...Tacomans love their roads. You know, they're necessary things and do the job, but boy, they could sure use a lot of improvement.

ArtWalk is 20 years old this year. But instead of getting bigger over the years, the free-museum-and-gallery happy hour from 5-8 p.m. on Third Thursdays is dwindling. Galleries get maybe 20 or 30 people, as opposed to the 100 that ArtWalk originators like Rick Gottas remember. It's a far cry from the 150-300 that get through an average Seattle or Portland gallery on First Thursdays, or the 10,000 that attend Olympia's bi-annual ArtWalk. It's also, might I say, a far cry from the 900 that flock to the Museum of Glass on Third Thursdays.

There are a number of issues here. One is the museums hogging the crowds. Another is lack of cooperation and joint publicity between galleries. A third is that galleries have decided they get their own crowds, thanks, and are moving openings to alternative days. A fourth is Tacoma's geography--ArtWalk venues are just too far to walk, unless you're training for the marathon. The result is that, apart from a select few places, downtown Tacoma has been pretty dead lately on ArtWalk nights.

What's the solution? Do you even care? Read my story coming up on Sunday in Soundlife, and see if you come up with an opinion or great idea. There'll be a hot-button poll. Check it out.