Want to laugh? Go see Master Hypnotist Mark Yuzuik: He performs at the Action Sports Arena from Aug. 13 through Aug. 17. His shows are at 4, 6 and 8 p.m.

Go dancing at night at the Plaza Pacifica Stage: Swing dancing with a live band on Fridays 8:30-11:30 p.m., DJ West Coast Dave on Saturdays 8:30-11:30 p.m., Latin Dancing to a live band Sundays from 7:30-10:30 p.m.

See the mama pig and babies: You have to do this, don’t you think? There’s a sow who’s due to deliver the first week of the fair, and also another due the last week of the fair. Pigs typically have litters of 8-14 piglets. You can find them in Centennial Farm.

See a show at the Action Sports Arena: You have to pay for reserved seating, but there is limited general admission seating or standing as well. Yes, go watch those monster trucks tear up the ground.

Stay hydrated for free: You can refill your own water bottles at six chilled water stations around the grounds for free. Stations are at the main carnival, Kidland carnival, Fair Square near Blue Gate, livestock near the Western Saloon,  carnival, Family Fairway near Green Gate and Park Plaza near pig races.

Free carnival rides for kids: Most carnival rides aren’t free, of course, but kids ages 5-11 who read three books and sign up for the Read & Ride program can get a QR code valid for two free rides in the Kidland area only. Only one per child. Here’s how to sign up.

Hang with some cute animals at the petting zoo: Near the Yellow Gate, find a petting zoo with goats, sheep, pigs and more.

Root for the All-Alaskan Racing Pigs: You can’t miss those, can you? These piglets travel in a custom “Piggy Penthouse” trailer that’s heated and air conditioned. And, yes, they just love to run. Racecourse is between the Family Fairway and the Plaza Pacifica. Wed, Thurs & Fri: 2, 3:30, 5, 6:30 & 8 p.m.; Sat & Sun: 12:30, 2, 3:30, 5, 6:30 & 8 p.m. ocfair.com/oc-fair/things-to-do/animals/pig-races/

Explore interesting animals in the Livestock Area, near the Yellow Gate (and there are more animals too!)

• Pygmy goats: Yes, how cute are they? Pretty darn cute.  They can reach heights of 22 inches and weigh 50-70 pounds. They’ll be in the barn from July 18 to July 20.
• Llamas: No, you don’t have to go to South America. There will be dozens of them in the livestock areaJuly 18-20.
• Miniature donkeys: Less than 36 inches tall, they’re fun and friendly to their owners. In the barn July 29 to Aug. 3.
• Barnyard fashion parade: Take in this runway show at 6 p.m. Aug. 6  in the livestock show ring.
• Friesian Horse Club of Southern California: Two of these gorgeous animals will be on display Aug. 13-17. Their owners will be there daily to share and talk to people about the breed. Other horses are also expected to be exhibited.
• Learn more: ocfair.com/oc-fair/things-to-do/animals

Go see the milking demonstrations with dairy cows:  Head over to the Millennium Barn to see cows milked at 2:15 and 4:15 p.m daily.

See a show free at the Hangar until 5 p.m.:  Daily performances including folklorico and belly dancing, choirs, martial arts demonstrations and clog dancers. Located at the main mall between the Family Fairway and the Action Sports Arena. Note: After 5 p.m. you have to pay for seats but it’s free to stand. Learn more: ocfair.com/oc-fair/entertainment/community-entertainment/

Free live music all day long on the Meadows Stage: Performers will include Sean Oliu & The Coastline Cowboys, Lousy Little Gods, Ashley Felton Trio, Morrison King,  Lucky Coot & The Band of Bobs, Front Street Troubadours. Located between Centennial Farm and Fair Square. Learn more: ocfair.com/oc-fair/entertainment/community-entertainment/

Lots to enjoy at the OC Promenade Stage: Magician Frank Thurston performs at 2, 4 and 6 p.m. Evening shows will include Suemy G, Danny Maika & Trio, John Kraus & The Goers, Wimberley Bluegrass Band, Mariachi Juvenil Herencia Michoacana and more. Located off the main mall. Learn more: ocfair.com/oc-fair/entertainment/community-entertainment/

Hear the nightly performance of “Taps”: The military tune will be played at 6 p.m. at Heroes Hall. Located between the Blue Gate and the Pacific Amphitheatre.

Look out for the Red Light Brass Band: The combo will roam the fair from noon until 6 p.m. daily.

Enjoy the exhibits: This year, they’re divided into culinary arts, hobbies and handicrafts, horticulture, livestock, table settings, visual arts, wine and woodworking. This encompasses many specialties, including floral arrangements, sugar arts and confections (yum), photography, miniatures, embellished clothing, wood carving, quilts, cosplay costumes, scrapbooking, upcycled handicrafts, livestock animals and lots more.

“I wanted to spend time with my family and have a good summer with them,” Visoso said.

Visoso, 24, hadn’t been to the fair in more than a decade. After all those years waiting, how would he spend his day on the fairgrounds?

“Hopefully get on all the rides, because I know there’s going to be a lot of people coming in,” he said. “And get some good food.”

The 2025 OC Fair will run through Aug. 17 — it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The 23-day event is expected to bring in more than a million guests. Daily attendence has been capped since the onset of the pandemic and popular days sell out each year.

New activities this year include an after-dark event at the Plaza Pacifica that will get people moving with swing dancing, Latin music and more on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Read also: OC Fair 2025: Here’s what you need to know to pay, play and park

New attractions, food and stands, including Tom’s Puffs and Pie, the 180-foot-tall Aviator and an exhibit paying tribute to the VHS tape era featuring movie poster art, have also been added to the mix.

Each year, hundreds of residents submit entries to the fair’s competitions. Everything from quilts to cupcakes to table settings.

With a list of his family’s 20 entries, Long Beach resident and event planner Dan Smith Chavira rushed to the glass cases displaying the winning entries, searching for any blue ribbon wins. This is his second year submitting baked goods with his family. His niece had been perfecting her eight recipes for months, he said.

“This is the moment when you can first see the results,” Smith Chavira said. “So we doorbusted to see how we did.”

His Portuguese Focaccia, inspired by his Italian grandmother and Portuguese grandfather, won the focaccia class and an overall award for the artisan leavened bread division.

He turned in his focaccia earlier in the week, as well as his Yuzu bar that won an honorable mention in the citrus bar category. Smith Chavira says he only bakes for the OC Fair.

