The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved a termination of contract for the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival due to unpaid bills on Tuesday, potentially signaling the end of a nearly 40-year run for the wildly popular Inland Empire event spotlighting the region’s vast wine industry.
The unanimous decision came after a formal request from the Regional Parks & Open-Space District to cancel the contract that organizers of the annual event had agreed upon in 2023.
“Termination will result in the immediate return of the Lake Skinner Recreation to public use during the annual dates previously reserved for the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival,” a statement said on Tuesday’s board agenda…