Tuesday, October 17, 2017 (3:01 pm)

On Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, Centennial Farm at OC Fair & Event Center will host The Red Barn: Fire-and-Ash Wine Dinner, a unique dining experience featuring talented chefs, special guests and, best of all, a scrumptious multi-course farm-to-fork wine dinner.

To start, the exclusive event will feature live-fire exhibition-style appetizers, sparkling wines provided by Orange County Wine Society (OCWS) and tours of the farm and garden at 6:30 p.m. The Millennium Barn doors will then open at 7:30 p.m. for a multi-course family-style wine dinner featuring California’s bountiful produce and artisan meats cooked exclusively on an open fire in ash.

The live-fire cooking style is not a new trend, but it has become more popular in the last year or so as restaurants throughout the country are swapping out gas for wood. Bon Appetit wrote in June: “It’s funny to call this return to cooking with fire a trend. If it is, it’s certainly the oldest trend in the book. And yet there is no arguing that the burning hearth has of late gripped the restaurant world, seeming to bestow the imprimatur of ‘serious chef’ on anyone who embraces it.”

Cracklin’ wrapped porchetta will be served with blistered fingerling potatoes, and a grilled, split Cornish game hen will go well with fall succotash straight from Centennial Farm’s own garden. An ash-roasted autumn squash trio will feature rosemary, garlic and honey, while lemon-wilted spinach sides beef steak Portobello.

Need more to get your mouth watering? View the entire menu at ocfair.com/redbarn.

The menu will be prepared by Executive Chef Jesse Lopez, of Spectra Food Services, and has been curated by Chef Annie Morgan, of KOCI Radio’s Pots and Pans with Jack and Annie

Honored special guest for the evening is French-American artist Guy Buffet, whose restaurant-themed art has been featured in Food Arts and Wine & Travel magazines.

Speakers for the evening include:
Michele Richards, VP of Business Development, OC Fair & Event Center
Dan Kohler, food scientist on Hallmark Channel’s “Home & Family”
Melissa Cortina, butcher and owner of Bavette Meat & Provisions
Thom Curry, owner of Temecula Olive Oil Company
Irv Wnuck, wine expert and COO, Seize the Vine Wine Brokerage

Featured local farmers, artisans and wineries include:
Melissa’s Produce
OC Baking Company
M.O.F. Chef Stéphane Tréand of The Pastry School
Angeline Vineyards
Martin Ray Vineyards
Courtney Benham Wines
Orange County Wine Society

Service provided by Buena Park Future Farmers of America, and Orange County School of the Arts Culinary Arts & Hospitality Students.

Tickets to this exclusive event are $125 per person (available on Ticketmaster), which includes dinner, wines, gratuity, tax and parking. 

Support of The Red Barn dinner provides year-round educational opportunities through Centennial Farm, Heroes Hall and Imaginology, and helps fund our community give-back programs.

Friday, October 13, 2017 (6:27 pm)

A striking new photography exhibit, Kimberly Millett’s Operation Iraqi Freedom, debuts this weekend at Heroes Hall, which reopens Saturday, Oct. 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The exhibition on the first floor of Heroes Hall will feature images captured by Public Affairs Specialist Kimberly Millett while on assignment with the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2009. The exhibit is the Newport Beach resident’s first. As a graduate of UC San Diego, Millett was deployed twice to Iraq as a journalist.

Millett has previously worked in the Visual and Home Arts galleries at the OC Fair, and entered a collection of military coins in the Collections gallery. Her grandfather, William Boylhart, served at the Santa Ana Arm Air Base during WWII, and her brother, Ryan Millett, loaned Heroes Hall the military vehicles used at its opening. So it’s no surprise that she was attracted to the military.

“I had always thought of joining the military,” Millett said. “I read about basic training and boot camp and kind of liked the idea of the lifestyle before I even knew what it really was.”

During Millet’s first deployment she provided documentation – photographs and commentary – on the 89th MP Brigade stationed at Camp Victory, Iraq, from August 2006 to November 2007.

“It didn’t feel real,” Millett said of her first tour. “But if you do anything long enough, it becomes natural.”

During her second deployment to Iraq, from August 2008 to September 2009, she was assigned to document the activities of General Raymond T. Odierno and General David Petraeus as they sought to stabilize the country so the roots of democracy could take hold.

“We toured prisons, hospitals, an amusement park, voting facilities, police stations, markets and schools,” Millett said. “One trip would take us to a modern, thriving city, and on another day we would walk through a place that looked straight out of biblical times. I built a snowman in front of the president’s place. We went to Turkey for a lunch meeting. There were lavish palaces and towns with rivers of raw sewage. Every trip was an adventure in its own way.”

The photography exhibit features aluminum prints as well as several mementos from Millett’s tours, including Salaam the Sock Monkey, who became part of Millett’s journey and even earned a Combat Action Badge and Iraq Service Medal. The photos chosen depict outings, memorials, generals and leaders.

“My favorite part of working for the general was the battlefield circulations,” Millett said. “Once a week or so we would go to a new town and walk through the local marketplace. This gave the general (Odierno) a chance to talk informally to both businessmen and commanders about concerns. It was nice to see the country without a thick armored door between you and the people.”

Also coming up at Heroes Hall

Voices – Veterans Storytelling Project will feature local veterans sharing their stories of bravery. The evening is a culmination of a six week workshop in which veterans gathered at Heroes Hall to learn the best way to piece their stories together. Join us in supporting our local veterans at this free event on Friday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m.

