Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/686445
GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIALBOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@ redbluffdailynews.com Fax: 530-527-9251 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS Inearly2011,inthemidst of the deepest economic reces- sion since the Great Depres- sion, our non- profit organiza- tion — the State Theatre for the Arts — made the difficult de- cision to pur- chase the State Theatre for ap- proximately $450,000. It was our assumption that we would be paying off our mortgage over the next couple of decades; you might imag- ine how surprised and pleased we were to hold a mortgage- burning party after only three short years. Early on, we developed a naming rights program wherein for a contribution of $10,000 and above, State The- atre features were named on behalf of theatre supporters. Along with scores of other contributors, we were able to purchase the State Theatre be- cause of the following individ- uals and businesses who met naming rights requirements: Red Bluff Round-Up Associ- ation, Tom Atwood Ranch, Dudley Long Family, Moore and Pascarella Dental Group, Rolling Hills Casino, Te- hama Concert Series, Mary B. Schwab and Jean Cody Moran, Robert Minch and Family, Si- erra Pacific Industries, Rotary Club of Red Bluff, Haleakala Ranch (Rose Crain family), Richard and Ann Forward, Ken and Dorothy Lindauer, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, PJ Helicopters, The McConnell Fund of the Shasta Regional Community Foundation, Mar- vin and Gail Locke, Amy and Bailey Peyton, Harry Dudley Family, Kiwanis Club of Red Bluff and the Tehama Angus Ranch. •••• In 2009, our friends at the McConnell Fund of the Shasta Regional Community Foun- dation awarded us $45,000 to purchase our first lighting sys- tem at the theater. In 2011, the same foundation awarded us another $50,000 to purchase a badly-needed sound sys- tem. With a financial match from an anonymous donor, we have recently updated our sound and lighting systems to a level that now allows us to bring virtually any concert performer in the country to the Haleakala stage — without having to rent outside equip- ment, as has been necessary in past years. •••• In 2013, the McCon- nell Fund of the Shasta Re- gional Community Founda- tion funded the complete res- toration of the beautiful neon State Theatre blade as well as our exterior and interior mar- quees. In 2015, these good folks funded the replacement of our 70-year-old rusted-out boiler heating system. •••• In 2014, an anonymous do- nor stepped forward to fund our beautiful new "Bunny's" concession stand, along with new flooring in the theater lobby. The concession stand was a product of the Tehama County AB-109 Cabinet Mak- ing program, under the super- vision of Mike Shaffer. The fi- nal product is breathtaking, and we thank all responsible for making it happen. •••• In 2015, we were able to re- place our undersized, mar- ginally useful stage and in- stall the most beautiful cur- tain system in any theater north of the Bay Area. None of this would have been possi- ble without the financial and in-kind support of Haleakala Walnuts, Sierra Pacific Foun- dation, Bear Creek Construc- tion, Fred Richelieu, Madera Framing, Transfer Flow, Bran- don Minch Construction, Brandon Grissom and John Miller. While we are amazed by our progress in restoring the theater, much remains to be accomplished. We are cur- rently having our cooling sys- tem engineered for replace- ment purposes, and we antic- ipate that we will be rolling out our State Theatre seat re- placement program in the next few months. •••• In 2015, some 50 events and concerts were held at the the- ater, including such quality programming as: Count Basie Orchestra, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kaylene Schoelen, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Soheil Nasseri, Johnny Cash tribute, Jake Shimabukuro, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Singer Song- writers Paul Overstreet, Allen Shamblin and Jessi Alexander, Pam Tillis, Chad Bushnell, Collin Raye, Motown Review and Tommy Castro and the Painkillers. These and other programs can be offered only because they are partially un- derwritten by the State The- atre membership and sponsor- ship programs. State Theatre members re- ceive such perks as compli- mentary popcorn, early en- try to concerts, and reserved seating to sponsored events. In 2015, we enrolled 225 mem- bers who contributed over $30,000 in support of State Theatre programming. If you would like to become a valued member of the State Theatre family, call 529-2787 for addi- tional