After five years of closure, this month Fair Oaks Village finally gets its entertainment and social hub back when a new $28 million development opens in Village Park.
“This is the hub for everything around the village and the community,” says Mike Aho, district administrator for Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District. Aho says that Fair Oaks Village also received a $22,000 grant from the state of California for connecting the community through the arts.
“Even though you may not be from Fair Oaks, you’re going to feel like you are part of Fair Oaks. You’ll sit down and people will talk to you.” — Mike Aho, District Administrator
Included in the new development is the 400-seat Veterans Memorial Amphitheater, a 120-seat black box theater and three performance stages. There are also green rooms for musicians and bands, plus community rooms. The park’s former amphitheater was torn down to create this facility.
“This is the highest investment that Fair Oaks has ever had,” says Aho. “That’s substantial per-capita outlay. We’re looking at two generations of people to use this facility. How do we build this for the next two generations?”
Some examples are programming all ages can enjoy, including a Christmas tree installation on Plaza Stage, hosted weddings in the community clubhouse, and arts and crafts classes.
“We’re expecting to do 180 programs a year,” says Aho. “The community really is the reason it’s happening.”
The first major event to take place in the newly renovated park and facilities will be our Grand Opening Celebration, beginning on October 9, with additional events planned on October 10, 11, and 12. These events will be open to all ages and will serve as a community-wide celebration of the park’s completion and reopening and includes the Folk Festival event as part of the Grand Opening. Next year, two series that locals know and love will return to the park: free Thursday night concerts in the bandshell starting in June and Comedy Under the Stars.
“People can sit there and picnic while something’s going on at the stage,” says Aho.
These new, modern buildings and performance spaces will also be more inclusive. “It has never had ADA accessibility,” Aho says of Village Park. “We tried to make it work over time, but now this is intentional. You can use the ADA pathway that goes all the way around the park. We never had that connectivity.”