“I’m not a baker, but I’m a competitor,” he said. His focaccia beat out 24 other entries in his category, decided by a panel of 13 judges.

He was the only division winner in his family.

He called this year’s win a “redemption” after his “overdone” French onion focaccia garnered no accolades last year. This year, he told himself, “Don’t overcook it, slow down, cook to your skill level, and relax.”

Even without any entries in the competition, Anaheim couple LuAnn Hillman and Steve Rosco made an early stop in the OC Promenade hall to see the winners.

“We see all the talent that’s in Orange County. Look at these bakers and what they’ve done,” Hillman said.

They’ve been visiting the fair for more than 40 years. And each year, they go on the first day. They say it’s the best time to catch the food entries, “when everything’s fresh.”

“It’s beautiful,” Rosco added. “It’s not professional like when you go into a bakery, these are regular average people that have these incredible, wonderful talents.”

Standing next to his table setting, Orange resident and administrative manager Tim Wyckoff was approached by fans of his work from previous years. Wyckoff has been decorating table settings for more than 30 years.

This year, his table in the Tropical Paradise division won second place.

“I want to make people smile,” Wyckoff said. “Since I’m not a master of a certain craft, but I like crafting in general, I like that this lets me do so many different versions of crafting.”

He designs every aspect of his table meticulously, including the floral arrangement, glassware and menu. For the theme, he even made an animatronic parrot from scratch.

“The pink in the orchids matches the pink in the salt and pepper shakers. The green and orange are pulled upward into the birds of paradise. Everything is coordinated,” Wyckoff said.

Brian Koch, a 68-year-old arborist, took off work Friday to visit the first day of the fair. It was his first fair in at least a decade, and he purchased a season pass to come back regularly.

“I enjoy going to fairs,” Koch said. “Mainly for the agricultural stuff, not for the rides or anything.”

Throughout the fair, various animal species will come and go for people to visit and watch in competitions. Cattle, chickens, donkeys and more will make their way to the fairgrounds over the next month.

During opening weekend, visitors will be able to see goats and llamas brought by breeders from around Southern California.

Eleven llamas at the fair on Friday belong to Eileen Ditsler.

“I discovered the llamas by accident at a fair like this,” said the 61-year-old San Dimas resident. “I’ve had llamas now for 30 years and they’re just so easy.”

She said a few years ago they exploded in popularity with people watching videos of them on TikTok, wearing llama T-shirts and even paying for them to be at weddings. They can even be taken out for a walk in the neighborhood with a lead rope.

They’re a hit with the fair crowds, especially Jim Wilson, 83, of Cypress, who was smiling in the livestock area as he watched the llamas munching on hay and showing off their poodle-like haircuts.

“It’s so great to see them,” Wilson said. “These guys are something different.”

If you go

When: Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 17

Where: The OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

Cost: General admission is $13 on Wednesdays and Thursdays and $15 on other days; seniors and children are $9 daily. Tickets must be purchased at ocfair.com/tickets and popular dates may sell out.

For more information: ocfair.com

The 2025 OC Fair opens Friday, July 18, for its 23-day run at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.

More than 1 million people are expected to visit the fair over the next four weeks.

The adrenaline seekers among them will likely be trying out the Aviator, a new 180-foot-tall ride that swings passengers for a 360 view of the fair and beyond. Also among the new rides are the Frog Hop for the kiddos and the Royal Wheel, an accompaniment to the larger La Grande XL Ferris Wheel, a fair staple.

The culinary concoctions again aim to please … and test the bounds … and there are plenty of new options, such as bacon cotton candy on a pork belly stick and blue raspberry Dole Whip, to go with the tried-and-true fair favorites.

Soon, fairgoers will be shopping the product buildings for the next gadget; cruising the midway hoping to win one of the many thousands of stuffed prizes; cooing at the barnyard animals, big and small; and otherwise enjoying the vast selection of entertainment available.

Here is what you need to know to park, pay and get inside:

When and where is the 2025 OC Fair?

The 23-day OC Fair kicks off July 18 and continues through Aug. 17; it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

The OC Fair & Event Center is at 88 Fair Dr. in Costa Mesa, just off the 55 Freeway.

How much is admission?

General admission stays the same this year at $13 on Wednesdays and Thursdays and $15 on Fridays and weekends.

Ages 60 and older pay $9 any day, as do those 6 to 12. Children ages 5 and younger are free.

This is the key part: Admission is capped daily, and tickets need to be purchased online ahead of time.

Several days sold out last year, so you will want to plan your trip. Dates with popular acts at the Pacific Amphitheatre, The Hangar and the Action Sports Arena tend to be among the days that sell out.

If you buy tickets for one of the evening concerts at the Pac Amp, The Hangar or at the arena, those include your fair admission for the same day.

Are you a fair junky? The Every Day Passport is available for $60, which has no restrictions on what days or what time you can visit the fair. There is a limited number available.

What are the parking options?

Parking will cost you $15 for cars and motorcycles.

Use Gate 1 on Fair Drive, which is the main gate, for Uber/Lyft/taxi drop-off and pickup.

Fair officials warned that Gate 10 off Newport Boulevard is often closed at peak hours, so you might aim for Gate 1 or 3 (which is on Fairview Drive and Merrimac Way).

Or let someone else do the driving. Besides ridesharing options, the Orange County Transportation Authority is rolling out its OC Fair Express again on weekends.

For $2 one-way or $4 round-trip (kids ride free), you can catch an OCTA bus ride from one of five locations around the county.

Buses will run from 10 a.m. to midnight each Saturday and Sunday – they will pick up about every 30 minutes.

Catch the OC Fair Express at:

• ARTIC station, 2626 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim

• Fullerton Park & Ride, 3000 W. Orangethorpe Ave., Fullerton

• Goldenwest Transportation Center, 7301 Center Ave., Huntington Beach

• Laguna Hills Transportation Center, 24282 Calle De Los Caballeros, Laguna Hills

• Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, 1000 E. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana

Find schedules and more information at ocfairexpress.com.

What kind of discounts are available?

With the cap on daily admission at about 50,000 visitors, the fair is not offering the discounted and free ticket options it once did.

Tickets for shows at the Pacific Amphitheatre, The Hangar and Action Sports Arena do include free fair admission on the day of the show. And there is the $60 Every Day Passport for people who like to visit a lot.

Kids who read three books can fill out a form on the ocfair.com website – find it under general information – and snag a couple of free rides in Kidland.

