In a frenzy of costumed balloon artists, sequined party hats, artistic sidewalk-chalk creations, grilled hamburgers, the classical tinkling of a piano and flashy magic tricks, students, community members and museum coordinators celebrated the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art's expansion and grand reopening Sunday.

In an effort to expose the various demographics of Manhattan to the museum's new additions, the Beach Museum provided events from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with the theme "Art's Up!" Museum coordinators chose a variety of festive, art-related events to excite and inform attendees about the museum, said Kathrine Walker Schlageck, museum senior-education coordinator.

"The purpose of today is to celebrate with Manhattan's residents and K?State students about our reopening and display our beautiful new expansions," Walker Schlageck said. "Everything we planned is creative and art-related, but it's not just focused on fine art. We really wanted to emphasize fun art this year."

The coordinators planned the day's activities to attract a variety of different audiences, said Martha Scott, the museum's business and marketing manager.

"We, along with some of our PR interns, worked to attract people from ages 0 to 99 today," Scott said. "We planned events to appeal to and excite all different age groups."

Sunday morning featured quieter events, Scott said. From 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., Beach Museum of Art docents led museum tours. The tours focused on displaying the museum's new gallery spaces and exhibits to attendees, she said.

The morning also featured the K-State chapter of Kansas Music Teachers Association. Association members performed a classical music concert from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The musicians were the first to perform on the museum's newly acquired 1914 Steinway piano, Scott said.

"The Kansas Music Teachers Association's performance was terrific," Walker Schlageck said. "Their classical style sounded wonderful on our new piano. They were a great performance group to first play on our new piano."

The afternoon focused its attraction and entertainment toward families and children, Scott said. From 2 to 4 p.m., Up, Up and Away Balloon Artists and Rex Getz, a local magician, strolled around to guests to construct balloon animals or perform magic tricks for them. Face painters also colorfully painted children's cheeks.

Also from 2 to 4 p.m., guests were supplied with feathers, sequins, jewels and stickers to decorate party hats. The museum's attendees were given the opportunity to create art with sidewalk chalk on the museum's back ramp, and the coordinators hoped that by the end of the day, the whole ramp would be decorated with colorful creations, Walker Schlageck said.

Lorne Render, Beach Museum director, said he based his judgment of the day's success on the positive feedback from the families and children.

"I am thrilled to have families back in the museum," Render said. "It's so nice to hear kids and see their energy level while they look at art and experience fun."

The evening was designed to attract K-State students, Scott said. From 4 to 6 p.m., KACZ-FM 96.3 did a radio remote, and from 5 to 7 p.m., the coordinators provided a pre-homecoming tailgate with free hamburgers and hot dogs for K-State students. A pep band from the K-State Marching Band also made a 15-minute appearance to perform Wildcat favorites.

Museum coordinators also planned to actively engage the attendees in the museum's showcased artwork through a scavenger hunt, Scott said. The letters featured in the new "Art's Up!" advertisement logo are illustrated with and composed of different artworks displayed in the museum, she said. If the scavenger-hunt participants found the different artworks in the museum that comprise the letters in the logo, they received a Beach Museum cup. The coordinators plan to continue the interactive activity for the rest of the year.

"I hope that our reopening day will give K-State students a sense that the Beach Museum is a place to visit and talk," Render said. "I want them to have fun. The museum is not a quiet, meditative, stodgy place. I want them to know that this is the place for them to explore and think."