Orange International Street Fair 2005

Sunday we did something I haven't done in a couple of years. We went to the annual International Street Fair that they hold in the Plaza in old town Orange. It's kind of a big deal. Something like 100,000 people visit the fair throughout the three-day weekend. It's one of those traditions that have been going on for decades.

BTW, I forgot to bring our camera. So you'll have to settle for these low-res images taken with my camera phone. :)


James about to dig into a bratwurst with saurkraut. (09/04/05)

We used to go the street fair every year, but have taken a break for the last couple of years. Because we really weren't doing anything, we figured why not? If you don't buy beer, you can actually go and eat pretty inexpensively. All the money raised goes to local organizations trying to raise funds. They also had a booth dedicated to taking donations for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The street fair is broken up into several zones: Irish Street, Dutch Street, All-American Street ... you get the picture. In each section you'll usually find food vendors and bands serving food and playing music that matches the country the street is named after. For example, on Mexico street, they were serving tacos, tamales and elotes (grilled corn with mayonnaise and lime). And they had a mariachi band playing (in previous years, I've only seen nortena bands playing).


The best bratwurst is not on Germany Street, believe it or not, but rather Switzerland Street. (09/04/05)

I of course got my favorite Bratwurst and saurkraut from Switzerland Street (the bratwursts are much bigger than the ones you find in Germany Street believe it or not). Meanwhile, Tim got fish and chips from English Street. And we shared California Hand Rolls from Japanese Street and some really good desserts from Greek Street and Norway Street.


Tim opted for fish and chips on English Street. (09/04/05)

In the center of the circle they have all sorts of crafts vendors selling their wares. It was a fun way to spend a hot Sunday afternoon.