And you can try samples of many fair foods for $5 until 4 p.m. each day. Just watch for the $5 Taste of Fair offerings at each food booth.

What items are you allowed to take into the OC Fair?

Soft-sided coolers are allowed, as are sealed food and beverages. Water bottles are allowed if factory sealed or empty when you get to the gate.

No cans, glass or outside alcohol are permitted. No hard-sided coolers allowed. All belongings are subject to inspection before entering the fairgrounds.

Wagons and strollers are allowed, and they are also available for rent.

Pets are not allowed, though service animals, as defined by the ADA, are.

There is no smoking or vaping allowed during the fair, either inside buildings or outside around the fairgrounds.

Selfie sticks and drones are not welcome, nor are weapons.

He conceived this year’s OC Fair theme: “Find Your Happy,” and with his imagination and the help of one full-time and six part-time workers/artists, he’s leading the way.

By the time the monthlong fair opens in Costa Mesa on Friday, July 18, Willmann will have spent 960 hours planning and prepping, and he and his team will have spent four weeks setting up.

Willmann, 31, oversees the design of the entire 150-acre fairgrounds.

It’s a dream job for a creative California guy who started out as a 6-year-old decorating family weddings before studying theater in Fullerton, pushing magic out of Mary Poppins’ bag in community theater, and haunting Knott’s Berry Farm.

His artistic flair is evident everywhere at the fair. But a focal point is the Sand and Sea exhibit in the 19,285-square-foot OC Promenade building.

“This is my main kahuna,” Willmann said of the exhibit, which features visual and artistic details in every corner.

Elements of the exhibit, which debuted last year, spent the long offseason in storage at the fairgrounds, packed in 8-by-20-foot shipping containers.

Disguised as art, with hand-painted murals on each side, the containers were moved into the Promenade last month, and their storage area became the so-called swine tent, home for 4-H animals that will be coming for the fair.

“When the stuff comes out, the pigs go in,” Willmann joked.

From the containers, workers unpacked enough display cases, refrigerators and knick-knacks to fill the cavernous Promenade where Willmann’s vision takes flight.

Sand and Sea will feature 10 local landmark displays where visitors can learn about the community’s history. There will be crafts, culinary demonstrations, live music, touch tanks with fish, and virtual-reality deep-sea dives. Visitors can participate in a scavenger hunt for prizes and learn about local coastlines, Willmann said.

Large cabinets will display the thousands of cookies, cakes, pies and other culinary delights submitted by the public for judging.

Creating excitement

Willmann was born and raised in Hanford, a central California town he described as quiet and “known for its historic downtown, dairy industry and really good ice cream.”  There was not much for a kid to do there.

“I had to create my excitement,” he recalled. “I think that’s where my creativity was born.”

Willmann’s mother was one of 16 children. With that came huge family weddings.

“We had no wedding planners or decorators,” Willmann said. His mother, eight aunts “and little Mathew” would gather at Aunt Fatima’s house, just a few doors down from his own. There, they would hand sew hundreds of napkins and tablecloths for events.

His older sister had no interest in any of it. “She got the brains,” Willmann said. “I got the creativity.”

When Willmann was 12, he wanted to redecorate his bedroom, so he got a job at the Hanford Sentinel as a newspaper boy. Delivering 72 papers every day, he earned enough money to buy all new furniture from Walmart.

In high school, Willmann led the theater set and prop team, which piqued his interest in theatrical design. In 2011, he enrolled at Cal State Fullerton and majored in theater. While a student, he got a job at Knott’s Berry Farm, selling skull-shaped shot glasses from a tiny booth under the clickety wooden Ghost Rider roller coaster.

Willmann’s next “super exciting” job was at a prop and set dressing company in Torrance, where he earned $500 a show. As a prop master, Willmann was responsible for creating the magical props used in a “Mary Poppins” production, figuring out how to make a 6-foot-tall coat rack fit into a big purse.

He hid under a table during productions at the Redondo Performing Arts Center in Torrance and the historic Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro, piecing the rack together as quickly as the Poppins actress pulled it out. It took a lot of coordination and nonverbal communication, he said.

After graduating from college Willmann again worked at Knott’s, this time as a seasonal employee in the prop and set dressing department. He was promoted to head of the department after two years and stayed there for 11, creating mazes and dead bodies for Halloween, decorating 32 Christmas trees in winter, and crafting oversized pie sculptures for the park’s roving Snoopy.

But Willmann’s creative mind wandered. He wanted to do more design work, he said, and the OC Fair offered him free rein without a template.

He was hired three years ago and designed the Sand and Sea exhibit for last year’s fair. “It highlights our coastline and the businesses and organizations that make it so magical,” he said.

This year’s version will be similar, but with fresh touches such as Sandra Castle, one of several strolling characters who will perform on-the-spot activities with guests to inspire creativity, Willmann said.

His goal is to bring as many of the fair’s expected 1 million visitors into the Promenade from its two wide entrances during the 23-day run. He wants to educate visitors about the environment with compelling displays and “trick them into learning something” about beaches and protecting wildlife, Willmann said. “Effortless learning is my motto.”

Recently, Sarah Vanderpool spotted Willmann and stopped to hug him. The 8-year employee made him blush as she complimented his work. “You don’t think out of the box,” she enthused, “You created the box!” Then added, “and you have a gentle heart.”

Willmann credits his band of artists.

“Their skill sets are so varied,” he said. “I give them loose design ideas with parameters. I don’t want the building to look only like my brain.”

Allowing different styles is “so diversifying and resonates with different people,” he added.

After the fair opens, Willmann will be roaming the Promenade, pad and pen in hand, taking notes, observing how people react to his team’s creations, and thinking about next year’s design.

Hint: It might have something to do with National Parks.

If you go

When: The OC Fair is open Wednesdays through Sundays from July 18 to Aug. 17; hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays

Where: The OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

Cost: General admission is $13 on Wednesdays and Thursdays and $15 on other days; seniors and children are $9 daily. Tickets, which are already on sale, must be purchased at ocfair.com/tickets and there is a daily attendance cap, so popular dates may sell out. There is a $60 everyday passport available.

For more information: ocfair.com/tickets

If you expect that it will be really hot — all that tarmac absorbing the sun and radiating it back up to you — you’ll be happy.

If you expect that the price of admission — around $15 — plus the parking is the most you’ll spend that day, you’ll be grievously disappointed.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve heard about Jeff Bezos’ insanely extravagant wedding to former TV news personality Lauren Sanchez in Venice, that cost approximately the gross national product of several small third-world countries. (And, of course, the Kardashians were there.)

