AUBURN - Sand, sea, and sunshine will be the ingredients in the imaginations of many who visit the Taste Of Cayuga festival

They might just take a vacation from their typical cuisine as well.

With the Caribbean as the theme, Norman Lee, director of student activities and associate professor at Cayuga Community College, hopes to mix menu, music and education into the event, which for the first time will be held in a new venue.

“We definitely have a variety of cultures in the college, as well as the community,” Lee said. “We try to expose the community to something they're not used to, and promote the acceptance of cultural diversity.”

With the band Soft Spoken lilting listeners with the sound of the Caribbean, those wishing to dine can feast on such regional favorites as curry chicken, rice and beans and jerk pork, and maybe close their eyes and feel an ocean breeze in-between bites.

Hosted by Come As You Are (CAYA), a newly formed club comprised of students representing various cultural backgrounds,

this semester's festival also

marks the first time the Community Wide Dialogue (CWD) organ-

ization of Auburn has become involved.

“We are reaching out, off campus, into the community,” Lee said.

If you go

What: Taste Of Cayuga

When: 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Auburn Public Theater

Cost: $2 tasting fee, free for CCC students with student ID

For details: Call 255-1743, ext. 2232