Category Archives: OC Fair

Saturday, July 27, 2019 (9:00 am)

To highlight the 2019 OC Fair’s agricultural theme, “Acres of Fun,” and its connection to the environment, the OC Fair went all out to bring fun and useful sustainability to the  best party of the summer. 

Some of those ways included:

• There are four agricultural-themed lounges spread throughout the fairgrounds where fairgoers can sit, relax and learn more about these California commodities: avocados, strawberries, oranges and beef. The lounges also feature recycled OC Fair banners re-purposed into cushions along with re-purposed palettes made into sofas, chairs, tables and stools. 
• In addition to the lounges, there are areas sprinkled throughout the fairgrounds that were turned into decorative vignettes using items that would have normally ended up in landfills: Old bicycles, old tires, watering cans, empty 2-liter bottles, glass jars, cabinets, denim jeans and more.
• Look up and all around to spot the festive pennants that were re-purposed from vinyl banners and signs.
• Solar- and wind-powered stations in Plaza Pacifica allow fairgoers to recharge their phones without using electricity from the power grid.
• Watch where you step because there are drought-tolerant plants found throughout the fairgrounds that use less water and require less maintenance. 
• Fairgoers are encouraged to use and re-use special OC Fair souvenir cups. After purchasing these reusable cups the first time, fairgoers can then get discounted refills at vendors. 
• In addition to reusable cups, the OC Fair is free of most plastic straws with vendors and concessionaires offering paper straws.
• The Culinary Arts area in OC Promenade has edible spoons that come in two flavors: a sweet, chocolatey variety and a savory option. 

Friday, July 26, 2019 (6:06 pm)

The results are in for our Concessionaires Cup competition, which awards the best of this year’s OC Fair food.

Here are the category winners:

• Best-of-the-Best and Best New Flavor Winner: The Smokestack from Tater Twister’s
• Best Fried Food Winner: Puffy Taco de Carnitas/Asada from Papi’s Puffy Taco
• Best On-a-Stick/Bun Winner: Big Daddy Cheetos & Cheese Corn Dog from Biggy’s
• Best Specialty Food Winner: Shrimp Cocktail from Pepe’s Mariscos
• Owner’s Favorite Winner: Maui Chicken from Pineapple Express 
• Best Dessert Winner: Cinnamon Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting, Bacon and Maple Syrup from D&D Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls
• Best Beverage Winner: Dole Soft Serve Slush Float from RCS Nitro Treats

(12:36 pm)

When Taps gets played at 6 p.m. nightly at Heroes Hall during the 2019 OC Fair, there’s one man standing there who has an especially direct attachment to the song.

Mitchell Butterfield, who works at Heroes Hall during the Fair, is related to Daniel Butterfield, the Medal of Honor-winning Civil War Army general largely credited with composing the song. 

Daniel Butterfield, along with bugler Oliver Willcox Norton, wrote Taps as a new way to establish the military call for the end of the day. It wasn’t until after the Civil War that it became the official end-of-day call.

Nowadays, it’s most associated with being played at military funerals.

Mitchell Butterfield’s fellow workers at Heroes Hall had no idea about the connection.

“When we had the first kid who played Taps, I went up and told him, ‘You know, my great great grandfather wrote that song,’ Butterfield said. “And (Heroes Hall Supervisor Carol Singleton) heard that and said, ‘Really?’ And then it just went from there.”

Taps has been played at Heroes Hall for the OC Fair since the military museum opened in 2017.

Mitchell Butterfield, 72, from Orange, is also an Army veteran, while his father was a Marine who was stationed at El Toro, lived in Tustin and later moved to Orange.

While Butterfield is proud of the historical connection — “I feel proud that he had something to do with it. I tell it to anyone who wants to listen” – he’s also reluctant to mention it when he introduces the playing of Taps at Heroes Hall.

“When I do the announcement, I don’t mention the family part of it,” he said. “It’s not relevant. It’s about the vets. It’s about the servicemen.”

During a recent night at Heroes Hall, Taps was played for the first time with the correct musical instrument: a bugle.

And the bugler playing it? Another OC Fair connection: Richard Grogan, a Centennial Farm volunteer as an oxen teamster.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019 (6:06 pm)

Every year, the OC Fair hosts a Barnyard Fashion Parade in which breeding animal exhibitors dress up and and parade their barnyard animals around the Livestock Show ring for fashion review and judging. 

This year’s event was on Wednesday, July 24 and the photos speak for themselves!

Photos by Mike Goulding

Sunday, July 21, 2019 (10:15 am)

One of the new features of the 2019 OC Fair is the agricultural-themed lounges set up throughout the fairgrounds.