Heroes Hall is an exhibition hall honoring Orange County’s veterans. It opened in February 2017 and also features “The SAAAB Story” exhibit, which celebrates the history of the flight training center, as well as The Medal of Honor Plaza and the Orange County Walk of Honor, both tributes to veterans from Orange County who received high honors from the United States government. For more information about Heroes Hall, visit ocfair.com/heroeshall.

Thursday, October 12, 2017 (11:42 am)

OC Fair & Event Center is a designated large animal rescue facility and we had a plan in case of emergency, but we could not have assisted the animals evacuated from the Canyon Fire 2 area without the help of amazing volunteers, nonprofits and local businesses.

We housed 127 horses, six pigs, six goats, six mini-horses/ponies, three tortoises, two sheep and one steer. We appreciate all who donated feed, stalls and even food to keep our volunteers fortified.

Fair staff quickly moved into action after the Fairgrounds was activated as an evacuation center. Temporary stalls were erected in the Action Sports Arena, show ring and in our livestock area. Key personnel were designated to handle processing the animal intake and to help owners get their animals settled in. During the week, staff members were on hand 24 hours a day to assist with the care of the evacuated animals and to make sure owners’ needs were met.

A huge thank you goes out to Star Milling Company, Kruse Feed & Supply, Inc., Laughing Pony Rescue, Midway City Feed Store, Feed Barn Costa Mesa, Hitching Post, Vons, Stater Bros., Carl’s Jr., L.A. on Cloud9, OC Fairgrounds Equestrian Center, the City of San Juan Capistrano’s Large Animal Response Team and the numerous individual volunteers who donated their time and effort. We had help feeding and watering the evacuated animals, walking horses, cleaning stalls and assisting with intake and check-out processes.

Join us in thanking these groups, businesses and individuals for their time and donations. And best wishes to the animals as they head home.

Read more about the evacuation and the wonderful people who helped:

Daily Pilot: Animals evacuated from O.C. wildfire find a temporary home at the fairgrounds

OC Register: Canyon Fire 2: Fairgrounds or Noah’s Ark? OC Fair becomes safe haven for displaced animals

Monday, October 2, 2017 (9:00 am)

Community Forum

Be a part of OC Fair & Event Center’s Strategic 5-Year Business Planning Process

In conjunction with the 10-year Master Site Plan, OC Fair & Event Center will be launching a Strategic 5-Year Business Plan to develop our organizational goals.

We will be seeking input at two open community discussions on how OC Fair & Event Center can further support our mission of developing programs focused on community, education and agriculture.

If you’re an interested neighbor, educator, member of the agricultural community, non-profit leader or business associate, we value your input.

Join us:

Wednesday, October 18
2:30-4:30 p.m.

or

Thursday, October 19
7-9:30 p.m.

OC Fair & Event Center
Administration Building
Corner of Fairview & Arlington in Costa Mesa
(714) 708-1500

RSVPs are not required. If you’re unable to attend but would like to provide input, please email your thoughts and ideas to CommDept@ocfair.com.

Friday, September 29, 2017 (3:01 pm)

Whether you’re just getting started or have been gardening for years, Centennial Farm will be hosting a few gardening classes you’re sure to love. 

All classes begin at 9:30 a.m. and require pre-registration. 

Here’s a look at what’s coming up: 

Growing an Herb Garden – Oct. 21 & Nov. 25

Learn general identification, care and propagation techniques of the most popular herbs grown today. Then, design and create your very own herb container garden to take home. Leah Matsuoka of Laguna Hills Nursery in Santa Ana will be the guest speaker.

$15 includes materials and handouts. Tools, pots and herbs will be provided. 

Backyard Beekeeping – Oct. 28

Learn the basics of beekeeping from Christine Ferrian, president of the OC Beekeepers Association. Ferrian, who is also involved with OC Local Honey, will help you learn about the role beekeepers play in maintaining the health of their hive, producing honey and in gardening and agriculture. $5 includes materials and handouts. 

Succulent Container Garden – Nov. 4

Learn general identification, care and propagation techniques of the most popular succulents grown today as well as basic principles of design. Then, design and create your very own succulent container garden to take home! Centennial Farm’s own Adam Waugh, a long-time succulent enthusiast, has nursery and arboretum experience, and has been creating succulent and mixed-plant container gardens for years. $20 includes materials and handouts; tools, terracotta pots and succulents will be provided. 

Pruning Fruit Trees: The Basics – Nov. 18

Learn the best time to prune stone fruit trees, citrus trees and avocado trees in Southern California. Isabel Barkman, who has been a UCCE Orange County Master Gardener since 1999, will cover the basics of pruning and discuss why the pruning season in Southern California is different than the rest of the country. $5 includes materials. 

Make It, Take It: Food Preservation –Holiday Pepper Jelly – Dec. 2

This workshop is an introductory hands-on lesson teaching waterbath and steam canning methods and safety standards of canning high acid foods. OC Fair & Event Center’s Culinary Supervisor Pam Wnuck will demo how to make a holiday pepper jelly to enjoy later, give as a gift or enter in the 2018 OC Fair competitions. Each participant will take home what they make in class. Ages 9 and up are welcome in this class, but children must be accompanied by an adult. $25 includes materials, but participants must bring three half-pint (8 ounce) canning jars with lids and bands. 

Make It, Take It: Winter Wreaths – Dec. 9 & 16

Nancy Claxton will demo how to make a winter wreath from fresh greens. $20 includes materials and handouts.

To register for any of the garden classes offered at Centennial Farm, use the form at http://ocfair.com/community-programs/centennial-farm/garden-classes/. Classes are intended for participants 16 years and older unless otherwise noted. Each class is generally about 1.5 to 2 hours and take place in the Silo Building at Centennial Farm, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.