Wednesday, November 15, 2017 (3:44 pm)

Arlington Drive Improvement Project 

A: The City of Costa Mesa Public Works Department is putting in a new storm drain system and improvements to the roadway and the land on the south side of Arlington Drive.

A: Yes. There will be a concrete multipurpose trail and new landscaping, including a new bio swale.

A: It is a system that removes silt and debris from runoff water using drainage inlets and vegetation. This keeps water from heavy rains from overburdening storm drains.

A: It will run from Fairview Road to Newport Boulevard and the bio swale runs from gate 7 at the fairgrounds to Newport Boulevard.

A: The trail will be open to the public and can be used for walking and biking.

A: Yes. There will be new landscaping, including trees next to the Fairgrounds perimeter, between the trail and the bio swale and next to the street.

A: Yes.

A: Construction is anticipated to be completed in March 2018. The OC Fair opens July 13.

A: According to the city, the current bio swale and roadway conditions had deteriorated and the drainage systems were not handling the capacity needed to keep the area properly drained.

A: This is a City of Costa Mesa project. The Orange County Water District has completed the work to relocate its main distribution line. The City of Costa Mesa has contracted with Sully-Miller Contracting and Kabarra Engineering to do the rest of the work on the project including the new underground storm drain, trail, road improvements and landscaping.

(10:44 am)

The OC Fair Visual Arts Competition receives about 6,000 entries each year submitted by artists from Orange County and throughout Southern California. Types of art include woodworking, painting, ceramics, sculpture, photography and graphic arts.

The OC Fair is often the first exhibition experience for an artist. The thrill of being selected for exhibition and then winning an award nurtures, encourages and inspires artists, instilling confidence in their creativity.

Each year, the OC Fair purchases a few of the exhibited entries to add to the permanent collection. There are more than 150 pieces of artwork in the collection dating back to the 1970s. The collection focuses on the traditions, people, life and beautiful landscapes of our region, state and country. Most of the artists in the collection are Orange County residents.

The exhibit will be on display at the Fullerton Arboretum’s Orange County Agricultural and Nikkei Heritage Museum through Dec. 3, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, noon-4 p.m. For more information, visit fullertonarboretum.org.

To enter artwork for the 2018 Fair, go to  ocfair.com/competitions to find details in the OC Fair Visual Arts Competition Guide that will be available in April. 

Tuesday, November 14, 2017 (1:44 pm)

Meet Jan Tubbiola, a 50-year OC Fair employee!

“Where are the restrooms?”

That’s the most commonly asked question at the OC Fair – at least according to Janice Tubbiola.

And she should know. She’s been working at the Fair since 1967, when she began as an assistant supervisor in the 4-H building – and before that she was a volunteer clerk. For the past few years she has worked in the information booths at the OC Fair.

“I decided to work in the information booth because I figured if I didn’t know about something, then nobody did,” Tubbiola said.

With 50 years under her belt, she’s probably right, but at 82, she admits she’s also forgetting a few things – specifically timelines. She jokes about not always being able to remember if a certain event was last year or 10 years ago.

“We call her Miss Information,” said her youngest of five children, Mark Tubbiola. He teasingly said it could go both ways – misinformation from Miss Information.

Still, while she may not remember exactly when something happened, she sure does have a lot of stories about what has happened at the OC Fair. Her memories are made even more meaningful by the fact that Mark and his siblings have all worked at the Fair in some capacity as well, and now one of her 12 grandchildren – Nik Kieler – is on the Fair staff.

Tubbiola remembers one of her sons working in maintenance years ago, when he sprayed a pair of his tennis shoes silver and then nailed them to a tree. Every time she walked by the tree, which was near Baja Blues, she would chuckle at the sight, until eventually someone finally took the shoes down. Tubbiola and her family made their mark on the OC Fair – both literally and figuratively.

“All their elementary school friends come and see me in the booth,” Tubbiola said.

