By Carolyn Christian

Summers in the OCWS mean one thing: the OC Fair is in full swing where hundreds of volunteers work tirelessly to host The Courtyard during the 23-day run.  August marks the midway point of this incredible undertaking. It is a time to reflect on the organization and the dedication of its current members and to look toward the future with the biggest recruitment time for our organization.

Wine Courtyard

A big thank you to Fred Heinecke, Fran Gitsham and all of those who help make The Courtyard at the OC Fair happen. A special shoutout to Les Hodowanec for overseeing the setup crew. If you are one of the hundreds of volunteers, we thank you in advance for your dedication to the organization. If you are not volunteering this year, we encourage you to support the organization and the wineries by purchasing wine and attending the many activities in the Courtyard.

Featured Winery Program

Several years ago, Liz and Lloyd Corbett developed the Featured Winery Program in The Courtyard. The program has grown in popularity and features award-winning wineries from the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Proceeds from this program go directly to the OCWS Scholarship Fund. Much appreciation to the Corbetts and their team for hosting this program.

Wine Seminars

The Courtyard would not be complete without the seminars held each weekend of the fair at 1 and 3 p.m. As in past years, Sara Yeoman and Ed Reyes head a team of seminar presenters who present amazing food and wine pairings and expand attendees’ wine knowledge. They definitely deserve a round of applause!

Annual Business Meeting

The Annual Business Meeting will be held on Sept. 6 via Zoom. The OCWS board has found that this format works well for this annual review of the organization’s finances and activities. We are aware that many of you miss the days of the in-person Annual Business Meeting, and we are adding a new event in September to replace the social aspect of past business meetings.

Volunteer Recognition Reception

This September 29^th, OCWS will be hosting its first Volunteer Recognition Reception. This event will replace the previous volunteer recognition portion of the Annual Business Meeting and will include food and wine to enjoy as we recognize our many volunteers who have dedicated so many hours throughout the year.  Invitations to those who will be receiving a volunteer award will be sent at the beginning of September.

Membership Special

This is a reminder that we have a great membership special that provides a $20/person credit for new memberships during the fair. This includes memberships purchased through the website through the end of August.  Maybe you have a friend or two who needs a gift membership. Now is the time to purchase it!

OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition

Although the competition is over, committee members are hard at work delivering medals to wineries who won the top awards of Best of Class and Double Gold Medals. You will see photos and posts on Facebook and Instagram throughout the next month or so as they make their way around the state.  Please like, share, and comment on the posts to show your support for the winning wineries.

Marketing and Social Media

The Marketing Committee and its Social Media team have stepped up their game this year, adding several new Social Media campaigns. In addition to the OC Fair and medal delivery posting from the past, you will also notice campaigns promoting wineries by county and other related posts. Please engage with the posts to help promote our award-winning wineries. Feel free to post your travels to wineries on your own social media pages and tag us @ocwinesociety and the wineries.  The wineries love to see our people out enjoying their wines!

Thank You All!

We are so lucky to have over 1,000 members who help run this organization and I am truly honored to serve as president. Please join me in thanking all the volunteers who make this organization what it is today. I hope to see you in August at the OC Fair so we can raise a glass to this amazing organization!  Cheers to you all!