A deviation in location and format had attendees bidding on auctions and clapping for Grammy winner Alison Brown’s performance in La Jolla.
Bridging community and conservation, dozens came together on the lawns at Wisteria Cottage in La Jolla Sept 25 for “Cocktails Off Coast Walk,” the annual fundraiser for the nonprofit Friends of Coast Walk Trail, which maintains and preserves the historic trail.
The usual event is held on Coast Walk but this year moved to the La Jolla Historical Society and featured a concert by the Alison Brown Quintet, in addition to its customary dinner, drinks and auctions.
Among the auction items were a Deering banjo to be signed that night by Grammy-winning and nominated Brown and a bench crafted from reclaimed railings of the Coast Walk Trail pedestrian bridge.
Friends of Coast Walk Trail founder and President Brenda Fake thanked those in attendance for supporting the organization’s efforts on the trail, which include recent removal of invasive plants and the repair of the bridge, which is now complete.
The evening included remarks from Kumeyaay leader Stan Rodriguez, who reminded attendees that La Jolla has been home to the Kumeyaay for thousands of years.
“This area is where knowledge came to the people,” Rodriguez said. “As we come together, all of us and share our knowledge, we all grow.”
The event also formally launched the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy, a nonprofit that will operate in a public-private partnership with the city of San Diego to collect private donations for a number of projects to maintain and improve shoreline land from just above Coast Walk Trail southwest to just south of Whale View Point.
The establishment of the Coastal Conservancy means “a shoreline that’s restored,” said Executive Director Bob Evans. “It’s safe, it’s welcoming and it’s something that our kids and our grandkids and all visitors can enjoy.”
“This shoreline fuels the La Jolla community … and our souls,” he said. “This is an opportunity for us to leave a legacy.”
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