Los Medanos College will celebrate its 40th Anniversary with a campus-wide open house March 21.

“For 40 years, the college has served the communities of East Contra Costa County, and students from Antioch, Liberty, Mt. Diablo and Pittsburg Unified School Districts, as well as adults of all ages,” wrote Barbara Cella, director of marketing for LMC, in a press release.

“Tens of thousands of students have attended Los Medanos College during its many years of service to the community,” she added.

The free event will also serve as the grand opening of the Student Services building, which finished construction in January.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new structure will be at 10:30 a.m. in the Outdoor Quad, with activities for all ages hosted by various departments and student organizations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. throughout campus.

LMC President Bob Kratochvil said he hopes to have as many previous college presidents in attendance as possible for the ceremony.

Departmental activities will begin at 11 a.m. and include performances of the drama department’s upcoming play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” an American Sign Language demonstration, shows in the Planetarium, along with science activities in the biology and physics departments and an archeological “dig.”

Mini open-houses in various departments — computer science, appliance technology services, math, emergency medical services, graphic arts, journalism and photography among others — will be open too for varying times throughout the day.

Guests wishing to explore the campus will be able to do so in both guided and self-guided tours.

Food will be available for purchase from the cafeteria, as well as from two food trucks. Clubs may also offer snacks or sweets as well.

Preparations for the open house have been bolstered with activities and other projects to draw attention not only to the Contra Costa Community College District, but to LMC in particular.

These activities include the revival of the “Career Focus” magazine, which was sent to more than 100,000 households in the East Contra Costa County, and the production of a commercial in conjunction with Comcast Spotlight, which will soon air on its local network.

“This television campaign is one of several strategies we have to increase the awareness of our college to our residents and future students,” said Kratochvil.

For more information on the 40th anniversary celebration, contact Cella at 473-7322 or email her at [email protected].

Cassie Dickman contributed to this report.