Dining

Supporters of the Temecula Valley Unified School District are hosting the "Taste of Temecula Valley" this spring as a fundraiser for the school district's foundation.

The event will be April 17-18 in the new Town Square Plaza in Old Town Temecula. Organizers are seeking sponsors, vendors and local entertainment for the two-day event.

"The big thing we really want is food and local wines, the more unique the better," event chairman Mark Katan said.

Money raised through the event will go to the Temecula Valley Foundation for Excellence in Education to benefit students in the Temecula Valley Unified School District. The foundation's goal is to provide funding for the arts, science and technology, Katan said.

"We really want to try and replace the things that have been lost" because of budget cuts, he said.

The "Taste of Temecula Valley" will be the foundation's first fundraiser. Organizers hope to make the "Taste" an annual affair that becomes a signature event for the community, Katan said.

While the foundation is new, the event dates back more than 20 years, to the late 1980s. Back then, "Taste of the Temecula Valley" was put on by the Community Recreation Center Building Foundation to raise money for the community center, now part of the Ronald Reagan Sports Park.

Katan said the education foundation wanted to recapture the spirit of the previous event, which also focused on helping children in the community. "Everybody remembers it as a great event that was lots of fun," he said.

Reach Michelle L. Klampe at 951-375-3740 or mklampe@PE.com