Festival at Harbor Likely to Bust Diets

Dump that diet book and strap on your dancing shoes--it’s time for the Taste of Ventura County, an annual binge sampling of the various types of food, drink and entertainment the region has to offer.

The event features local restaurants, bands and breweries eager to show their stuff. It begins tonight and continues through Sunday night at Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard. Diners can graze on bite-sized portions of local restaurants’ best offerings washed down with a selection of wine, champagne, beer, coffee, juices, smoothies and margaritas.

Cigar smokers get a room of their own to indulge their aromatic habit. Food lovers can watch chefs in action at a series of demonstrations. Kids can ditch the grown-ups in the arts and crafts area. Music is as varied as the food, with reggae, swing, rock, country, Cajun and big-band sounds.

Taste of Ventura, located at 2950 S. Harbor Blvd. in Oxnard, runs from 5 p.m. to midnight today, noon to midnight Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. General admission is $6, seniors and military pay $4, children under 14 get in free. Food and drink prices range from $1 to $5. Parking is free.

For information, call 985-4852.