Get to know your Missouri State Fair Marketing Department!
Just about anything you read from the Missouri State Fair has origins from the marketing department, now that’s a lot of info! This year, in print alone, the department will circulate 670,000 brochures, 50,000 souvenir programs, and 130,000 daily guides. Three full-time staff members work year-round to prepare for the annual event and three more team members join them as summer staff and interns.
Director of Marketing Tammie Nichols has been with the Fair for six and a half years. She enjoys seeing the smiles on the faces of Fair guests, a bit of confirmation that the Fair staff has helped create another memorable experience. Tammie has fond memories of the Fair from her childhood and has enjoyed the privilege of helping to create the same for others, especially children. She admits to being a MSF junkie – food, rides, shopping, entertainment – she loves it all! Her love for the Fair is parallel to her love of the story of the Wizard of Oz. She’s seen the play “Wicked” in NYC twice, and she has a guest bedroom decorated with Oz memorabilia, including a tree heavy with ornaments she’s collected through the years.
On her State Fair Corndog: She’ll take one with mustard, one
with ketchup and one with both then she’ll decide – about three
in eleven days sounds about right
Funnel Cake Topping: Red velvet funnel cake with cream cheese
frosting, “OMG”
Best Concert: She’s enjoyed many, like George Strait; most
recently, Hank Williams, Jr., he rocked it in 2012 – what an
amazing musician. She enjoyed meeting Alice Cooper in 2007;
she says that though some of his work is creepy-crazy, she
admires his marketing kills and his pretty baby blue eyes
Fair Don’t Miss Event: Watching the Fair come together about a
week prior to Opening Day. It’s incredible to see it all fall into
place. She doesn’t think it will be ready and then “ta-da!” the
magic happens
Favorite Carnival Midway Ride: The scarier the better; there’s a
zip line coming this year and she confesses she can’t wait!
2013 will mark the sixteenth Fair for Marketing Assistant Melba Merrick. Melba enjoys watching everything come together on Opening Day. Her favorite things about the Fair include the draft horse hitches and the Budweiser Clydesdales. In past years, Melba has been in charge of organizing the military fly-over during the Opening Day Parade and was saddened to learn that they would not be able to do one this year as it was something she truly enjoyed seeing every year. Melba loves to go camping with her family in the wilderness.
Funnel Cake Topping: Strawberries
Don’t miss at the Fair: Fudge
Favorite Carnival Midway Ride: Ferris Wheel
You might recognize the name Kari Mergen if you are signed up as a registered Missouri State Fair Fan. As the Fair’s Public Information Specialist for the past five years, Kari is responsible for sending out e-blasts and administering social media. Her job gives her the opportunity to interact with Fair guests and assist them with their Fair visit planning, which she finds to be the best part of her job, along with helping to create and design the Fair’s promotional materials. Kari is a former high school English and Journalism teacher whose job at the State Fair requires her to do many of the things she was teaching her students. As a mother of two children, ages 8 and 10, the highlight of the Fair for her is being able to sneak away from her desk for a bit to explore it with them – watching their faces light up as they enjoy the carnival midway, watch a free entertainment show, check out the exhibits and chow down on a corndog or suck down a honey stick from the Ag Building.
On her State Fair Corndog: Ketchup and Mustard
Funnel Cake Topping: Powdered Sugar
Best Concert: One of her earliest MSF concert memories is her
dad taking her to see The Oak Ridge Boys when she was about
seven. She loved (and still loves) “Elvira” and is excited
to get to see them now as an adult in 2013! Recent favorites
would be 2012’s Hank Williams, Jr. and Larry the Cable Guy.
Fair Don’t Miss Event: MSF Idol Final, Queen Coronation and
shopping
Favorite Ride on the Carnival Midway: She loves watching her
kids on the slide – they can climb up those stairs for hours!
Sedalia native and self-proclaimed State Fair groupie Denise Meloy worked for the Marketing Department during the 11-day Fair in 2012 and is back in 2013 as a seasonal staff member. Denise got a glimpse of the prep work for the Opening Day Parade last year and is now taking the helm as the coordinator for the annual event. She is also coordinating fairgoer surveys, assisting with the Queen Contest, and is the on-site liaison for the various special events the Marketing Department coordinates. She is enjoying her time working this summer and is learning “a TON” about the world of computers. Denise admits that her greatest passion is cooking, feeding and eating and along with this she loves to play in the Earth and grow, grow grow! From this comes canned salsa, dilly green beans, pickles and chow-chow. She and her family spend a lot of time outside in nature, soaking in life, sun and fun!
On her State Fair Corndog: A LOT of ketchup and mustard
Funnel Cake Topping: Powdered Sugar, always original
Best Concert: James Taylor, Blake Shelton and Alice Cooper
Doesn't miss at the Fair: Corn dogs, meat sticks in the Ag
Building, turkey legs
Favorite Ride on the Carnival Midway: Enterprise
Kari Williams is a Marketing Intern with duties relating to sponsor-relations, public address announcements, Special Contests and assisting with the Missouri State Fair Idol contest. From the St. Louis area, Kari has not been to the Fair since she was in kindergarten, so she is looking forward to taking it all in, especially the food and the concerts. She is collector of vinyl records and likes to shop at locally-owned record stores in St. Louis, the St. Louis Record Collector Show and the occasional yard sale.
On her State Fair Corndog: Both ketchup and mustard
Funnel Cake Topping: Powdered Sugar
Best Concert: Have never been, but is most looking forward to
Chris Cagle and Gary Allan
Kate Woolery is also a Marketing Intern this summer. She is enjoying getting to know everyone and the feeling of accomplishment when she finishes a task (even something as simple as a press release). Kate’s duties relate to coordinating the Governor’s Ham Breakfast and Opening Day Ceremony, media relations, videography and photography. Her favorite thing about the Fair is people-watching. Just this past year, Kate participated in the Outward Bound program and spent 13 days canoeing in the Florida Everglades with only the basic necessities, an experience she will never forget.
On her State Fair Corndog: Dick’s corn dog with both mustard
and extra ketchup
Funnel Cake Topping: Powdered Sugar
Best Concert: Switchfoot
Don’t miss at the Fair: Kate always gets a beef stick, regardless
that she’s not really a beef eater - it's just a tradition!
Favorite Ride on the Carnival Midway: Fun Houses