She also has fond memories of how the Fairgrounds used to look, like when the Main Mall had grass in the middle, and the appearance of the old floral building, especially when a former boss got married inside. But she said she likes the new look of Pacific Amphitheatre, and she loves Heroes Hall.

During the 2017 OC Fair, a young man approached her booth and asked questions about Heroes Hall. She pointed to the various groups that had been stationed outside the veterans museum and mentioned recruiting. The young man was intrigued, and Tubbiola said he ended up walking straight over to the recruitment booth. She doesn’t know for sure if he enlisted, but she seemed proud to have sent him off toward a possible career in the military.

“All of her roles here have been working with the public because she loves the interaction,” said Kieler, who works at Centennial Farm. “I think she really likes the ‘fair family’ vibe, and that we all work together to put on an event for the community.”

One of Tubbiola’s favorite things about the OC Fair is the Read and Ride program offered to kids. She said she hears from parents about how great it is to get their children to read during the summer, and she enjoys seeing the looks on the kids’ faces when they are handed their prize – three free carnival rides – after turning in their book form.

After all these years, Tubbiola still lights up when she talks about the OC Fair. She likes to interact with people and enjoys being part of the staff.

And even if she isn’t on the payroll anymore, she still plans to come back every year. In fact, she’s already made a request to CEO Kathy Kramer about being issued a lifetime Super Pass.

“I think I’ve earned that,” Tubbiola said.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017 (11:34 am)

If you know Carnival Eats, you know Noah Cappe doesn’t mess around when it comes to fair food. He travels around the country visiting various fairs and carnivals, trying out the most outrageous, the biggest and the tastiest foods he can get his hands on.

And on the new episode of Carnival Eats – a TV show on the Cooking Channel – you’ll see food from your favorite fair: the OC Fair! 

Noah was at the OC Fair with his crew during the 2017 season, and he tried all kinds of good stuff. The premiere episode, which airs Thursday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. on the Cooking Channel, will feature the Unicorn Leg and deep-fried pizza. Yuuuuum.

Also, keep an eye out through all of Carnival Eats’ Season 5 for more OC Fair appearances. 

Wednesday, October 18, 2017 (1:35 pm)

Kathy Kramer, CEO of OC Fair & Event Center, was proud to take the stage at Samueli Theater on Oct. 17 to help honor the best, brightest and most generous members of the Orange County arts community.

Kramer joined Rick Stein, CEO of Arts Orange County, to recognize recipients of the 18th Annual OC Arts Awards, including Charlie and Ling Zhang, art patrons of the year; performer James Luna; choreographer Molly Lynch; Casa Romantica; impresario Kevin Staniec; and the musical ensemble Trio Celeste.

For more information on the OC Arts Awards, visit artsoc.org.

Kramer shared the following information with attendees and honorees at the awards ceremony:

OCFEC has been serving our community for 127 years. The arts play an important role in what we do all year long:
• We recently opened a new museum, Heroes Hall, dedicated to telling the stories of veterans.
• We just dedicated a new large-scale work of public art, Table of Dignity, honoring the important contributions of Orange County’s agricultural workers.
• We are also proud of our educational and community service work including Imaginology, our free STEAM education event, and Centennial Farm, where thousands of school children learn where their food comes from.
• In all, OC Fair & Event Center welcomes more than 3 million guests annually and hosts over 150 events each year – many of them cultural celebrations such as Tet Festival, Scottish Fest and Japan Fair. And we are excited to announce that Cirque du Soleil is making OC Fair & Event Center its Orange County home for the next 10 years.
• Of course, our annual competitions for professional, amateur and student artists have long been part of the OC Fair, as has been presenting world-class musical acts in our Pacific Amphitheatre.
• We delighted with our new partnership with Pacific Symphony in hosting its summer concert series in Pacific Amphitheatre. And are thrilled to work with Arts Orange County on a number of projects.

OC Fair & Event Center is very proud to be part of Orange County’s family of arts & culture organizations. We look forward to continuing to grow our engagement with the creative community for many years to come.