Heroes Hall veterans museum officially opens Feb. 15 in Costa Mesa
The Heroes Hall veterans museum at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa will officially open to the public Feb. 15 with exhibits detailing the history of the Santa Ana Army Air Base and featuring stories about Vietnam War veterans.
Once officially open, the museum at the Orange County fairgrounds will feature rotating exhibits and year-round programs to help educate the public and pay tribute to Orange County’s veterans.
The two-story museum is in a former barracks that is a remnant of the Santa Ana Army Air Base, which once covered a large portion of modern-day Costa Mesa, including the fairgrounds property.
Officials had once planned to demolish the structure, but veterans and preservationists successfully lobbied the Orange County Fair Board to save the building in 2013.
The Fair & Event Center broke ground on Heroes Hall in March and held a ceremony to dedicate the museum in November.
Starting Feb. 15, the museum will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. It will feature two inaugural exhibits — “The SAAAB Story,” which will tell the tale of the Army air base, and “The Things They Carried,” based on a book by Tim O’Brien about the Vietnam War.
Heroes Hall is near Centennial Farm at the fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive.
Admission and parking for the museum are free. For more information, visit ocfair.com/heroeshall.
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
