Author: Rachel Grenier

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Fair 2016 Exhibitor Guide Now Available

It’s spring in Alaska, which means it’s time to start planning for your exhibit entry at the 2016 Alaska State Fair! We’ve got all the details in you need in our 2016 exhibitor guide, now available on our website.2016 Alaska State Fair exhibitor guide

No matter what your skill or interest, there are lots of fun exhibit categories to choose from:

There are the two easy ways to submit your exhibit entry:

One important change to note: There will not be an Anchorage entry site this year.

We love to receive entries from folks around the state, so if you can’t make it to the fairgrounds with your exhibit, please consider our mail-in option. Just be sure it arrives to us by the Friday, August 12 deadline!

Last year, we received 9,054 entries – the highest number of entries in the past 10 years! Flowers and crops were the two most popular categories, with 2,009 and 1,434 entries respectively.

Help us celebrate the 80th year of the Alaska State Fair by entering an exhibit. Download your 2016 exhibitor guide now on the Fair website!

Need a hard copy of the department information you are interested in? Give us a call at 907.746.7159 and we’ll pop one in the mail to you.

Want more information? Contact Pamella Meekin, our vendor and exhibits manager, at 907.746.7159 or [email protected]!

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First 10 Acts in Fair’s 2016 Concert Series Announced

Love good music? Well then set your alarm clock early for the morning of Friday, April 8 – at 6 a.m. tickets go on sale for the 2016 AT&T Concert Series at the Alaska State Fair!

You won’t want to miss this year’s line-up, featuring:

All shows take place rain or shine at the Borealis Theatre. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 8 at 6 a.m. and there are four easy ways to buy:

  • Online at alaskastatefair.org and print at home. Convenience fees apply, and Fair admission is additional.
  • On the Fair’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/alaskastatefair.
  • On a mobile phone. Convenience fees apply, and Fair admission is additional.
  • The Borealis Box Office during the Fair. No convenience fees at the Fair box office. Fair admission additional.

Want to find out more about this year’s line-up? Visit our website for ticket prices, bios, photos and performance samples.

The final two concerts in our 2016 series are being confirmed, and we will announce them soon on our Facebook page and website. Stay tuned!

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7 Reasons Not to Miss Our Concert Kick-Off Party with Redhead Express

The first-ever Alaska State Fair Concert Kick-Off Party, featuring Redhead Express, is coming up Saturday, April 2 – and here are seven reasons to make sure it’s on your calendar!Concert

  1. Be the first to find out the 2016 AT&T Concert Series line-up! We’ll announce the entertainers confirmed to perform at the 2016 Fair (and we don’t think you’ll be disappointed!).
  2. Get tickets early and save money. Kick-off party guests can buy tickets to this year’s concerts in advance of the public on-sale date and with NO CONVENIENCE FEES. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 8 at 6 a.m.
  3. Win concert tickets. You could head home with four tickets to the concert of your choice!
  4. The mouth-watering menu. Enjoy a delicious array of appetizers prepared by celebrity chef Suzette Lord Weldon, with assistance from Alaska Job Corps Culinary Arts Instructor David Williams and his students. On the menu are gourmet caprese crostini, salmon cakes, caribou pineapple skewers, vegetables platters and dip, and hummus with pita chips. Special thank you to Northstar Bakery and Three Bears for donating ingredients.
  5. Sip on your favorite beverage. All guests will receive two complimentary drinks. A big thanks to the Odom Corporation for donating the adult beverages for our event.
  6. There will be great live music (and a great emcee!). Harp soloist Boogie Willis will welcome guests in the lobby. You can then boogie to the opening act, The Sallys acapella family band, at 7 p.m. Then, the beautiful and talented sisters of Redhead Express take the stage at 7:30. And we’re excited to have Mat-Su Campus Director Talis Colberg as the emcee for the evening’s festivities!
  7. You’ll be supporting scholarships. All funds raised benefit the Fair scholarship program, which awards scholarships to Alaska high school students planning to attend college or vocational school. Last year, we awarded $4,250 to five Alaska high school students. With your support, we hope to double that amount next year!

Convinced? Get your tickets now on the Fair website! Then mark your calendar for the 2016 Concert Kick-Off Party, Saturday, April 2 at the Glenn Massay Theater on the University of Alaska Mat-Su Campus. Doors open at 6 p.m. See you there!

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Fair Annual Meeting: Prizes, Food Samples and Election Results

The 2016 Alaska State Fair, Inc. annual membership meeting took place Thursday, February 11 at Raven Hall on the fairgrounds, with approximately 100 Fair members and interested supporters in attendance.

Incumbent Stephen Brown was re-elected to the Fair board of directors.
Stephen Brown was re-elected to the Fair board of directors.
John Tracy was also re-elected at the annual meeting.
John Tracy was also re-elected at the annual meeting.

The main item of business was the election of two members to the Fair’s seven-member board of directors. From a ballot of four candidates, including two incumbents, Fair members voted to reelect Stephen Brown of Palmer and John Tracy of Anchorage. Brown and Tracy will each serve a three-year term on the board.

Annual meeting guests had the opportunity to sample cuisine from seven Fair food vendor applicants, who were on hand showcasing their sample menus. Featured at the annual meeting were Bear Naked BBQ, Los Tacos, LOUKS Crepes, Moose Bites Personal Chefs, NonEssentials, Paco’s Paella, and The Ramp – Kasilof River Lodge.

