Pleasanton’s Firehouse Arts Center Celebrates 1st Anniversary

The city of Pleasanton will host a free celebration to observe the first anniversary of the in Pleasanton from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The public is invited to celebrate at the center, 4444 Railroad Ave. in downtown Pleasanton.

There will be musical performances by local artists, art projects for the entire family, face painting, improv workshops in the classrooms, demonstrations by local artists, a reception in the art gallery, and cupcakes for everyone.

In its first year, the center opened its doors to more than 20,000 visitors who attended first-class jazz performances, theater shows and musicals, literary events and speakers, a film series, art classes, art gallery viewings, and much more, according to a city press release.

The historic fire station in downtown Pleasanton was built in 1929 with bricks from a local foundry, and now features a 227-seat flexible studio theater, 2,000 square feet of gallery space, two large art classrooms, and a spacious grand lobby for receptions and events.

As a multiple-use facility, it provides a broad range of arts programming opportunities.

The center's 2011-2012 season of entertainment launched in early September and continues this month on Sunday, Sept. 18 with a 2 p.m. matinee performance by , a guest soloist who has performed both on Broadway and in the San Francisco show of Phantom of the Opera.

Pianist takes to the Firehouse stage on Saturday, Sept. 24, and the Latin Fiesta of the Americas kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 25.

Tickets for all performances are available for purchase online at www.firehousearts.org, in person at the Firehouse Arts Center box office, or by phone at 925-931-4848.

Box office hours are Wednesday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; and two hours prior to each performance.