2009 OC Fair Volunteer "Handbook" and Info

Thank you all once again for volunteering! We cannot maintain this important event without your help, so thanks for making it happen.

You need to get your tickets and parking passes before you can work your shift, so be sure to give me a call to arrange it if you haven't already. I will leave envelopes for you on my porch at 44 Mojave in Irvine for pickup whenever you want. They will also be available with Joe Leibrandt in Costa Mesa. You can call him at 215-275-3504 to arrange time to meet him. Please note each envelope has tickets and parking passes inside in the amount indicated on the front. Please select an envelope with the appropriate number you need.

Remember that parking is in the employee and exhibitor parking lot at Lot E on the OCC campus. You need the parking pass in order to park there. The lot is on Merrimac Way. You want to take the 405 to Fairview and go South toward the Fairgrounds. You will see signs for parking telling you to turn right on Merrimac when you get to the fairgrounds. Go down Merrimac a ways until you see signs for Lot E on your right. Give the attendant your ticket to park. There are free air-conditioned shuttles there for you to take to the fair. They drop you off at Gate 5, which is close to the building that we are in. When going home, be sure to go back to the same location and take the Lot E shuttle back.

There are several changes in place this year. For starters, all of the non-profit groups (like ours) have been moved out of the Orange County Building we have been in for years. The fair people have built an enormous roof over the space between the OC Building and its next door neighbor, the Arts and Crafts Building. This new structure is called the Breezeway, and we have been moved into the breezeway with all of the others. This area is shaded and protected under a very high roof and gets a nice breeze. You don't even realize that we are no longer in an air-conditioned building.

We have a highly-visible corner booth in the middle that kicks butt over the Republican and Democrat booths.

As always, we wish to maintain a polished and professional image, so please dress appropriately. You don't need to wear a suit, of course, but please look clean and decent. We have traditionally required long pants for men, but given the move to the outdoors, we are allowing nice shorts. But short shorts are not allowed by the Fair people, nor are bare midriffs or halter tops. And please, no T-shirts or jeans. When in doubt, go polo or Hawaiian.

We will have a cell phone in the booth for emergencies, or to call in if you are late in arriving for your shift. The number is 714-651-2141.

There will be a notebook with info in the booth, along with contact info for all of the volunteers. A notepad is there to tell you what you need to do, such as turning in the Emergency Contact forms the fair requires, and turning the mechanical arm on and off. And there are 3x5 cards to collect visiotr contact information. Be sure to get their email addresses since we wish to make sure they get on our newsletter so that we communicate with them regularly after the fair.

Here is a photo of the booth so you know what to look for. The arm waves back and forth and definitely catches the eyes of the visitors. Also, attached are some maps of the parking and where our booth is located.