10 p.m.: Gallo concert concludes, and the street party begins

Festivities will continue until early morning

By LISA MILLEGAN
lmillegan@modbee.com

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With the Modesto Symphony Orchestra accompanying her, Broadway star Patti Lupone was the headline act at the Gallo Center for the Arts gala opening concert that ended around 10 p.m. Thursday.

Concert-goers filed out of the $40 million concert hall and onto the plaza and onto I Street in downtown Modesto, where they're starting a dinner party and dance that will run until 1 a.m.

A few blocks down 10th Street, about 250 people had watched the program broadcast live on a large-screen television screen outside the Brenden Theater. While the crowd inside the center was wearing tuxedos and gowns, the outdoor event attracted families with children in strollers and couples sitting on blankets or in lawn chairs.

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The Gallo Center crowd streamed into the center just ahead of the 7:30 symphony performance. They walked in on five red carpets, one for each doorway to the building facing I Street.

Many of the arrivals congratulated Marie Gallo, president of the center's board of directors who 10 years ago headed the committee that brought the $40 million arts and entertainment complex from a dream to a reality.

Mrs. Gallo, wearing a yellow gown and standing with her husband, Bob, talked about how pleased she was that the center was open.

"I think the most wonderful feeling is seeing all these people here, excited and happy about something wonderful happening within the center of our community," Mrs. Gallo said. "I think it will go on for many, many years to come, and many generations."

Patty Hill Thomas, the Stanislaus County chief operating officer, said: "I have to tell you, there were times when we thought we wouldn't ever get to this day. It feels like we ought to pinch ourselves."

Traffic around the Gallo Center slowed to a crawl this afternoon as workers put the finishing touches on opening-night decor. They set out 5,000 cream-colored roses for center pieces and three tents for food stations on the plaza. The address finally went up on the building: 1000 I St.

Scott Devine, chief financial officer for the center, said everything was in place for a successful evening.

�I�ve seen a sample broadcast from the Jumbotron and it was great,� Devine said.

Don Gein, an employee of county public works, bought the last $250 orchestra seat at about 2:30 p.m.

�It would be a shame to miss this. It�s not gonna happen again. I watched from the old city hall as ground was broken for the project,� he said. �My wife can�t make it. she has previous plans with our three daughters.�

Gein said he would bring the whole family back later to see �Nutcracker.�

The event attracted plenty of media attention. Gallo Center spokesman John Segale said several newspapers, the three network television stations from Sacramento plus the Spanish-language Univision station were planning to cover the grand opening. The Bee sent five reporters, three photographers and a videographer to the festivities.

"We're excited," said Dave Pier, the arts center's executive director. "The place is buzzing. Everyone is excited about everything happening and all the pieces coming together."

To make the event more festive, some restaurants on Tenth Street Plaza offered discounts or giveaways. Starbucks, for example, gave out free samples of coffee and pastries.

"I think it's good for the community," said Downtown Improvement District Director Nancy Young about the video broadcast. "I think it's giving everybody a chance to see what's inside the Gallo Center for the Arts."

The concert was held in the 1,252-seat Rogers Theater. The orchestra played works by Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky and Copland under the direction of new conductor David Lockington. After intermission, Patti LuPone performed the first act of her show-tune-filled autobiographical show, "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda," to the accompaniment of the orchestra.