Well, that could be comparable to your day at the Orange County Fair, especially if you can’t tear yourself away from the fried Twinkie stand.

Last time I took my kids, I calculated afterward that a day at Disneyland wouldn’t have cost much more, which would be fine as long as you have prepared yourself emotionally. It’s like buying a house. Just know that you’re going to spend way more than you’ve planned, and you’ll be able to get over the shock.

It is possible to do lots of fun things at the fair for cheap or free, in fact I just wrote a story listing many of them. If you make a list and focus on doing these things, it’s affordable. Also, if you bring your own food, you’ll be less hungry and won’t buy that turkey leg that costs more than your first car. I always find turkey legs so disappointing, anyway, because there’s less meat on the bone than I expect, and you really have to gnaw to get it. Anyway, don’t go to the fair hungry. Fatal error.

They let you bring in soft coolers (no hard-sided ones), but I like to bring everything in a grocery bag with a frozen water bottle to keep it all cold, and then throw it all away afterward, so I don’t have to haul it around. Don’t try to bring in glass, cans or booze unless you want to get kicked out, or at least scolded.

It’s easy to spend your life’s savings on carnival rides, unless you’re me. I get so nauseous on thrill rides that I avoid them, even if it means I have to sit on a bench for an hour, watching everyone else having fun. Have you ever noticed how people seem to take personal offense that you won’t go on the ride with them and harangue you mercilessly, like a missionary trying to convert you?

The last time I succumbed to such hectoring, I was persuaded to go on this ride that went upside down, even though I knew the results would not be pretty. I ended up barfing all over the person who’d hounded me, which I considered to be poetic justice. And, after that, I just starting saying no thanks, and eventually people do give up.

In a funny sort of occurrence, I spent several years covering the business of Disneyland for the newspaper, which necessitated going to the park several times a week. Many people told me how “lucky” I was to be able to go to Disneyland for a living. Now, I admit it was a good gig compared to digging sewer trenches or being a Walmart greeter all day.

But I don’t enjoy many of the rides there due to my extreme motion sickness, and when you go anywhere for work, even Disneyland, it loses its carefree appeal.

So I save money at the fair by skipping the carnival rides, although when I bring the kids, I just hand them my wallet and give up. I do try to avoid the shopping pavilions, because it’s just so easy to decide your life won’t be complete without that Wonder Mop you’ll never see anywhere else. (Although I have friends who go to the fair just to go shopping.)

But, oh, the smells of the food. You never smell Brussels sprouts cooking at the fair. It’s always something that our psyches are primevally pumped to crave, like bacon. Every edible item at the fair is wrapped in bacon, dipped in chocolate, sprinkled with sugar and fried. Even the vegetables.  This year, there’s bacon cotton candy. And a cheddar bacon doughnut. For real. They should invent a diet aid that blocks your olfactory glands temporarily, so you could make it through these events without consuming 4,000 calories. Although fair food has no calories, like when you’re on vacation.

In case I’ve caused you to yearn for something deep fried and dipped in sugar, the fair this year runs from July 18 through Aug. 17. Maybe I’ll see you there.

• Related: 15 ways to save money at the Orange County Fair

Attendees who visit the fair before 4 p.m. each day will have a variety of fun-sized options to choose from at the various vendors on the fairgrounds. Not only does this allow fairgoers to get more bang for their buck, but it also provides the option for mixing and matching.

• Also See: Here are the wild new foods coming to the OC Fair in 2025

Options include bacon-wrapped pickles from Chicken Charlies, spicy cheese tots from Wahlburgers, or even a strawberry funnel cake from The Lazy Toucan. Some of the vendors are also rotating their $5 deal every few days including Crazy Nachos which will offer asada nachos from July 18-20, esquite from July 23-27, walking nachos from July 30-August 3, chicken nachos from August 6-10 and horchata agua fresca from August 13-17.

Here’s everything you can get at the OC Fair for $5 until 4 p.m., organized by where to find it on the fairgrounds:

Carnival

• Jalapeno Cheese Corn Dog – Big Dogs
• Cup of Streen Corn (small) – Corn Shack
• Dolphin Breeze Soda (9 oz.) – Cowboy Kettle Corn
• Funnel Cake Bites (mini) – Dutchmen’s Funnel Cake
• Flamin’ Hot Pickle Pizza (small) – Enzo’s Pizzeria
• Fried Twinkie – Fried a Fair
• Frito Chili Cheese Boat (small) – ICEE
• Rolled Taquitos (2 small) – La Mexicana from July 18-20
• Chicken Sope – La Mexicana from July 23-27
• Taco TIjuana – La Mexicana from July 30 – August 3
• Quesadilla (small) – La Mexicana from August 6-17
• Chamoy Pickle – Michelaguas
• Mini Donut Tray – Mini Donuts
• Cheese on a Stick (small) – Mustards Midway Cafe
• Pineapple Whip with Fruity Pebbles (mini) – Pineapple Whip Express
• Sour Apple Lemonade (12 oz.) – Squeezers
• Jolly Ranch Slushy (12 oz.) – Sugar Puff Candy
• Popcorn (small) – Sweet Dreams
• Popcorn (small) – Sweeties
• Strawberry Refresher (9 oz.) – Swirl Ice Cream
• Ice Cream Sandwich (2 mini) – Totally Baked Cookie Joint

Centennial Farm

• Kettle Corn, Popcorn or Sno-Cone (snack size) – Candy Land
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Cone (4-5 cookies) – Cathy’s Cookies
• Lemonade (small) – Corny Dogs – Fresh Lemonade
• Ice Cream Cone or Frozen Chocolate Banana – Funnel Cake – Texas Size
• Tiki Bowl (small) – Hawaiian Chicken Bowls
• Giant Western Sausage (½) – Juicys
• Nachos Deluxe (½ order) – NOEL’S Mexican Food
• Chocolate-dipped Licorice (3) – Oasis Fruit Co.
• Turkey Dog (5”) – PINK’S
• Strawberry Dragonfruit or Lemonade Float (8 oz.) – Rowdy’s Root Beer
• Fried Twinkie – StrEat Fair
• Milk Tea (12 oz.) – Sunrise Boba
• Mini Fish Taco – The Hook
• Bayou Smoked Mac-n-Cheese (small) – The Ranch
• Cream Puff Any Flavor – Tom’s Puffs & Pie
• Award-winning Wine (4 oz.) – Wine Courtyard *Limit two per person

