By Carolyn Christian

Spring is finally here and April kicks off our busy season as we host our flagship events. This year we have a particularly busy April, with 10 events to choose from this month alone.

Make sure you read our newsletter and website and review the weekly reminders for details on all the diverse events coming up in the next few months so you don’t miss out!

New starting this month

• Membership Information Verification: You will be receiving an email from us with the information listed in our membership database. Please take a moment to check that the information is correct (your email, name and co-member name, address, join date, whether you are interested in home wine activities, etc. Feel free to reach out to Rochelle or Lynda in the office if you have difficulty updating your profile information.
• New Member Badges: The OCWS is rolling out a new member badge—same logo and look but with the addition of the year you joined. This is part of our effort to showcase and recognize our members and the number of years they have dedicated to our organization.

Thank you to our volunteers!

This organization is run by our volunteers. Each year hundreds of you participate on committees and at events. It warms my heart to see so many people take interest in the well-being of our organization, which is now in its 48^th year! This month, I would like to highlight just a few of those who dedicate their time to running this organization.

First, the Spring Social Committee, chaired by Alice Polser and Betty Jo Newell, is putting together a fun-filled day of food and wine April 6 featuring the incredible cooking of our own Cooks’ Caucus. The Wine Auction team has also been hard at work putting together an amazing event. You will be able to see the fruits of their labor April 20.

Fran Gitsham is heading up the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition June 1-2 again this year. This event is run by a group of dedicated individuals who work year-round to put on one of our flagship events. Kevin Donnelly is heading up the OC Fair Home Wine Competition June 8, run by another group of volunteers who make another one of our flagship events a huge success.

Fred Heinecke and Fran Gitsham are co-chairing this year’s Wine Courtyard at the OC Fair July 19 to Aug. 18, supported by another team of amazing volunteers.

Hats off to Ed Reyes for heading up the Winemakers Group and a whole series of events to help those interested in learning how to make wine.

And finally, a big shout out to Greg and Cathy Risling – for putting together this amazing newsletter and organizing some great outings at local wineries.

Thank you to all who volunteer for OCWS and make it such an amazing organization!

Future Volunteer Opportunities

All our events require volunteers to keep them running smoothly. If you haven’t already signed up, I highly recommend volunteering for the Commercial and Home Wine Competitions in June and the Wine Courtyard in July and August. These are volunteer opportunities that you can’t find anywhere else. All involve a variety of volunteer positions and provide you with a unique opportunity to meet winemakers and try new wines.

In addition, we invite you to become ambassadors for OCWS and spread the word to all your favorite California wineries about the 2024 OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition. You should have already received an email with four ways you can help get the word out by forwarding our email announcement, taking a copy of the brochure to wineries when you visit them, volunteering to call wineries about entering and tagging us on social media when you visit your favorite wineries or open a bottle of their wine. For more details, about becoming an Ambassador.

I look forward to seeing you all at our many upcoming events! Cheers and Happy Spring!