Thursday, September 24, 2020 (3:28 pm)

At today’s OC Fair & Event Center Board of Directors meeting, Director Natalie Rubalcava-Garcia honored the heritage of Hispanics in Orange County with a presentation highlighting many significant contributions in myriad fields, including agriculture and the military.

We celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month alongside all who continue to nourish, lead and forge the way to the future.

We look forward to reopening to the public soon and will invite everyone to visit the Table of Dignity near Centennial Farm and Heroes Hall and to support our agricultural partners.

The Table of Dignity pays tribute to and exemplifies the struggles, perseverance and accomplishments of the many Hispanic workers who provide sustenance to our nation every day. At Heroes Hall, we tell the stories of veterans and show how their sacrifices have provided us with hard-fought freedom.

Thanks to the offices of Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, Congressman Harley Rouda and Senator John Moorlach who showed their support by presenting certificates during today’s meeting.

View Director Rubalcava-Garcia’s presentation

(4:45 am)

The OC Fair & Event Center Board of Directors named Natalie Rubalcava-Garcia as Chair and Doug LaBelle as Vice Chair at it’s Sept. 24 meeting.

Rubalcava-Garcia, who previously served as Vice Chair, replaces Sandra Cervantes as Chair. She is COO of the Orange County Business Council, where she was vice president of investor relations from 2016 to 2018. Rubalcava-Garcia was associate publisher at the Southern California News Group in 2016 and held several positions at Freedom News Group and the Orange County Register from 2007 to 2016. She has served on the Board since 2018.

LaBelle is retired and most recently served as City Manager for the City of Chino Hills from 1995 until 2009. Prior to that he served as City Manager for the City of Signal Hill and began his career in local government in 1964 with the City of Garden Grove and has worked in various administrative capacities for the cities of Cerritos, Huntington Beach, La Mesa and Marysville. He has been a Board member since 2010.

Board officers typically serve one-year terms and are nominated for office by a committee of fellow Board members.

Wednesday, September 16, 2020 (11:53 am)

Autosonic Concerts presents a second drive-in concert experience Sept. 25, 26 and 27 at OC Fair & Event Center, adding another weekend of  live summer music under the stars.

The music series will feature performances by live tribute bands with two 60-minute shows nightly that concertgoers can enjoy from the comfort of their own vehicles. In addition to viewing the live performances on stage and on large screens, the music will be broadcast to car radios.

When: Friday, Sept. 25, 6:30 & 9 p.m. featuring Which One’s Pink? / Saturday, Sept. 26, 6:30 & 9 p.m. featuring Queen Nation / Sunday, Sept. 27, 6 & 8:30 p.m. featuring Dead Man’s Party
How much: $75-$199 per vehicle (up to 4 people per vehicle)
More info: Visit autosonicconcerts.com for details, maps and tickets.

Friday, September 4, 2020 (8:57 am)

Starting Sept. 4, there is even more for OC Fair foodies to love about the new drive-thru event – two new stands have added to the lineup, Juicy’s  Corn and Fried a Fair.

Roasted ears of fresh corn are $5 and bring a county fair classic to the popular event. Fried a Fair is serving up lots of  fan favorites including fried Oreos, fried cheesecake and fried cookie dough for $8 as well as cotton candy, caramel apples and candy apples, for $5-$10.

Returning for the second weekend are Hawaiian Chicken Bowls featuring turkey legs, Dippin’ Dots, Juicy’s Funnel Cakes, Hot Dog on a Stick and Cathy’s Cookies.

When: Fridays & Saturdays, noon-8 p.m.
Sundays, noon-6 p.m., through Sept. 27

Where: OC Fair & Event Center, Lot G (enter through Gate 1 off Fair Drive)

How much: No admission charge; menu items vary in price. Go to ocfair.com/drivethru to view map and menu. Credit card preferred. 

More info: To go only; no walkups permitted and no parking will be available. 

Thursday, August 27, 2020 (4:10 pm)

A new program to provide local families and individuals receiving CalFresh benefits with additional healthy produce is starting Sept. 3 at the Costa Mesa Certified Farmers Market at OC Fair & Event Center.

The Market Match program provides nutrition incentives to help low-income residents stretch their CalFresh shopping dollars to afford more healthy, locally grown, fresh fruits and vegetables. As a direct result, the program also supports small- and mid-sized local farms and boosts the local economy.

Thanks to a grant from the Gus Schumacher Incentive Program, those receiving CalFresh EBT (electronic benefits transfer) can use their cards to get more healthy food from the the Costa Mesa Certified Farmers Market held at OC Fair & Event Center.

Participants can swipe their card at at the Market Manager’s Booth to receive up to an additional $20 in Market Match incentives per visit through the use of tokens/scrip.

Matching funds can be spent on eligible CalFresh items such as fresh fruits and vegetables. CalFresh Market Match signs will be posted at the farmers market to help program participants navigate the offerings.

The Costa Mesa Certified Farmers Market takes place each Thursday at OC Fair & Event Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the Pacific Amphitheatre box office in Lot D.

The Centennial Farm Foundation was organized in 1991 to support educational programs at the farm and to solicit and disburse funds to operate Centennial Farm and other agriculturally and youth-related education programs and exhibits of OC Fair & Event Center. For more information, visit https://ocfair.com/community-programs/centennial-farm/centennial-farm-foundation/

For more information on the Orange County Farm Bureau, visit https://www.ocfarmbureau.org/