SoCal with Val 8 08 25 Guest__James Canfield Episode #14

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Did you know that you can try bacon wrapped carnadas,
enter your homemade jam into a real judged competition, and
catch a killer concert.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
All in one day.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
The Orange County Fair is the place where there's something magical,
with the lights of the rides blowing up against the sunset,
the sounds of the kids trying to win a goldfish
or a stuffed animal. With a daily cap of forty
five thousand people, and still sells out almost every day.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
This isn't just deep fried fun and Ferris wheels.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
This is big business and it's got a big heart
with big memory. And today you're getting the inside scoop.
What most people don't see is what it takes to
bring this magic to life, the planning, the people, the
last minute surprises good and bad. And this year there's
a brand new ringmaster running the show. I'm so thrilled

(01:20):
because my guest is the man of the hour in
the center of it all, James Canfield, the brand new,
brand new CEO of Orange County Fair and Events Center.
And yes, he took the reins just in time for
this fair season. Literally July first, we're catching him live

(01:41):
from the grounds in the middle of the action, he's
spilling the cotton candy sweet tea on what's new, what's wild,
and what's really going on behind the scenes. Some of
us he's just learned himself. So whether you're a tureau champion,
a fair ground regular, or someone who hasn't even been
in yours, stick because what we're talking about is the

(02:02):
wildest new food items. What really goes on in planning
and running the fair from bacon rep burritos to blockbuster
exhibits and maybe even a few rides he secretly avoids.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
We'll find out.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
This is the episode that will make you want to
grab your sun hat and your sunglasses and head straight
to the Orange County Fairgrounds.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
I'm Valerie Vandersolver.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
This is So cal with val where we explore the
best of Southern California, one adventure at a time. Welcome, Welcome,
Welcome James Canfield to Southern California, to Orange County and
the Orange County.

Speaker 3 (02:34):
Fair Well, thank you very much. Well, it's great to
be back in southern California. Spent many many years here,
and as I look out the window, I see one
great reason why, and that's because it's always sunny in
southern California. And even sunny er in Orange County.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
Yes, yes it is. We love Orange County a lot.
We just want to know a little hit because we
wouldn't be fair to you if we didn't tell people
the impact of your new position in that you came
from Birmingham.

Speaker 2 (03:08):
Is that correct? Alabama?

Speaker 3 (03:09):
Yes, I was in I've been in Birmingham, Alabama for
the last six years, and you know, I had a
great opportunity to go back there and work for an
organization that owns and operates a campus of facilities, and
the big draw for me was the opportunity to build
a brand new football stadium for the University of Alabama

(03:30):
at Birmingham. So we built a fifty five thousand seat stadium,
broke round in late twenty and nineteen, and reopened and
actually opened that brand new stadium in October of twenty one.
So we really did all of that during the COVID shutdown,
which was really incredible. Obviously, construction being one of the

(03:54):
things that was considered very important to the economy, so
we were allowed to continue. You At the same time,
we also did a full renovation of our seventeen thousand
seed Arena, So in twenty one and of twenty one,
we really reopened the campus with brand new buildings, and
so it was a great opportunity for me and I

(04:17):
really enjoyed my time there. Great group of people, great destination,
and it was fun. You know, it was fun to
do a sold out Garth Brooks concert. It was it
was fun to host the entire first season of the USFL,
which is the spring football league that they that Fox

(04:37):
recreated Fox and NBC. We hosted thirty two football games
in eight weeks, four professional football games each weekend. So
you know, really a lot of fun there. And you know,
we would regularly have fifty sixty thousand people on the
campus because we'd have events in the stadium and the

(04:58):
arena and our two theaters and the convention center. We
also had two hotels on the campus that we own,
so it was there was never a dull moment there.
But nothing compared to what I'm learning here at the
Orange County fair Well.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
And if it's what you're learning in the last what
forty days, then I'm not sure that's good or bad,
but it must be so exciting. I get excited when
I see a home being built, you know, I see
someone moving into a home or someone having a wonderful
family experience. But I can imagine, you know, the doors
open and you're standing there on the field and you

(05:37):
see people coming in and your event comes to life.
And whether it's a football game or affair, there's just
got to be something about opening the door and seeing
the people come and have fun well.

Speaker 3 (05:47):
And that's why I love the event industry because it's
exactly that. It's it's you. You know, you do all
the preparation, You do everything that you can do to
plan it in advance, you know, as a as a
venue operator in this case, as the fair operator, we

(06:08):
take full ownership and are really a part of that
event and part of the lifeblood of it. And it's
incredible to ride that wave and you know, and and
feed off the energy that comes with that and then
get your satisfaction from, you know, the incredible kind of
results that you see and you know, here are are

(06:34):
Our tagline this year was find You're Happy, right, And
I can't think of a better one. I you know,
I've said to some folks that should always be our motto,
right because because everybody that comes here, there's so much
a variety of activity and something for everyone that everybody

(06:54):
really does have a chance to kind of find they're happy.
And you see it just walk through the grounds, that
the smiles on people's faces, the screams of joy and glee,
and you know, the little kid with that with that
bacon wrapped whatever it might be, dipped in butter, you
can't beat that.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
I'm thinking that someday that's going to be your grandchild.

