At Annual Fair, Crowds Travel Globe Without Leaving Orange

Under sunny skies and with the scents of carne asada and barbecue sandwiches wafting through the streets, visitors to the Orange International Street Fair on Saturday feasted on a seemingly endless variety of food while being entertained by ethnic music and dancing.

More than 500,000 people are expected to converge on Old Towne Orange this weekend for the three-day annual fair, which ends tonight at 10. The celebration of diversity offers cuisines from 15 cultures, including Arab, Dutch, Mexican, Italian and Thai.

“When we try different food, we’re learning about other cultures,” said George Kellings, a retired engineer from Newport Beach who has attended the fair for five years. His menu for the day: two foreign beers, gyros and learning how to wrap an eggroll.

Stan and Evelyn Keck, residents of Orange since 1962, walk to the festivities each year for ableskivers--lightly sweetened and powdered Danish treats with raspberry jam.

“This is the only place we can get it,” said Stan Keck, scooping the last bit of jam off his dish. “I only get it once a year. I wish I knew how to make them.”

While many may have been longtime fans of the fair, Roselle Rivera of Anaheim Hills and her daughter, Gabrielle, 6, were discovering it for the first time.

“It’s been going on for so long,” the mother said, “so we decided to come and join everyone for the different food and different atmosphere. It’s good food, and you don’t have to cook!”

Money raised by the 145 or so booths at the 29th annual festival will be donated to community organizations.

“It’s all for a good cause,” said Mark Parker, 50, a mail carrier from Tustin who has attended the fair for the past 20 years. “The groups get the money they need and I eat like crazy. No one leaves here hungry.”

But the food isn’t all. There’s also an arts and crafts section, where handmade home decor items can be personalized, T-shirts and caps are decorated with humorous sayings, and artists wait to draw caricatures.

It’s also where Evelyn Keck bought a small cordial glass to add to her cup collection. “This is a collector’s haven too,” she said.