The shiny new road sign on display Thursday night in the lobby welcomed folks to "William Saroyan Country." I'm not sure what the famously grouchy author would have thought of this. You have to remember that he made it very clear that he didn't want anything named after him. And now there will be signs with his name posted all over a special downtown district.

Then again, his birthday party was being held in the lobby of the William Saroyan Theatre. If he's in a position to care about such things, he's already come to terms with the name thing.

The celebration marking the 100th anniversary of his birth was a festive night: lots of Armenian delicacies, a clown named Scruffy, a memorabilia auction that included a bottle of Marilyn Monroe merlot, a stage flanked by two old-fashioned bicycles just like the one that Saroyan used to tool around on downtown. Lots of glammed-up members of the local Armenian community sipped wine. Larry Balakian, chairman of the William Saroyan Centennial Committee and a devoted disciple to the preservation of the author's memory, was seemingly everywhere in his crisp summer suit, chatting with sponsors and making sure the evening flowed smoothly.

The highlight of the concert was a performance by the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia led by Aram Gharabekian (pictured). The 25-member ensemble alternated between a lush, vibrant sound in such Armenian songs as Aram Khachaturian's "Dance of the Rose Maidens" to absolutely plucky with Strauss' Pizzicato Polka."

The Fresno Choral Artists, singing arrangements by artistic director David Hensley, offered such Saroyan-themed fare as "What a Fellowship" from "The Human Comedy." Local singer Rhonda Grove offered a version of "Come on-a My House." And Fresno opera icon Edna Garabedian, dolled up in two knockout concert gowns (including a cream-colored beauty whose bodice suggested "Venus on the Half Shell"), offered several strong arias by Xavier Montsalvatge. (It's rare that you get a chance these days to hear Garabedian sing.)

The audience reception was enthusiastic -- even wildly so, which was no surprise given the distance that most of the musicians had traveled and the sentiment behind the event. Turnout was light, however, with entire rows of the theater unfilled. "It's disappointing," one woman said to me, looking around at the auditorium during intermission. "There are enough Armenians in Fresno to fill this place up."

No birthday party is complete without a cake, of course, and after the concert, the audience filed out to eat some sugar in honor of the big guy. In the lobby, a lifesize cardboard cutout of Saroyan from his younger days -- and, my, what a dashing figure he cut -- was propped up with a raft of balloons attached overhead. As the crowd filed out, one young woman glanced at the display and said cheerily, "Happy birthday!"