Source: The Press Enterprise

The Reality Rally of Temecula Valley is for real.

If proof is needed, it will be on display at the Star Spangled 4th of July Parade as its float rolls down Old Town Front Street on Sunday.

Temecula resident Gillian Larson, a participant in the "Survivor Gabon" reality show, wanted to do something special for her adopted city, and almost two years ago she suggested a fundraising event that would include her "reality" pals and promote Temecula at the same time.

A fan of "The Amazing Race," Larson adapted that format and chose a recipient: Michelle's Place, a nonprofit resource center in Murrieta that provides support for victims of breast cancer. She also received approval from the Temecula City Council and recruited reality-show stars to appear.

Source South West Riverside Network

Over 100 artists –most local; some traveling from Montebello, San Diego and Orange County -- painted on canvases “en plein air” and the asphalt of Main Street over three days.

Source: The Press-Enterprise

With the applause of spectators and the wail of sirens, about 60 police officers and their families and friends began a 13-mile torch run Saturday to raise money for the Special Olympics in the Temecula Valley.

The group set out in mid-afternoon from Pechanga Resort & Casino on a run that took them through the Old Town area and then along Rancho California Road to Wilson Creek Winery in the Temecula Valley Wine Country.

In Old Town, the officers were joined by some of the local athletes for a walk along Front Street carrying an Olympic-style torch.

Source: Press-Enterprise
Two mannequins sit in the Old Temecula Jail, a small two-story granite building that's almost hidden in the Old Town Emporium.

Coins -- presumably tossed in for good luck -- are strewn around the figures, who play the part of would-have-been jailbirds. Visitors peer through the bars at the front door, or through the small, one-bar, windows on the sides of the building that dates to the early 20th century. Today, a small jewelry shop shares space with the jail and is one of many boutiques in the area.