Main Mall

• Fried Bacon-wrapped Pickles (2 pieces) – Chicken Charlie’s
• Maui Chicken Slider – Chicken Charlie’s Pineapple Express
• Lemonade (small) – Corn Dogs – Fresh Lemonade
• Asada Nachos – Crazy Nachos from July 18-20
• Esquite (8 oz.) – Crazy Nachos from July 23-27
• Walking Nachos – Crazy Nachos from July 30 – August 3
• Chicken Nachos (small) – Crazy Nachos from August 6-10
• Horchata Agua Fresca (12 oz) – Crazy Nachos from August 13-17
• “Party Cup” Choice of Flavor Dots (3.5 oz) – Dippin’ Dots (Located inside Shopping Costa Mesa Building)Orange Chicken & Fried Rice (9 oz.) – Eddie’s Asian Inspired Cuisine from July 18-20
• Tempura Vegtables (5 pieces) with Steamed Rice – Eddie’s Asian Inspired Cuisine from July 23-27
• Egg Rolls (2) & Fried Rice – Eddie’s Asian Inspired Cuisine from July 30 – August 3
• Fried Rice & Noodles (9 oz.) – Eddie’s Asian Inspired Cuisine from August 6-10
• Orange Chicken & Fried Rice (9 oz.) – Eddie’s Asian Inspired Cuisine from August 13-17
• Pretzel Log either Salted or Cinnamon Sugar – Fair Pretzels
• Banana Dipped in Chocolate (½) – Fresh-Made Ice Cream
• Fresh Lemonade (16 oz.) – Hot Dog on a Stick
• Churro (10”) – Ice Cold Drinks/Churros
• Cinnamon Roll with One Topping – JP’s Old West Cinnamon Rolls (Located inside Shopping Costa Mesa Building)
• Kettle Corn Taste Bag or Cotton Candy – Kettle COrn Junction
• Cold Brü or Matchata with Cold Foam (9 oz.) – MoonGoat Coffee (Located Inside REWIND: A VHS Revival)
• Chicken Nachos (9 oz.) – Pepe’s Mariscos Fresh Mexican Seafood from July 18-20 & August 6-10
• Chicken Quesadilla (10”) – Pepe’s Mariscos Fresh Mexican Seafood from July 23-27
• Fruit Cup (9 oz.) – Pepe’s Mariscos Fresh Mexican Seafood from July 30 – August 3 & August 13-17
• Philly Cheese Steak, BBQ Beef or Roast Beef Slider – Philly Cheese Steak
• Shave Ice (small) – Shave Ice
• Small Hamburger with Dressing & Pickles – Tasti Burgers
• Tater Kegs (2) – Tasti Chips
• Original or Bacon Nutella (½ slice) – Ten Pound Buns
• Big “D” Texas Donut, Frozen Banana or Ice Cream Cone – Texas Donuts – Ice Cream
• Strawberry Funnnel Cake (small) – The LAzy Toucan
• Dill Pickle & Steak Jerky – Timbo’s Jerky (Located inside Shopping Costa Mesa Building)
• Plant-based Meatball Sandwich with Fries – Vegging Out

Fair Square

• Flamin’ Hot Cheetos & CHeese Pickles (small) – Biggy’s
• Hot Dog or Smoothie (8 oz.) – Blended Bliss
• BBQ Pork Sundae (mini) – Chuckwagon BBQ
• Cup of Corn (mini) – Chuckwagon BBQ Corn
• “Party Cup” Choice of Flavor Dots (3.5 oz.) – Dippin’ Dots
• Strawberry Funnel Cake (small) – Funnel Cakes
• Chips, Salsa & Guacamole – La Cantina Walking Taco
• Caramel Peanut Butter Popcorn (16 oz.) – Planet Popcorn from July 18-20
• Caramel Kettle Corn (16 oz.) – Planet Popcorn from July 23-27 & August 13-17
• Unicorn Popcorn (16 oz.) – Planet Popcorn from July 30 – August 3
• Spicy Cheddar Popcorn (16 oz.) – Planet Popcorn from August 6-10
• BBQ Pork Sundae (mini) – Wild Hog BBQ
• Cup of Corn (mini) – Wild Hog Corn

Family Fairway

• Bacon-wrapped Hot Dog (small) – Bacon Nation
• Popcorn (small) – Candy Factory
• Tater Tots with Chili & Cheese (small) – Char Broiled Corn – Giant Baked Potato & Fries / Corn Star
• Fried Avocado (3 pieces) – CHicken Charlie’s
• Maui Chicken Slider – Chicken Charlie’s Pineapple Express
• Soft Serve Cone Any Flavor (mini) – Crutchees’ Cream
• Churros (2) – Dutchmen’s Funnel Cake
• Fresh Frys with Cheese (½ order) – Fresh Frys
• Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza (1 slice) – Cino’s Pizza & Wings
• Banana Dipped in Chocolate (½) – Ice Cream
• Frito Chili Cheese Boat (small) – ICEE
• Tater Twister (small) – Spud Ranch
• Sour Apple Lemonade (12 oz.) – Squeezers
• Jolly Rancher Slushy (12 oz.) – Sugar Puff Candy
• Dole Soft Serve (mini) – Sweet Swirls
• Tater Kegs (2) – Tasti Chips Express
• BBQ Pork Sundae (mini) – Texas Style BBQ

Livestock

• Pulled Pork Slider with Fries or BBQ Fries with a Chicken Strip – Backyard BBQ Village/Big Chicken
• Chicken Nuggets or Aguas Freskas (small) – Backyard BBQ Village/Philly
• Chicken & Steak Street Tacos (1 each) – Baja Bar & Grill
• Lemonade (small) – Corn Dogs – Fresh Lemonade
• Cinnamon Roll with Frosting (½) – Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls
• Churro (10”) – Iced Cold Drinks/Churros/Soft Frozen Lemonade
• Chocolate Soft Serve Cone (small) – Ice Cream
• Kettle Corn Taste Bag,  Cotton Candy or Shaved Ice – Kettle Corn Junction
• Mexican Funnel Cake with Whipped Cream (small) – Mexican Funnel Cake
• Chocolate Chip Cookies (4) – Mom’s Bakeshoppe
• Strawberry Dragonfruit Juice Float (small) – Tasti Whip
• Spicy Cheese Tots (small) – Wahlburgers

Plaza Pacifica

• Garlic Chicken Kabob (small) – Garlicky’s
• Churro (10”) – Ice Cold Drinks/Churros/Soft Frozen Lemonade
• Chicken Taquitos (2) – Papi’s Puffy Tacos

The OC Fair, celebrating its 135th year, will run from July 18 through Aug. 14. The fair is bracing for roughly a million visitors, all of whom — in between roller coaster thrills, baking showdowns, livestock exhibits and live tunes, will require some serious sustenance. And while you can still get your hands on the classics, like corndogs and funnel cake, this year’s theme of “Find Your Happy” is a clear directive for you to discover your own culinary bliss.

