Bob McFadden Plaza at Third Street in Carson City opens Saturday

Downtown’s new pedestrian plaza will be celebrated Saturday with day-long festivities.

The grand opening of Bob McFadden Plaza, located on 3rd Street between Carson and Curry streets, starts at 9 a.m. with a pancake breakfast and ends with a champagne toast at 7 p.m.

In between, there will be activities for children, including Big Rigs for Kids provided by project contractor Q&D Construction, a bounce house and face painting, as well as the new splash pad which will be a permanent, seasonal feature of the plaza.

Mayor Bob Crowell, Carson McFadden and members of the McFadden family, and Ronni Hannaman, executive director of the Carson City Area Chamber of Commerce, will be on hand for a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m.

“The plaza means the world to us,” said Carson McFadden, Bob McFadden’s daughter and organizer of the event. “It’s amazing because it has been over a decade since he passed. We are so blessed to have a living memorial and we are so grateful to be able to share this plaza with Carson City.”

Music by Trippin King Snakes and DJ Red will be featured starting at 5 p.m.

The plaza is part of the downtown corridor project to repave and narrow Carson Street, widen its sidewalks and add more pedestrian friendly features.

The plaza is being named after McFadden, a realtor and manufactured housing dealer, who refurbished the St. Charles Hotel.

A $125,000 naming gift from the McFadden family made possible the plaza’s permanent event stage and 12-foot circle splash pad.

Proceeds from the day’s events benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada and Big Brothers Big Sisters.