Longtime Minnesota State Fair CEO Jerry Hammer to retire

• Most recently, he led the fair through 2020's COVID cancellation and efforts to return to a more "normal" experience post-pandemic.

Flashback: Hammer got his start as a high school student working in the fair's greenhouse. He joined the operation full time in 1977 and was named CEO in 1997.

Of note: Hammer lives in St. Paul's Como Park neighborhood, a stone's throw from the fairgrounds, and was known to ride his bike around the 322-acre site, per the Star Tribune.

What's next: The fair's board of managers will begin a search for a successor, per a release. Hammer will stay on through the spring to help with the transition.