The lounges represent four California commodities — avocados, strawberries, oranges and beef — and tie in with the Fair’s agricultural theme, “Acres of Fun.”

These photos show more details of The Avocado Pit. Grab some shade and enjoy! 🥑🥑🥑

Friday, July 19, 2019 (9:25 pm)

Have you seen our new Polynesian dance troupe, Tupua? Here’s just some of what you’ll see during their daily shows.

Tupua performs at 5:15 p.m., 7:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. every day at Heritage Stage in Plaza Pacifica.

The group will have a special performance for kids on Aug. 1. Come check them out and dance along! 🏝

Thursday, July 18, 2019 (12:15 pm)

We know you’re taking selfies. We see you with the clowns and in front of the rides, taking selfies with friends and loved ones. And we want you to win something for them!

From now through July 28, we’re hosting an OC Fair Selfie Scavenger Hunt! Below are zoomed-in photos of 10 different selfie spots throughout the fairgrounds. Find the spot, snap a selfie, and upload the image at contest.app.do/selfie-2615393. You get one entry per image – so if you find all 10, that’s 10 chances!

Now the prize: On July 29, we’ll randomly pick three winners to come on back to the OC Fair for its final week of the summer – on us! Each winner will get 4 tickets, 2 ride vouchers (good for 3 rides each!) and $20 in food vouchers. 

Let’s see those smiling selfies!! Enter on Facebook!

Friday, July 12, 2019 (1:30 pm)

Titan, the largest traveling booster ride in the U.S., made its California debut on Opening Day of the 2019 OC Fair. CEO Kathy Kramer helped celebrate the ride’s opening with a ribbon-cutting and 32 lucky fairgoers won the chance to be the first riders. 

Titan rockets riders 17 stories into the air experiencing 4G acceleration and speeds of up to 60 mph, making it the most spectacular ride in the carnival. Now, the tallest ride in the Fair, it is 30 feet taller than La Grande Wheel XL, and it weighs 280,000 pounds.

Tuesday, July 2, 2019 (2:48 pm)

Love is in the Fair! We know that couples love the OC Fair. It’s an amazing date-night destination, the best spot for a memorable first kiss and a magical place to get engaged.

We want to give one couple that loves the OC Fair almost as much as they love each other, a one-of-a-kind opportunity to get married during the Fair. The wedding will take place Saturday, Aug. 10, at Millennium Barn with fairgoers, farm animals and clowns as special guests.

Imagine the story this lucky pair of OC Fair fans will have when someone asks about their wedding!

To enter the Love is in the Fair contest, couples must shoot a one-minute video showing why they are the perfect pair to get married at the OC Fair, post it on social media and tag it #ocfairwedding. We’ll announce the winners on Aug. 3 – one week before the big day.

More info is available at ocfair.com/wedding.

(11:16 am)

We want to give one couple that loves the OC Fair almost as much as they love each other, a one-of-a-kind opportunity to get married during the Fair. The wedding will take place Saturday, Aug. 10, at Millennium Barn with fairgoers, farm animals and clowns as special guests.

Imagine the story this lucky pair of OC Fair fans will have when someone asks about their wedding!

To enter the Love is in the Fair contest, couples must shoot a one-minute video showing why they are the perfect pair to get married at the OC Fair, post it on social media and tag it #ocfairwedding. We’ll announce the winners on Aug. 3 – one week before the big day.

Love is in the Fair Contest Rules:

Win a red barn wedding at the 2019 OC Fair!
1. Shoot a video of you and your love at this year’s OC Fair – 1 minute or less
2. Tell us why an OC Fair barn wedding is perfect for the two of you
3. Share your video on social media and tag it #ocfairwedding
Deadline extended: Midnight July 31
Winners announced: Aug. 3 – a week before the wedding!

What’s included:

A free half-hour wedding ceremony in the Millennium Barn at OC Fair & Event Center on Aug. 10 at 1 p.m.
Fairgoers will be your guests, but we’ll save space for 20 of your friends
A stay at Pasea oceanfront resort in Huntington Beach
A special Fair wedding cake
Stilt walkers, clowns, animals, musicians and fairgoers as your special guests
An unforgettable OC Fair experience

Details:

• Entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges looking for originality, love of the OC Fair and creativity
• No OC Fair & Event Center employees or members of their immediate family may enter
• Entries are limited to one per couple
• Participants must be age 18 or older
• Winners must be willing to share their story
• Videos must be original work, shot between July 12 and July 28, 2019, at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa, CA (see contest rules for more information)
• No date or time changes allowed – the wedding will be on Aug. 10 at 1 p.m.
More info is available at ocfair.com/wedding.