'Table of Dignity' agricultural workers memorial unveiled, again, after renovation

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Rev. Dr. Sarah Halverson-Cano, at right with purple stole, says a blessing for the new Table of Dignity memorial during the unveiling ceremony at the OC Fair & Event Center on Friday in Costa Mesa.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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A.G. Kawamura, former California agriculture secretary, addresses those attending the unveiling ceremony for the Table of Dignity agricultural workers memorial at the OC Fair & Event Center on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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A.G. Kawamura, former California agriculture secretary, addresses the crowd at the unveiling ceremony for the Table of Dignity agricultural workers memorial at the OC Fair & Event Center on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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Orange County artist Higgy Vasquez stands next to his drawing of a field worker, which adorns one of the arches at the agricultural workers memorial at the OC Fair & Events Center.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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Lucy Boutte, formerly of the national farm workers ministry, quotes Cesar Chavez during Friday’s unveiling ceremony for the Table of Dignity, an agricultural workers memorial, at the OC Fair & Event Center.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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A guest touches the boulder centered in the Table of Dignity at the agricultural workers memorial’s unveiling Friday at the OC Fair & Events Center.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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State, city, and labor officials gather around the Table of Dignity during its unveiling ceremony at the OC Fair & Events Center on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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Keynote speaker Ashleigh Aitken addresses the crowd at Friday’s unveiling ceremony for the Table of Dignity, an agricultural workers memorial, at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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Rev. Dr. Sarah Halverson-Cano, at right with purple stole, says a blessing for the new Table of Dignity during its unveiling ceremony at the OC Fair & Event Center on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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Members of the Westminster High School Future Farmers of America attend the agricultural workers memorial’s unveiling ceremony at the OC Fair & Event Center on Friday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

By Luke MoneyStaff Writer

Aug. 25, 2017 3:45 PM PT

For the second time in three years, officials at the OC Fair & Event Center held a ceremony to unveil a memorial commemorating the contributions of the county’s agricultural workers.

Friday’s event represented the end of a months-long renovation of “Table of Dignity” — located next to Centennial Farm at the Orange County fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.

The memorial is made up of two rammed-earth entry portals. A sculptural table fashioned from a large boulder and single-cut tree slab sits between them.

Its design is meant to celebrate Orange County’s agricultural heritage and provide a place for people to reflect on the workers who toil to provide food for tables near and far.

“The ‘Table of Dignity’ is a significant addition to our educational zone at the OC Fair & Event Center,” Chief Executive Kathy Kramer said in a statement. “Along with Heroes Hall and Centennial Farm, our agricultural workers memorial will be open year-round to honor our past as we work toward the future. I am happy that the ‘Table of Dignity’ is here to provide a beautiful place to pause and reflect upon the contributions these workers made to Orange County.”

“Table of Dignity” — originally designed by Ricardo Mendoza and Josh Sarantitis — was first unveiled during a ceremony on Labor Day 2015.

However, it had to be closed off and renovated last year due to concerns about its structural integrity.

That extra work raised the price tag of the memorial to about $350,000 — its original budget was $90,000.

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‘Table of Dignity’ agricultural workers memorial unveiled, again, after renovation

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