Fair Way to Start Holiday : Visitors Take to Streets for 21st Annual Cultural Fest in Orange

A German polka band dressed in lederhosen spent much of Saturday playing oompah music within earshot of an Arab-American musician tapping out Middle Eastern chords on an electric keyboard.

The smell of Japanese beef teriyaki mingled with the aroma of Mexican burritos, Armenian shish kebab and American beer.

And while a group of developmentally disabled singers belted out their own rendition of “Pretty Woman,” a line of Greek dancers swayed through the streets to the melodious strains of an eight-string bouzouki accompanied by electric guitar.

It was all part of the 21st annual Orange International Street Fair, this city’s annual Labor Day weekend ode to local diversity continuing through today at the town plaza on Glassell Street.

As temperatures rose, the holiday promised to be one filled with packed beaches and family barbecues throughout Orange County. Officials at Yorba Linda’s Richard Nixon Birthplace & Library said they were letting county residents in free to honor the holiday. And visitors to the street fair were sporting shorts, T-shirts and sandals in apparent anticipation of a long weekend in the sun.

“This is fun,” said Tom Thompson, who has attended the festival for 15 years. “I like the entertainment, the people and the food. You can get a little buzz on with a nice full stomach.”

But the annual gathering of cultures is more than just a chance to put on a buzz, according to Judy Sollee, president of the nonprofit committee that organizes it for the city. First of all, she said, the event promotes ethnic understanding.

“It brings the diverse ethnic groups together,” she said. “The point is to make people aware that we can be Americans, but we all come from somewhere.”

Secondly, she said, the fair gives various nonprofit organizations a much-needed chance to raise money by selling ethnic food, crafts and drinks at booths operated by volunteers. “We’re for peace and harmony, and volunteerism can achieve that,” Sollee said.

This year’s volunteerism is embodied by about 80 organizations, ranging from the Arab American Assn. of Orange County to the Federation of Netherlands Organizations. Altogether, the groups represent 16 ethnicities or nationalities prevalent in the county, including the Italians, Austrians, Irish, Norwegians, Danish, Swiss, and various Asian cultures.

In addition, there is a special section for such “all-American” organizations as the Boy Scouts, schools, youth and service groups.

Many participants characterized the street fair as one of their major fund-raising events of the year.

“It’s absolutely essential to our continued existence,” said Warren Nagano, president of the parent-teacher association at Orange Coast Gakuen, a Japanese language school in Costa Mesa. To raise money this year, the school’s PTA is sponsoring a booth selling beef teriyaki. “It’s a great source of exposure,” Nagano said, “and it provides much-needed revenue.”

Frank Graywolf, supportive services coordinator for the Garden Grove-based Southern California Indian Center Inc., said the fair is extremely important to the financial well-being of that group. “It helps us raise funds that we don’t get from the government,” he said.

But this year they encountered a problem, said Graywolf, whose organization is trying to raise money by selling Indian tacos, fry bread and corn soup. “The beer sales are killing us,” he said. “We’ve got herbal tea, water, soda and coffee but everybody’s drinking beer.”

That did not seem to bother many of the visitors, whom organizers estimate will number 500,000 before the weekend is over.

“This is wonderful,” said Kerri Sabine, 25, of Santa Ana. “The music is really great. You can dance around and no one seems to mind.”

She paused before continuing.

“When you realize that you are sashaying to a Greek version of ‘Achy Breaky Heart,’ ” she said finally, “then you know this is a fun place.”