Speaker 3 (07:18):
Absolutely. Yes, we were joking. Our our daughter and her
husband came down to the fair last week, and you know,
we were like, you know, all, if we pray really hard,
we might get her into labor and we can actually
have a true fair baby. But that didn't work out.
But but but but but that's all going very well.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
That'll happen.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
So I'm assuming that you were fortunate enough to have
a team that you could step right into, that there
was a team in place.

Speaker 2 (07:48):
To help you.

Speaker 3 (07:49):
Yeah. Absolutely, And I can't say enough about about the
great team that's in place here at the Fair. And
you know, this doesn't none of this happens by accident.
And and the reality is that we've already started planning
for next year's fair, right, and that starts, well, it
starts before the load in, but you're learning something each

(08:11):
and every day during the load in through the whole fair,
and all of that's documented their video, their photos, their
detailed notes taken, and immediately following the fair we start
doing layouts and everything else to make sure that we're
ready for next year. So yeah, I was very fortunate,

(08:33):
you know. I started July the first, the move in
was already happening, all the planning had been done, the
full team was in place and did a great job.
And literally I realized early on that my job was
to stay out of the way and let the great
people do the great work and continue you know, the

(08:57):
you know, kind of the great history of the Orange
County Fair as really a go to event in southern California.

Speaker 1 (09:03):
And I'm sure there's a combination of your just total excitement,
I can't believe I'm here, kind of pinching myself, as
well as like, oh my.

Speaker 2 (09:12):
Gosh, I'm seventeen days before fair day? Can I pull
this off? Right?

Speaker 3 (09:18):
And I'll tell you not only you know, not only
not having been part of the production of a fair before,
but just the scope of the grounds and it changed
every day. So every day I would take a walking
tour with our operations folks. Then it became a driving
tour because I ran out of gas. Right, you know,

(09:40):
it's one hundred and fifty acres here at the fair grounds.
And what we really focused on is what had changed
from day to day. You know, remember this was an
empty parking lot yesterday. Well now it's it's three fares
wheels or you know. Or you'd see the equipment sitting
on a trailer and the next day you come back

(10:00):
in and this, this giant ride is built and the
lights are flashing, and the noise and the sound is
being tested, so it's real and.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
You're seeing yourself. Oh my gosh, this is real.

Speaker 3 (10:12):
Oh yes, absolutely, and and to be honest a little
overwhelming at first, but you know, everyone was very supportive.
The team has been very supportive and welcomed me with
open arms. And you know, it's a very i think,
a very exciting time overall for the fair.

Speaker 1 (10:31):
And I'm sure your team must have been thinking, are
we hopefully somebody is going to come and help us
with this?

Speaker 2 (10:39):
You guys alone to run this fair? Are they?

Speaker 3 (10:41):
Absolutely? Well? You know, and again I think I think
having a great team is a big part of our
long term success here and critical for any organization. And
the other key that we have is a very educated
and engage board of directors that you know, has really

(11:02):
dug in over the last few years and spent a
lot of time working with the team and working with
the staff on the strategic planning and working very hard
to you know, kind of preserve the legacy of the
fair and make sure that we continue to be relevant
and attractive and can continue to grow and stay current

(11:25):
in the industry.

Speaker 1 (11:27):
So for those of us who are local, I do
have to tell you we have our own little excitement
because there is during the there is a time of
the year when we start to see the rides being
built as we drive down New part Boulevard ac surely
home and I thought, okay, it must be fair time coming.
And we watched, and we waite, and we see more
rides being built, and then we see the traffic get heavier,

(11:49):
and we said, oh, the fair must be opening open.
And then we see the lights on the ferris wheel
and we see the traffic and we remind each other,
don't go home that way.

Speaker 3 (12:00):
A just opened. Yes, well yeah, well Wednesday through Sunday,
opening at eleven am. So you know, and and it's
it's great because you know, we get we get hourly
counts of how many folks come in, so you know,
we can see not only the excitement with the lines
in the morning, but then as the crowd builds throughout

(12:21):
the day and kind of peaks with our events in
the Pacific Amphitheater. You know, that's an additional eight thousand
seats and we've had a great summer concerts series there
as well.

Speaker 1 (12:34):
So let's talk about the logistics of the fairgrounds. So
you you cap it at forty five thousand, was it
your decision? Is that something that was during COVID? I think,
but why do you maintain that? And what were the
average numbers before that?

Speaker 3 (12:48):
Well one correction there, we're actually at fifty thousand this year.

Speaker 2 (12:54):
Oh great, So my numbers are wrong.

