Sherman Oaks : 1,000 Parents Make Street Fair a Success

For Karen Rubinstein, the Sherman Oaks Street Fair and Carnival meant missing her family for about three days.

“I kissed my family goodby on Thursday,” Rubinstein said Sunday, while coordinating the musical groups at the fair’s main stage on closed-off Ventura Boulevard. Rubinstein, the event’s entertainment chairwoman, was one of 1,000 volunteer parents.

“I can’t say enough about the parents,” said Phyllis Scher, head of the street fair run by the Greater Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce and five local schools as their major fund-raising event of the year.

Parents from all the schools helped set up, run and clean up after the event.

Scher guessed that the fair had far surpassed last year’s turnout of more than 40,000 people. Good weather and a growing base of support might have pushed attendance to more than 60,000 people this year, she said, although there were no figures available Sunday. About 20 booths and more than 175 vendors were selling artwork, jewelry and other crafts.

She expected the fair to raise about $25,000, of which more than half will go to Chandler, Dixie Canyon Avenue, Sherman Oaks, Kester Avenue, and Riverside Drive elementary schools. The schools would use the money for library books and computer equipment.

“This is my way of helping my community and my school at the same time,” said Rubinstein, taking a break after a performance by the Los Angeles Harmony Tradition Chorus, 40 San Fernando Valley men singing in barbershop style.

Rubinstein has two children at Dixie Canyon and was able to see her 5-year-old daughter, Kelsey, briefly when she sang in the school’s glee club during the fair. Rubinstein’s son, Alex, will be celebrating his 10th birthday next week.

“I haven’t been able to plan his birthday party yet,” said Rubinstein, adding that if he showed up at the fair she might just step up to the microphone and say, “Happy birthday, Alex, this is your party.”