$1-EACH APPETIZERS TO HELP FILL PLATE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL ARTS.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

VALENCIA - Restaurants along Town Center Drive will be serving up tasty tapas tonight and other Tuesdays the rest of the summer as part of a fund-raiser for local public schools.

Charging $1 per tapa or appetizer, participating restaurants will donate a portion of the proceeds to public schools, said sponsors in the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation.

They said the second annual Tapa Tuesdays will be especially important to the schools' arts programs because the foundation's usual main fund-raiser, the Bella Via street-chalk festival, has been canceled.

``We're doing all we can to make up for that,'' said Jane Raleigh, communications director for the chamber. ``Anything we can (do) will be wonderful.''

Tapa Tuesdays works like this: Patrons buy wooden tokens from vendors along the drive, then take them to participating restaurants for the $1-apiece appetizers.

The event will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. each Tuesday through Sept. 9. Tokens are also available at the chamber for individuals, businesses or groups that would like to purchase them ahead of time.

Last year, the weekly event raised $4,000 for public schools in Santa Clarita, and organizers are hoping to double that amount this year, Raleigh said.

``This is just a fun event that is a win-win for everybody,'' said Raleigh. ``It's a just a wonderful social evening on a beautiful street.''

The annual Bella Via chalk-drawing event - which drew 130,000 visitors to Town Center Drive last year - raised $70,000 over a four-year period for schools.

Teachers from public schools across Santa Clarita can apply for arts grants that are awarded in spring from the foundation.