• Friday, July 6, 2018 (6:01 pm)

    VIDEO: Find out how to free your inner farmer at this year’s OC Fair

    OC Fair & Event Center CEO Kathy Kramer made an appearance on Laguna Woods TV to share all the great stuff that we’re cooking up for the best party of the summer – and some of it isn’t even served on a stick!

    Fairgoers won’t want to miss My Fair Selfie, a pop-up palace of photo fun – a dozen backdrops built for Instagram; the Toyota Summer Concert Series in Pacific Amphitheatre; all the competitions and exhibits; the animals; rides, games and food, food, food – much of it actually is available on on a stick!

     


  • Thursday, July 5, 2018 (2:12 pm)

    Agriculture comes to OC Fair in a BIG way, thanks to artist John Cerney

    Towering over guests at 16 feet tall, three gigantic murals celebrating three incredible farms will be hard to miss at each OC Fair entrance this year. Hand-painted by artist John Cerney and dubbed “Bounty of the County,” the murals focus on Orange County’s agricultural roots and truly speak to this year’s OC Fair theme, “Free Your Inner Farmer.”

    The murals will introduce fairgoers to:

    Tanaka Farms – Blue Gate (off Fair Drive)
    Installed on Tuesday, May 29, the Tanaka Farms mural depicts Glenn Tanaka and his son, Kenny, with a special appearance by Kenny’s son, Landon, 2. Located in Irvine, Tanaka Farms is an authentic working farm established in 1940, featuring 30 acres of fruit and vegetables. For more information and tour details, visit tanakafarms.com.

             

    Neff Ranch – Green Gate (north of Pacific Amphitheatre)
    Cerney is in the process of hand-painting this second of three murals. Installation is planned for mid-June. Originally established in Yorba Linda, Neff Ranch is one of the county’s last orange growers, with a 20-acre orchard featuring 4,000 Valencia orange trees. Plus, in 2003, Neff Ranch took over a Hass avocado farm in Tustin. For more information, visit neffranch.com.

    5 Bar Beef – Yellow Gate (north of the Midway)
    The last of the installations, 5 Bar Beef’s mural will feature the very last cattle rancher in Orange County, Frank Fitzpatrick. This real-life cowboy has brought grass-fed beef to Southern California since 1979, and can be found at the farmers markets at Laguna Hills Mall on Fridays and Irvine’s Mariner’s Church on Saturdays. For more information, or to purchase beef online, visit 5barbeef.com.

    About John Cerney

    Anyone who has driven through Salinas, Calif., might recognize the larger-than-life farmers along Highway 68. Originally erected in 1995, the figures are the first in a long series by Cerney. The Salinas native has projects from California to the Midwest, including a 32-foot-wide race car in Monterey, a 16-foot-tall George Harrison in Benton, Illinois, and two different “Welcome to Roswell” alien scenes in New Mexico off Highway 285, one of which features a flying saucer with solar-powered LED lights.

    This is the first time Cerney’s work has been featured in OC, though one of his murals can be found in Santa Monica. Since every project is so different, it can take anywhere from a week to several to complete each mural.

    “I love painting and I’m totally committed to every (mural) I do,” Cerney said. “But I love that I’m hitting a new market in Orange County.”

    More about John Cerney: johncerneymurals.com

     

    Posted in: Exhibits, OC Fair, Centennial Farm


  • Friday, June 15, 2018 (8:43 am)

    OC Fair food is crazier, more inventive than ever

    It’s a once-a-year experience, something that can only happen at the Fair – a food frenzy beyond compare. The midway magicians in mini kitchens are cooking up inventions like donut-shaped spaghetti, caramel-drizzled fries and ice cream floats made for mermaids.

    All this and more will be served up when the OC Fair opens July 13 and runs through Aug. 12.

    A sampling of new food items for 2018

    Peanut butter, jelly and Siracha funnel cake – Dutchmen’s Funnel Cakes

    Deep-fried cheese curds, mac & cheese bites, shrimp & cheese jammers, and more – New stand! Who Fried the Cheese?

    Deep-fried filet mignon on a stick – Chicken Charlie’s

    Spaghetti donut formed with pasta and topped with pesto, alfredo, carbonara or marinara – Pignotti’s

    The OC Crunch Cinnamon Roll featuring caramel, cinnamon crunch cereal and frosting – D&D Country Fair Cinnamon Buns

    Lasagna nachos with pasta chips and pesto, veggies, cheese, marinara and meats – Pignotti’s

    Pine and Swine sourdough bread with butter, garlic, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, pineapple and ham – Ten Pound Buns

    Caramel Crack Fries featuring French fries tossed in butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar then drizzled with salted caramel sauce and topped with whipping cream and sprinkles – Biggy’s