The following is just a taste of the new, boundary-pushing snackage coming to the OC Fair this year.

Bacon Nation

Bacon cotton candy and pork belly on a stick: Sure to be the must-have item at this year’s fair, the new bacon cotton candy feature’s Bacon Nation’s thick cut, smoked pork belly enrobed by bacon-flavored cotton candy, studded with even more bacon on top. “We serve it as one big poof ball with a huge chunk of pork belly inside,” said Nate Janousek, co-owner and chef of Bacon Nation and Spud Ranch concessions. “You get sweet and savory, you get that fluffy cotton candy texture, and you get the smokiness from the pork belly.”

Bacon-wrapped carnitas burrito: Janousek offers a new burrito that’s filled with beans, rice and carnitas. “We cook it slowly until it’s tender and falls apart,” he said. Gliding the lily, he then wraps the burrito in bacon, which is then fried and served with homemade salsa, sour cream and cheese. “It’s the bomb dot com,” he added.

Location: Family Fairway

The Candy Factory

Chocolate Dubai strawberry cup: Making his 33rd appearance at the OC Fair this year, Dominic Palmieri debuts the Chocolate Dubai Strawberry Cup this year. But unlike the innumerable Dubai chocolate concoctions flooding the market, which sometimes use a fraudulent filling made with white chocolate and pistachio flavoring, Palmieri’s stuff is the real deal. “There’s a global shortage of pistachio cream right now, but we have secured over 100 gallons of pistachio cream that will be then mixed with our kadayif and we create Dubai chocolate cups.”

Ice cream nachos: Using shards of broken sugar cones that act as the nachos “chips,” these sweet nachos come with vanilla ice cream and sauces in different flavors.

Location: Carnival

County Fair Cinnamon Rolls

Tres leches cinnamon roll: Just as the name suggests, the new tres leches cinnamon rolls for 2025 parallel the cinnamon and ultra-dairy flavors of the famed tres leches cake.

Location: Livestock

Chicken Charlie’s

Bean and cheese waffle cone: Collaborating with Foodbeast (shout out to the Santa Ana-based food and drink publication!) for the first time, Charlie Boghosian’s Chicken Charlie offers a new bean and cheese waffle cone. Just as it sounds, it’s a cone of bean and cheese.

Frog legs: While not new to Chicken Charlie’s, the frog legs are a tip of the hat to Boghosian’s childhood in Damascus, Syria. “When I was young and growing up in Damascus, my uncle was a frog leg hunter, and he would always bring frog legs to the house where he would skin them, batter them and fry them,” he said. Now you can taste part of Boghosian’s heritage at the fair.

Lobster mac and cheese cone: Luxe dish lobster mac and cheese gets the fair treatment by being shoved into an edible cone.

Mozzarella meatballs on a stick: What could very well be one of the most sought after dishes at the OC Fair 2025, Boghosian’s mozzarella meatballs on a stick takes the corndog format to a new level: three meatballs and three pieces of mozzarella are plunged onto a skewer, battered and fried golden brown. “They’re like kebabs, if you will.”

Location: Main Mall

Enzo’s

Chicharron and pork-a-palooza pizzas: Two new pizzas from Palmieri’s Enzo’s concession debut this year. The Pork-a-palooza pie, which Palmieri bills as a New York-style pizza, comes with spicy pepperoni and sausage, which is then drizzled with hot sauce. The dough is made 72 hours in advance in order to develop flavors. The chicharron iteration comes topped with pork rinds fried to glassy crispiness.

Location: Carnival

Mom’s Bakeshoppe

Dubai chocolate brownie: A brookie-ified version of the viral Dubai chocolate treat.

Location: Livestock

ALSO READ: 15 ways to save money at the Orange County Fair

Pepe’s Mariscos

Nopales (cactus) tacos: In addition to ceviche tostadas, fried shrimp tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas and other Mexican fare, Pepe’s Mariscos has introduced a new vegetarian-forward nopales taco.

Location: Main Mall

The Pineapple Whip Stand

Blue raspberry Dole whip: This year, Palmieri reimagines a fan favorite, creating a blue raspberry Dole Whip, effectively changing the sunrise-hued pineapple frozen treat into a sky-blue raspberry dessert.

Location: Carnival

Rowdy’s Root Beer

Ice cream floats: Also new to the fair this year is Rowdy’s Root Beer where you can find ice cream floats of many iterations, including root beer, orange, lemonade, Dr. Pepper, strawberry dragon fruit and more.

Location: Centennial Farm

Spud Ranch

Pizza spud: A hefty baked potato gets stuffed with pepperoni pizza sauce, cheese and toppings. “For our baked potatoes, we use a big number 40 Idaho potato, which by itself weighs over a pound,” said Janousek (who also operates Bacon Nation). After baking to fluffy perfection, the spud gets drizzled with a homemade pizza sauce, topped with a generous helping of pepperoni and a mozzarella cheese blend. “Then we melt it so the cheese gets ooey gooey, and we serve it fresh and hot to our customers.”

Location: Family Fairway

Texas Donuts and Ice Cream

Cheddar bacon donut and matcha toasted coconut donuts: Forget glazed and old-fashioneds. Instead, check out the doughnut purveyors’ vivid new creations: a cheddar cheese- and bacon-laced dunker and a matcha donut topped with toasted coconut. (Also of importance, the Maple Big D a la mode.)

Location: Main Mall

Tom’s Puffs and Pie

Pastries and pies: Another new concession at the fair, folks can get their hands on handheld pies and pastries like cream puffs, chocolate eclairs, deep fried apple pie and more.

Location: Centennial Farm

Admission to the fair is limited this year, so many days typically sell out in advance. If you want to make sure you can go on the day you want, then buy in advance. This year, the fair runs from July 18 to Aug. 17.

