2013 Media Guide.pdf 1 7/3/13 11:25 AM 2013 OHIO STATE FAIR Media Guide Feeli’Fairtasti! JULY 24 - AUGUST 4 C M Y CM MY CY -eoe- CMY K ohiostatefair.com Mailing Address Ohio Expo Center 717 E. 17th Ave Columbus, OH 43211 614-644-3247 / 888-646-3976 ohiostatefair.com ohioexpocenter.com Phone Numbers and Email Addresses Marketing and PR Director Alicia Shoults 614-644-4011* [email protected] Visual Communications Director Julian O’Loughlin 614-644-4013 [email protected] Marketing and PR Coordinators Marissa McDaid 614-644-4433* [email protected] Rachel Miller 614-644-4434* [email protected] Lauren Stahl 614-644-4432* [email protected] * These numbers will ring directly to the Media Center during the Fair Fax Numbers 614-644-4031 2 Table of Contents General Information Media Information ...................................4 About the Ohio Expo Center & State Fair ..6 Fun Facts ..................................................8 Special Days and Discounts .................... 11 Visitor Services ......................................13 History .................................................. 16 Buildings and Stages Indoor .................................................... 21 Outdoor .................................................23 Special Attractions and Displays Limited Time Attractions .........................25 Daily Attractions ...................................... 26 Sporting Competitions ........................... 29 Entertainment WCOL Celeste Center .............................30 Past and Current Performers..................36 Free Musical ..........................................37 Free Non-Musical / Strolling ..................41 Rides ..................................................... 43 Food ...................................................... 44 Youth All-Ohio State Fair Band & Choir ............ 45 Junior Fair Board ....................................46 Youth Organizations............................... 47 Sale of Champions ................................. 48 Agriculture and Natural Resources ......... 54 The Arts ................................................. 56 New This Year ........................................ 57 3 Media Information Press Release System For up-to-date press releases, please visit ohiostatefair.com, click on the “News & Media” link and then click “Media Registration” to sign up to receive customized news and information. Attendance Information Registration We welcome the chance to work with your station or publication. Registering for the Ohio State Fair is easy for members of the media. Fax us (on station or publication letterhead) a list of staff members who will cover the event. Our fax number is 614- 644-4031. Policy All credentials are for working media only. We request that all media that are provided an admission ticket submit a press clipping or audio / video clip within two weeks of the closing of the Fair. Failure to provide proof of coverage may result in loss of media center privileges. Media Center The Ohio State Fair Media Center will be operational from 7 am to 8 pm or by appointment. The Media Center will be located on 11th Avenue, just west of the OHIO Gate. All working news media and promotions personnel should register and park at this location upon arriving at the Fair. For your convenience, the Media Center will provide a phone, Internet access and an air- conditioned room for you to work. Water, Fair schedules, feature ideas and assistance obtaining interviews will also be provided by the marketing and public relations coordinators. On-Site Transportation A few golf carts will be kept at the Media Center and can be used for transporting equipment on a first-come, first-served basis. Carts will be driven by Fair employees only. Access to the Fair on carts is limited to the golf cart path, which travels around the Fair’s perimeter. Mobile Access Mobile access is to be used only for live broadcast by satellite trucks, broadcast vans, etc. Access is limited to the Fair’s perimeter. Remote vehicles General Info 4 can be moved to and from their locations between midnight and 10 am only. Media Parking and Directions Parking Approximately 25 parking spots are available for use by working media at the Media Center. In addition, we will provide overflow parking in the Gate 9 Pavilion Lot, located east of the Voinovich Livestock & Trade Center. If all spots are full, you will be routed to the North Lot. AEP Ohio On-Grounds Shuttle Express The complimentary shuttle makes frequent stops around the perimeter of the grounds, 10 am - 10 pm, Sunday - Thursday and 10 am - 11 pm, Fridays and Saturdays. Directions The Ohio Expo Center is located in Columbus, just north of downtown, on 17th Avenue off I-71. Media should use the 11th Avenue exit. From the north: Take I-71 south to the 17th Avenue exit or the Hudson Street exit at Silver Drive. From the south: Take I-71 north to the 17th Avenue exit or the Hudson Street exit at Silver Drive. From the east: Take I-70 west to I-71 north. Take I-71 north to the 17th Avenue exit or the Hudson Street exit at Silver Drive. From the west: Take