    Chili chamoy candy apple coated with sweet and spicy chili and tamarind flavors – Brander’s Candyland

    Unicorn cotton candy donut with sparkling strawberry glitter glaze, rainbow candy, bubble gum cotton candy – Texas Donuts

    Boba flavors include passion fruit, Thai, oolong, mango, jasmine and lychee – New stand! Holy Cao’s Boba Tea

    Shrimp/chicken Ramen burritos, deep-fried pineapple on a stick – Chicken Charlie’s

    Unicorn, Orange Dream and Mermaid Floats featuring cotton candy and rainbow toppings – Candy Factory

    Big Skillet Cookie, an oversize chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup – Totally Baked Cookie Joint

    Toppings bar for cinnamon buns including cherry pie filling, Mini M & M’s, salted caramel and maple bacon frosting – JP’s Old West Cinnamon Rolls

    Poke and sushi bowls, orange chicken burritos – Eddie’s Asian-Inspired Cuisine

    Returning favorites

    BBQ chicken, grilled corn, tri-tip, burgers, hot dogs, tacos, turkey legs, Hawaiian chicken bowls, grilled vegetables, corn dogs, ice cream, shaved ice, smoothies, shakes, fruit bowls, waffles, crepes, flavored lemonade, spicy cheese curd burgers, beef tallow fries, buffalo chips and cheese curd chips and more.

    Vendors include: Tasti Burgers, Tasti Chips, Pink’s Hot Dogs, Biggy’s, Juicy’s, Noel’s Mexican, Corn Star, Apollo’s Greek, Carmelot, Pepe’s Mariscos, Crutchee’s Ice Cream, Enzo’s Pizza, Fresh Frys, Fried Affair, Hussong’s Cantina, Hot Dog on a Stick, Planet Popcorn, Mucho Crazy Nachos, Mustards Café, Old West Cinnamon Rolls, Texas Donuts, Vinny’s Pizza and more.

    Don’t forget: $3 Taste of Fair Food on Thursdays! 

    Get a sampling of food and treats for only $3 each every Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. Fun-sized samples include funnel cake, tri-tip, lemonade, cinnamon rolls, tacos, gelato, cotton candy and more.

     

    Posted in: FoodOC Fair


  • Monday, June 4, 2018 (1:00 pm)

    80 experts judge more than 360 entries in the annual Homebrew Competition

    The heat is on for the 2018 OC Fair competitions!

    Judging for the 31st annual Homebrew Competition was held May 19-20, and with 367 entries and 500 bottles of homebrew entered, the judges had plenty of beers, mead and ciders to sample. Under the guidance of the competition organizers and the Barley Bandits, all of the judges are Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) certified and are able to earn experience points.

    “All beer tasting competitions and contests should be backed by a certification program in order to allow for standardized rules and structures,” said Ashley Ramos, one of the organizers of the competition and an OC Fair employee. “The BJCP gives as a resource to find educated, professional judges to judge our competition.”

    The 80 returning and new judges use the BJCP Style Guidelines to evaluate 34 types of beer; however, there were not as many types of beer six years ago.

    “People started homebrewing because there wasn’t a lot of variety at the store,” said Bryan Dietz, a returning judge. “Homebrew has paved the way for craft beers.”

    Each competitor brings in three bottles of beer and is given an anonymous code, and a group of four to five judges drinks the same beer. Judges use a beer fault list (provided by BJCP) to judge 21 characteristics, including aroma and estery. They also determine if the beer tastes sulfury, or like rotten eggs or burning matches, which would signify that the beer is infected by yeast health or yeast autolysis. These characteristics determine if the beer moves on in the competition or is cut short. The beers that move on in the competition are entered into the Best of Show round and are put back in the fridge for reconsideration.

    “Judging homebrewed beers is a lot like judging a dog show. I may like the dog, but does the dog fit the set definitions that could make it a winner?” Dietz said.

    The judging events also include stewards that clear and serve beers, and refill bread baskets for palette cleansing, as well as perform several other duties.

    “There are many parts to homebrewing, like cooking,” Dietz said. “The goal is to get the perfect combination of flavors to make the best recipe.”

    Since becoming one of the main organizers of the OC Fair Homebrew Competition a decade ago, Spencer Coleman has seen several changes in the homebrew industry.

    “The beers have gotten much better since the increase of educational recourses that are available to brewers,” Coleman said. “The whole beer industry has changed, and there are more breweries since the pre prohibition era.”

    There are plenty of aspects that homebrew competitors are competing for. Besides an award, competitors can also win tickets to this year’s OC Brew Hee Haw, held July 14-15 this year. Winners are awarded first place, second place, third place, or an honorable mention.

    Winners will be announced on Friday, July 13. Check ocfair.com/competitions for winners.

     

    Posted in: Competitions