FESTIVALS & EVENTS : Rita Coolidge Is the ‘Frosting’ on Concert

Singer/songwriter Rita Coolidge will headline the 1992 Fiesta in San Clemente on Sunday, performing such hits as “Higher and Higher” and “The Way You Do the Things You Do” during a free 90-minute concert.

Coolidge will take the stage at 4:30 p.m., the culmination of a day’s worth of events and entertainment for the five-year-old Avenida del Mar street festival.

“She’s the frosting on the cake,” said Sue Monlux, an event organizer with the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce. “Every year we’ve had a main attraction, but she’s probably one of the big ones.” The festival has featured such nostalgia favorites as the Coasters and Papa Do Run Run.

Coolidge recently released her first new album in five years, titled “Fire Me Back.” Her career includes work with such music greats as Eric Clapton, Dave Mason, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Kris Kristofferson, to whom she was married for six years.

The Fiesta, sponsored by The Times Orange County and Coors Light, will start at 8 a.m. with a 5K race through downtown San Clemente. Applications for registration ($20) are available at the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce, El Dorado Bank and running stores throughout Orange County. You can also register on the morning of the race, beginning at 6 a.m.

Other festival events, which include game booths, street performers, international foods, craft displays and rides for children, start at 9:30 a.m. Admission is free.

The Salsa Challenge, back for the third straight year, will take place at 11 a.m. at the top of Avenida del Mar. For $1, festival-goers will get four samples of the salsa, including plenty of free chips provided by Taco Bell.

All proceeds from the Fiesta go to support the Chamber of Commerce and nonprofit organizations in San Clemente.

Transportation to the event will be provided via a free shuttle from San Clemente High School on Avenida Pico near Interstate 5. Parking is free at the high school.

Parking will be available in some locations downtown, although the 100 and 200 blocks of Avenida del Mar will be closed for the day. El Camino Real from Avenida Victoria to El Portal will be closed from 8 a.m. to about 9:30 a.m. during the 5K run.

What: San Clemente Summer Fiesta ’92.

When: Sunday, Aug. 9, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The street festival begins at 9:30 a.m.

Where: Upper Avenida del Mar, San Clemente.

Whereabouts: To San Clemente High School and the free shuttle departure point, take Interstate 5 to the Avenida Pico exit. Turn inland and proceed one black to the school parking lot.

Wherewithal: Admission is free.

Where to Call: (714) 492-1131.