Gallery & Wine Walk organizers deserve pat on the back

If you were anywhere near the Village last Thursday night, you couldn’t miss the crowd that turned out for Promote La Jolla’s Gallery & Wine Walk. The sell-out crowd of 1,000 tasted local restaurant fare, sampled a great variety of wines, and visited many of 20 galleries. Some popped into the stores that kept their doors open into the evening.

Judging from the smiles on the faces of most of the visitors - many from outside La Jolla - PLJ accomplished its mission of showing off local businesses.

This was the fifth time the business improvement district hosted the self-guided gallery tour as a way to fill a gap created when the art festival left the Village.

If the organizers’ bets on the event pay off, many of the visitors will return for a full meal or to buy a painting or a gift for a friend.

Some may argue that special events are just that; that they don’t build a lasting clientele. But consider the amount of free publicity the event received - from radio air time to word of mouth - and we think that the time invested is worth the effort.

It sent the message: The Jewel still shines.