HAIR-RAISING GOOD TIME IN SHERMAN OAKS : CROWDS FLOCK TO VALLEY FOR FAIR.

Byline: Terri Hardy Daily News Staff Writer

Pearl Kahn piled her hotdog high with relish, sauerkraut and mustard, closed her eyes and took a big bite.

``It's like I used to get in New York,'' Kahn said Sunday as she ambled down Ventura Boulevard at the Sherman Oaks Street Fair. ``Delicious. Kind of crisp on the outside.''

And of course, profits from her sidewalk feast were going to a good cause, Kahn noted.

``Money goes to the schools, I like that idea,'' Kahn said.

Big crowds at the event which ran from Friday through Sunday meant $100,000 in proceeds will be given to five Sherman Oaks-area elementary schools, said Carrie Konjoyan, president of the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce, which organized the event.

``This year was a real show stopper, we stopped traffic, stopped cars - and had a real old-time community fair,'' she said. ``It's incredible, we threw a big party and everyone came.''

Organizers closed a portion of Ventura Boulevard and set up food booths, arts and crafts booths, rides and stages for live entertainment.

The Chamber's Konjoyan estimated that more than 40,000 people attended the three-day event.

In good old-fashioned fair style, event-goers munched on corn on the cob, fortune tellers read palms and kids squealed on carnival rides.

The games were definitely the best part of the day for 6-year-old Jessie Higgs, visiting with her family from Novato in Northern California.

It was just a little tough to determine which game was her favorite.

``You take a ball and throw it,'' Jessie said, trying hard to explain. ``Well, you take the ball and throw it through a basket and try to win a stuffed animal.''

There were some newfangled elements as well: A Starbucks coffee guy, outfitted with a portable java tank on his back and a half-and-half container at his waist which dispensed samples through a valve.

A short distance away, brave souls on the karaoke stage sang off-key renditions of familiar pop songs - to enthusiastic applause.

And visitors took the opportunity at the crafts booths to get a jump on holiday shopping, snapping up vintage linens, visors for dogs and homemade dolls.

``I come every year,'' said Kahn, a Sherman Oaks resident. ``It's a nice event for the community.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1) From left, Fred Goldberg, Irv Schultz and Stev e Herman of the L.A. Harmony Tradition Chorus perform Sunday at the Sherman Oaks Street Fair. The event ran Friday through Sunday and raised a total of $100,000, which will be given to five Sherman Oaks-area elementary schools, according to fair officials. An estimated 40,000 people turned out for the three days of food and fun on Ventura Boulevard.

(2) Fairgoers take advantage of the mild weather to enjoy the crafts booths and live entertainment.

John McCoy/Daily News