Bush, Perot to Arrive in County on Thursday : Campaign: President will attend several events over two days. Rival will speak at a picnic for volunteers in a drive to put his name on state’s November ballot.

President Bush and his undeclared rival, Ross Perot, will nearly cross paths in Orange County on Thursday as the two candidates arrive on the same day to attend separate campaign events in Irvine on Thursday and Friday.

Perot is scheduled to speak at a rally for his volunteers about 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the Lion Country Center in Irvine.

Seven hours later, White House officials say, Bush will arrive at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. The President is scheduled to stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach on Thursday and Friday nights, with several local events scheduled for Friday.

Perot is billing his event in Orange County as a rally and thank you for Southern California volunteers who have worked to put his name on the November ballot.

Perot supporters say they already have well over the 135,000 signatures they need to qualify him for the California ballot. As a result, they say, the role of the volunteers is about to undergo a transition from getting signatures to getting votes.

“At this point, they’re saying: ‘Now what?’ ” said Kristina Queen, spokeswoman for the Perot office in Irvine. “We need to regroup and call this a campaign.”

Thursday’s event will be an all-day, family-style picnic at the Lion Country Center on Irvine Center Drive. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will include activities for children, such as face-painting, clowns and carnival rides. For adults there will be baseball games, volleyball and music.

The Irvine event is one of three Perot is scheduled to attend in California on Thursday. He will also be in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Perot is expected to speak in Orange County about 2:30 p.m., but officials said the exact time is not certain.

Perot officials said the event is intended for campaign volunteers, not the general public. They did not know how many people were expected, although invitations were sent to Perot offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, Imperial and Orange counties.

The White House released Bush’s schedule for Friday, including three events in Orange County, all closed to the public.

Friday morning, the President will meet in Newport Beach with Latino reporters from Southern California newspapers as well as radio and television stations.

At noon Friday, the President is scheduled to address about 1,000 members of the Industrial League of Orange County at a luncheon speech at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. The Industrial League is a nonpartisan trade organization representing a wide variety of Orange County businesses.

Beverly McClure, an official with the league, said the organization was contacted recently by the White House in response to an invitation it had sent to the President several years ago. She added that the event is sold out.