ORANGE : International Street Fair Begins Friday

The Orange International Street Fair begins Friday and continues through Sunday with a Labor Day weekend schedule of entertainment, food and fun.

The fair’s theme is “Orange: It’s a Small World,” said Al Ricci, president of the Orange International Street Fair. “Orange is a melting pot of all different cultures, and is a small world in and of itself,” Ricci said.

The fair will feature “ethnic streets” where visitors can buy ethnic foods and learn a bit about a variety of cultures.

“There will be a German street, an Italian street, a Japanese street, an Irish street, an all-American street and on and on,” Ricci said.

An entertainment stage has been set up for local bands from Orange County, including an Elvis impersonator and the High Hopes, a band made up of developmentally disabled people.

In addition, areas will be set aside for crafters, local education and civic activities such as the preservation of the Old Town area where the fair is held.

A special section of the fair will be devoted to children’s entertainment. It will contain crafts as well as its own special entertainment stage.

Also available to the children will be demonstrations by the police and fire departments. The Police Department will also fingerprint children as part of an identification program if parents request the service.

In 1991, an estimated 500,000 people attended the event.

The fair is centered in the plaza at the intersection of Chapman Avenue and Glassell Street and covers 10 nearby blocks, Ricci said. It runs Friday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.