I-70 east to I-71 north. Take I-71 north to the 17th Avenue exit or the Hudson Street exit at Silver Drive. WCOL Celeste Center Media Guidelines Review Seats The only way to guarantee a seat for a paid concert is to purchase a ticket. All review seat requests must be coordinated through each individual artist. Review seats will be distributed from the WCOL Celeste Center box office at the discretion of the artist. We request that publications send a clip of their review to the marketing / public relations department within two weeks of the show. Still and Video Photography Policy If your station or publication wishes to send a photographer to a concert, call the Media Center no later than noon on the day of the show. At the WCOL Celeste Center, a member of the public relations staff will meet and inform you of the artist’s photo policy. Each artist’s policy General Info 5 is different. Still photographers will be escorted to designated areas near the stage. Television photographers will be escorted to a press box at the base of the mezzanine. The public relations staff will advise photographers when the allotted time for coverage is over. All members of the media will then be escorted out of the WCOL Celeste Center unless they hold a ticket for the show. Interviews and Backstage Policy All interviews and backstage passes must be arranged through the artist’s management. The Fair public relations staff can provide contact names and phone numbers upon request. Please notify the public relations staff of any arrangements that have been made prior to the show date. About the Ohio Expo Center & State Fair Hours of Operation Admission gates: 9 am - 10 pm (Except Aug. 4, until 8 pm) Commercial exhibit buildings: 10 am - 9 pm *for a complete list of building hours see page 21 Youth Center: 9 am - 8 pm Janis Center: 8 am - 6 pm Other exhibit buildings: 9 am - 9 pm Gate Admission Prices Adults (ages 13-59): $10 Youth (ages 5-12): $8 Senior (ages 60+): $8 Children under five: Free Advance-sale tickets: $6 Ride-All-Day Wristband Vouchers: $23 Advance-sale Ride-All-Day Wristband Vouchers (available through July 23 only at Kroger, AAA and Ticketmaster locations): $20 Parking: $5 2013 Ohio Expositions Commission Members The Ohio Expositions Commission was established in 1961 when the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation creating a new governing body for the Ohio Expo Center. Prior to 1961, the State Board of Agriculture oversaw the Center. The Commission maintains and manages state property reserved for the purpose of conducting at least one Fair annually. The Commission is comprised of 14 members (nine of whom are appointed by the Governor), plus five ex-officio members: the Agricultural Chair of the General Info 6 Ohio Senate, the Agricultural and Natural Resources Chair of the Ohio House of Representatives, the Director of Development, the Director of Agriculture and the Director of Natural Resources. Of the nine Commission members appointed by the Governor, no more than five may be from any one political party. Expiration of appointed terms is staggered to ensure the continuity of the Commission at all times. 2013 members: Tamara Brown Ohio Development Services Agency designee, Columbus David Corey Columbus David Daniels Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Greenfield Andrew Doehrel Galena Rep. David Hall House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee Chair, Millersburg Sen. Cliff Hite Senate Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee Chair, Findlay Jennifer Lynch Secretary, Columbus David Madison Bexley Tom Price Chair, Delaware Steve Reinhard Vice Chair, Bucyrus Sherrilyn Farkas VanTassel Cadiz Doug White Manchester James Zehringer Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ft. Recovery Virgil Strickler General Manager, New Albany Employment Opportunities Every summer, the Ohio State Fair hires nearly 600 seasonal employees, ages 18 and up. There is a job to fit anyone’s interests. Requirements, time frames General Info 7 and application processes vary for each position and can be found at OhioStateFair.com. Although positions are filled prior to the start of the Fair, new applications are accepted annually. Fun Facts Vendors and Food • Schmidt’s of German Village celebrates their 99th year as an Ohio State Fair vendor this summer. Famous for Bahama mamas and cream puffs, Schmidt’s is the oldest continuous restaurant participating at the Fair. Over the years, Schmidt’s has sold more than 847,000 jumbo cream puffs, 1,015,000 sausages, 178,000 frankfurters and 250,000 pounds of sauerkraut. • Everdry Waterproofing has been a Fair vendor for more than 25 years, providing free foundation inspections and do-it-yourself tips to Central Ohioans. • Tin Treasures by Orchard Canyon Heirlooms sells cookie cutters that are created in the same way that tin smiths did in the 1700s. They were named one of “America’s Best Traditional Craftsmen” by Early American Life Magazine. • A vendor for more than 75 years, Richards Maple Products is the longest running vendor selling maple products at the Fair.