Speaker 3 (12:56):
But you know, and I think there's a there's a
bound and between just raw numbers and creating an environment
where everyone is comfortable and happy and has access to
all the activities. And I think in the past, and
it was my understanding that before they kind of capped

(13:18):
it and managed the capacity, it got to the point
where it was so crowded that people were having trouble,
you know, navigating through the grounds and it creates long
lines and really reduces the overall guest experience. And you
know it, we've kind of balanced out at that fifty thousand,

(13:42):
believing that that's the right number that keeps the fair
grounds comfortable for folks, but it also still allows the
vast majority of folks to come in. And we'll continue
to look at those numbers. And as I said, we
can track it on an hourly basis. We can track
our park, we can we can track the traffic, we

(14:02):
can track how you know, we're working to better understand
the length of stay that folks, folks have and how
long they're staying on the ground, so we can always
work to really make the fair more accessible to as
many of our Southern California Orange County residents as possible.
And that's really the key, well it is.

Speaker 1 (14:24):
And you don't want people to feel like, oh, we
can't you know, yeah we went, but we couldn't get
in and it was too crowded and our kids couldn't.
You know, the little kids want to go, you know,
try to win one of those stuffed animals, and you
know all the other things that they try to win,
and that they try to eat, and if they can't
experience it, then they're unhappy.

Speaker 2 (14:41):
It's an happy family experience.

Speaker 3 (14:45):
Well and that and that's the key, because we want
it to be a great experience. And we you know,
we have daily surveys that we do that we're tracking
the things that that people like or or things that
folks are frustrated, and that gives us opportunities to kind of,
you know, work through those things and make those little
adjustments that you do, you know, as part of any

(15:08):
event while it's happening, and you can do that real
time during the event, which is which is one of
the fun things about the business that we're in.

Speaker 2 (15:18):
So let's talk about the fair a little bit more.
Are there any new.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
Any new rides or any new experiences this year and
how did they come about to.

Speaker 3 (15:28):
Be Well, you know, our partner is our CS Ray
ca Amick Shows, and they've been doing this. They've been
in this industry for a very long time and they're
always striving to bring you know, kind of the latest
and greatest of rides. And obviously it's you know, they

(15:48):
have a limited time to get it here, to get
it built and then you know, most of the time
it's now going to the next fair, you know, after
this one's over. So we do have a number of
of new rides this year which are very exciting. One's
the Aviator, which is a new swing ride and it

(16:08):
actually it's the tallest ride on the Midway. It's one
hundred and sixty five feet tall, so you know, you
start by rising up one hundred and sixty five feet,
so if you look, that'll be one of the tallest
things that you'll see on the fair grounds this year.
That's been very popular. They also brought in the Royal Wheel,

(16:30):
which is another very large ferris wheel that's over one
hundred feet tall, which is exciting. They brought in new
ride called SoundStorm, which is a it's very light and
music intensive. It's what you would call a tilted world

(16:53):
type ride if you're familiar with that, absolutely well, this
one is a built in a world plus so you'll
really enjoy that one. Yes on steroids, absolutely, And then
you know, because the kids Land is also a very part,
a very important part of the fair and you know,

(17:14):
the kids are one of our key audiences. We got
a new ride in kids Land, the frog Hop, and
it's literally you sit in a frog and it goes up.
I mean, I can't do that justice, I'm too big
to ride it personally, But the kids love it.

Speaker 2 (17:34):
So yeah, that's great.

Speaker 1 (17:35):
I heard about a Blockbuster theme event called something to
do with Star Wars or actually the Future and posters
tell us about that.

Speaker 3 (17:44):
Yeah, it's very exciting. It's called Rewind and it's it's
it's an exhibit and these folks have the original artwork
for movie posters going back a very long long time.
I can't I'm not sure what the oldest one is,
but gone with the wind era things, and you know,

(18:07):
historically even older than us. Yeah, much older than us, absolutely,
But you know, the one of the interesting pieces of
that history is originally they were hand painted. The posters
were hand painted because they had they didn't have the
ability to do the photo shopping and some of those

(18:27):
other things, right, so there was no way to superimpose
you know, Scarlett O'Hara in front of a burning mansion.
They had to they had to paint that. So the
exhibit features the original artwork for those posters. As well
as the posters, there's some other movie memorabilia that's there.

(18:48):
Their themed areas within they've tied together you know, the
Jurassic parts and the Superman's and the Superheroes and the
Star Wars and some of those other things, and it's
really incredible. And what you hear as you walk through
is I remember that, oh look, you know, and and
it because it brings up these great memories. And my

(19:10):
favorite part is they recreated a small vignette of they're
not calling it a Blockbuster store, but a video store,
right with the with the with the racks, with the
video the VHS tapes and the DVDs and the you know,
posters on the wall and things. So that's been very,

(19:31):
very popular, and we've had really high attendance going through
that building as well.

Speaker 1 (19:38):
And let's just clarify. I'm sure our listeners and viewers know,
but just in case. Now, when you enter the fair,
it's one charge there right then, do you have to
pay extra for the individual exhibits or is it all
one price?