Here are this year’s prices:

• $13 general admission on Wednesday & Thursday
• $15 general admission on Friday, Saturday & Sunday
• $9 seniors 60+ and kids 6-12 every day
• Free for kids ages 5 and younger

You can also buy an Every Day Passport for $60 that allows you entrance to every day the fair is open, including days that are otherwise sold out. It also includes special offers and discounts. Also, note that purchase of a ticket to see a concert or a reserved seat elsewhere at the fairgrounds also gets you entrance to the fair on that particular day.

Parking is $15 for passenger cars and can’t be reserved in advance. Arrive early.

Learn more: ocfair.com

Joybird, a subsidiary of La-Z-Boy, is leasing 4,643 square feet of space from SoCo owner Continental Realty Corp. The retailer opened its first Orange County showroom on June 5. The company has 12 U.S. locations.

Shoppers at Joybird can customize their furniture choices for the living room, bedroom, home office and outdoor areas.

Coverings come in 75 color choices ranging from woven fabric to leather for sofas, sleepers and sectionals and accent chairs. Furniture choices also include side tables, beds and dressers.

Purchases come with free design services, which include using a 3D space planner, sofa builder, and room scanner.

Other shops at SoCo include BoConcept, Design Within Reach, La-Z-Boy, Brown Jordan, Natuzzi Italia and Room & Board. Food concepts include Arc Food and Libations, Butcher’s House, Greenleaf Kitchen & Cocktails, Moulin, Il Girasole and Portola Coffee.

Address: 3303-3323 Hyland Ave.

Salvation Army thrift opens in Foothill Ranch

The Salvation Army opened a thrift store Thursday, June 26 in Foothill Ranch.

The 15,000-square-foot store at 26662 Portola Pkwy. takes the place of a home consignment furniture store. It’s the fifth Salvation Army retail location in Orange County.

Store hours are Monday-Saturday, 9 am to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm.

The nonprofit said every purchase and donation at the Foothill Ranch store supports the Anaheim Adult Rehabilitation Center, a 179-bed residential program for men and women.

“If you’ve never shopped at a thrift store, you’ve got to stop by — you’ll be amazed at the incredible finds and unbeatable prices,” said Captain Timothy Pemberton, Administrator for Development at The Salvation Army Anaheim ARC. “And the best part? Every purchase helps change lives right here in our community, bringing real hope to those overcoming life’s toughest challenges.”

State program pays 90% of auto A/C repair costs

Does your car’s air conditioning need a fresh blast of cold?

The year-old Cool Air Rebate (CAR) Program offers financial assistance to qualifying, low-income Californians who need a particular coolant leak fixed in cars made between 1993 and 2019.

“Low-income families are often the most impacted by extreme heat, and this program makes it possible for them to fix their car A/C and avoid the heat-related risks that come with driving in extreme heat,” said Nathan Perrine, the executive director of the Car Care Council, which manages CAR.

The program offers a discount that amounts to 90% of the overall repair costs, according to program coordinators.

Here’s who and which cars qualify:

—Residents must meet household income requirements. If they already are recipients of Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWorks, or California Healthy Families, they automatically meet the income requirements. A family of four, for example, would qualify with an annual income of $64,300 or less. A family of two would require an annual income for $42,300 or less.

—Proof of income can be the last six months of income (pay stubs), a copy of a customer’s 2024 tax return, a 2024 W-4 or a Social Security benefit letter.

—If the car (no older than 1993) is leaking R-134a refrigerant – a greenhouse gas – it qualifies for the program. Older cars or light trucks that were retrofitted to use R-134a also qualify.

The program coordinators note that not all vehicles use this refrigerant, and not all air conditioning failures are due to refrigerant leaks.

“The primary goal of this program is to directly reduce the amount of air pollution caused by the release of R-134a refrigerant in our atmosphere,” according to CAR.

Don’t know if your car is leaking that particular refrigerant? A host of repair shops will test the vehicle system for free. Applicants can find out where by going to the CAR website.

CAR debuted as a pilot in Fresno in July 2024. It has since repaired 1,067 vehicles, providing nearly $1.2 million in subsidies to participating auto repair shops across the state. A quick search of area ZIP codes found nearly 230 participating repair shops in Southern California.

The program is paid by consumers who fail to claim can deposits for R-134a they buy in California. That funding system was authorized by the California Air Resources Board in 2024.

We asked program coordinators to explain the program a bit more. Their answers have been lightly edited for length.

Q: What’s the average cost per participant when the rebate is factored in?

A: The cost of each repair varies depending on the repairs needed and the shop completing the repairs. The average repair cost is about $1,100 and the customer is responsible to pay 10% (or $110) of that cost at the completion of the service. The program pays the rest directly to the certified auto repair shop.

Q: How long does the whole process take?

A: Once a resident has received their approval letter from the CAR Program, they work directly with the certified auto repair partner to schedule the diagnostic and complete the repairs.

If the parts needed to complete the repairs are in-stock, the customer can receive their diagnostic and repair completed on the same day. If parts need to be ordered, the certified auto repair partner works directly with the customer to schedule the return appointment, often in the next day or so.

Q: How do people apply for the service?

A: The quickest way to apply is to visit the program’s website at CoolAirRebate.org to complete a five-question survey to see if they pre-qualify. The customer then completes a full application, which includes income verification.

The CAR Program will send an approval letter via email to the customer, and the customer has 120 days to bring their vehicle into a participating auto repair shop.

If the customer needs additional support or would like to complete the application process via mail, they can send an email with that information via the Contact Us link on the website or call 888-534-4728 during business hours.

Q: Will customers get an estimate before committing to the service and payment?

A: Yes, the customer will receive and approve an estimate from the automotive repair partner before any work begins.

Q: Where is the program available?

A: CAR is available in more than 110 cities statewide at participating auto repair shops, which can be found on the shop locator at CoolAirRebate.org.

On the move

Belin Robertson has joined UBS Wealth Management US as a financial adviser in the firm’s Irvine office. He brings 25 years of industry experience, specializing in trust matters and planning around liquidity events for clients and their families. Robertson spent the past three years with Wilmington Trust and previously spent much of his career at firms such as Merrill Lynch and Neuberger Berman.

Top Workplaces nomination period extended

The Orange County Register has extended its nomination period for the 18th annual Top Workplaces 2025 survey.

The workplace survey is open to any organization with 35 or more employees in Orange County (public, private, nonprofit, government).

There is no cost to take part in Top Workplaces, and anyone can submit a nomination.

