The celebration may be a tad late, but Colonie Center is finally getting around to marking its 50th anniversary.

This Saturday, the mall brings in live music and hosts shopping trip giveaways to mark the half century since it first opened.

The 50th anniversary celebration will be presented from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the mall. The band Grand Central Station will perform. Appetizers will be provided by the Cheesecake Factory and desserts will be supplied by Whole Foods Market.

Over the past two months, the mall has distributed 50 "golden tickets" for a chance to win a $500, $1,000 or $1,500 mall gift card.

Those attending Saturday's event will also be eligible for a second chance to win a second drawing with the same prizes.

Town Supervisor Paula Mahan and Colonie Center General Manager Connie Stankivicz will speak.

At 2:30 p.m., Colonie Center will present a check for $5,000 to The Bernard & Millie Duker Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center.

The first store to open at the mall was Macy's, which drew 100,000 people on March 24, 1966, its first day in business. Sears followed, but the full mall did not open until October 1966. A formal kickoff was celebrated Nov. 1 that year.

At the time of its opening, the mall drew comparisons to "the sidewalk cafes of Paris" and statements that it would "make window shopping a reborn pleasure due to the Mall being enclosed."

Built at a cost of $10 million — $74.4 million in current dollars — the mall was constructed on land that once housed the Colonie Country Club. The mall's construction was announced on Oct. 16, 1964.

The mall operators said they plan more giveaways and surprises throughout the year to mark its anniversary.