Members of the Riverbank Historical Society gathered with classic car owners, city representatives, vendors and a crowd of local residents to celebrate the dedication of a new mural on a downtown building celebrating the Del Rio Theatre.

For nearly 75 years, the Theatre stood as the iconic landmark of downtown Riverbank. It was demolished last July.

The Society obtained a grant and set about to commemorate the building with a mural that was completed near the end of last year, on the south side of the two-story bank building, on the corner of Third and Santa Fe streets.

The mural was designed and painted by Alexandra Riddle, who has done a number of similar projects in the downtown area, all within a few blocks of each other, in the heart of the district.

The mural was dedicated to the many people who have enjoyed the use of the theatre over the years, with the event hosted by the Society and conducted by its president, Steve Bordona, a long-time resident of Riverbank.

Riddle was autographing photos of the original design for sale to those interested, and there was also a booth by a professional photographer who took pictures of the many classic cars owned by club members who participated.

Also there, was a booth presented by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, who had information available on their many programs coming up this spring. Another featured bags of popcorn being sold by staff from the Galaxy Theatre, the much more modern version of the Del Rio.

And there was even a pretzel wagon food truck for those who were hungry.

A special feature was a restored Wurlitzer calliope, from the 1930s era, that played band music from a trailer in the parking lot.

Bordona introduced Riddle to the crowd and members of the Riverbank City Council gave comments on the completion of the project. Mayor Richard D. O’Brien spoke, as did council members Luis Uribe and Rachel Hernandez.