The La Jolla Village Merchants Association (LJVMA) is gearing up for the ninth annual La Jolla Concours d’Elegance classic car show April 5-7 at Ellen Browning Scripps Park in La Jolla Cove. “We’re getting plenty of volunteers and planning is going great and we’re raffling off tickets for a Fiat,” said Claudette Berwin, who is spearheading planning and promotion for this year’s Concours. This year, Berwin said, one of the event’s main goals is to extend its reach out into the downtown Village involving more local merchants. “La Jolla will benefit by local businesses doing more business obviously on that weekend,” said LJVMA chairman Phil Coller. The Concours d’Elegance annually showcases a wide array of vintage vehicles, including horseless carriages, Italian and British marques, Woodies, 1950s classics, American sports cars (with a salute in 2013 to GM on its 100th anniversary) and the automobiles of Carroll Shelby. This year, the event will tip its hat to some of the world’s finest classics: Rolls Royce, Bentley, Bugatti, Cadillac and Duesenberg. The exhibition includes classic motorcycles as well. For more information about the event, call (858) 454-0555, email [email protected] or visit lajollaconcours.com. LJVMA executive director Sheila Fortune said ad sales for TVs at the new visitor center at 1162 Prospect St. are “going nicely.” But Fortune warned advertising space is at a premium and may not last long. “If you haven’t been to the visitors center yet you should go, it’s quite impressive,” said Coller, adding the center is rapidly becoming a community hub, as a well as a draw for tourists. “We want the visitors center to be the place people always come to first,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is drive traffic. Once they’re here, they can buy tickets to attractions like SeaWorld, as well as get information about all the stuff they can do in La Jolla.” For more information, visit www.lajollabythesea.com, call (858) 454-5718 or email [email protected]. In other action: – La Jolla merchants are being warned that the city’s code compliance department has issued a warning that it will soon be monitoring sidewalks in the Village for tent signs, menu boards and other signage not permitted in the public right-of-way. Warning notices are given and fines for violations up to $1,000 may then be issued. – Associate publisher Mike Smith gave a presentation on Locale Magazine, which just expanded from Orange County into San Diego. “We’re a quarterly, seasonal publication with five sections on what you can eat, drink, shop and do in the region and our first issue was in December,” Smith said noting the publication has a “massive website” that he said drew 31,000 visitor hits last month. “We try to be a resource guide for everyone,” Smith added. For more information, visit www.localemagazine.com. LJVMA’s next meeting will be Wednesday, April 10 at 8:30 a.m. at Cuvier Club, 7776 Eads Ave.
