Monday, February 7, 2022 (3:14 pm)

On Feb. 16, 2022, Heroes Hall Museum at the OC Fairgrounds will open a new exhibit called Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in World War II. Produced by The National WWII Museum, the exhibit features artifacts, photographs and oral histories to highlight some of the extraordinary achievements and challenges of African Americans during World War II, both overseas and on the Home Front.

A national advisory committee, including the late Dr. Clement Alexander Price of Rutgers University, was commissioned to help frame the exhibition. The committee, led by co-chairs Dr. John Morrow of the University of Georgia and Claudine Brown of the Smithsonian Institution, helped advise on the exhibition’s narrative arc and content.

“The importance of this exhibit at this time in our country’s history can’t be understated,” said Carol Singleton, Heroes Hall Supervisor. “Over the past two years, we have been reminded of the devastating consequences of implicit bias as well as outright racism that still plagues our communities. This exhibit is a tribute to those who stood up to the injustices of segregation and discrimination while also putting their lives on the line for their country.”

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT

In the years before World War II, African Americans in many parts of the country were treated as second-class citizens. Discriminatory practices were condoned by the government, and African Americans were systematically denied many rights and liberties by laws that kept them in positions of inferiority. Due to the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision in 1896, the United States was a nation where “separate but equal” was law in many states. In addition, many military leaders declared African Americans unfit to serve in combat. However, once the war began, thousands rushed to enlist, determined to fight for freedom, while still being denied equality at home.

On display at Heroes Hall Museum through Sept. 18, 2022, Fighting for the Right to Fight illustrates how hopes for securing equality inspired many to enlist, the discouraging reality of the segregated non-combat roles given to black recruits, and the continuing fight for “Double Victory” that laid the groundwork for the modern Civil Rights Movement.

Through interactive experiences, visitors will discover the wartime stories of individual servicemembers who took part in this journey of extraordinary challenge, from unheralded heroes to famous names, including Alex Haley (US Coast Guard); Sammy Davis Jr. (US Army); Benjamin Davis, Jr. (US Army Air Forces); Medgar Evers (US Army) and more.

EXHIBIT VIDEO

The centerpiece of the exhibit is an original eight-minute video about the famed 332nd Fighter Group (better known as the Tuskegee Airmen), who in many ways became the public focus of African American participation during the war. The piece is narrated by television personality Robin Roberts, whose own father flew with the Tuskegee Airmen during the war.

Including personal accounts from members of the 332nd Fighter Group, the video provides an overview of how their success in battle became a great symbol of bravery, helping refute notions that African Americans were inferior performers in the military, especially in roles requiring advanced training. Lieutenant Colonel William Holloman III recalls his leader Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.’s encouragement: “He said, ‘America’s watching you.’ He instilled in us a pride that I don’t think was there before we went in the service.”

Additionally, Fighting for the Right to Fight will feature two medals representing the seven African Americans who were awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997, the bittersweet result of a long investigation by the US military on discriminatory policies in the awarding of combat medals. The exhibit will also provide in-depth coverage of lesser-known events and service, such as that of the USS Mason, the first American ship to have a predominately African American crew.

SPEAKER SERIES

In conjunction with the Fighting for the Right to Fight exhibit, Heroes Hall will be offering a speakers series on a variety of topics related to Black history as well as the struggle of other groups such as women, Latinos, and Japanese Americans.

See artifacts and images from the exhibit and learn more at righttofightexhibit.org.

EVENT: OPENING CEREMONY

Join us for the grand opening of Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in World War II. The event will feature speakers, performances and kids activities.

This event is free and open to the public.

When: Saturday, Feb. 19, 11 a.m.
Where: Heroes Hall Museum at the OC Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa

The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world – why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today – so that future generations will know the price of freedom, and be inspired by what they learn. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as America’s National WWII Museum, it celebrates the American Spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifices of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and served on the Home Front. For more information, call 877-813-3329 or visit nationalww2museum.org.

Heroes Hall Museum is a permanent, year-round museum and education center with exhibitions, performances and educational programs that celebrate the legacy of Orange County veterans and others who have served our nation. The two-story exhibition space will rotate themes semi-annually with each focusing on an aspect of the personal stories and experiences of veterans. Heroes Hall is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit ocfair.com/heroes-hall.

Thursday, November 11, 2021 (3:13 pm)

Heroes Hall Museum has reopened its permanent exhibit, The SAAAB Story, which chronicles the history of the Santa Ana Army Air Base. The air base’s location once included the land on which the OC Fairgrounds now sits, and Heroes Hall’s building is a renovated barracks from the base.

The exhibit first debuted when Heroes Hall opened in 2017 but has been updated with several new artifacts and memorabilia.

“The SAAAB Story is much more immersive now,” said Carol Singleton, Heroes Hall Supervisor. “It will help people better understand what the cadets went through while they were training here. Everything about the exhibit is connected to the Santa Ana Army Air Base.”

The Costa Mesa Historical Society provided a lot of the artifacts, including original posters, uniforms, cadet personal items, trophies and telegrams. Previously the exhibit featured photo reproductions but now includes original photos on display.

