On Saturday, September 20, 2008, the annual Arava Desert Street Fair was held on Sapir, the community settlement at the heart of the Arava, where the Shittim School, Council offices and local institutions are located. The Desert Street Fair has been an annual tradition for many years, drawing hundreds of the region's residents to visit booths set up by people from all over the country, as well as by local residents. The colorful stalls sell everything from clothing, toys, jewelry, books, plants and more, as well as huge amounts of food, and as the evening progresses, performances for children are shown. Just about everyone in the Arava shows up to stroll around, meet friends and enjoy the atmosphere, and maybe do a little folk dancing.

Volunteer Evelyn Biton assisted by some of the region's young people

In order to mark the bar mitzvah of Partnership 2000, the 60th year of independence for the State of Israel, and fifty years of settlement in the Arava, the Partnership decided to set up a booth at the Fair. A film on the involvement of the Partnership in the development of the region was shown, presenting the many ways in which the Partnership has supported and assisted the Arava. Passersby were first attracted to the booth by the Arava-Australia banner and the wonderful digeree do music that accompanied the film, and then stayed to hear about the Partnership, and receive koala toys for their children and an Arava-Australia shaped magnet. The booth was set up and  staffed by AAP (Arava Australia Partnership) volunteers and some of the region's young people, and most particularly by Partnership Co-chair Peter Rabin, faithfully assisted by reciprocal relations coordinator Nili Lipsky and volunteers Evelyn Biton and Celia Yitzhak.