Editing Pleasanton, California (section)

===Events and festivals===
Pleasanton maintains regular events for the community. Every Saturday morning a [[farmers' market]] sets up on Angela, off Main Street. There are several parades during the year, commemorating Christmas, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day, as well as kicking off the beginning of the Alameda County Fair and soccer season.

====First Wednesday====
Beginning in the late 1990s, the Pleasanton Downtown Association organized the popular ''First Wednesday'' celebrations from May through September of each year. On the first Wednesday of summer months, Main Street was blocked to traffic and adopted a street fair atmosphere. Each First Wednesday celebration was given a theme and planned with related activities. At this local event, businesses and organizations from downtown and around the Tri-Valley set up booths in the center of the street. A local band performed in the Inklings coffee house parking lot, which was closed off for dancing. The parking lot was also set up as a [[beergarden]], with beer and wine available for consumption.<ref>{{cite news|first=Rebecca|last= Guyon|url=http://www.pleasantonweekly.com/story.php?story_id=553 |newspaper=Pleasanton Weekly|title= First Wednesday street parties are back|location=Pleasanton, Ca |date=April 28, 2006 |access-date=August 1, 2009}}</ref> In 2017, the association announced it was discontinuing the events, and was considering other types of events in future years.<ref>{{cite news|author = Denis Cuff|title = First Wednesdays: The party's over in downtown Pleasanton|url = https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/11/09/party-is-over-on-first-wednesdays-in-downtown-pleasanton/|work = [[East Bay Times]]|date = November 10, 2017|access-date = December 25, 2017}}</ref>

====Friday Concerts in the Park====
Another Pleasanton Downtown Association tradition is the ''Friday Concerts in the Park'' series. Every Friday from June until September the PDA schedules different local bands to perform in the evenings at the [[Lions Clubs International|Lions']] Wayside Park off of First Street. The events are free of charge and draw a crowd.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pleasantonweekly.com/story.php?story_id=687|title=Friday Concerts in the Park start tonight|last=Guyon|first=Rebecca|newspaper=Pleasanton Weekly|location=Pleasanton, CA|date=June 2, 2006|access-date=May 7, 2008}}</ref> Additional seating for 'Concerts in the Park' is available at Delucchi Park, at the intersection of First Street and Neal Street.

====Fairgrounds====
The [[Alameda County Fairgrounds]] is a {{convert|270|acre|adj=on}} facility located in Pleasanton. It is home to the annual Alameda County Fair, held since 1912,<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to the Alameda County Fairgrounds |url=http://www.alamedacountyfair.com/2012fair/index.php |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130210154150/http://www.alamedacountyfair.com/2012fair/index.php |archive-date = February 10, 2013 |access-date = February 20, 2022}}</ref> as well as numerous trade shows and community events including but not limited to the Scottish Games which occur annually on Labor Day weekend.   Located on its grounds, the [[Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack]] was built in 1858, making it the oldest {{convert|1|mi|km|adj=on}} [[horse racing]] track in the United States. There is a 3,000 seat amphitheater, as well as a nine-hole golf course located within the track's infield.

The Alameda County Central Railroad Society has maintained a [[model train]] exhibit at the fairgrounds since 1959.<ref>{{cite news | author=Paul Burgarino | title=Fair's model train show pulls in crowds | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-6959953.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106104148/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-6959953.html | archive-date=November 6, 2012 | work=The Oakland Tribune | date=June 24, 2003 | access-date=August 24, 2011}}</ref>

====Architecture====
Because of the preservation of Pleasanton's historic downtown area, many examples of architectural styles dating back to the mid-19th century exist. Buildings in [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]], Pioneer, [[Italianate architecture|Italianate]], Commercial Italianate, [[Colonial Revival architecture|Colonial Revival]], and [[Queen Anne style architecture in the United States|Queen Anne]] styles can be found within walking distance of each other.

One of the icons of downtown Pleasanton is the ''Kolln Hardware'' building, located at 600 Main Street. It is designed in the Commercial Italianate style, but the prominent five-sided corner tower and a few other features are indicative of the [[Colonial Revival Movement|Colonial Revival]] style. The structure mixes in a little bit of Queen Anne design in the tower and gable. This building was built in 1890 and has always housed a hardware store, first by the Lewis Brothers, then Cruikshank and Kolln. The hardware store has been known as Kolln Hardware since 1933. In 2004, the Kolln Hardware business shut its doors. Bud Cornett, a Pleasanton developer, purchased the landmark and has invested in its renovation and earthquake retrofit.<ref name="kolln restoration">{{Cite news|last=Bing|first=Jeb|title=Restoration Kolln Hardware|date=July 21, 2006|newspaper=The Pleasanton Weekly|url=http://www.pleasantonweekly.com/story.php?story_id=875|location=Pleasanton, CA|access-date=April 25, 2008}}</ref> After more than 100 years of serving the community as a hardware store, the space is now occupied by Comerica Bank.<ref name=bank>{{cite news|url=http://www.pleasantonweekly.com/story.php?story_id=3556|newspaper=Pleasanton Weekly|location=Pleasanton, CA|last=Bing|first=Jeb|date=February 8, 2008|title=Business is booming in city's downtown|access-date=April 25, 2008}}</ref>

====Firehouse Arts Center====
The Firehouse Arts Center, opened in 2010, is a center of culture and art for Pleasanton. It features a 221-seat theater, the Harrington art gallery, and classrooms for art and drama.