Adults, kids can enjoy hands-on fun at fair

In addition to live entertainment at "To Life! A Jewish Cultural Street Festival," you can participate in a bevy of hands-on activities on Sunday, Sept. 9. The fair takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on California Avenue in Palo Alto.

Challah-braiding demonstrations will take place from 3:40 to 6 p.m., with Lynn Glass demonstrating traditional braiding, followed by Faylene Kaplan showing the double-braided technique and Karen Mihalek demonstrating crowns and rings.

Have you always yearned to master the art of Hebrew calligraphy? Bayla Bromburg will show you how from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

The community quilt-making effort will take place all day, while from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., you can learn paper-cutting techniques with Diane Rauchwerger.

But if your talent lies in your pipes, and you have access to a ram's horn, the fair will hold a shofar-blowing contest from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Register by 1 p.m. at the Community Stage, at Park and California avenues.

Henry Tenenbaum, KRON-TV entertainment reporter, will judge the contests: One involves the four melodies of the Rosh Hashanah service; the other is a freestyle competition. Join one or both and win a prize.

Is there a teenager in your house who is climbing the walls? Send him/her to the rock-climbing wall in the "Teen Spot" at California Avenue at El Camino Real.

Meanwhile at "Parents Place Street," your other kids can enjoy a number of free arts and crafts activities in booths sponsored by area Jewish schools or try face painting, for a small fee. Or they can head over to the Bank of the West parking lot, where there will be an inflatable fun house, a tea-cup ride, a swing ride and other activities.