With little more than two weeks before the registration deadline, exhibitors in the Southeast Alaska State Fair can save some time by entering their vegetables, artwork and baked goods online.
Fair organizers recently purchased new software that allows fully computerized exhibit registration. “We’re just trying to take it into the 21st century,” said Aldeana Stout, the fair’s exhibit manager and events coordinator.
Exhibitors must still drop off their exhibits on designated days: from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 22 and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 23 for non-perishable items. Crops, flowers and baked goods can be entered 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 27.
“(Entrants) can do it in the comfort of their home,” Stout said. “They won’t have to stand in a long line and fill out a whole bunch of pieces of paper.” Computerized registration also will help the fair more closely track exhibits from out of town, she said.
Computerized registration is simple: Go to the fair’s website, http://www.seakfair.org, enter personal information, select the department and division of entries, and pay the fees.
Traditional pen and paper registration is still an option, Stout said.
Exhibits can be entered in 21 departments, from vegetables and flowers to Native-style and recycled arts. Winning exhibits are sent to compete in the Alaska State Fair in Palmer. “Southeast always really represents,” said Jessica Edwards, fair executive director. “We tend to clean up.”
Modernization of the registration system aligns with the fair’s environmental goals. In addition to paperless exhibit entry, organizers are taking steps to reduce garbage. Fair waste will be either recyclable or compostable, and workshops on composting will be held.
The fair is one of the most popular events in Haines, drawing both visitors and residents in the thousands. “We see 11,000 to 12,000 people through the gates over four days,” Edwards said, noting that the figure includes repeat visitors.
The fair currently employs 10 people – a larger number than in previous years. “We have more in the maintenance staff this year because we have a bunch of different maintenance projects we’re tackling,” Edwards said.
Dalton City buildings need new paint and boardwalk work, she said, and some vendor booths need to be rebuilt. Operating the event is reliant largely on volunteer support. Edwards said fair operation requires about 1,100 hours of volunteer work each year.
“We will be in search of a hundred people or so,” she said. The fair is also seeking around 20 volunteers for a preparatory work party from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, July 24.
Fair organizers also expect a different sort of visitor: political campaigns.
“We have a lot of candidates that will be coming,” Stout said. Although only two candidates have a registered presence – Margaret Stock, an Independent running for U.S. Senate, and Cean Stevens, a Libertarian running for state House of Representatives – administrators say they are expecting more.
“These are typically some of the last booths registered,” Edwards said.
Fair workers this week were securing parade permits and repainting Dalton City storefronts. “Preparing for the fair is like so many balls in the air,” Edwards said. “I have a notebook about how many chickens are coming. It’s very all over the place.”
The fair runs from July 28 through July 31 at the Haines fairgrounds. Those interested in volunteering should contact Edwards at 766-2476 or [email protected].