Courtyard at the OC Fair – July 18 through August 17, 2025
The Courtyard at the OC Fair is Coming
For many members, their first experience with the Orange County Wine Society was at The Courtyard. Seeing the fun had by all while tasting and having a glass of wine can make a wine enthusiast want to be part of this event. Your chance to recapture all of that is rapidly approaching.
It is once again Fair Time. The Orange County Fair is set to run July 18 through August 17, 2025. This means the Orange County Wine Society will have our largest fund-raiser of the year at The Courtyard. The 2025 theme is, “Find Your Happy” and The Courtyard will be the happy place staffed by the by hundreds of OCWS volunteers!
The Courtyard operates with five shifts daily. On Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday the operating hours are 10 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, the operating hours are 10 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. The express bar is open daily 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The opportunity to sign-up for shifts at The Courtyard begins on April 1 with the managers, then stewards and cashiers on April 15. Servers can request shifts beginning on May 1. Remember, you must be California Responsible Beverage Service certified before signing up with the exception of cashiers.
If you are new to The Courtyard or haven’t volunteered for a while, no worries. The Courtyard Committee will provide training for all positions before the beginning of the fair. If you need the RBS training, email the RBS team Sue England and Linda Flemins at RBS@ocws.org to get started. If you have been a server in the past and would like to be considered for another position, contact Rich Skoczylas at Rich@ocws.org.
Now for the perks! Volunteers are only being asked to work a minimum of four shifts over the run of the fair. For this effort, they receive OC Fair credentials that allow entrance to the fair any day (even sold-out days) and a free parking pass. And that’s not all. For each shift worked, volunteers are rewarded with two coupons that can each be exchanged for a glass of varietal wine or four one-ounce tastes of award-winning wine. And, of course, getting to know fellow wine enthusiasts and the opportunity to learn about and taste all the varieties of wine.
See you at the fair!
—Fred Heinecke, Courtyard Committee Chair