Other new sections include information about:

• Women, Latinos and LGBTQ service members in the military during World War II
• Letters from 8th graders who were sent to internment camps to their white classmates in Westminster
• German POWs who worked on the base picking oranges
• Tuskegee Army Air Field, which is where the Black airmen who would have trained at SAAAB were placed were it not for segregation
• Victory gardens, rationing and other campaigns led on the home front

“My favorite part is the personal stories of the cadets that graduated here,” Singleton said. “There are eight different cadet stories, each one extraordinary, and all eight went on to the war in either the South Pacific or the European theatre.”

The SAAAB Story is a permanent exhibit at Heroes Hall. Heroes Hall is open year-round, Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. The first-floor exhibit, Through Their Eyes: Artwork by Active Military and Veterans, will be on display until Jan. 20, 2022.

Wednesday, October 13, 2021 (10:30 am)

A new exhibit at Heroes Hall opens today, Oct. 13, showcasing the artwork of 24 local veterans and active U.S. service members.

Through Their Eyes: Artwork by Active Military and Veterans will be the featured exhibit at the museum now through January 20, 2022.

New museum hours: Heroes Hall is now open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

Heroes Hall Museum is dedicated to honoring Orange County’s service members and providing a place where they can tell their stories. For this new exhibit, military service members have expressed their individual experiences through a variety of mediums including sculpture, photography, painting, carving and woodworking.

“It has been such a pleasure meeting the artists and hearing the stories behind their artwork,” said Carol Singleton, Heroes Hall Museum Supervisor. “Several of the veterans in this show turned to art as a means to heal both emotional and physical wounds. We are privileged and honored to bring this extraordinary exhibit to the community.”

Through Their Eyes was underwritten by the Heroes Hall Veterans Foundation. The judges were Dave Barton, Fatemeh Burnes and Denton Knapp.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Winning pieces are pictured below, and details about each of the artists are available on the Heroes Hall section of ocfair.com.

First Place: David Vargo for “Unlikely Path” (pictured above)

Vargo is an art professor at Laguna College of Art and Design, and has painted illustrations for companies like Blizzard Entertainment, Arch Enemy Comics, Lucasfilm and Wizards of the Coast.

“My love of the mysterious combined with my passion for the figure has led to a long-term art affair with imaginative realism,” Vargo said.

Second Place: Giovanni Berdejo for “Hope”

Berdejo is a photographer and author, and has taught photography workshops for student veterans at Chapman University.

Third Place: Ed Bowen for “Entrenchment”

Bowen is a Vietnam War veteran whose art is part of the Army’s war art collection and is displayed in various government facilities including the Pentagon and the Smithsonian.

Artists in juried show:

Kurt Bayless, U.S. Navy, Huntington Beach
Giovanni Berdejo, U.S. Army, Fountain Valley
Ed Bowen, U.S. Army, Corona Del Mar
George Davis, U.S. Marine Corps, Rancho Santa Margarita
Hanh Dinh, U.S. Marine Corps, Garden Grove
Reginald Green, U.S. Navy, San Diego
Linda Hicks, U.S. Air Force, Westminster
Charlie Hunt, U.S. Army, Huntington Beach
Sean Lenahan, U.S. Navy, Costa Mesa
Phyllis Miller, U.S. Navy, Santa Monica
Kimberly Millett, U.S. Army, Newport Beach
Darrow Minor, U.S. Navy, Long Beach
Cody Reed, U.S. Navy, Long Beach
Arthur Rivera, U.S. Navy, Anaheim
Abraham Romero, U.S. Army, San Diego
Casey Rydjeski, U.S. Army, Fountain Valley
Sandra Scott, U.S. Air Force, Yucaipa
Mario Solorzano, U.S. Army, Pomona
Bill Stewart, U.S. Air Force, Newport Beach
Gary Tegel, U.S. Navy, Costa Mesa
Paul Todd, U.S. Army, Orange
David Vargo, U.S. Marine Corps, Anaheim
George Wallims, U.S. Marine Corps, Huntington Beach

Special guest artist
Joe Pisano, U.S. Navy, San Diego

Read more about each artist at ocfair.com/heroes-hall/exhibitions/through-their-eyes-artwork-by-active-military-and-veterans/

Thursday, September 30, 2021 (10:09 am)

Heroes Hall will be closed from Oct. 1 through 12 as the team installs a new exhibit. 

Through Their Eyes: Artwork by Active Military and Veterans is a juried show featuring artwork from 23 U.S. military veterans from the Southern California region. The artists have expressed themselves through a variety of mediums including sculpture, photography, painting, carving and woodworking. Their subject matter is as unique as they are and ranges from combat scenes to flowers and surreal portraits. But there is one thing they all have in common: they have all served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The exhibit will run from Oct. 13, 2021, through Jan. 20, 2022.

View a list of artists and get more info about the exhibit

Heroes Hall at the OC Fairgrounds
Open Wednesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-5  p.m.

