MEDIA/PRESS CONTACT: Robin Wachner, Communications Dept., OC Fair & Event Center, (714) 708-154

OC Fair Imaginology Event Challenges Students to Go “Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead” With Free Competitions

Entry deadline is March 21. Open to children grades pre-K to 12.

Costa Mesa, Calif. (February 11, 2014) – The OC Fair & Event Center’s Imaginology event is challenging local students to demonstrate their abilities in the S.T.E.A.M. curriculum (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) with a variety of free competitions. All entries need to be registered online at ocfair.com/steam by Friday, March 21, 2014. All qualified entries will be on public display during the Imaginology event April 11-13 and all division winners will receive cash awards.

The Imaginology free contests and projects offered this year include:

•Cardboard Engineering: Creatively repurpose simple cardboard into dazzling works of art, fun games or sturdy furniture. Open to grades 5-12.
•Make It With Clay: Spin, shape and mold clay into vases, toys, sculptures and more. Open to grades 3-12 plus special needs students.
•Digital Media Animation: Be the next Chuck Jones or Walt Disney with your own three-minute animated flick. Open to grades 5-12. Group projects also accepted.
•Digital Media: In three minutes or less, demonstrate your filmmaking abilities. Film your crazy cat or your own music video. Open to grades pre-K through 12 plus special needs students.
•Farmology: Repurpose materials to build a creative farm animal model or use craft materials to make a mask of an animal from your favorite book. Open to grades pre-K through 2 plus special needs students.
•Fashionista!: Sew and stitch to show off your own unique fashion style. Original designs or commercial patterns accepted. Open to grades 3-12 plus special needs students.
•Fiber Arts: Weave, stitch and knot yarn or other fibers into beautiful patterns and designs. Open to grades 3-12 plus special needs students.
•Fine Arts Drawing: Draw, sketch and color an original piece of art. Open to grades pre-K through 12 plus special needs students.
•Painting: Let out your inner Picasso and paint your own masterpiece. Open to grades pre-K through 12 plus special needs students.
•Read & Draw: Draw and illustrate from a book you’ve read on S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, art or mathematics). Open to grades pre-K through 6.
•Inspired By The Masters: Create a 3-D project in the style of your favorite artist from the Meet the Masters program. Visit meetthemasters.com for information on the Meet the Masters program. Open to grades pre-K through 6.
•Jewelry: Craft your own bracelet, necklace, earrings or other piece of jewelry from beads, plastic, yarn and whatever you can find. Open to grades pre-K through 12 plus special needs students.
•Kinetic Art: Pick a S.T.E.A.M. topic (science, technology, engineering, art or mathematics) and build your own unique mobile sculptural art. Open to grades pre-K through 12 plus special needs students.
•Cell Phone Photos: Snap a cool photo with your cell phone to win an award. Open to grades pre-K through 12 plus special needs students.
•Digital Photography: Grab your camera and head out to snap the winning photo of your wild pet, a beautiful flower or whatever wondrous scene you find. Open to grades 3-12 plus special needs students.
•Manipulated Photography: Take your photo and blur, spin or stretch it into an amazing piece of art with a computer program or app. Open to grades 5-12 plus special needs students.
•Poetry: Write and illustrate your own interesting Haiku about the wonders of nature. Open to grades 3-12 plus special needs students.
•Upcycle It: Convert old or discarded materials into something useful. Open to grades 3-12 plus special needs students.
•Wood & Metal: Turn, weld, whittle and build your 3-D masterpiece from wood or metal. Open to grades 5-12.

The OC Fair Imaginology event also offers free contests for the family or a group of young friends to compete in together. On Saturday, April 12, teams can compete in the Scarecrow Contest and on Sunday, April 13, teams can sign-up for the Sawhorse Contest for a chance to up $100 in both contests. It’s free to enter and basic materials (sawhorse, scarecrow and some decorations) are provided and teams are encouraged to bring their own family-friendly decorations to make their entry unique. Visit ocfair.com/steam to pre-register a team.

Other activities during the Imaginology event include Centennial Farm, 4-H livestock competitions, Home Builders Council (HBC) Design/Build Competition, Vital Link Showcase, Orange County Science & Engineering Fair, gourmet food trucks, local fundraising food booths, petting zoo, Bubble Rollers, pony rides, inflatable rides, family-friendly performance groups and roaming entertainment.

Imaginology is the re-imagined Youth Expo (an annual event held at the OC Fair & Event Center) for children and families to explore the fun of S.T.E.A.M. April 11-13, 2014. This exciting, three-day event themed “Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead” is open Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Admission is free for all three days and many of the hands-on activities are included. Parking is free on Friday and $7 on Saturday and Sunday. Teachers and students are encouraged to join as a group for Field Trip Day on Friday. For more information, visit ocfair.com/steam.

Imaginology 2014 is underwritten by the OC Fair & Event Center. The OC Fair & Event Center is located off the 405 and 55 freeways at 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa. For more information, please visit ocfair.com, become a fan on Facebook.com/OCFair, follow us at twitter.com/ocfair or call (714) 708-1500.