Randi Carnahan - General Manager

Annette Gerlitz - Operations Manager

Fred Palmer - Maintenence Supervisor

Ozzie Oszustowski - Competitive Exhibits Manager

Lynne Hutchison - Concessions Manager

Randi Carnahan

General Manager

Annette Gerlitz

Operations Manager

Fred Palmer

Maintenance Manager

Fred Palmer came to Fairbanks in 1968 on vacation to visit his family and never left. His only regret is the 1958 Thunderbird and BSA motorcycle he left behind in California. Fred has four brothers and one sister. He has five children of his own and six grandchildren.

Fred began his career as the Maintenance Manager for the Tanana Valley Fair in 1977. He has been a part of many changes and improvements to the Fairgrounds. At the beginning of his career, Badger Hall was the only barn on the Grounds and the arena was located on the Midway. Where the Borealis Pavilion is now, an E-shaped exhibit hall once stood. Fred has seen the Fairgrounds more than double in size. This expansion includes adding additional parking, new buildings, a larger Midway, and open areas for families to be together and enjoy the Fair.

Fred is the MacGyver of the Tanana Valley State Fair. There is nothing he can’t fix with a zip tie and a screwdriver! Fred ’s expertise, longevity, and creativity are what keep the Fair running smoothly.

Ozzie Oszustowski

Competitive Exhibits Manager

Ozzie Oszustowski, sometimes known as Ozzie Jones, left New York in 1973 to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks,and she's been here ever since. Ozzie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre, which, strangely enough, comes in handy at times.

Ozzie has a long history with the Tanana Valley State Fair.  She started entering cakes and embroidered shirts in 1976, when the Cake Decoration and Needlework Divisions where in the E-shaped exhibit hall. Ozzie has also been a volunteer, as Martha Washington and Betsy Ross, as a judge for different  divisions, and as a Superintendent in Needlework.  Last year, just three weeks before the Fair started, she became the Competitive Exhibits Manager, and learned more about goats and cattle than she ever thought she needed to.

Ozzie is the Offical Cat Herder of the Fair.  If something can get a ribbon, it's her problem, be it an Abyssinian Satin Cavy or a zebra-striped dress that's been recycled into a rug. And she loves every moment of it.