For the final categories and winners, companies are broken down from small (50 to 149 total employees), midsize (150 to 499 total employees) and large (500 or more total employees).

To participate, go to ocregister.com/nominate or call 714-442-2768.

The deadline for nominations is now Aug. 1.

To see last year’s winners, click here.

Status Update is compiled and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.

The newly opened exhibition at Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa looks at teens and young adults through the insight of 12 artists and art collectives — answering and raising questions about adolescence past and present.

In planning OCMA’s “2025 California Biennial: Desperate, Scared, But Social,” the in-house curators knew right away the show had to include one key element: the involvement of today’s Gen Z teens.

Out of about 150 applicants from around the county, 15 were chosen to be the inaugural group of Orange County Young Curators, a program that OCMA hopes to continue beyond the biennial exhibit.

Their task?

Learn the ins and outs of curation and then do it, culling from OCMA’s collection of 4,600 works of art to present a piece of the show in a gallery space of their own.

The teens had to collaborate to create a presentation that served as a unanimous voice for them all.

What they put together using nine selected works from varying mediums — painting, sculpture, photography, video and a throwback Atari game cartridge — is titled “Piece of Me.”

The group explains their aim to visitors who take the time to read the painstakingly written note on the title wall. It says in part:

“Our exhibition explores the nuance and ambiguities of the many personas that young people struggle to maintain. We hope to peel back these layers of identity that we all possess, bridging the gap between the private and the public, the authentic and the inauthentic, the real you and who you show the world.”

Involving teens in the creation of the exhibit was inspired by a student-driven project at Gardena High between 1919 and 1956 to acquire a collection of early 20th century California art. Fifteen pieces from that collection are also showcased in the biennial at OCMA.

Making that connection between past and present, and creating a platform for more youth involvement in the curation of future exhibits at OCMA, mattered deeply to Courtenay Finn, the museum’s chief curator and director of programs.

“It will continue. So that’s the thing we’re excited about.”

Decision makers

Juniors and seniors from 11 Orange County high schools, the group began meeting for two hours every other week last October, under the guidance of Nate Bench, OCMA’s manager of gallery learning, and Delaina Engberg, lead educator.

Busy with schoolwork, sports, performing arts and part-time jobs, not one of them dropped out of the group over the course of the curation process.

Their work included writing, critiquing and editing the information for the title wall and the extended labels for each piece in their show, along with perusing some 500 pieces of art to make their selections and deciding where to place them in their gallery space.

The color of the three walls where the art would hang was another consideration. If they stuck with one of their choices, a grey called Raccoon Fur, Bench reassured them, “Don’t worry, I think it will look good.”

All the Young Curators are creators in some form or another; a few hope for careers as visual artists, museum curators or art dealers. While most had spent time in art museums with their families or on their own, some had limited exposure and opportunities.

For each, the experience was eye opening in some way.

“I didn’t realize I wanted to be a curator until this opportunity,” said Madeline “Maddie” Horwitz of Woodbridge High, who has traveled the world with her father, visiting art museums along the way.

Edyn “Edy” Rodi of Mater Dei High was surprised by all the behind-the-scenes work: “I never realized how much thought was put into organizing everything in a museum.

“It’s made me appreciate museums and exhibits a lot more.”

For Edgar Trujillo of El Modena High, to whom art was previously more of a “vague” conception, “this is diving into the deep end.”

Their involvement has gotten family members, friends and classmates interested in stopping by OCMA to see the exhibit.

“People have asked about it,” said Jack Barr of Dana Hills High, who is both an artist and a musician in a band called 8th Grade. “They’re all excited.”

‘A lot going on’

The biennial exhibition, now in its 15th iteration, opened June 21 with a daylong public block party that included a performance by the reunited homegrown girl garage-punk band Emily’s Sassy Lime. Their 1995 album “Desperate, Scared, But Social,” released while they were still in high school, is the source of the name for the biennial, which includes a show curated by the band members.

Lead sponsorship of the Orange County Young Curators program was provided by OCMA’s Visionaries support group.

The program paid the students for their time, a monthly stipend of $150 on a Visa card, and provided the means to take turns as “snack curator” to purchase something to munch on at their gatherings in the museum’s Education Pavilion.

But the best reward will be what other people gain from what they’ve assembled.

“To me, art is one way to understand humans,” Trujillo said. “The theme of our show is to be reflective. I want that to get across to our audience.”

A week before the show’s opening, they went through the final steps of placing their chosen art pieces in their gallery. The school year had ended for almost all of them by then, with some fresh from their graduation ceremonies.

Even the placement of a lone bench took a bit of discussion. Should it be parallel to the back wall or perpendicular? Might someone bump into it?

The day before the opening, OCMA held a press preview at which the Young Curators were expected to be on hand to field questions about their curation.

“You guys are the experts,” Engberg had reminded them.

The rest of the experts in the 2024-25 Orange County Young Curators cohort: Angelina Farias, Century High; Helen Han, University High; Jaden (Jade) Huang, Laguna Beach High; Pablo Matías Hernandez Martinez, Woodbridge High; Valeska Morales of Century High; Ethan Ryan, Corona del Mar High; Juhae Ryu, Troy High; Kenzo Scott, Huntington Beach High; Rachel Sung, Orange County School of the Arts; Penelope Vielma, Pacifica High; and Laura Wagner, Corona del Mar High.

Each wrote their own bios for the OCMA website. Learn more about them here.

Two pieces in particular stand out in their gallery: a 2004 painting of Britney Spears by Alison Van Pelt that has never been exhibited and the wall-dominating cornucopia of images in the 2006 acrylic on canvas “Long Before Rock ‘n’ Roll” by German artists Abetz & Drescher.

The 2007 hit “Piece of Me” by Spears inspired the name for the Young Curators show.

“I’m getting a lot of emotions from here,” said Morales of Century High as she paused during a break in one of their last workdays to look around at the images assembled for ‘Piece of Me.’ “There’s just a lot going on. You can’t tell if it’s supposed to be happy or supposed to be sad.”

Much like the life of teens, a visitor might think.

Morales is the one who spotted the piece by Abetz & Drescher out of the corner of her eye during a group visit to the OCMA storage warehouse in Orange.

With so much detail, she said, “You’ve just got to sit there and think about it.”

There’s plenty of time for that. California Biennial runs through Jan. 4.

The Orange County Museum of Art is located on the plaza that houses Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 3333 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays, with entrance free to the public.