in a hand-dipped ice cream bar, visiting the Oasis Beer Garden, and walking through the farm and art exhibits.

“My most favorite thing at the Fair is the atmosphere! It’s a combination of experiences shared with family that makes it special for me,” she said.

June is a self-described “California Girl” originally from the San Francisco Bay area. She moved to Alaska in 2003 with her husband Stephen, a life-long Alaskan.

“We enjoy the sense of community that Palmer offers their business owners and residents and are very happy to be here. Plus the mountains views here are breathtaking,” June shared.

June, who holds a bachelor’s in fine art and a master’s in art therapy, has a strong background in graphic and website design, working most recently as a graphic designer for the 673d Force Support Squadron marketing and publicity department on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. She and her husband are also the owners of Arkose Brewery, which they founded in Palmer in October 2011.

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Fair and Mat-Su Miners Sign Long-Term Lease Agreement

Posted on April 20, 2012 by akfair

The Mat-Su Miners have called Hermon Brothers Field on the Alaska State Fairgrounds home since 1976 and, under a recently signed lease agreement, they’ll be calling it home for many years to come.

The new lease agreement allows the team continued use of Hermon Brothers Field through April 30, 2025.

The new agreement, which we signed with the Miners in mid-February, allows the team continued use of Hermon Brothers Field at the cost of just $1 a year through April 30, 2025. At that time, the lease can be extended for an additional five years through April 30, 2030.

“Baseball was one of the first activities associated with the Fair. Having the Miners here ties us to the roots of the original Fair,” said Ray Ritari, our general manager. “The Miners have been here since 1976, and there is no intent of them leaving.”

“The Mat-Su Miners and the Fair are working together in the same direction,” said Denise Christopher, the Miners’ marketing and community relations director. “This agreement shows the longevity of our relationship. It shows that they’re not going anywhere and we’re not going anywhere.”

Denise added that the long-term lease will help the Miners obtain more grants to do additional events and co-promotions with the Fair.

“There are lots of fun things for fans to look forward to,” she said. “The Miners want to have more of a presence at the Fair, and we want the Fair to have more presence at the games.”

“It opens up opportunities for the future,” Ray added.

While the agreement calls for only a $1 a year in rent, Denise said the Miners look for ways to add value through in-kind contributions. For example, the Miners allow the Fair to use the team’s 15-passenger vans and the bleachers during the Fair. The team is also donating two ATCO trailers, which the Fair plans to use for storage.

“We help each other,” Christopher said. “It’s a give and take thing, and it works.”

Have some fun ideas for the Fair and the Miners? Share your thoughts on the Fair’s Facebook page! Want to stay in touch with the Fair? “Like” the Fair on Facebook and sign up to receive email and mobile updates!

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Creed & Theory of a Deadman Perform Together in Fairbanks

Posted on April 13, 2012 by akfair

World-renowned rock acts Creed and Theory of a Deadman will perform together in Fairbanks on Tuesday, August 21! Theory of a Deadman will open for Creed at the Carlson Center at 7 p.m. Tickets to see these two amazing rock acts in one can’t-miss show go on sale next Friday, April 20.

We’re bringing the bands up for our AT&T Concert Series held at the fairgrounds during the 2012 Fair. We’re excited to present this additional concert in Fairbanks, where audiences can see two of our headliner acts together in the same show. It’s all part of our mission to reach out and involve Alaskans statewide.

Starting next Friday, April 20, tickets will be available at ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000, Fred Meyer Ticketmaster outlets and the Carlson Center Box Office. Sorry, tickets for the Fairbanks concert will not be available on the Fair website or on the fairgrounds. Tickets are $75 for floor, $50 for mezzanine and $30 for balcony (convenience fees apply).

Recently reunited Creed is known for hits like “My Own Prison,” “Torn,” “What’s this Life For,” “One,” “Higher,” “With Arms Wide Open,” “My Sacrifice” and “One Last Breath.” The multi-platinum artists are looking toward a bright future with their latest album, Full Circle, and a busy U.S. tour schedule, including their stop in Alaska. The band also performs at the Fair on Thursday, August 23 as part of our AT&T Concert Series.

Theory of a Deadman, the platinum-selling Vancouver quartet, solidified their place at the top of modern hard rock by exceeding platinum sales with their breakthrough Scars & Souvenirs album in 2008 and with their #1 mainstream rock radio hit “Bad Girlfriend.” Theory’s most recent album, The Truth Is…, was released in July 2011. The rockers also perform at the Fair on Friday, August 24 as part of our AT&T Concert Series.

Listen to music samples and read more about the bands on our website – and then mark your calendar to get your tickets to the Fairbanks show next Friday, April 20!

What are your favorite songs by Creed and Theory of a Deadman? Share your thoughts on the Fair’s Facebook page! Want to stay in touch with the Fair? “Like” the Fair on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and sign up to receive email and mobile updates!

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