The Creative Arts Building Corp. had quite a bit on its checklist. The first order of business was (and still is) to restore the gem of a theater on Pittsburg High's campus: Refurbish all 242 seats in the Little Theatre. Check. Do the same for more than 1,500 seats in the main auditorium. Check.

Though there's more to do at the 50-year-old theater, the group has added community outreach to the list. On Saturday, the group will have a big checkmark by its latest offering: a free event for families with preschoolers and kindergartens.

It's a family-oriented day with representatives from the Contra Costa Health Department, Contra Costa Libraries and Contra Costa Child Care Center, and the Pittsburg police doing fingerprinting. The event also includes a giveaway of 2,300 books, thanks to an East Bay Community Foundation grant. But, it's the headliners that will have attendees jumping for joy, as the enormously fun Sippy Cups will take the stage. An Early Literacy grant by the East Bay Community Foundation secured the San Francisco-based band.

According to Chuck Dybdal, the group's executive director, this event is its biggest community outreach, with the Sippy Cups performing two free shows for East County wee ones from Bay Point to Brentwood.

Over the years, Chuck says, CABC has received support via donations, grants and business help from people adopting theater seats (which is still available). Years

Advertisement
ago, the group received $200,000 from Pittsburg through a Grant Challenge Program that matched money CABC raised. "To date, we have raised $500,000 and have put in more than 4,000 volunteer hours while hosting a variety of events attempting to bring Pittsburg's 'hidden jewel' back into the spotlight."

The theater is indeed a jewel. For years, I was a happy member of Pittsburg Community Theatre. We performed some fabulous productions — from "Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" to "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." The theater, the largest in Contra Costa County, certainly added to the magic of it all.

If ever there were a building to embrace and adopt, it would be the Creative Arts Building, which was built in 1959 with a then-large $5 million bond. In its five decades, it's been home and host to the award-winning PCT, high school bands, choirs and drama groups, and entertainment luminaries such as Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.

When the theater closes for the summer, additional restoration is planned, including state-of-the-art computerized sound and lighting in both theaters, new curtains and partial replacement of the Little Theatre's stage floor.

Formed in 2006, the CABC has a long list of achievements, including:

  • The Pete Escovedo Music Scholarship for Pittsburg Unified School District students.

  • Distributed nearly 3,000 free tickets to PUSD students, seniors and special-needs adults for "Nutcracker" performances during the past two years, while providing concession discounts to attendees donating cans of food to the PICES food pantry.

  • Distributed 1,600 grade-related books on Harriet Tubman to PUSD students and free tickets to a performance of the "Harriet Tubman Jazz Oratorio" with the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra.

    For more information about Saturday's concert event and how to get free tickets, e-mail info.cabconcerts@gmail or visit www.cabconcerts.com.

    Reach Trine Gallegos at trineg@att.net.