Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/769206
InMarchof2011,thenon- profit State Theatre for the Arts opened escrow to pur- chase the State Theatre for $450,000. With financial sup- port from this amazing com- munity, we were able to burn our mortgage in ap- proximately two years. After paying off our mort- gage, the State Theatre for the Arts began restoring the theater to its original condi- tion, as constructed in 1946. With the support of this com- munity, progress in restor- ing the theater over the past three years has far exceeded our most optimistic projec- tions. We have purchased, paid off and remodeled the old Taste of Tehama building across the alley for use as the perfect Green Room for con- cert entertainers. We have re- habilitated and resurfaced the alley and constructed a beautiful new patio area for outdoor theater celebrations. We have restored the land- mark State Theatre neon blade, as well as both the out- door and lobby marquees. We have installed safety railing throughout the balcony area to assist in traversing the stairs. We have replaced the vinyl floors throughout the lobby, along with updating the women's restroom. We have increased the handicapped access seating area. We have replaced the dilapidated concession stand with a beautiful new ma- hogany concession area. We have installed state of the art sound and lighting systems. We have updated our stage- related electrical system. We have enlarged our stage. We have replaced our 70-year-old boiler with a brand new effi- cient heating system. We have installed a beautiful new on- stage curtain system. ••• In October of 2016 we rolled out our most ambitious restoration program to date, that being our Seat Replace- ment Sponsorship program. The current seats are now 70 years old. Like 70-year- old human beings, our seats just aren't what they used to be. Like 70-year-old humans, they have a hard time getting up and down, they squeak when they move, and they don't look as good as they did 30 or 40 years ago. It is past time to replace the 750 seats in the State Theatre. As one might imagine, the- ater seats are expensive. Re- moving the current seats, re- storing and repairing the flooring, and installing the new seats will cost approxi- mately $500 per seat. In or- der to pay for our new seats, we are selling sponsorships for $500 per seat. Every new seat comes with a nameplate, and sponsors are able to have their seat nameplate in- scribed to memorialize some- one or something special in their lives. I am happy to report that seat sponsorships are selling at a brisk pace, and we hope to install our new seats in the summer of 2017. We even have a row of seats dedicated to graduating classes from Red Bluff High. Thus far, seats have been sponsored by the "cool" graduating classes of 1950, 1957, 1963, 1966, 1968 and 1969. Whether from you or your high school class, we look forward to hearing from you soon. ••• When I signed on as a board member in March of 2010, it was my intention to stick around long enough to assist with the fundraising ef- fort to purchase the theater. Little did I realize that I would still be involved some seven years later, when, in ad- dition to owning and restor- ing the building, our focus would be on improving the quantity and quality of State Theatre programming. Even though we are a non- profit, we are a business just the same. Like any business, we have fixed costs attached to utilities, taxes, personnel, maintenance, etc., etc. and etc. We pay the going rate, which is often top dollar, for every concert performer you see. We feed them, we house them and we pamper them. That is the nature of our beast. Let me tell you how we pay our bills. Rental program: The State Theatre is available on a rental basis. Groups and indi- viduals pay a fixed amount to use the building, our equip- ment and our technical ser- vices. This is guaranteed in- come, and we like our rent- als a lot. In-kind contributions: Our maintenance and restoration projects are often completed by skilled community crafts- men and businesses that do- nate labor and materials. Ter- rific folks, they are. Membership program: State Theatre memberships are available for $50 and up. Members receive free pop- corn coupons; and for $150 and above, members may re- quest reserved seating for theater-sponsored events. We love our members. The State Theatre offers a formal Sponsorship program where, for annual contribu- tions ranging from $2,500 to $25,000, sponsors receive complimentary admission to events, along with a wide range of recognition from the stage, screen, posters, play- bills, etc. Our 2016-17 Performance Series sponsors are: Dignity Health; Haleakala Ranch; PJ Helicopters; Rolling Hills Ca- sino; Wheeler Logging; Mill Creek Ranch; Tehama An- gus; