The 2010 Orange County Fair is fast approaching and planning is underway for our annual, number one fundraising effort, The Courtyard. The Orange County Fair starts on Friday, July 16, and ends on Sunday, August 15. This includes four full weeks and five weekends, the same as last year. Revenue generated at The Courtyard helps the OCWS fund our two Orange County Fair Wine Competitions: the Commercial Competition and Homewine Competition; most of our OCWS office expenses, and helps offset the cost of our Scholarship Program. On the OCWS website, please find a Wine Courtyard Sign-Up form for volunteering at The Courtyard. Also on the website, is the Server Responsibility Statement. Please review and sign this statement and return both immediately to the OCWS Office.

Please take this opportunity to sign up now as a Courtyard volunteer. Every effort will be made to assign you to shifts and duties that you select. You will be called if your requests cannot be honored. All shifts are noted on the signup form and all schedules are similar to last year. Members are requested to work at least three shifts during the Fair. Historically, certain shifts are hard to fill. These understaffed shifts tend to be weekday nights and Sunday nights (the 8:00 to 11:30 pm shift). When submitting your sign-up form, please consider volunteering for one or more of these shifts. Those shifts already full have been filled in on the website volunteer sign-up form.

This year, we are going to have the return of the “Express Bar” from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. daily. We will be serving only four wines. Wines will vary from weekend to weekend. An 8-oz. glass will be served for $8. No tastes, or drink tickets will be honored. The Express Bar is designed to speed up the serving process for Fair customers who are headed to the concerts. Therefore, we will need four volunteers to staff this function—two servers, a cashier and a wine steward. When you sign up, please consider volunteering to work the Express Bar.

New this year will be Wine Seminars held on the last four Fridays of the Fair. Also, in order to facilitate the educational experience, no music will be played in The Courtyard this year. In addition, the Winemaker Group will be holding their seminars in The Courtyard on Saturdays from noon to 2:00 p.m. Our regular seminars will be held at 3:00 p.m. and at 5:00 p.m.

Courtyard assignments will be made on a first-come basis so return the sign-up form as soon as possible, but no later than June 30. The availability of shifts will be periodically posted on the website. Your assignment will be confirmed in early July and you will be mailed a copy of our Volunteer Procedures, your picture badges, and a hanging parking pass, and parking instructions. Please contact Larry Graham at 949.551.0155 for questions concerning assignments or special parking needs.

“The Beat Goes On” is the theme of the 2010 Orange County Fair. Whether you are a new volunteer or a Courtyard “veteran”, this is your opportunity to experience the Orange County Fair while helping our OCWS staff The Courtyard.

Remember, when submitting your volunteer request, please (1) fill out the Courtyard sign-up form completely, (2) sign the Server Responsibility Statement (your TIPS card is on file in the OCWS office). Please do not write any notes on the form as it is for the OC Fair. Send all of the above to the OCWS Office. 

Please sign up for a minimum of 3 shifts.  Don’t wait, shifts are filling up fast!

See you at the Fair!

 

Larry Graham

Courtyard Volunteer Coordinator

 

Chris Cunningham

Courtyard Chairman