Speaker 3 (19:49):
Now? Well, one price gets you access to the fare,
it gets access to all the exhibits, so it includes
the rewind all the other exhibits and and you started
off you're talking about bringing in your bake goods or
your jams for the judging. You know, I had a
chance to not only taste the couple, which was was

(20:11):
pretty incredible, but just to watch, you know, the professionalism
and the focus of the judges as they're going through
each of these things and whether it's jam, whether it's
a quilt, whether it's the photography or the other art,
or the h you know, the other hobbies, the sculptures,
et cetera. Even a table decoration areage but where they

(20:36):
have themed table settings, and some of those are incredibly elaborate,
and you know, I thought my wife spent a lot
of time, nothing compared to what some of these folks do,
complete with menus that are creative around the theme and
the place settings. All of that is included. In addition,
we have another all five or community stages that are

(21:02):
throughout the fair, and there you'll see local musicians and
other civic groups that are performing and kind of sharing
what they do with the public. That's all and again,
so that's another twenty twenty five musical acts and pieces

(21:24):
of entertainment that are happening. We have the wine tasting
areas open, that's all. That's all included, and then all
of the shopping areas. That's all included in your admission.
The farm, the you know, the Centennial Farm is open,
extremely popular. Kids can get up and close with all

(21:47):
of our animals. I think we're still on piglet watch.
I'm not sure if we've got our next root of
piglets or not, but we do have some fresh piglets
from about a week before the fair. So you have
access to those areas. And then all of the livestock
buildings where the four H and f FA kids bring

(22:10):
their animals in for the judgings. So those animals are
all on display as well, and that's all included in
your price to get into the fair. So again you
can come to the fair just with your admission and
see almost everything. You can bring your own lunch, you

(22:30):
can bring you know, you can bring your own water container.
We have filtered chilled water stations all throughout the fair
grounds as well, so you know, you're not even obligated
to come and spend money. You can come and for
the cost of your admission have a full day at

(22:50):
the fair.

Speaker 1 (22:52):
Gosh, that's pretty amazing. You talked about one. We're just
going to take one second do a little commercial. Here
are one of our sponsors for how what Bell happens
to be Orange County the wine exchange off of Dire Roads,
So you'll have to go meet.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
Those guys as well.

Speaker 1 (23:07):
Absolutely, So what's the story behind bacon cotton candy and
bacon wrapt his burrios. That's a pretty weird combination.

Speaker 2 (23:19):
You know.

Speaker 3 (23:20):
I think overall fair Food has entered into that twilight
zone where every year they're looking for the next incredible thing.
My wife, by the way, a huge fan of deep
fried oreos. I don't really understand it as much, but
my favorite is the candy bacon wrapped pork belly bites.

Speaker 2 (23:46):
So, okay, you heard it here on so Cal with
Bell tell.

Speaker 3 (23:49):
Us so candy bacon wrapped pork belly bites. So basically,
you have bacon wrapped bacon, and I don't I'm not
sure that you can improve upon anything better than that.
But again, you can get just about anything wrapped with bacon. Obviously,
bacon is a very popular flavor that I think is

(24:13):
something that everyone likes. And then all of the different
combinations of things, and yes, you can get bacon flavored
cotton candy around a piece of pork belly, right, so
the stick is a piece of pork belly with the
cotton candy around it. I have not sampled that one yet,

(24:34):
but I understand it's great. But you know, even beyond
that though, there are a lot of very healthy options
as well for folks. We have a vegan area where
you can get vegan food. There are several stands that
feature vegetables and fruit. Now some of the things may

(24:55):
be covered with chocolate, but it's still fruit.

Speaker 2 (25:00):
If it's covered with.

Speaker 3 (25:02):
Chocolate, yes, it's still a vegetable absolutely, So there, you know,
so even if you have even if you're not looking
for something deep fried or wrapped in bacon, there's still
some great options for everyone as they as they come
to the fair.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
So tell us about the Centennial Farm.

Speaker 1 (25:20):
What can families expect and what's happening there at the
fair of the season.

Speaker 3 (25:25):
Uh, Well, the Centennial Farm, as I said, we've got
it is a working farm. So we've got a couple
acres of actual agriculture. We're growing corn, we're growing uh, sunflowers,
more varieties of peppers than I've ever seen in my life.
And you know, when you walk through there, I was

(25:48):
kind of walking behind a group the other day, and
they were, I think, trying to figure out, you know,
which one were the hotter ones, because they each had
kind of a different name. And I'm like, no, no, no,
I want the oblows. No, no, I want that, you
know what I mean. And and so it's fascinating to see.
And you know again, I think, and and then you

(26:11):
have all the regular stuff, the giant pumpkins and and
and the gourds and the the carrots and the celery
and all of those other things that that we're fortunate
to come out of the ground as well. And then
we have our livestock display, so you know, we have

