Grand Opening Events at the Save Mart Center

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Aug. 14, 2003 (Updated Oct. 22)

Contact: Shirley Melikian Armbruster

(559) 278-2795 or (559) 269-5261

Save Mart Center Grand Opening Events Include Opera Superstar Andrea Bocelli

Community Open House is Nov. 1, Basketball Extravaganza Scheduled Nov. 5, Inaugural Concert Nov. 7

Key Upcoming Save Mart Center Events!

Friday, Oct. 24 -University Sneak Peek and Homecoming Pep Rally, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fresno State students, faculty, staff, retirees and alumni are invited to tour the Save Mart Center. A Homecoming Pep Rally will be held at noon. Admission is with a student or staff ID card only. If you have a Fresno State ID card you may bring one additional person with you.

Monday, Oct. 27 – Ribbon Cutting, 10 a.m. Speakers will include President John D. Welty, California State University Chancellor Charles Reed, corporate donors and VIPs.

Thursday, Oct. 30 – Fresno State Alumni Association’s “Top Dog” gala to honor the university’s most distinguished alumni will be held at the new Save Mart Center, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Special honoree this year is Robert Beltran, Theatre Arts graduate of Fresno State and star of the TV series “Star Trek: Voyager.” Family members will accept the award. In addition, Evelyn Husband, widow of astronaut Rick Husband, will attend to receive the award he was unable to accept last year when he was in training for his shuttle mission. Ticket information ($75) is available at the Fresno State Alumni Association online and by calling 559.278.2586.

Saturday, Nov. 1 – Community Open House, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Thousands of Central California residents are expected to tour the center, sample food at the concession stands and view special performances by Valley high school musical and performing arts groups. For members of the general public...this is your BEST CHANCE to see the entire complex, from top to bottom.

Information for Save Mart Center "Arena Builders"

See Current Photos from the Center

Newsletter (pdf)

Fresno, August 14 - Grand Opening activities for the Save Mart Center at Fresno State will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a festive Community Open House, a Bulldog basketball “extravaganza” and the inaugural concert by renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli on Nov. 7.

Officials at California State University, Fresno and the Save Mart Center announced the Grand Opening activities today (Aug. 14), and promised more exciting news in the near future about upcoming concerts and events.

In addition to inaugurating the Save Mart Center concert schedule, Bocelli also is the 2003-04 season-opener for the Fresno Grand Opera. His performance at the Save Mart Center will launch a limited North American tour. He will be accompanied by the Fresno Philharmonic. Ticket orders will be accepted beginning Saturday, Aug. 16, through a Fresno Grand Opera season subscription.

Bocelli is the biggest-selling classical artist in history, with worldwide sales topping $45 million. His international breakthrough hit was “Con Te Partiro,” along with its duet arrangement with Sarah Brightman, “Time to Say Goodbye.”

Fresno Grand Opera General Director Ronald D. Eichman announced the Bocelli concert during a news conference at the Save Mart Center.

“We are thrilled to be presenting Mr. Bocelli in the first concert in the new Save Mart Center,” Eichman said.

Fresno State President John D. Welty said construction of the Save Mart Center makes “a remarkable visual statement” about the strength and enthusiasm of Fresno and the surrounding region.

“There were many who doubted the ability of this campus, and the people of Central California, to accomplish something as great as the Save Mart Center. Well, when the people of Fresno State and of Central California put their heart into it, they can achieve great things,” Welty said.

Dr. Peter G. Mehas and Maurine Jones, co-chairs of the Save Mart Center grand opening committee, said the official ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Oct. 27 and a Community Open House for residents throughout Central California, is scheduled Nov.1.

Mehas said old and new friends of the university are invited to the daylong open house. They can walk the concourse, sit in the plush red seats of the arena, visit the “behind-the-scenes” working areas and sample food from the center’s vendors, he said.

In addition, high schools from Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Madera and Mariposa counties have been invited to send their bands, choral groups and drama troupes to perform on the arena floor throughout the day. The schools also will have displays around the concourse highlighting their achievements.

The Save Mart Center’s gleaming new basketball floor will be “initiated” on Nov. 5 with a "Bulldog Basketball Extravaganza." See Newsletter (pdf)

The event will include scrimmages by the men's and women's teams, games, a three-point shootout, dunk contests, prizes for students and fans, an autograph session and alumni recognition.

Ticket orders for the Bocelli concert and all performances in the Grand Opera’s 2003-04 season will be accepted beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 16 through a Fresno Grand Opera season subscription. Orders may be placed in person at the Fresno Grand Opera office, 2405 Capitol St., Suite 103 in the Galleria Building in downtown Fresno; by phone at (559) 442-5699; or online at www.fresnograndopera.org.

Save Mart Center “Arena Builders” will be contacted by the Save Mart Center management staff regarding their ticketing opportunities. Information for individual ticket sales through the Save Mart Center ticketing system will be available soon. Ticket prices range from $56 to $276.

The 450,000-square-foot Save Mart Center is the largest privately-financed project in the history of the 23-campus California State University system and the largest venue of this type in Central California. It will be able to accommodate spectators for sporting events, concerts, family shows, cultural events and other programs.

The center, managed by SMG, will be home court for Fresno State intercollegiate athletic teams and the Fresno Falcons Professional Hockey Club. More than a million spectators are expected to visit the facility each year. For more information, see www.SaveMartCenter.com.

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