ALAMEDA — Former West End boating supply retailer West Marine will hold its grand opening celebration Saturday at its new, larger store in the Island’s South Shore Center community and shopping plaza. Special guests for the ribbon-cutting ceremony will be Alameda Mayor Trish Herrera Spencer, Vice Mayor Malia Vella and Councilmember Jim Oddie.

Scheduled for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and throughout the weekend as well, the store will also host an array of attractions, including complimentary food and refreshments, vendors on site, BlueFuture Kids Zone activities, prizes, giveaways and more.

The new 13,000-square-foot West Marine store at 2230 South Shore Center will be run by Manager Neil Fraser and his staff of 13 associates, who collectively have more than 300 years of combined boating, fishing, sailing, cruising and paddling experience. Fraser says they are eager to meet the needs of area boaters, anglers and water sports enthusiasts.

“Alameda is known as ‘The Island City’ and is very proud of its multigenerational heritage. My crew plans to be a friendly source of information and know-how for both locals and visitors to our beautiful city,” Fraser says. “In addition to all of the sailing, fishing and kayaking, our residents enjoy Crown Beach, which is popular for walking, biking and kiteboarding. This location will serve as key to enjoying life on and by the water here.”

Highlights for the opening will include:

A ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. Saturday with Mayor Spencer and City Council members Vella and Oddie.

A local charity giveback for which 10 percent of sales (up to $5,000) will be donated to local organizations Oakland Strokes, Blue Endeavors and the Alameda Community Sailing Center as well as to West Marine’s nonprofit BlueFuture fund that provides annual grants to nonprofits devoted to giving young people access to the water through boating, fishing, water sports, boatbuilding, conservation and marine science programs.

Free food from Panera from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The BlueFuture Kids Zone with activities for all ages including face painting, knot tying, coloring, pieceless puzzles and giveaways.

On-site local yacht clubs and vendors Navico, Garmin, Standard Horizon, BoatUS, ICOM, Starbrite, NER (New England Ropes) and more.

Free West Marine mystery gift card valued at $5 to $100 for the first 100 customers Saturday.

Prizes and giveaways including a Pandora premium one-year membership (worth $119) plus items from Roxy, Maui Jim, Z-Tuff, Boat Bling, Yeti, Z-Block, Starbrite and Reef.

A Star 101.3 FM live radio remote broadcast from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The Alameda West Marine store is home to thousands of products and is designed to appeal to the local sailing, offshore fishing and cruising communities, as well as those who enjoy paddles sports and simply spending time on and around the water. West Marine has sold boating, fishing, sailing and paddling gear for more than 50 years and has 250 stores in 38 states and Puerto Rico, and an e-commerce website reaching domestic, international and professional customers. For more information, visit www.westmarine.com.

— Margo Donohue, West Marine