(26:31):
oxen and steers and cows, we have pigs, we have sheep,
we have goats, and they're really all on display. And
those areas get packed because all the kids want to,
you know, touch the the animals and feel them. And
and again people will just stand there and stare for

(26:53):
hours at the animals and just kind of observe them,
because you don't get to see that anyway. And you know,
even if you go to you know, if you go
to see animals at the zoo or wherever that might be,
you know, or even at a farm, you know, we
all drive past farmland and there are cows, but they're

(27:14):
way out there and you see, oh, mommy, a cow.
Well here you put your hand on that cow, right
and really kind of become one with it, which I
think is very cool. The other thing we have at
Centennial Farm is that's where the agricultural competition was held,
so you can actually buy vegetables that we've grown here

(27:37):
at the farm. And we've also got the the winners
and entries on display there as well. So one of
the that I saw was a radish that was looked
like a motorcycle helmet. It was it was massive. So,
you know, you can really see some incredible things.

Speaker 2 (27:57):
So let me ask you. The Centennial Farm is open.

Speaker 3 (28:00):
Year roundial, Oh, I know. The Centennial Farm is open
year round, and that's a big part of our educational programs.
We host hundreds of thousands of kids that come in
on school field trips and it's really for many of
them the only experience they get to see, you know,

(28:22):
of livestock or of you know, kind of an agricultural
environment where they can really be hands on and they
can help pull a carrot out of the ground, or
as I said, see kind of the milking demonstration and
really really get great explanations about how important agriculture and
livestock is not only for them as the things that

(28:44):
they that they need to eat, but also for the
state's economy.

Speaker 1 (28:49):
So when people come to the farm or the place
where they have the chili's, then they can buy some there.

Speaker 3 (28:57):
Yes, as we harvest different items from the farm, Yes,
they're they're made available for sale.

Speaker 2 (29:05):
Right there in that location.

Speaker 3 (29:07):
Right there at the farm. Yeah, there's a there's a
stand with a cashier, so you can you can you
can go away with a fresh tomato or whatever it
is that that we're harvesting at the time.

Speaker 2 (29:19):
And then people can come throughout the year also.

Speaker 3 (29:22):
Absolutely, and again it's it's really set up to be
one of our educational components.

Speaker 1 (29:30):
And tell us about the Heroes Hall at the museum
or memorial. How do you that into the fair experience?

Speaker 3 (29:40):
Well that and and thanks for reminding me, that's another
exhibit that's free for for folks that come to the fair.
That's included in there, uh, in their admission. And and
Heroes Hall is exactly what it sounds like. It's a
place where we can recognize, uh, the service of the

(30:03):
folks that have that have served our country in the military.
So you know, the the fair grounds used to be
an army air base going back historically, the Santa Ana
Army Air Station, I think is what it was called.
And so that is actually a building that was I

(30:25):
believe a barrack that was on the property and they
restored it and made some improvements to it, so it
could actually be the Heroes Hall Museum, and we typically
have We've got a great foundation that operates that for us,
and we certainly hosted here on the fair grounds. But

(30:50):
they have a combination of static displays that are there
year round, really recognizing, you know, folks from the southern
col Borny area, Orange County that served in the military.
And then they'll also typically have some traveling traveling exhibits
that come in. Right now, they've got one featuring information

(31:12):
and the history of the Vietnam War, which again I
think is is still very timely and a lot of
those are veterans and service members that served in Vietnam
are still with us and we see them every day
during the fair Every night there's a tap ceremony at
six o'clock that that happens over there and then we

(31:36):
have that. There's some other exhibits on the grounds outside.
One is a very cool airplane that we got, uh.
The other are we've got some listings of Medal of
Honor winners and other folks that have been honored for
the military service. And that's also around the grounds.

Speaker 2 (31:55):
That's impressive.

Speaker 1 (31:55):
You I'll have to come and see. And yes, a
lot of Vietnam veterans are still around.

Speaker 3 (32:00):
Fortunately, Yes, absolutely that was.

Speaker 2 (32:02):
Certainly my my era.

Speaker 1 (32:04):
What are some of the exhibits and competitions that local
youth should not miss?

Speaker 2 (32:12):
Young people?

Speaker 3 (32:14):
Well, I think that the most fascinating one for me
is is definitely the livestock competitions. You know, we've got
we've got some great four h and f f A
Future Farmers of America programs in our schools in Orange County,
and I think it's a great interest to the general public,

(32:40):
and folks bring their kids in because again, it's it's
an opportunity where you not only get to see the
animals up close and pet them and and feel, you know,
lamb's wool still on the lamb, but also get to
get to meet the kids that have have raised these animals,

(33:01):
and and you know, spent the time and energy to
to kind of get them to where they are and
bring them in to be judged. To me, that's that's
I think one of the greatest opportunities for the kids
to really give up close and personal with the animals.

Speaker 2 (33:20):
Yes, I'm sure, I'm sure it is.

Speaker 1 (33:21):
What are you most excited to see or hear at
the Pacific Amphitheater this year?

