This evening’s Taste of Bird Rock will kill several birds with one stone, so to speak. The sixth annual event, dubbed “Let the Good Times Roll,” will showcase the unique restaurants and shops along La Jolla Boulevard as well as the boulevard itself, with its roundabouts, landscaped street dividers and diagonal parking.
The good times will roll from 5 to 9 p.m., with District 1 City Councilman and Council President Scott Peters on hand for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. at the Forward Street roundabout.
“Scott Peters will be joining us and we’ve invited volunteers who’ve helped us throughout the years,” said Joe LaCava, president of Bird Rock Community Council (BRCC). “All the shops will be open and running a special of some kind unless they would rather be out there enjoying the festivities.”
Live music and food samples from Bird Rock’s varied restaurants will be offered, along with discounts at many of the boulevard’s unique boutiques. Face painting, a petting zoo, a jumpee and balloon artists will entertain the kids.
“A new feature this year is a crazy hatmaker,” LaCava said. “And between Bird Rock Avenue and La Jolla Boulevard is the children’s play zone.”
This year, tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for kids and $20 for BRCC members. Proceeds from Taste of Bird Rock benefit Bird Rock Elementary School and a sister school.
LaCava said that for the third year, the council worked with the parents foundation at Bird Rock Elementary to focus the proceeds “” 75 percent to Bird Rock Elementary and 25 percent to a nearby school without any fund-raising. The groups decided to donate the Bird Rock school proceeds to fund a school nurse.
“They have a school nurse on a limited basis,” LaCava said. “With the latest round of budget cuts, we found that’s where they were going to cut.”
For the event, La Jolla Boulevard will close from Midway to Camino de la Costa.
Participating restaurants include Bahia, Beaumont’s, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, Bird Rock Pizza, Bird Rock Yogurt, Bully’s, French Pastry Cafe, La Basil Thai, Lupi Vino Cucina, Mariscos, Station Sushi Bird Rock and Starbucks.
Sponsors of the event include Willis Allen Real Estate’s La Jolla office (Gold Sponsor), Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, Ross Dixon & Bell LLP, Witt Lincoln Mercury and Michelle Dykstra.
For more information, go to www.birdrock.org.