The OC Fair is a great place to find fun food, carnival rides and live music. But it’s also about bringing the community together, and Heroes Hall is on a mission to capture and share stories of military service to unite and inspire Orange County.
For the first time,
Heroes Hall is open during the OC Fair and the veterans museum has unveiled a newly installed story booth, the key to a video project to capture and share stories of sacrifice and duty.
On the second floor of Heroes Hall, a booth with a computer, video camera and microphone are set up facing a vintage military photo backdrop. Storytellers simply sit in front of the camera, answer a few questions and hit record.
“I saw a presentation in Washington DC on a self-directed storytelling project and thought it would be a great way to capture the stories of our past and present military,” said Bolton Colburn, Heroes Hall supervisor. “I hope we’re able to share and preserve some interesting stories.”
The video system, on long-term loan from the Cleveland Museum of Art, is designed to make the process easy and accessible. First, guests are asked to categorize their story as one of four prompts: “I am currently serving,” “I am a veteran,” “I am a family member or a friend of a military member,” or “I have a uniform or other military object.” After clicking on a category, guests hit record and share their story.
Once storytellers are finished, they are able to send their stories via email to themselves or others. The videos will also be featured on a
Heroes Hall playlist on YouTube.
Heroes Hall opened its doors in February. Fair guests are also welcome to write a postcard to veterans or those who are currently serving in the military. Visitors can ask a museum volunteer for information.
More to do this week at the OC Fair – kid stuff
The Fair is back in action on Wednesday and that’s a terrific time to check out the Explorium, a special area for kids featuring crafts, contests, play areas and the Magic of Frank Thurston. Tykes can have a whole lot of Farm Fresh Fun riding the pedal tractors, playing in the sandbox and being pretend veterinarians.
Don’t skip the petting zoo where guests can touch a wallaby, mini donkeys, llamas, deer and more animals. Watch out for the bouncy baby goats! The Centennial Farmanimals are also accepting visitors and you can catch milking demonstrations and Kids Can Cook shows.
There’s more fun animal action at the All-Alaskan Pig Races, junior livestock judging and pony rides.
Fair fun for kids of all ages
Knights of Valour kick off their full-contact jousting show in the Action Sports Arena on Wednesday and will be performing daily through Sunday.
The Toyota Summer Concert Series in the Pacific Amphitheatre continues with Retro Futura, The B-52s with the Pacific Symphony, Slightly Stoopid, Strangelove / Deadman’s Party and Pepe Aguilar.
Highlights in The Hangar include tribute bands Elton – The Early Years; Hotel California, A Salute to the Eagles; BOSTYX, The Hits of Boston & Styx; and Hot August Night, A Tribute to Neil Diamond. On Sunday, it’s Metalachi, The World’s Only Heavy Metal Mariachi Band and Trevor Hall.
Competition winners and displays in the visual arts, culinary arts and crafts and woodworking exhibit halls showcase the best of Orange County’s creative geniuses. Insider’s tip: these buildings are air conditioned, as are the shopping halls.
The nightly entertainment in Plaza Pacifica includes Karaoke Rockstarz, Peking Acrobats and Mark Yuzuik Comedy Hypnotist.
Go to ocfair.com for details, schedules and discounts.
