TUSTIN : Summerfest Set to Begin Today

About 20,000 people are expected to attend the fourth annual “Taste of Tustin Summerfest” this weekend. The three-day music and food festival at Tustin Market Place will feature appearances by “oldies” bands, along with booths showcasing the food of 27 area restaurants.

Event spokeswoman Jane Hogelin Peterson said last year’s festival, which ran two days, drew 15,000 visitors. “It was so popular we expanded it,” she said.

Sponsored by the Tustin Chamber of Commerce, the festival demonstrates “how the city has grown in a managed capacity,” Peterson said, “and definitely promotes the restaurants.”

Proceeds support the chamber and the Boys and Girls Club of Tustin.

Performing tonight at the festival will be Doris Jackson and the Shirelles, singing their hits including “Soldier Boy,” “Baby, It’s You” and “This Is Dedicated to the One I Love.” Also appearing will be the Derek Bordeaux Band, which will perform Motown music from the 1950s and 1960s.

Headlining Saturday will be the Association, whose hits include “Cherish” and “Along Comes Mary.” There will also be pop music by Jack Mack and the Heart Attack, country-Western by the Kelly Rae Band and calypso by the Trinidad and Tobago Steel Drum Band.

Surf rock by the Chantays, who recorded “Pipeline,” is scheduled for Sunday, along with a return appearance by the Kelly Rae Band.

Children’s events planned for noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday include POG contests, crafts, games, kite making and face painting. Also featured will be comedian-magician Jim Hynd and Sassy the clown.

Summerfest will run from 5 to 11 p.m. today, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Admission will be $5 for ages 13 and older, and $3 for children ages 3 to 12, accompanied by an adult. Ages 2 and younger are free.

All entertainment is free. Food and beverages will range from $1 to $4.

Tustin Market Place is at Jamboree Road and El Camino Real. Additional parking will be available at CostCo Wholesale, 2655 El Camino Real.

Information is available by calling the chamber at (714) 544-5341.