SAUK CENTRE — She is affectionately known as the "Tupperware lady" to staff at the Stearns County Fair.

Pam Meyer, of Sauk Centre, has set up her Tupperware booth in the exact same location for the last 20 years, utilizing foot traffic through the fair's commercial building as a way to market her party-booking business.

And it's been a profitable strategy.

"I had a $2,200 party once," Meyer said, adding that the career-high moment was from hosting a part of nearly 20 people.

"It's the quality of the products that bring people back, and the lifetime warranty that Tupperware is known for," Meyer said.

The lifetime warranty typically covers chipping, cracking, breaking and peeling associated with normal use of Tupperware items. But not all uses are normal.

Meyer said some customers use her products in imaginative ways. For example, she sells a Pick-a-Deli container that is designed for holding items like pickles. It has a built-in strainer that keeps your fingers dry when picking out foods stored in liquids. Meyer said she has had several customers tell her it was the perfect live-bait tackle box for storing minnows or leeches.

"I love having people share stories about how they use their Tupperware for this, that and the other thing," Meyer said.

Meyer said she got started selling Tupperware 26 years ago, after stocking her own kitchen with the products.

"I'm one of those that loves a good deal," Meyer said. "I like to get things at a discount, so when I first signed up I wanted to get my Tupperware for my kitchen at a discount. That was why I signed up. And through the years now I've met so many great friends and hostesses."

Meyer said she has about 50 "regulars," customers that she counts on seeing every year at the fair. She said she enjoys reconnecting with them, embracing the social aspect of the community's annual event.

Dozens of businesses use the county fair as a way to connect with new or current customers. The fair started Wednesday and ends Sunday in Sauk Centre.

While Meyer remains closed-lipped about her sales and party booking totals, Meyer said the Stearns County Fair is one of the few events she returns to every year due to its popularity with her Sauk Centre clientele. Other profitable locations for her include the Douglas County Fair and the Grape Stomp hosted by Carlos Creek Winery in Alexandria.

But nothing beats her hometown's fair.

"I think the Stearns County Fair Board has done a wonderful job with the way they have everything displayed, and how clean it is," Meyer said. "Lots of places don't have that, but the atmosphere here is inviting and homey. So I think the fair board does a really great job keeping everything nice and getting people to come back year after year."