It’s time to charge up and bring your power drills and step stools!  Over three days—July 5, 6 and 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., we will be transforming The Courtyard into a favorite location at the OC Fair.

The Courtyard is a place our dedicated members are very fond of all year long for so many years and for so many reasons. Our work keeps The Courtyard ready for upcoming OCWS events after the fair ends.

You can be a part of our amazing setup crew and don’t need to be a server or RBS certified to help. Plus, we will be providing snacks and lunch every day.

If you are available on any or all three days, contact me so I can plan for lunches and parking, or if you have any questions at Les@ocws.org. Thank you, crew!

—Leslie Hodowanec, Courtyard Setup/Tear Down Coordinator and Scholarship Chair

Twice a year, the OCWS holds events for the membership of the Orange County Wine Society. This year, the spring event was held April 30 at The Courtyard on the OC Fairgrounds. The theme was “Jimmy Buffett Party”. Despite being a long way from Margaritaville, the 150+ members and guests came out to enjoy the beautiful afternoon, tremendous music and outstanding food.

The Cook’s Caucus prepared a sumptuous selection of delicious Cheeseburgers from Paradise, Parrot Legs, grilled pineapple, mango salsa, plantain chips, Caribbean-style beans and rice, quesadillas and Frito green salad. As if those island fares left any room for dessert, a delectable key lime sheet pie rounded out the platefuls. Aye, there was plenty to go around as many of the motley crew found themselves returning for additional helpings of the mouthwatering spread.

The Three 2 Sevens filled the afternoon with great music and lots of dance tunes and the dance floor was packed all afternoon. Despite refraining from donning coconut bras or grass skirts, the band serenaded their audience with Jimmy Buffett songs to keep with the theme of the party.

The wine servers were busy pouring California wines from the cellar. A margarita machine was rented to make strawberry Roseritas. The frozen concoctions were so delicious none of the 100 that were made had a chance of wasting away again in Margaritaville. Speaking of which, has anyone seen my lost shaker of salt?

As each guest entered The Courtyard, they were given a ticket for a chance to win a door prize. Three lucky people won a bottle of wine plus either a wine carrier or tropical “It’s 5:00 o’clock Somewhere” shirt.

Over $1,800 was raised for scholarships through the Wine Wall, run by Rochelle Randel, and via a silent auction and wine-related items donated by members Lynda Edwards, Jay and Betty Jo Newell, Richard Ward, Linda Flemins, Fran Gitsham, Glenn and Alice Polser and

items purchased by OCWS. The bidding was fierce but friendly and all lucky winners were delighted with their prizes.

The Courtyard was transformed into a tropical paradise worthy of Buffett himself. Some people claim there is a woman to blame but under the tremendous work of Betty Jo Newell, the individual table settings and centerpieces, hanging decorations and palm tree coolers for water and beer captured the perfect equatorial atmosphere. Additionally, many of the guests wore their brightest tropical shirts or parrots to fit the oceanic ambience.

Thank you to all the volunteers and attendees for making this party so much fun. As Jimmy Buffett says, “Life is a journey not measured in miles or years, but in experiences.” The afternoon spent with Jimmy as our inspiration was a truly enjoyable experience!

Alice Polser – Event Chair

The OC Fair has, once again, set the Orange County Wine Society up for fun all summer long (apologies to The Beach Boys)! The fair runs Friday, July 14, through Sunday, Aug. 13, with Monday and Tuesday dark. This year’s theme, “Happy Together,” fits not only the fair but the whole atmosphere of The Courtyard.

The Courtyard at the OC Fair is our major fundraiser for the entire year. Not only does it provide operating revenue for OCWS, it is the face of our organization to the fairgoers (more than 1 million in 2022)! The fair is also the source of many new OCWS members each year. When some attendees see how much fun the OCWS is, they join on the spot.

The Courtyard runs on volunteers and is a rewarding and fun opportunity. Rich Skoczylas is again coordinating the volunteer sign-ups. Invitations for managers, stewards and cashiers will be sent via email in April. Server sign-ups will open up the OCWS website May 1. Volunteers must sign-up for a minimum of four shifts. If you have not previously worked as a cashier or a steward and have previous experience working in The Courtyard and would like to cashier or steward, contact Rich at Rich@ocws.org. We will consider your experience for these positions. Leslie Hodowanec is the set-up/tear-down crew chair and will announce the dates as the fair opening approaches.

This summer, the fair is requiring everyone who works at The Courtyard to complete the Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training that the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) requires for alcoholic beverage service. This is an online training class followed by a test. Teri Lane is the coordinator for training and more information will follow with links to the class and ABC. The certification is valid for three years and everyone who completed the class last year is still good to go.

