A projected 70,000 people will get a taste of Ocean Beach on Saturday, June 27 — and it might make some eyes water. The Ocean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off Festival returns for its third decade from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. along the 4800-5000 blocks of Newport Avenue with a wealth of fun, food, music and family activities. “The special events you do around the holidays always help to define what the community is about,” said Denny Knox, executive director of the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association. “There are people that fall in love with Ocean Beach and they come back every year for the event.” This year marks the 30th anniversary of the summertime tradition in Ocean Beach. Despite the staggering economy, Knox said the street fair will not be a scaled-back version of previous years. “We have so many new vendors this year,” Knox said. “People get very creative in tough times.” The wildly popular chili cook-off will be held at the end of Newport Avenue near the beach from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Twenty-one amateur and four restaurant teams will stir up their tastiest recipes as they compete to please the most palettes. Wesley Slack is participating in the chili cook-off for the third time. Slack finished first in 2006 and third in 2007 and is preparing a smoked tri-tip chili this year. “I cook a lot of food and I actually enjoy feeding people,” Slack said, “seeing the faces on people when you feed them good food.” Organizers said 800 tasting tickets will be available for $10 for those who want to sample each of the 25 recipes and vote for the people’s choice award. For those with more of an appetite, the committee chili made on behalf of the street fair committee by Shades Oceanfront Bistro will be sold for $1 a bowl, with proceeds going towards the fireworks show. “The chili cook-off is going to be fantastic this year,” Knox said. “We have a huge waiting list of people who wanted to cook chili and we just didn’t have enough room.” To help quench the fire from all that spice, the street fair will feature a beer garden by the main stage near the Ocean Beach Pier and a second at the corner of Cable Street and Newport Avenue. In celebration of the street fair’s pearl anniversary, the musical entertainment will boast a local flavor. Thirty-six bands will be scattered across five stages throughout the day — the main stage, 92107 stage, artists alley stage, Bacon Street sun stage and wonderland acoustic stage. “All of our bands are OB-based bands this year because it’s our 30th,” Knox said. The main stage will feature Troubleweeds, Hip Replacements, Love N Groove, Deadline Friday, 40 oz. to Freedom, Superunloader and Agua Dulce. Live music can be heard all day throughout the fair. For a complete list of bands, see page 12 of this special pull-out section of The Peninsula Beacon. A complete list of vendors appears on page 15. Adding to the traditional excitement is Artists Alley, located on Cable Street, featuring a total of 45 artists. According to Artists Alley committee chair Faren Shear, about half the artists did not participate in last year’s festival. “People can meet artists at the street fair and become longtime customers by following them on the Internet,” Shear said. “For artists, the street fair is a jumping-off point.” One collection that will be in the alley is “Junk and Po,” by Krissy Fernandez. Among her collection are small ceramic cupcake charms. “She does charms out of polymer clay and all kinds of three-dimensional art,” Shear said. “She’s really talented.” The street fair isn’t just for adults, however. A wonderland area on the 4800 block of Newport Avenue will feature rides, games and pony rides for children weighing up to 100 pounds. Other highlights at the street fair include a skateboarding exhibition presented on Cable Street by the OB Surf and Skate Shop and a carnival for teenagers and adults. The 30th anniversary of the street fair will also be celebrated at the Ocean Beach Fourth of July fireworks celebration. Money raised from the street fair’s raffle will go toward making the fireworks show possible, with any surplus funding going to other Ocean Beach MainStreet Association projects throughout the year. “We’re going to have something special with the fireworks on July 4, due to us raising the money during the street fair,” Knox said. “There will be a special little display.” As is the case every year, parking will be at a premium the day of the event. As a result, Knox encourages those coming from outside Ocean Beach to use the shuttle sites put in place especially for the street fair. Parking is available both at Thee Bungalow, 4996 W. Point Loma Blvd. in Ocean Beach, and a little further out at the Sun Runner lot on SeaWorld Drive at Pacific Highway from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Free shuttles will run every half-hour on the half-hour from Robb Field and every hour on the hour from Sea World Drive. For more information, visit www.oceanbeachsandiego.com.