If there is one thing that Fayetteville is not short on, it’s restaurants. With new restaurants opening on a regular basis, you’re sure to have missed out on trying one of them. Well, don’t worry, you have your chance to take a bite out of the city and help two great non-profi ts at Fayetteville’s fi rst every Taste of Fayetteville on March 13 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m..

The event, sponsored by Cumulus Broadcasting and the Holiday Inn Bordeaux, where the event will be hosted, came about not just as a fun thing to do, but also as an event that will benefi t the community.

“We are going to have a minimum of 24 vendors participating,” said Flo Knight, marketing and promotions director at Cumulus Broadcasting. “The event ends at 3 p.m. Just come to the door, it is free to get in but costs $10 to taste.

”Vote for the vendor who deserves bragging rights as Fayetteville’s best restaurant. There will be awards for fi rst, second and third place.

“It is just something fun to go out and have the community vote on who they like,” said Knight. “It is a small fee but something fun for the community to participate in.

”Each person will receive a punch card that they can fi ll up as they make their way around the room. The cards can then be entered in a drawing for an opportunity to win a $100 dollar gift card from WalMart. You don’t have to purchase a card to enter for the prize drawing.

The restaurants represented include Holiday Inn Bordeaux, Cold Stone Creamery, Big Apple, Subway, Chef Mei, the Doubletree Hotel’s Marquis Bistro, Sherefe Mediterranean Grill and more. There is no theme, as there is a little bit of everything, according to Knight, who promises that you are sure to fi nd something you can enjoy.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to offer a little taste of different things, again it is a taste test. It is not going to be large portions, people will be getting a taste of many different items,” she said.

Proceeds will benefi t the USO and the American Red Cross Highlands Chapter. The USO is a private nonprofi t organization that serves and supports soldiers and their families in a variety of ways. According to the Web site they provide morale and recreation services to 220,000 service members and their families annually.

The American Red Cross Highlands Chapter serves Bladen, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke and Sampson counties. It offers a wide range of services to the public as well as the military community. Covering everything from disaster services and preparedness, to life guarding and fi rst aid classes to blood drives, the American Red Cross serves the greater Fayetteville community 24/7, 365 days a year.

Attendees can expect some great food, musical entertainment — provided by Chris Hurst — and a chance to help the organizations that help our community. The inaugural Taste of Fayetteville is something that Knight hopes you will not miss.

“We are really excited to have this event, in fact, we plan on having it become an annual event,” she said

.For more information, check out www.q98fm.com.