Four lucky Fair members also went home with door prizes, including two tickets to the first annual Concert Kick-Off Party, which will take place April 2 Glenn Massay Theater; two tickets to any show in the 2016 concert series, to be announced at the April 2 kick-off event; two 2016 Fair season passes; and a family fun pack.

Thank you to everyone who attended this year’s annual meeting!

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Fair to Host Annual Meeting, Board Election Feb. 11

The Alaska State Fair, Inc. will hold its 2016 annual membership meeting on Thursday, February 11. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in Raven Hall on the fairgrounds. Interested members of the public are invited to attend, but only Fair lifetime and 2015 annual members are eligible to vote at the meeting.

The primary order of business is the election of two members to the Fair’s board of directors. Each seat will have a three-year term. A total of four candidates, including two incumbents, will appear on the ballot:

Candidate statements are available for review on the Fair website.

Attendees can also sample a wide variety of unique cuisine prepared by several different Fair food vendor applicants, who will be showcasing their menus at the annual meeting.

Annual meeting door prizes for Fair members include two tickets to any show in the 2016 concert series, two 2016 Fair season passes, and a family fun pack.

One attending Fair member will also go home with two tickets to the first annual Concert Kick-Off Party at the Glenn Massay Theater on April 2, when the 2016 Alaska State Fair Concert Series line-up will be announced. Fair members will be able to purchase concert tickets after they are announced on April 2, before tickets go on sale to the general public April 8. Details on the kick-off party are available on the Fair website.

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2016 Line-Up Announced on April 2

2016 Line-Up to be Announced on April 2 at Concert Kick-Off Party. It’s always a good time at the Alaska State Fair Concert Series, so we asked ourselves, “Why shouldn’t the announcement be just as much fun?” This year, for the first time, we will announce the confirmed 2016 entertainers at a Concert Kick-Off Party on Saturday, April 2!Concert

The fun takes place at the Glenn Massay Theater on the University of Alaska Mat-Su Campus. Doors open at 6 p.m.  Tickets available now. 

Tickets to this all-ages event are $45 each and will be available at the Fair annual meeting on Thursday, February 11 and online beginning Friday, February 12. All proceeds from the party will benefit the Fair scholarship fund, which awards scholarships to Alaska high school students planning to attend college or vocational school.

At the kick-off, you can enjoy appetizers created by celebrity chef Suzette Lord Weldon, with assistance from David Williams and students in the Job Corps program. All guests will also receive two complimentary drinks, including beer, wine or non-alcoholic selections. We’ll also have live entertainment – the opener starts at 7 p.m. and Redhead Express takes the stage at 7:30!

You’ll also have the chance to win two tickets to the 2016 concert of your choice. Or buy your concert kick-off party tickets in advance and you’ll be in the running to win FOUR tickets to any Fair concert!

The real draw, though, is the opportunity to be among the first to purchase concert tickets. Guests at the kick-off may purchase tickets to the 2016 concert series – and best of all, there will be no convenience fee for tickets purchased at the event!

We’ll also announce the concert line-up to Fair members at 6 p.m., and instructions will be sent to Fair members about how to purchase tickets online. Concert tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 8.

Get your tickets now and mark your calendar for April 2 and we’ll see you at the first-ever Alaska State Fair Concert Kick-Off Party!

 

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Fair Brings Home 14 Awards from IAFE Convention

The Alaska State Fair impressed the judges at the 2015 International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) convention, bringing home a total of 14 awards, including five first-place honors. This year’s convention took place November 29 – December 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

We received a first-place award for the 2015 Fair poster.
We received a first-place award for the 2015 Fair poster.

Our first-place awards included:

  • Competitive Exhibits Awards, Competitive Exhibit Display Photo (Single)
  • Hall of Honor Communications Awards, Printed Promotional Material
  • Hall of Honor Communications Awards, Commemorative Poster
  • Hall of Honor Communications Awards, Misc. Marketing Promotional Display
  • Hall of Honor Communications Awards, Unique Advertising Specialties/Merchandise/Souvenirs

We were also honored with one second-place and four third-place awards in the agricultural, competitive exhibits and communications programs.

In addition, the Fair received the 2015 Wine and Dine Marketing Award for our efforts at the Wine and Dine event, which supports the IAFE Education Foundation and its mission to provide continuing education for Fair management professionals. We partnered with Central Washington Fair and Canyon County Fair to pour samples of donated wine at the event.

Our staff also showed their fun side by dressing as the Alaska State Fair rollercoaster at the IAFE Bacon Fun Run, winning the best team costume award.

During the convention, Roxie Mayberry, the Fair’s corporate partnerships director, graduated from the IAFE Institute of Fair Management. Earlier this year, Kelly Larson, Fair marketing and communications manager, received the IAFE’s prestigious Certified Fair Executive (CFE) designation, which recognizes excellence in the fair management field.

IAFE is a voluntary, not-for-profit corporation focused on promoting and encouraging the development and improvement of agricultural fairs, shows and expositions. The organization, which was established in 1885, today represents more than 1,100 fairs around the world, and more than 900 members from allied fields. Each year, delegates from the US, Canada, the UK and Australia attend the IAFE annual convention.