General Manager Jerry Hammer Inducted into the IAFE Hall of Fame; Awards Honor Minnesota State Fair

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Jerry Hammer, Minnesota State Fair General Manager

ST. PAUL, MINN. (12/13/2013)(readMedia)-- The International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) inducted the State Fair's Executive Vice President and General Manager Jerry Hammer into the IAFE Hall of Fame and honored the Minnesota State Fair with several Awards of Excellence at its 123rd Annual Convention held in Las Vegas, Nev., this week.

The Hall of Fame Award is the highest honor bestowed by the IAFE, which promotes and encourages the development and improvement of agricultural fairs, shows, and expositions across the world. This award is presented annually in recognition of an individual's distinguished achievement in, or contribution to, the fair industry. During Hammer's acceptance of the award, he said that the State Fair's success is built on the efforts of many people. "I'm reluctant to accept this award for me personally," Hammer said, "but I will very gladly accept it on behalf of everybody at the Minnesota State Fair."

Hammer has spent 44 years serving the Great Minnesota Get-Together. Born and raised a block from the State Fairgrounds, he began working at the fair's greenhouse when he was 15 years old and a student at St. Paul's Cretin High School. After graduating from the College of St. Thomas with a degree in journalism, he spent a year as sports and wire editor of the Owatonna People's Press, and then returned to the fair in 1977 as a full-time member of the State Fair staff. He held positions in special events, publicity and marketing before he was appointed general manager in 1997.

The Minnesota State Fair received the Award of Excellence for Special Agricultural Educational Exhibit for its presentation of EquiMania! in 2013. This free, comprehensive horse exhibit featured full-size skeletons and anatomy models, dental tools, tail-braiding and leg-wrapping activities, an 80-foot-long digestive tract, and stations detailing horse behavior, rider safety, careers and more. It was presented by the Minnesota State Fair, and Equine Guelph, the horse owners' center at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

The Minnesota State Fair also received the Award of Excellence for Promotion Event for Military Appreciation Day held on Aug. 27. The Minnesota State Fair and its visitors honored thousands of Vietnam Era Veterans in a "Welcome Home" parade through the fairgrounds. Nearly 10,000 bandanas were given away to fair guests along the parade route to wave in honor of service members. Four T-6 Texan World War II Trainer Airplanes thrilled guests with a missing-man formation flyover. Additionally, more than 400 Gold Star family members were recognized with a dedication at the fair's Veterans Memorial Garden.

The Minnesota State Fair also received top honors in the following award categories: Fair and Sponsor/Partner Joint Exhibit Program Award in Agriculture; Fair Agricultural Photo Award; Innovation in Sponsorship Award; Promotional Advertising Award – non-traditional/out of home advertising; Printed Promotional Material Award – multi-page publication; Electronic Newsletter Award; Best Individual Social Media Idea or Effort Award; and Solution-Based Communication Effort Award.

In addition, State Fair board member Al Paulson of Shevlin was presented with the IAFE's Heritage Award, recognizing his decades of volunteer service to the Clearwater County Fair in Bagley, Minn. Paulson has represented the Minnesota State Agricultural Society's ninth district on the State Fair's board of managers since 2004.

The IAFE represents more than 1,100 fairs around the world. Since 1885, the IAFE has promoted and encouraged the development and improvement of fairs, shows, and expositions. The international convention was held Dec. 8 - 12 in Las Vegas.

The Minnesota State Fair is one of the largest and best attended expositions in the world, attracting nearly 1.8 million visitors annually. Showcasing Minnesota's finest agriculture, art and industry, the Great Minnesota Get-Together is always 12 Days of Fun Ending Labor Day. Visit mnstatefair.org for more information.

The 2014 Minnesota State Fair will run Aug. 21 through Labor Day, Sept. 1.

-MSF-