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Ag fundraiser offers tastes of local flavors
Taste of the Valley
The Stanislaus State Agriculture Department and the Friends of the Stanislaus County Fair Foundation will host their 17th annual Tastes of the Valley Wine and Cheese event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds (Photo contributed).

A locally-sourced assortment of wines, craft brews and cheeses will give attendees of the upcoming Tastes of the Valley event a chance to sample flavors from around the region, all for a good cause.

The Stanislaus State Agriculture Department and the Friends of the Stanislaus County Fair Foundation will host their 17th annual Tastes of the Valley Wine and Cheese event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds. This year’s theme is “Come Grow With Us,” and the evening will allow guests to enjoy drinks, cheese and small plates from local wineries, breweries and restaurants, all while participating in silent and live auctions in order to help raise money for several ag programs.

Proceeds from the program benefit the Tastes of the Valley scholarship fund, the Friends of the Fair Foundation and the Stanislaus State Agriculture Department. Students in the university’s ag program also benefit from the event in that it serves as a networking opportunity, as well as hands-on experience in hosting an event.

Since its inception, the Tastes of the Valley event has raised over $400,000.

“The Friends of the Stanislaus County Fair Foundation continues our relationship with California State University, Stanislaus in support of the Agriculture Program,” said Matt Cranford, Chief Executive Officer for the Stanislaus County Fair. “These students have a great future in our community, and we are proud to support them in their agriculture education endeavors.  We are excited and proud to be a partner and able to have such a positive impact on their futures.”

The event raises about $50,000 annually, and about 80 percent of the Stan State Agriculture portion of the money goes to scholarships for all agriculture majors and supporting the Agriculture Ambassadors, the only association for Ag Majors. The remaining is used for outreach, professional development and agriculture program support to enhance student learning. The second half of the funds raised go to the fairgrounds to support agriculture education programs annually.

“Stanislaus State Agriculture is proud to partner once again with the Friends of the Stanislaus County Fair Foundation,” said Dr. Oluwarotimi Odeh, Professor and Rolland Starn Endowed Chair of the Stanislaus State Agriculture Program. “We see this continuing partnership as one that will not only solidify future funding support for our agriculture students, but continue to be a lasting relationship that will support youth and agriculture activities in our communities.  What a great opportunity to come together to benefit two important organizations that support Stanislaus County agriculture.”

Tickets to the event are being sold for $50 each and can be purchased online at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds website, www.stancofair.com, or the Stanislaus State website, https://www.csustan.edu/agriculture/tastes-valley. Tickets are also available at the Fairgrounds office during work hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Those interested in donating items for the auctions or who would like to purchase tickets can also visit the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds, located at 900 N. Broadway, Turlock.