By Fred Heinecke
There’s only 17 days until the Orange County Fair begins and the 50th annual Courtyard at the OC Fair is the event everyone is anticipating.
The cellar has been stocked to the top. Signups began weeks ago and all the volunteers have marked their calendars, checked their RBS status and planned for a summer of wine and fun. This year, “Your Adventure Awaits,” begins Friday July 17 and runs through Sunday, August 16, with Mondays and Tuesdays dark.
Schedulers Rich Skoczylas and Sue England have been hard at work to get all the volunteers their five required shifts. During the second week of July, Leslie Hodowanec and the set-up crew will transform the currently plain walls into The Courtyard, that familiar wine bar the fairgoers love to see.
The Courtyard continues to be the largest fundraiser of the year for the Orange County Wine Society. The Featured Winery Program (put together by Liz and Lloyd Corbett) is the single largest fundraiser for the OCWS Scholarship Fund. This year’s lineup is again fantastic with many medal-winning wines. Be sure to stop by and have a taste.
The very popular Saturday and Sunday Wine Seminars (coordinated by Sara Yeoman and Ed Reyes) are set to begin on July 25 and run through August 16. Tickets will be available when the fair opens at The Courtyard office, but be fast, they often sell out.
Training for servers, cashiers, stewards and managers will be in early July. The dates and times will be sent to volunteers via email. As always, there will be opportunities to add shifts throughout the run of the fair. If you are interested in training for a new position, contact Rich Skoczylas and plan on attending the appropriate training session.
We have exciting new happenings this year with new point-of-sale touch screen registers, wine by the bottle at the Chris Cunningham Express Bar and some new-look decorations honoring our 50th anniversary. Volunteers will once again receive two drink tickets a shift that can each be exchanged for a glass of varietal wine or two tastes of some fantastic award-winning wines. The fair credentials allow volunteers access to the fair every day, including sold out dates.
See you at the fair!