Speaker 3 (33:28):
Well, you know, we've already done one of one of
the shows that was my favorite, and that was Fits
in the Tantrums. They're your favorite, Yes, that's a that's
a show. I saw them many years ago at Coachella,
believe it or not, because I was in Palm Springs
for a number of years. But I'll tell you again,

(33:50):
a place where there's really something for everyone. We had
a great, a great act on Sunday. It was X,
which is an eighties kind of a right weight punk band.
I don't want to offend them by saying that, but
it was just so much fun and to see everybody

(34:11):
old and young in the audience singing to every song
and again, to me that that's really the most important
part of it, is that people are just coming out
and having a great time. One of my one of
the favorite visuals that I've had so far at the
fair was three generations sitting at the Fan four concert,

(34:37):
which is a Beatles tribute and and and by the way,
they're great. But so they were playing and there was
kind of the and and I'll say just visually the grandmother,
the daughter, and the granddaughter, and they were all every

(34:58):
word of every beat song and the granddaughter was up
dancing and they knew every word for every song. And
you know, and isn't that the incredible power of music?
But also kind of that demonstrates that family being out
together and enjoying just you know, you can't get more

(35:18):
classic rock than the Beatles, right, you know.

Speaker 2 (35:22):
Nor timeless.

Speaker 1 (35:23):
Yes, you know, there are some others, but certainly the Beatles.
The Beatles take the cake when it goes to that.
So tell us what's the one moment at physier'sphere that
just totally surprised you.

Speaker 3 (35:38):
I'll tell you it was. It was going from and
it wasn't just a moment, but it was it was
my first three weeks here where I saw the where
I saw the grounds go from the grounds and you know,
everyone's been out to the Fairgrounds for different things. I've
been to events at the Fairgrounds over the years and

(36:01):
the shows of the Pacific Amphitheater, but to see the
transition from you know, the kind of the open grounds
and the parking lots to the opening day of the
fair was just mind boggling for me. You know, the
amount of work, the logistics of the work of all

(36:21):
of the partners, you know, our CSR team, our culinary
folks with OVG, everyone pulling together to create this out
of what you know, it's just kind of an empty space.
We have beautiful venues in the buildings and all of

(36:42):
those other things the Amphitheater, but for this program to
open on July the eighteenth was just breathtaking for me
to see that transition from nothing to an incredible, you know,
massive event and then they have forty thousand people crowded

(37:04):
and have a great time. Yeah, every day, every day. Absolutely. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:09):
That really a strong statement for you because you've been
in venue management, You've hosted these amazing football games, you've
hosted You've seen a football stadium go from the ground
to a professional game where hopefully one of your local
teams won, And that's got to be a pretty great experience.

Speaker 3 (37:28):
Yes, but but I'll tell you nothing, nothing compares to
what I was fortunate enough to witness here. And I'm
very excited about getting to do it again and again
and again every year. But it really is there's there's
magic to it, and it's beyond you know, it's not

(37:52):
just transactional, it's not just work, but it shows a
passion and it shows a connection to the mission. And
you know it isn't just a carnival. There's so much
more to it than that.

Speaker 1 (38:05):
And you must have gone home at night and thought
to yourself as you're driving home, thinking, yeah, I had
no idea.

Speaker 3 (38:14):
Absolutely absolutely, And again, as you said, I've done you know,
I've done stadium events with fifty plus thousand people and
wonderful I've had wonderful opportunities, but nothing on the scope
of the fair. And then for it to happen that
way every day for twenty three days is just an

(38:36):
incredible experience.

Speaker 1 (38:38):
And to be able to go home and think, I'm
so lucky I got this job.

Speaker 3 (38:42):
Absolutely Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (38:44):
Oh great that we hear that from you, that we
know you feel that.

Speaker 3 (38:47):
Way absolutely, and you know, to be a part of
an organization like this and the commitment we have to
really be an amenity to the community. You know, our
whole goal is to be and we have to be
self sustaining, so you know, there have to be fees

(39:08):
and things. But because we have expenses, we have to
do the maintenance, we have to pay the staff. We
have to be able to reinvest and expand and grow
and improve and add new things. And you know, it's
more than anything for me, it's that commitment to being

(39:30):
an amenity to the community that's the most important thing
to me.

Speaker 1 (39:34):
If you could create here's a good question, if you
could create your own oc fare attraction, no budget.

Speaker 2 (39:43):
No limits, knowing what you know so far, what would
it be.

