More to do, more to choose in Fresno
Looking for a good time? Look no further. Since 2003, the largest metropolis in the Central Valley has expanded its offerings to more than 1,000 restaurants, 60-plus movie screens and frequent live superstar performances delivering good times, cultural enrichment and events for all ages.
Unveiling the local art scene
Innovative developments have kept Fresno’s arts and theater scene fresh. This included the opening of Broadway Studios, showcasing 28 working artists’ studios; exhibition space Corridor 2122; and Gallery 25, a 43-member co-op. Onstage, Broadway brought “Les Miserables,” “Evita,” “Chicago” and “Riverdance” to Fresno to thrill sellout crowds.
Meanwhile, significant progress occurred at existing sites and events. ArtHop, an open-studio monthly attraction, leapt into its 12th year and now offers 82 venues among its stops.
The Rogue Performance Festival, our own local fringe festival, spotlights independent performance and art attracting 5,500 festival goers with 60 performance groups.
Museums exhibit growth
The Fresno Metropolitan Museum recently began renovating its historic 84-year-old building. A $1 million gift from the Fresno Regional Foundation will support the project, according to Met Associate Director Jon Carroll. When completed, the facility will feature new lighting and stairwells, improved security, an enhanced open-gallery floor plan and elevators, and will allow expanded exhibits for the Valley to enjoy.
Carroll believes partnerships with community organizations will increase future educational outreach efforts.
The Fresno Art Museum, with a planned bequest of significant collections of pre-Columbian ceramics and French post-impressionist graphics, will present an exhibition showcasing influential women artists and feminist themes later this year.
Dining and shopping options galore
Beyond the arts, Fresno has morphed into a dining destination with more than 1,000 places to eat, as well as a shopping haven featuring hundreds of stores.
High-end shops Banana Republic, J. Jill and Coldwater Creek will join Fig Garden Village’s 27 existing shops while Williams-Sonoma expands its space there. In Clovis, Sierra Vista Mall is adding 125,000 square feet of shops and a 16-screen theater to its 75 stores. Fashion Fair, the area’s largest indoor mall, houses about 120 stores plus three major department stores. An ongoing expansion at Fashion Fair has secured upscale retailers Aldo, Bebe, and Paruce/Aveda Day Spa and Salon. Anthropologie will arrive soon.
Eating is king in Fresno, where restaurant growth has surged. Recently, The Cheesecake Factory opened at Fashion Fair, and P.F. Chang’s China Bistro joined River Park’s lineup. The Chef’s Table opened its doors at Fig Garden Village — the perfect venue for chef Malachi Harland, identified by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the rising young chefs who will soon reach star status on the national stage. Echo and Five began serving patrons in trendy northeast Fresno, as well as other locally owned restaurants that have opened, tantalizing the tastes for the area’s growing dining population.
Legendary acts, live onstage
Besides dining establishments, a sure measure of a region’s hip factor is the touring acts it attracts. Fresno recently entered the live concert industry’s big leagues when it garnered national attention for Selland Arena’s No. 53 ranking and the Save Mart Center’s No. 56 spot in midyear ticket sales worldwide, according to Fresno-based Pollstar, the concert industry’s largest trade magazine.
The Save Mart Center ushered in this new level of entertainment in 2003. Andrea Bocelli, accompanied by the Fresno Philharmonic, inaugurated the arena’s concert schedule and launched the Fresno Grand Opera’s season. Other arena headliners included Sir Elton John, Britney Spears, The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Keith Urban, Metallica and Shania Twain.
On a smaller scale, Indian gaming casinos presented a diversified lineup of entertainment.
Selland Arena kept pace with the new venues and hosted a variety of acts, including Megadeth, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Nine Inch Nails.
“The Fresno market has continued to grow and with the opening of the Save Mart Center, the bigger shows that never came to town had a place to play,” Pollstar Editor in Chief Gary Bongiovanni said. “The bigger surprise is Selland, which seems to have found a niche with general-admission shows. Very few markets can support two arenas.”
Fresno’s local talent promotes many do-it-yourself gigs aided by the global MySpace.com revolution. Six Ounce Gloves recently signed with a label; Flight 409 opened for the legendary Social Distortion; and Skinhead Rob of the Transplants hails from this area. The best-known venues for area musicians are The Belmont, The Starline, Club Fred and Kuppajoe, with most clustered in the Tower District. The Rainbow Ballroom hosts live all-Latin concerts.
Area-wide future dates include Bon Jovi, Taste of Chaos, Kenny G, Black Eyed Peas, Deftones, David Sanborn and Ron White. “Fresno becomes a more routine stop on large tours and is planned into tour routing rather than being a last-minute addition to the schedule because they couldn’t do an extra day in Los Angeles or San Francisco,” Pollstar’s Bongiovanni stated.
Old favorites enjoy new attention
While not new, traditional activities and events draw families from near and far, and continually evolve to meet the public’s demands. The Fresno Chaffee Zoo is the city’s most popular year-round attraction and has installed padded floors to protect animals’ feet; repaired its bridge; and automated the giraffe-display door. Earlier this year, it underwent a head-to-toe cleaning.
Nearby, the Clovis Rodeo presents the rough-and-tumble world of professional cowboys and cowgirls. Attendance at the Xtreme Bull Riding and Tie Down Championships has nearly doubled since 2003 and purses have grown to $210,133. This April, ESPN will broadcast the Xtreme Bull Riding event during the Rodeo’s 92nd year.
The largest of all events is The Big Fresno Fair, which attracts more than 550,000 people annually — more than any other yearly affair. Recently, it improved the park area, grounds security and expanded its concert lineup. This year’s headliners will include The Oak Ridge Boys and The Doobie Brothers.
“Fresno has reached the point where we’re ahead of the curve when it comes to entertainment,” said The Big Fresno Fair Chief Executive Officer John C. Alkire. “If there’s something you want to see, it’ll be here in 12 months.”
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