COSTA MESA : DARE Fair Plays Up Anti-Drug Message

Christian Fairing can fire off a list of eight ways to say no to drugs, from giving an excuse to turning a cold shoulder.

The 10-year-old Costa Mesa youngster was among 2,000 fifth- and sixth-graders at the fifth annual DARE Fair on Thursday at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

The event marked the end of the 17-week school program in which police officers go into classrooms to teach the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and encourage children to resist negative peer pressure.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program begins in kindergarten and runs through sixth grade. The national program is partially funded by the sale of property seized in drug busts.

Thursday’s fair, sponsored by the Costa Mesa and Newport Beach police departments, as well as the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, included demonstrations by a tae kwon do champion, an Olympic trainer and in-line skaters, along with dance music by a rock ‘n’ roll band of police officers.

“Everyone is smiling,” said Judy Taylor, 49, a sixth-grade teacher at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Corona del Mar.

“This is the best fair ever. There is so much to do,” she said as she watched youngsters bouncing on trampolines and tackling obstacle courses.

Among the games were areas set up for talks on social issues, such as the high cost of graffiti and the benefits of after-school clubs.

“We make them listen to our spiel,” said Jim Coleman, 52, a volunteer from the Newport-Irvine Rotary Club.

One sixth-grader said the DARE program had affected her profoundly.

“I will always keep my promise not to take to drugs,” said 12-year-old Victoria Ryan, a student at College Park Elementary School in Costa Mesa.

“You learn they will ruin your life,” she said.