Speaker 3 (39:48):
You know, I'd love for us to have a and
a bigger kind of a working farm environment where folks
could come in as part of a you know, uh,
tied into an agriculture or animal husbandry program at a

(40:11):
college or university and allow real hands on work experience,
right and and really kind of experience. What what is that?
What does it take to do these things? What does
it take to turn a carrot from that tiny little
seed to that beautiful orange thing that I'm buying it

(40:34):
at the grocery store, right, And you know, I think
that would be the thing that that I would really
love to see the animals, the livestock and have that
be just much more accessible. You know, you watch Little
House on the Prairie and probably dating myself, but again,

(40:54):
you know, those those kids and even the adults got
to experience things that most of us never will. And
you know, I grew up in Kentucky, the suburb of Cincinnati,
and you know, we had family members that did have
quote unquote farms, you know, not big giant farms with

(41:17):
harvesters and things, but did raise livestock and you know,
had animals and did have big gardens and plots and things.
So I got some limited exposure to that, spent a
lot of time riding horses and getting a chance to
do all of those things, but not really working it.
And I think that would be the one thing that

(41:39):
I would love to do.

Speaker 2 (41:42):
Great answer.

Speaker 1 (41:42):
Have you had any oops or funny behind the scene
moments this year?

Speaker 3 (41:48):
You know, I not so far. I'm not saying it.
I'm not saying it won't happen. But you know, again
I thinks I, as I said when we started, I
really bless to have an incredible team. They're experienced, they're
well versed in what they do. There's been an incredible

(42:08):
amount of planning and preparation to get us to having
a fair. There's a great program on a daily basis,
and you know it's knocked on wood. It's been incredibly smooth.

Speaker 2 (42:23):
Well, that's great.

Speaker 1 (42:24):
Is there a part of the fair that you think
people walk right by and maybe don't pay enough attention
to that you wish they would.

Speaker 3 (42:31):
Well, I think there's a natural there's a natural attraction
to go to the bright lights and the noise and
all of those things. And I encourage people to look
at those exhibits and to go through and look at
the items that you know that were the crafts and
things that people built and made with their own hands.

(42:54):
And you know, the livestock area is certainly the farm.
I think the Hero Hall has an incredible exhibit in
there that I just think as important as it is
for all of us to understand the importance of agriculture
and livestock, I think we also need to know to

(43:16):
understand our history and where we came from and why
we're the country that we are, and how we've remained
the country that we are. So I think, you know,
the easy stuff is the midway and the rides and
the games and the food. But I think anybody that
doesn't take that extra time to really look at all

(43:37):
the exhibits and the other buildings is missing a lot.

Speaker 1 (43:41):
So is it also appropriate to say that the Orange
County Fair really has something for everybody and for all agements.

Speaker 3 (43:49):
Absolutely, And I think that's really the key, and that's
really our message with kind of the fine You're happy,
and that is there is something for everyone here. And
you know, as much as it's a challenge to walk
the grounds and find the thing that is your aha,
that is your smile, but it's also a reassurance that

(44:14):
you will find it here no matter what it is,
it's here, whether it's bacon wrapped bacon or it's or
whether it's pig races. I forgot to tell you about
the pig races.

Speaker 2 (44:25):
Yeah, we do want to hear about the pig races.

Speaker 3 (44:27):
Someone mentioned, Yeah, so I saw my first pig races,
which which was incredible. You have you know several race Well,
they're little, they're small pigs for one thing, and they
have a little track and they do multiple heats with
eliminations and then a finals, and the best part of

(44:50):
it is kind of the audience participation, right, everybody gets
their own pig to cheer for, and the kids get
kind of involved in, you know, helping manage opening the gates,
being the judge of who won, all of those other things,
and it's just really a lot of fun because it

(45:11):
isn't just kind of sitting and watching a pig race, right,
It's an interactive experience, and you know, if you're standing
outside of it, you'll want to be inside. And the
fun thing about that you can't get in unless you
get there early because it fills up and it becomes
standing remoldly outside the entrance points, so that it's really

(45:36):
a blast.

Speaker 2 (45:38):
That's fun.

Speaker 1 (45:38):
Now, if there was a James Canfield fair booth, what
would you be selling or doing at it?

Speaker 3 (45:46):
Well, you know it would have to be food for
me and and growing up in the Cincinnati area, we
have a one of our staples is called Cincinnati style chili.
So I think, yes, I think I would have to
open a Cincinnati style chili stand. Then I would have

(46:09):
to somehow figure out how to wrap it in bacon
and deep fry it.

Speaker 1 (46:14):
Okay, Well, that would be all right, because that would
also be popular among ages.

Speaker 3 (46:20):
I think it would be. I think it would be.
But yes, I would definitely move over to food. That
would be that would be my booth.

Speaker 2 (46:28):
Yeah, it would be mic bacon bites right.

Speaker 3 (46:31):
Well yeah, not big o bacon, oh Sea bacon bites. Yes,
we do that, We oh Sea style chili.

Speaker 2 (46:42):
Right, yes, yes, And we couldn't bring that here.

Speaker 1 (46:45):
It doesn't reason why it has to stay in Cincinnati.

Speaker 3 (46:49):
Yes, absolutely, we could do that.

Speaker 1 (46:51):
So talk to us about your plan with the Let's
go outside the fair just a minute.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
We have a few minutes left.

Speaker 1 (46:56):
What is your plan for the Orange Kenny Fairground and
integrating it into the community. Any new buildings plan, any
new activities?

