Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Competitions & Contests Announced for 2013 OC Fair

Think you  bake one delicious apple pie, brew the best beer or have an uncanny knack for  making crafts? Enter [YOUR] 2013 OC Fair competitive entries for an opportunity to earn an award and have your winning entry on display for more than one million Fairgoers from July 12th – August 11th. The 2013 OC Fair invites locals to put their skills and knowledge to the test and sign up to compete in the many competitions and contests being offered this year.

Categories and divisions available this year include:

• Culinary/Wine/Beer: Baked Goods & Confections, Preserved Foods, Sugar Arts, Food Blog Posts, Table Setting Designs, Homemade Beers, Commercial Wines & Home Wines
• Crafts & Hobbies: Collections, Fiber Arts, Hand Crafts & Hobbies, Jewelry Arts
• Visual Arts: Woodworking, Photography & Non-Traditional Prints, Sculpture, Painting, Graphics, Ceramics, Student Video Festival
• Garden & Floral: Fruit & Vegetable, Cut Flowers, Container Plants, Floral Arrangements, Floral Design Contest
• Livestock: Market Shows (Orange County 4-H and FFA only): Beef, Calves, Swine, Sheep, Goats, Rabbits, Broilers, and Turkeys, Breeding Shows: Dairy Goats, Pygmy Goats, Open Angora Goats, Cavies, Poultry, Rabbits, Youth Breeding Sheep, Youth Egg Laying Contest, Educational Posters & Contest
• Youth: Collections, Culinary, Garden & Floral, Fiber Arts, Youth Fine Arts, Hobby & Craft, Jewelry Arts, Photography

The OC Fair competitive entries require online registration in advance and the deadlines for entry registrations are as follows:

• April 26 – Commercial Wine
• May 3 – Homemade Beer
• May 18 – Home Wine
• June 1 – Crafts & Hobbies, Visual Arts, Youth (Fiber  Arts, Collections, Hand Crafts & Hobbies, Jewelry Arts)
• June 7 – Livestock
• June 10 – Culinary Arts Baked Goods & Confections, Preserved Foods, Sugar Arts, Table  Design

Entry registration deadlines for Garden & Floral competitions vary, visit ocfair.com/competitions for the list of dates. Entry registration for all competitions is currently being accepted online at ocfair.com/competitions. For participants who need help with an online entry, the OC Fair has scheduled “Help Days” from May 29 – May 31, Wednesday – Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the OC Fair & Event Center Administration Building.

In addition to the traditional competitions, the OC Fair is also hosting Special Culinary Arts Contests for amateur cooks and bakers to show off their skills. Most contests are only open to adults 18 and older. Each contest will be judged and awarded live at the Fair. The entry registration forms and contest details are available online at ocfair.com/competitions in the Culinary Arts Guide under the “Culinary/Wine/Beer” section. Entry forms are due the Wednesday before each contest:

• Get Baking Cookie Contest – July 20 (Also open to ages 5-18) (Register by July 17)
• Hot! Hot! Hot! Chili, Wings or Salsa Contest – July 27 (Register by July 24)
• OC Cupcake Classic – August 3 (Also open to youth ages 5-18) (Register by July 31)
• Salad Daze Contest – August 10 (Register by August 7)

The 2013 OC Fair, themed Come & Get It, is July 12th – August 11th and brings 23 days of food, rides, exhibits, animals, music, action sports and fun, as well as the Toyota Summer Concert Series at the Pacific Amphitheatre, The Hangar and Action Sports Arena. The Fair is open Wednesday – Sunday. Concert tickets, action sports reserved seats and single-day general admission are available for purchase online at ticketmaster.com or from the on-site Box Office. The popular Super Pass, which offers the passholder 23 days of admission, is available for purchase online at ocfair.com from the onsite Box Office.

The OC Fair & Event Center is located off the 405 and 55 freeways at 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa. For more information, visit ocfair.com, become a fan at Facebook.com/OCFair and/or follow them at twitter.com/ocfair.

Note:  Press Release is from the OC Fair & Event Center and Photo Credit is here.