Like championship athletes, Orange County’s youths will assemble on April’s last weekend to celebrate their achievements and to have their complishments acclaimed by parents and community leaders at the 26th annual Youth Expo.

The annual event at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center will bring together an estimated 20,000 youths plus parents, educators and public
officials honoring the work of youngsters from preschool through 12th grade. The April 29-May 1 event is underwritten and sponsored by OCFEC.

The 2005 Youth Expo theme is “It’s Easy Being Green,” with emphasis on ecology, avocados and the environment.

Youth Expo is a veritable smorgasbord of events and competitions. The Expo includes the annual Talent Search and Jazz Festivals, and competitions for Girl Scout and 4-H members. Winners of the Talent Search will be asked to appear as entertainers at the 2005 Orange County Fair. In the Jazz Festival, musicians will compete in junior and senior high school divisions.

Simultaneously, the 50th annual Orange County Science and Engineering Fair will be taking place in one of the fairgrounds buildings. The young entrants will display their innovations and solutions to science and engineering problems.

Youth Expo will be open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, April 29; and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1. For the first time, the Youth Expo Competition Handbook will be available online only, allowing teachers and group leaders easy access to all the information they will need. This year, participants will have the option of completing their entries online, instead of completing them by hand then mailing or hand-delivering them to OCFEC. Youth Expo is planning to use only online entries in 2006.

With the cooperation of business and community partners, Orange County Fair & Exposition Center will offer up to 20 Orange County elementary schools an opportunity to get free bus transportation to Youth Expo. Call the Youth Expo hotline at (714) 708-1931 for details.