Friday, October 25, 2019 (11:24 am)

The OC Fair & Event Center Board of Directors named Sandra Cervantes as Chair and Andreas Meyer as Vice Chair at its Oct. 25 meeting.

Cervantes, former Vice Chair, replaces Robert Ruiz who served as Board Chair for the past year. She has been on the board since 2014 and has owned Miniondas Newspaper since 2013 and Cervantes Real Estate since 2012. Cervantes was vice president of the Century 21 Professionals REO Division from 1993 to 2011 and administrative director at the Women’s Choice Clinic from 1983 to 1993.

She is also managing director of the Sandra Y. Cervantes Scholarship Fund at the Hispanic Educational Endowment Fund of Orange County and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals Advisory Board and the Heritage Museum of Orange County Board of Directors.

Meyer was appointed to the Board in 2018 and is University Counsel for Student Affairs at the University of Southern California. He previously served as Associate General Counsel at Chapman University from 2017 to  2019, and as University Counsel and Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trustees at USC from 2011 to 2017.

Meyer is also president emeritus of Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBT advocacy organization. He is also the founder and president emeritus of the Orange County Lavender Bar Association in Newport Beach. 

The Board thanked Ruiz for his service and presented him with a plaque at the meeting.

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

Monday, October 21, 2019 (1:11 pm)

When: Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Where: OC Fair & Event Center – Heroes Hall
How much: Free for all ages

On Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, OC Fair & Event Center and Orange County Employees Association will host a free community celebration in honor of Veterans Day. The event will include free hot dogs for all attendees, family-friendly activities, entertainment and a Veterans Resource Fair. Opening ceremonies for the event will include a city address by Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley.

Emmy-Award winning newscaster Ed Arnold will help emcee a dedication and unveiling of the A-4M Skyhawk Aircraft at Heroes Hall, which was relocated last month from the Civic Center in Santa Ana.  The event will also feature a plaque dedication for Thomas P. Clark, Jr. in the Heroes Hall Walk of Honor, as well as a cake cutting ceremony with the United States Marines in honor of the 244th U.S. Marine Corps birthday.

While the event and parking is free, guests are encouraged to bring donations for the food drive for veterans. All donations will go to Disabled American Veterans, a group that distributes donations to various organizations that help homeless veterans. Please bring non-perishable food items such as canned and instant soups, pastas, canned fruits and vegetables, baby food, or gift cards to purchase food. Also accepted: toiletries such as toothpaste, soap, shampoo and toilet paper, as well as baby items like diapers, bottles and clothing.

During the event, Heroes Hall will be open to guests, featuring the newest exhibit, Fighting on the Home Front: Propaganda Posters of World War II. The veterans museum is open year-round and also features the exhibit The SAAAB Story, which chronicles the history of the Santa Ana Army Airbase.

The celebration will continue until 4 p.m. with free admission to the OC Market Place, located near Heroes Hall.

Friday, September 27, 2019 (3:25 pm)

A Vietnam-era A-4M Skyhawk aircraft has been relocated from the Santa Ana Civic Center to Heroes Hall. The plane has been a part of Civic Center Plaza for more than a decade, but has to be moved due to construction plans.

The aircraft was transported to OC Fair & Event Center overnight and was lifted onto its new display pedestal, which is surrounded by hardscape and seating areas, this morning.

Heroes Hall will host a Salute to Veterans event on Nov. 9, at which time the Skyhawk will be officially unveiled. 

The aircraft is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Fla.

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

A-4M Skyhawk aircraft makes its move to Heroes Hall

SKYHAWK FACTS

Plane specifications:

• Wing Span: 27’ 5”
• Length: 41’ 4”
• Height: 15’
• Max speed: 690 MPH
• Range: 1,856 nautical miles

History and details:

• The A-4 Skyhawk is an attack aircraft developed for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps in the early 1950s to provide close air support for Marines while flying from expeditionary airfields and aircraft carriers.
• Skyhawk planes first flew in 1954 and entered service with the Marine Corps at MCAS El Toro in September 1956. The aircraft played a major role during the Cold War and the Vietnam War.
• The A-4M Skyhawk that will be on display at Heroes Hall first flew in April 1970. The M model was the last production series of the Skyhawk.
• The aircraft was designed by legendary engineer Ed Heinemann and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company and later by McDonnel Douglas.
• The first 500 produced cost an average of $860,000 each, less than the Navy’s $1 million maximum.
• A total of 2,960 were built in El Segundo and Long Beach, California, either as single-seat attack aircraft or as dual-seated advanced trainers that were also used in forward air control missions.
• The A-4 Skyhawk has wings so compact that they did not need to be folded for carrier stowage.
• The aircraft was capable of carrying a variety of missiles, bombs and other munitions. Its bomb load capacity was equivalent to that of a World War II-era B-17 bomber and it was able to deliver nuclear weapons using a low-altitude bombing system.
• The aircraft received many nicknames including “Scooter,” “Kiddiecar,” “Bantam Bomber,” “Tinker Toy Bomber,” and “Heinemann’s Hot-Rod.”
• Notable naval aviators who flew the Skyhawk include Lt. Commanders Everette Alvarez, Jr., John McCain, and Commander James Stockdale.

Thursday, September 26, 2019 (5:07 pm)

The International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) recognized the most outstanding examples of quality and creativity in the festivals and events industry on Sept. 25 at the IFEA’s 64th Annual Convention with the presentation of winners of the 2019 Pinnacle Awards.

Sponsored Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, the professional competition draws entries from some of the world’s top festivals and events. Winning entries came from organizations as diverse as the Dublin Irish Festival in Dublin, OH; the OC Fair in Costa Mesa, CA; the Des Moines Arts Festival, Des Moines, IA; the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC; and the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Awards were handed out in 69 categories and OC Fair & Event Center won 13 awards including eight gold, four silver and one bronze. The awards were for the annual OC Fair as well as year-round events on the fairgrounds. Gold winners included Best Event Within an Event, Best TV Promotion, Best Promotional Poster and Best New Event.

Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) is The Premier Association Supporting and Enabling Festival & Event Professionals Worldwide. In partnership with global affiliates under the umbrellas of IFEA Africa, IFEA Asia, IFEA Australia, IFEA Europe, IFEA Latin America, IFEA Middle East (MENASA), and IFEA North America, the organization’s common vision is for “A Globally United Industry that Touches Lives in a Positive Way through Celebration.” The Association offers the most complete source of ideas, resources, information, education and networking for festival and event professionals worldwide.

Monday, September 16, 2019 (4:00 pm)

The Vietnam-era A-4M Skyhawk aircraft will be relocated from the Santa Ana Civic Center to Heroes Hall late on Sept. 26. The plane has been a part of Civic Center Plaza for more than a decade, but has to be moved due to construction plans.

The aircraft will be transported to OC Fair & Event Center overnight and will be lifted onto its new display pedestal which is surrounded by hardscape and seating areas. The Skyhawk will be officially unveiled at the annual Salute to Veterans event on Nov. 9.

Preparations for the move will begin at 8 p.m. as the plane is detached and removed from its current mounting and loaded for transport. The aircraft will begin its move from the Civic Center at approx. 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 26. Bragg Crane and Rigging will carry the Skyhawk north on Broadway, then down Civic Center Drive to Fairview Road, and on to the fairgrounds at 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa.

The California Highway Patrol will escort the plane on the approx. 15-mile journey to its new place of honor at Heroes Hall. The move is expected to be completed by 5:30 a.m. or earlier on Sept. 27.

The aircraft is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Fla.