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State Fair CEO Renee Alexander is no stranger to the Great Minnesota Get-Together. She watched the parade as a kid, saw her first-ever concert at the grandstand and came on as an intern in college. 

. This is the second year heading the event itself, and her first year taking the helm for a full planning cycle.

Alexander joined MPR News to talk about how she got here, and what she’s looking forward to next.

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Do you remember your first Minnesota State Fair? 

I remember coming as a kid. Our family moved here when I was 8 years old, and I remember coming and actually sitting right around the corner from my office, right by the Space Tower, and watching the parade. And the parade, at that point in time, happened at 6 p.m., so it’s that golden hour, you know, where there’s just kind of that haze of that hot summer day, and watching marching bands come around that corner and head up the street.

How about your first fair as an employee?

My first fair as an employee of the fair, I was actually an intern in the summer of 1989. I worked in the entertainment department. So I worked all summer on preparations, on the free entertainment, and then coordinating that parade that I remember from as a kid, and really just fell in love with that behind-the-scenes magic.

Were you surprised by the enormity of everything happening behind the scenes? 

Oh, absolutely, yeah. I think as a kid, and coming here seeing a grandstand show, it never occurred to me that there were people that were working year round. I just assumed somebody showed up on Aug. 1, turned on the lights, and this thing just happened. 

What’s it like taking on something so big with such a legacy?

This is my first full year in this role, overseeing all of the budgeting and the decisions and all of that. I feel like I’ve got a little more skin in the game this time around. 

It’s mixed emotions to be in this role. I mean, just such an honor and a real privilege to be overseeing something that means so much to so many people. But with that brings tremendous responsibility. This is Minnesota’s fair. We’re here as the caretakers and the stewards of this institution that has more than 150 years of history, and I want to make sure it’s here for another 150 years.

So it’s a big responsibility, and it’s something that we as a staff take very seriously, even though we’re in the business of fun, so to speak.

Are there any big decisions you’ve had to make since coming on as CEO that you remember carrying that weight?

I think anything related to safety and security. I personally feel responsible for everybody that comes through our gates at any time during the year, so that’s always top of mind. 

We’ve got some big projects that are coming up related to some of our structures out here. Our Coliseum, which is a 75-year-old building, needs a new roof, and then some additional work on the inside. It will be a multimillion-dollar project that will begin next April. 

What are your long-term visions and goals? 

I think the long-term plan is always to make it better, preserve what we have. And we are also embarking on a master plan strategic project right now. We’ll be meeting with our master plan team during this fair.

One of the things is, how do we manage growth of the fair? We saw last year, 1.8 million people come through the gates. So how do we create a good experience for every one of those people? 

Thursday morning, what’s the first thing you’re doing at the fair?

My tradition on opening day is to be at the main gates on Snelling Avenue for the opening and to see our first fair guests come through the gate.

It’s kind of a celebratory moment. It’s a little emotional, because it’s like we’ve worked all year long. It’s like, “They came! They actually came!”

So that opening morning at the main gate, that’s a real special moment for me.

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Estelle Timar-Wilcox

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Renee Alexander’s tradition on opening day is to be at the main gates on Snelling Avenue and see the first fair guests come through the gate.

A woman poses in front of fairground gates

State Fair CEO Renee Alexander heads her second Great Minnesota Get-Together

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