Vendors, mayor and police emphasize community and safety at Orange street fair

Local vendors, youth groups and city leaders took part in interviews and demonstrations at the Orange street fair, highlighting community engagement, small-business participation and public safety strategies.

Vendors described their booths and products to an Orange County public-education channel. Kelsey, owner of Kelsey’s Corner, said this was the vendor’s third time at the fair and described popular items such as large insulated cups and Bluetooth-speaker tumblers. Volunteers from Saint John (named in the transcript as operating a food booth) described their longstanding participation and community benefits.

Mayor Dan Slater described attending the street fair since his youth and spoke to the event’s continuity as a community tradition. Police Chief Adam Jevick outlined OPD efforts to reduce crime and address quality-of-life issues, including a full-time crime analyst, business watch and neighborhood outreach; he said the dispatch center averages about 366 calls per month related to homelessness (roughly 4,400 calls last year) and described adjustments to unit deployments amid staffing and fiscal pressures.

City Manager Jared Hildenbrand said City Hall has prioritized streamlining services for businesses, launching an online civic portal and updating codes to reduce friction for projects and applicants, calling the message to the business community “Orange is open for business.”

The interviews and vendor presentations emphasized the fair’s role as a community gathering that supports local nonprofits, youth groups and small businesses while also providing an opportunity for city leaders to talk about public safety and administrative reforms.