Thursday, March 25, 2021 (11:08 am)

Today the OC Fair announced dates for the much-anticipated annual event – July 16- Aug. 15. The theme is “Time for Fun,” celebrating the joy of the return of Southern California’s favorite summer festival.

“We are grateful to plan for an exciting, and safe, OC Fair this year,” said OC Fair Board Chair Natalie Rubalcava-Garcia. “This milestone will allow the community to come together to celebrate the future and generate much-needed opportunities for economic development and growth in Orange County. The Board and staff have done a fantastic job of responsibly managing our finances and preparing to meet safe reopening guidelines to not just make it through the pandemic, but to emerge resilient and ready for 2021 and beyond.”

OC Fair officials have been working closely with public health agencies to develop protocols to keep fairgoers safe while bringing back carnival rides, fair food, entertainment, competitions, animals and more to fair fans. The plans for the 2021 OC Fair are based on health agency projections for the summer, but could change if warranted by public health conditions.

Advance ticket sales will be required and limited capacity will give fairgoers more elbow room. The number of concessions, rides and shopping vendors will be reduced and spaced out to provide more distance between each. Admission tickets will go on sale May 1 on ocfair.com.

“We have worked through many different scenarios for the 2021 OC Fair and we are so excited to move forward with this plan because it means that we really can bring back the fun, and that’s why I love this year’s theme,” said Michele Richards, OC Fair & Event Center CEO. “We want everyone to continue to follow health guidelines and get vaccinated so we can finally celebrate summer together again.”

The Fair Board voted to keep ticket prices at the 2019 OC Fair rates, $12 general admission and $7 for children and seniors on weekdays (Wednesday, Thursday), and $14 general admission and $7 for children and seniors on weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). The current plan is for the fair to be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, as it traditionally has been. There is a change to move Friday into weekend pricing and OC Fair will absorb the online ticket sale fees.

Announcements regarding concerts in Pacific Amphitheatre and The Hangar will be coming soon.

Monday, November 16, 2020 (3:33 pm)

Monday, November 9, 2020 (10:26 am)

On November 11, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris will be honoring six veterans as 2020 Veterans of the Year.

Petrie-Norris said, “The opportunity to celebrate real American heroes reminds us that we have much more in common than we do at odds. The ties that bind us together are so much stronger than the forces that seek to tear us apart.” 

The veterans were nominated by fellow community members from the Assemblywoman’s district and recognized for their service in the armed forces and in our communities. Their service records span from World War II to current active duty, and are reflective of the diversity and wealth of experience in our district.

Join in to watch a virtual ceremony on Veterans Day on Facebook live at 11 a.m. 

2020 Veterans of the Year

Carol Singleton, Costa Mesa
US Army

David Hayward, Huntington Beach
US Air Force

Mohamed Omar Diab, Irvine
US Marine Corps

Anthony Michael Page, Laguna Beach
US Army

Gary Bain, Laguna Woods
US Air Force

Nancy Ise, Newport Beach
US Navy

Wednesday, October 28, 2020 (11:21 am)

Centennial Farm and Heroes Hall veterans museum at OC Fair & Event Center are set to reopen to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Visitors must make a reservation in advance.

Centennial Farm and Heroes Hall will both be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (last reservation accepted at 2 p.m.; group will be allowed to stay until 3 p.m.). Parking is free and available through Gate 1 off of Fair Drive in Costa Mesa. Admission to both venues is free and masks are required.

“We are very excited to welcome our guests back to Centennial Farm and Heroes Hall,” said Michele Richards, OC Fair & Event Center CEO. “These venues are really the heart and soul of our fairgrounds year-round and we have all missed doing what we do best – educating and entertaining. I know our animals at the Farm are especially anxious to see visitors again.”

This will be the first chance for visitors to see the new exhibit at Heroes Hall, Private Charles J. Miller: WWII Paintings from the South Pacific. Through his watercolor paintings and sketches, Miller, of the U.S. Army, shares his story of a soldier’s experience during World War II in the South Pacific. He used limited resources – from large sheets of paper to the insides of cigarette cartons – to create powerful works of art. The exhibit is on loan from The Wright Museum of World War II in Wolfeboro, NH. To learn more, visit ocfair.com/exhibitions.

OC Fair & Event Center’s top priority is the health and safety of guests and staff. Visitors will be required to make reservations in advance so the number of guests can be limited. No walkups will be permitted.

Before entering, guests will check in at the Wellness Booth for temperature checks. Hand-sanitizing stations have been added and regular cleaning will be conducted throughout the day.

To reserve a time to visit Centennial Farm and Heroes Hall, go to ocfair.com/reservations.

Food or drinks are not allowed but bottled water or water in enclosed containers is permitted. More information can be found on the FAQ page.

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

Wednesday, July 22, 2020 (7:05 pm)

Our veterans museum Heroes Hall is typically open year-round, but unfortunately we’re currently closed. So we put together a Virtual Museum collection of stories and photos of local veterans for you to browse online.

Please join us in honoring the brave men and women of Orange County who served our country.

Heroes Hall Virtual Museum