Forty years ago, Solano County residents received something that transformed their shopping habits forever: their very own shopping mall.

Gone were the days of having to drive to Sacramento or Concord to go the mall, as residents now had a centralized place to fill their shopping bags, peruse the main concourse and maybe even get a bite to eat. It was called the Solano Mall — now the Solano Town Center — and for the last 40 years, it has become a place to create memories.

Now, more memories will be created as the mall hosts a special concert Saturday for its ruby anniversary.

"It feels amazing," Jane Reid, general manager of Spinoso Real Estate Group which itself manages the mall, said of the anniversary.

Solano Town Center was opened March 19, 1981 by the Hahn Company, which had developed other malls in the state such as the Downtown Plaza in Sacramento, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights and Westfield Oakridge in San Jose. The mall was built around a free-standing J.C. Penney that became one of the mall's original anchors, where it would later be joined by other major tenants such as Emporium-Capwell, Mervyn's, Macy's and Sears. Today, the J.C. Penney and Macy's remain as anchor tenants alongside Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods, an Edwards Cinema multiplex with an IMAX theater, and Dave & Buster's, which opened earlier this year.

Since its opening, the mall has been a place for residents from throughout the county and surrounding regions to stop by and take advantage of deals, get Christmas shopping done and even spend time with families at the center's various amusements such as an indoor play area and seasonal visits by Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

Even as malls throughout the world have felt the impact of consumers shifting to online retailers as well as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing recession, Reid said business is currently good. The mall closed last year in the early months of the pandemic and reopened to provide services depending on what the current tiers would allow. The mall is now fully open.

"Now we're back up and running full speed," Reid said. "We've had several new leases signed in 2021."

Saturday's event will kick off at 11 a.m. with speeches by Fairfield Mayor Harry Price and the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce, followed by performances by School of Rock Vacaville at 11:30, Pub Kats at 1:30 and Delta Dogs at 3:30. There will also be food trucks and games such as cornhole.

All events will take place in the parking lot across from Edwards Cinema, 1350 Travis Blvd. The event is free, and masks and social distancing are recommended.