At this writing, it looks like The Courtyard will have a summer run much like last year. We are planning on serving varietal wines by the glass, tastes of the award-winning wines and having the Express Bar. The fun and popular Featured Winery Program hosted by Liz and Lloyd Corbett (that earned more than $15,000 in scholarship donations) will be back. The ever popular, often- sold-out wine seminars also will return.

Don’t forget the added benefits of working shifts over the four-week run. Your credentials will give you access to the fair any day it is open (even sold-out days) and your parking pass also is valid. The big pluses are the wine tickets that equate to two glasses of varietal wine or eight tastes of award winners per shift worked. You can pour the two glasses into a Govino glass and head to a show. The ocfair.com lists the concert events at both The Hangar and the Pacific Amphitheatre.

If you haven’t volunteered for The Courtyard in a while, consider returning this summer for some of that summer fun. If you are new to The Courtyard, come on down. Fran Gitsham and I are co-chairing The Courtyard this year and we will see you at the Orange County Fair!
—Fred Heinecke,
OCWS Director

The 2022 OC Fair, now just a fading memory, is still fresh in the minds and hearts of the 212 OCWS volunteers whose dedication and enthusiasm brought success to this year’s Courtyard. With over 1,340 shifts worked and thousands of hours spent behind the scenes before and after the Fair, the Fair came and went like a breeze on the wind.

As a partner to the Orange County Fair & Events Center, we run both the Commercial and Home Wine Competitions. In return, we are given the opportunity to run The Courtyard, with income therefrom paying for both Competitions and covering OCWS’ overhead for the following year. The Featured Winery Program and donations from the general public raise funds that are contributed directly to our Scholarship Fund.

The success of The Courtyard is due, in no small part, to The Courtyard Committee, cash verifiers behind the scenes, seminar presenters, the set-up and tear-down crews, the Featured Winery Program, and too many other positions and programs to name and, needless to say, all the OCWS volunteers who manned or maintained The Courtyard in a number of capacities.

It takes every one of our volunteers, their time, their hands, and their hearts, to tackle the tasks, no matter how great or small, to make The Courtyard a success and provide the OCWS with a fabulous foundation going into next year. Thank you to each and every one of you who volunteered this year!

– Fran Gitsham and the entire Courtyard Committee

This is How It’s Done: It took three days for our talented veteran volunteers to set up The Courtyard for the 2022 OC Fair. With things around us quickly changing every day, new features and with our special touches, we passed all our inspections to make The Courtyard a safe place to meet, greet and appreciate.

It is from our Courtyard teams and your generous service that promote our organization in many ways throughout the year. And importantly, the donations generated fund our scholarship account. New members could experience interesting tidbits few of us get to see, and there will be more opportunities to get involved for the OC Fair in 2023. Sorry we cannot keep The Courtyard looking so nice all year long!

The Tear Down Team will assemble in The Courtyard the day after the Fair ends to take it all down in one day, Monday, August 15 at 9 am until 3 pm. Contact Leslie Hodowanec at Les@ocws.org to sign up. Lunch will be provided.

If you’re smiling when you walk into The Courtyard, thank the Set Up Team!  We are one facet of many that it takes to pull off the OC Fair. We hope you enjoy some photos below of our dedicated OCWS team in action and THANK YOU CREW!

– Leslie Hodowanec, The Courtyard Set Up
and Tear Down Coordinator

We are so excited to be bringing lots of fun to the OCWS by way of The Courtyard at the OC Fair this year! Come join us in person to help support the organization and make our biggest, and much needed, fundraiser of the year a tremendous success.

The Courtyard will mirror last year with a bistro vibe. High-top bistro tables scattered around and, newly added, there will be benches along two of The Courtyard walls for seating. At this time, we are extremely excited to be bringing back in-person seminars and the Featured Winery Program, with its own location and a new bar. We are also planning to bring back Award Tastings, however, if County guidelines and Fair mandates change, we will adapt accordingly. The atmosphere that our volunteers bring to The Courtyard with their love, laughter and commitment remains the same.

To those of you who have signed up to volunteer at The Courtyard this Fair season, THANK YOU! We still have quite a few shift opportunities, so keep an eye out for our SOS (Save our Shifts) emails. By the time you read this, you should have received confirmation of your shift schedules and will receive your badges and parking passes via USPS prior to the opening of Fair.

The Fair has implemented a new program, which replaces the previous TIPS training. The new ABC RBS (Responsible Beverage Serving) will be required of managers, supervisors and volunteers who have never worked The Courtyard before. Anyone who has been TIPS trained, whether your certification is current or expired, will not be required to certify this year, however, the new certification will be required in 2023.

If you are interested in working at the Fair, or adding additional shifts to your requests, please reach out at email address
Courtyardsignup@ocws.org.

And remember, as an added bonus your badges double as entry passes to the Fair at any time, while all other public Fair passes can only be purchased ahead of time online.

We look forward to seeing you at The Courtyard!

– Fran Gitsham, 2022 Courtyard at the OC Fair Chair