Speaker 2 (47:06):
What is your vision? When they brought you in, they
said we hope you will or you said I will.

Speaker 3 (47:11):
Take this, but I want to Well again, I think
one of the things that interested me interested me in
the job was the was the work that the staff
and the board did before I came on. And you know,
Michelle Richards, who was my predecessor, I think did a
great job in the leadership role. We have an incredible

(47:33):
strategic plan right now that lays out some some key
programs and things that we're working on, you know, infrastructure
and technology and really maximizing kind of the community use

(47:54):
opportunities that we have at the fair, expanding the not
only the programs we have. You know, we just opened
the Ranch Community Center, which is the equestrian area, so
it'll be a lot more equine programs and things that
will be happening there, as well as the historic boarding

(48:15):
and a lot of the other things that we do.
And then we have the Master Site Plan, which kind
of lays the groundwork for what the future of the
fair will be, and some of those are small steps.
We're finishing the administration building right now. We'll move into
that after the fair, and the key with that is

(48:37):
it really brings not only all of our day to
day operations and management together, but it also accommodates a
lot of the fair activities and the special things that
right now we have to rent trailers, portable offices and
things for and then travel back and forth across the

(48:59):
entire fair ground, which is is just very inefficient, so
we're excited about moving in there. And then everything else
is really about enhancing the grounds and whether it's something
you know, simple as adding new restrooms, improvements of the
Pacific amphitheater, improvements to some of the other buildings and barns,

(49:21):
and adding additional amenities, and taking care of some you
know deferred maintenance and upgrades, and then ultimately getting to
you know, the brand new let mean I don't want
to you know, some work on the action sports arena,
and then ultimately finishing out with the new agriplex and

(49:44):
livestock areas, which again I think reinforces our overall commitment
to you know, the agriculture and the community engagement, the
education and those kinds of things.

Speaker 1 (49:59):
So and I think that what's important is is the
commitment to the community because also you provide a concert venue,
the equine area where people can store their not store
their horses, but keep their horses. And I and that's
one thing I know from just a little history that
I have, that that's something's very important to the community.

Speaker 3 (50:22):
Oh absolutely. And I think you know, we're also a
you know, being a State of California institution, you know,
we're here to support the community in times of need.
You know. Again, as for instance, during the fires, we

(50:43):
were emergency boarding for animals that needed to be evacuated
from from the fire zones, and you know, we'll we'll
we'll continue to keep a focus on that and make
sure that we have the necessary infrastructure and amenities to
provide those services to the community, but also make sure

(51:04):
that you know that we take our role of kind
of being you know, Orange County's town square very seriously.
You know, there's certainly other large venues and places in
Orange County, but we're able to do things because we're outdoors.
The way we're set up, we can provide unique experiences

(51:28):
that you may not be able to get in any
of those places. And you know, part of being as
you have the size, Yeah, and part of being an
amenity to the community is you know, it's the educational
programs and all of those important things, but it's also
hosting special events and things that aren't of interest to

(51:49):
you know, folks in Orange County, right And whether that's
the same sports show, whether that's a home show, whether
that's an RV show or a boat show, whether it's
any of the other events that we do over the
course of the year. You know, I think all of
those are important as well, because you know, we are

(52:11):
the place that makes events and activities accessible. You know,
one of our our mission is enhancing equitable community access
to agriculture, entertainment, cultural and educational experiences. And you know,
I'm excited that the board takes that very seriously and
staff takes that very seriously, and it really guides everything

(52:32):
that we do.

Speaker 1 (52:34):
We are so grateful to have you in Orange County
and to have you on our show today. We're so
blessed to have you here at this early stage, when
you took time out of your busy day.

Speaker 2 (52:44):
We're going to come and see you.

Speaker 1 (52:45):
Unfortunately, we have to announce your clothes on Monday and Tuesday,
but we'll come in this week. So now to our audience,
you now know what really happens behind the scenes. Jurney
Fair and this year's team find You're happy. Couldn't be
more perfect. A huge thank you to James Canfield for
stepping out of the whirlwind of his day to share
some incredible stories, his favorite foods, a few surprising facts,

(53:09):
and maybe some things you didn't even know.

Speaker 2 (53:11):
They're totally outrageous.

Speaker 1 (53:12):
So, whether you're heading here for the fair, the concerts,
the contests, all of the other things. The fair runs
through August seventeenth, so don't miss your chance to make
some memories.

Speaker 2 (53:22):
I'm Valerie vanders Over.

Speaker 1 (53:23):
This is so calval Where with Val, where we celebrate
the people, the places, and the pure joy of southern
California and in.

Speaker 2 (53:30):
This case, Orange County living.

Speaker 1 (53:32):
Until next time, stay curious, stay local, and I hope
I'll see you at the fair.

Speaker 3 (53:38):
Thank you James, Thank you val It's great to meet
you and thanks for having me on.

Speaker 2 (53:44):
Thank you