Downtown Coos Bay businesses will present a Wine Walk from 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, July 12.

The World newspaper is coordinating this first-time event and will be selling wine glasses for $10 with proceeds to benefit the Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association and the Coos Art Museum. Participating businesses are located within a four-block radius of the theater and museum.

Twenty businesses are participating in the event and several will have wine samples. Other businesses will offer in-store specials, food and other beverages, as well as door prize drawings. This event is intended to bring people out to celebrate all that downtown Coos Bay has to offer. The Wine Walk idea was suggested by The World's new publisher Janet Geary, who has participated in a similar event in Truckee, Calif.

The event coincides with Artwalk! and will feature a sneak peak at the Coos Art Museum's next exhibit, the 14th-annual Maritime Exhibit. A Teen Idol event also will be held at the Egyptian Theatre the same evening.

The Wine Walk starts at the corner of Second Street and Anderson Avenue in the lobby of the former Umpqua Bank building, 170 S. Second St. Participants can purchase a wine glass and follow a self-guided tour, with map and passport guide.

Participating businesses include: Coos Art Museum, Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association, Oregon Coast Music Festival, Downtown Association, The Art Connection, American Family Insurance, Black Market Gourmet, Dunes Coastal Living, Fidelity Title Company, Foodies' Grill, Hawk's View Winery, Katrina Kathleen's Home Décor and Gifts, Lila's Boutique, Memories of Time, The Mossy Rose, North Wind Kite Shop, Oregon Wine Cellars, The Pottery Company, Ric's Posto Bella, Sincerely Your's Antiques Mall, Style All Over Again, Threads That Bind, VJ's Games/Oregon Martial Arts Academy and The World Newspaper.

For more information, those interested can call Cindy Rawlings at The World, 269-1222, ext. 289.