information. Calendar year 2015 marked the first year of our State The- atre Performance Series Spon- sorship Program. Funds gen- erated from this program are used to underwrite and guar- antee quality programming at the State Theatre, as well as to support various restoration and maintenance projects. We are appreciative of our 2015-16 sponsors: Growney Motors, PJ Helicopters, Wheeler Logging, Dignity Health, Rolling Hills Casino, Tehama Angus Ranch, Mill Creek Ranch and Haleak- ala Walnuts. We will be rolling out our 2016-17 Performance Series Sponsorship season on July 1. Program sponsor benefits in- clude complimentary tick- ets to all theater-promoted events, recognition in post- ers, playbills, commercial ad- vertisements, meet and greet opportunities, and announce- ments on our stage. If you would like additional informa- tion regarding our sponsor- ship program, please call 527- 3485 or email bill.cornelius@ sbcglobal.net. •••• On behalf of the State The- atre for the Arts, I would like to thank this wonderful com- munity for supporting the his- toric State Theatre. To check our calendar for upcoming concerts and to read our 2015 Annual Report, you are en- couraged to visit our web site at www.statetheatreredbluff. com. •••• Coming State Theatre At- tractions: June 10 and 11, Se- lah Dance Academy Dance Re- cital, 6:30-8 p.m. BillCorneliusisalifelong resident of Red Bluff, a retired Chief Probation Officer, a champion of the State Theatre and an exceptional athlete. He can be reached at bill. cornelius@sbcglobal.net. William Tells The restoration of the State Theatre Cartoonist's take Proms sure have gotten expen- sive these days. According to this year's na- tionwide Visa sur- vey, the average American teen will spend $937 on the prom this year. That got me thinking about the money I wasted on my own prom in 1980. I didn't know my date very well. She was in my photography class, pretty and, more impor- tant, available. We arranged a pre-prom meet- ing to get to know each other. We played tennis on a blister- ing-hot day, then headed back to her house for something cold to drink. After she berated her sis- ter for drinking all the Tang, she turned her turret on me. "I heard about you, a regular class clown," she said. "You better not show up in a limo, wear a top hat or cane or do anything else to embarrass me." I knew right away things were going to work out fine. Still, I wanted to impress her. I was running a stone-masonry business in those years and was making a lot of money for a teen. I figured I'd use some of that hard-earned dough to win her praise. I bought her the finest corsage in our high school. I bought a box of frozen steaks, snacks and other refreshments for the after- prom party. But my investments turned out to be bad ones. On the afternoon of the prom, my friend Gigs and I — we dou- ble dated — took a drive to the prom hall to make sure we wouldn't get lost later. Later that evening, we picked up our girls for photos and false enthusiasm. We were late for dinner (we got lost) and the awful night was un- der way. I'm certain my date didn't spend hundreds of dollars on her dress as girls do now, though I remember she looked great. The truth is, I can't remember what she was wearing because I hardly saw her all night long. She and the girl Gigs came with spent most of the night in the ladies' room while Gigs and I counted how many times the hard-rock band played "Cocaine" (nine). Finally, around 11:30 p.m., the dance was over. Unlike teens these days, we didn't use our credit cards to retire to the hon- eymoon suite. We took the girls home. But our suffering was just beginning. We picked up our dates early the next morning and drove to a country cabin where my friend Cook was having an after-prom party. The cabin was a two-hour drive, but it took us five (we got lost). My date didn't utter a word until about 2 p.m., when she challenged Gigs and me to a ten- nis match. I took it as a good sign. It wasn't. Gigs is an outstanding athlete and I'm no slouch myself. Once the game got under way, our tes- tosterone got inflamed. Every time we scored, Gigs and I high- fived each other, laughing loudly. We creamed the girls, and after the match they refused to talk to us. Gigs and I spent the rest of the day tossing a football and eat- ing the steaks I brought. Around dusk, the girls found us and told us it was time to leave. We got home five hours later (we got lost) and the torturous affair was finally over. So I have some advice for prom-goers this year: Hold onto your money. Don't be the unwit- ting dupes of savvy marketers. They know that many teens have big allowances and overworked, guilt-riddled parents who will cough up dough if you ask them. Through programs and ad- vertisements on MTV, market- ers have been rushing you into adulthood for years. They exploit the prom to cash in on your in- security and peer pressure. They convince you to buy teeth whit- ener, expensive cosmetics and other unnecessary junk designed to fatten their bottom lines. But don't give in. Save your money. Be content that you're about to experience one of the worst weekends of your life. Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood" and "Comical Sense: A Lone Humorist Takes on a World Gone Nutty!" is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom at Tom@ TomPurcell.com. Tom Purcell Why to avoid excessive prom spending We are currently having our cooling system engineered for replacement purposes, and we anticipate that we will be rolling out our State Theatre seat replacement program in the next few months. Bill Cornelius Tom Purcell Debates over the U.S. gov- ernment's foreign and eco- nomic policies have recently taken a backseat to the debate over what bathroom transgen- der individuals should use. The two sides of the debate both believe that government has the legitimate authority to tell private businesses who they should allow to use their facil- ities. Few on either side of this debate defend the right of pri- vate property owners to decide for themselves who may and may not use their bathrooms. Some say government must be involved in this issue in or- der to ensure that private busi- nesses do not violate individ- ual rights. Those who make this claim are accepting the idea that rights are no more than a gift from the govern- ment that can be revoked at the will and whim of legisla- tors and bureaucrats. This ar- gument turns rights from a shield protecting our liberties into a sword that can and will be used to increase govern- ment control of our lives. Two weeks ago, the De- partment of Education waded into this debate by threaten- ing to withhold federal funds from schools that do not allow transgender students to use the restroom of their choice. State and local officials around the country have promised to resist the Education Depart- ment's new bathroom rules. However, given how addicted most state and local govern- ments and school boards are to federal funds, it is likely that even most conservative state governments and school boards will eventually adopt the bathroom policies desired by federal bureaucrats. Many of the conservatives who (correctly) denounce the Obama administration for try- ing to blackmail local schools either supported or were si- lent when a so-called conserva- tive administration expanded the federal role in educa- tion via No Child Left Behind. These conservatives fail to re- alize that No Child Left Be- hind's testing and other man- dates are no different in prin- ciple from President Barack Obama's bathroom mandates. Both use money stolen from the people and sent back to the states to force states to change their policies according to federal commands. Both are equally unconstitutional. Con- servatives who want to defend local schools from federal bu- reaucrats must work to repeal, not reform, the Department of Education. One positive result from this latest controversy is that it may encourage more parents to homeschool. Homeschool- ing is a means for parents to provide their children a quality education that meets the chil- dren's needs. Homeschooling allows parents to ensure that their child's education reflects their values and beliefs, not the values and beliefs of federal bureaucrats. Working with a team of top scholars, I have created my own homeschooling curricu- lum. My homeschooling curric- ulum provides students with a rigorous education in history, math, English, and other sub- jects. The curriculum is de- signed to benefit both college- bound students and those in- terested in pursuing other educational or career opportu- nities. The curriculum features three tracks: natural sciences/ math, social sciences/human- ities, and business. Students may also take courses in per- sonal finance and public speak- ing. The government and his- tory sections of the curriculum emphasize Austrian econom- ics, libertarian political the- ory, and the history of liberty. Unlike government school, my curriculum never puts ideolog- ical indoctrination ahead of education. For more information please go to ronpaulcurriculum.com. Ron Paul is a former Congressman and Presidential candidate. He can be reached at the RonPaulInstitute.org. Ron Paul Much ado about restrooms OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, June 1, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6