UKIAH, Calif. – Gifted jazz woodwind player and composer Paul McCandless will be the featured musical entertainment at this year’s Gala on the Green Vine & Dine, Mendocino College Foundation’s annual fundraiser to benefit the college’s students and programs.

The event will take place at the main campus in Ukiah on June 1.

Best known for his membership in the jazz and world music group Oregon, McCandless is considered a pioneer of modern instrumental music, and an accomplished player of several instruments including oboe, English horn, bass clarinet, soprano and sopranino saxophones.

As a composer, his work has appeared in a number of film scores. A Grammy winner in 1996 for his work with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, McCandless has collaborated on more than 150 albums, and currently tours with the group Proteus 7.

For the first time, the Gala fundraiser will be held on the Ukiah campus of Mendocino College.

“The timing is right to bring it home,” said Richard Cooper, special events chair and foundation vice president. “Since the last Gala on the Green, we have seen the completion of the cutting-edge Library/Learning Center building while the old library is currently being renovated to become a brand-new student center. Our event will be a fabulous opportunity to see how the college has evolved to continue to be a vital asset to our community.”

Also new this year is the foundation’s partnership with the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program.

MESA’s annual fundraiser, Vine and Dine, will be a part of the Gala. MESA students are playing an active role in the planning and execution of the event now called Gala on the Green Vine & Dine.

“We are always striving to step it up year over year,” said Cooper. “Foundation staff as well as the MESA students led by MESA program director Margaret Sanchez, have been working hard to create this exciting new incarnation of the Gala.”

Prior to the start of the event, guests will have the opportunity to join a walking tour of the campus, including the new Library/Learning Center. After check-in they will find eight appetizer stations, each paired with a complimentary wine pouring.

Dinner will be provided by Nicholas Petti and the Mendocino College Culinary Arts program. Live and silent auctions will feature many unique items, while a wine raffle will provide the chance to win a variety of high-end Lake and Mendocino County wines.

This year’s major sponsors include 94.5 Kwine, Max 93.5 Radio, Skunk Train, Mendo Lake Credit Union, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, Selzer Realty, TLCD Architecture, and Ukiah Valley Medical Center.

Sponsorship of the musical entertainment for the evening is provided by Kit Elliott and George Husaruk.

Registration for the June 1 event is available online at www.galaonthegreen.org . Admission is $100 per person, with a table of eight for $700, or a premium table of four for $500. The Ukiah campus of Mendocino College is located at 1000 Hensley Creek Road.

For more information about the 2013 Gala on the Green Vine & Dine or the Mendocino College Foundation, visit the foundation’s Web site at http://foundation.mendocino.edu .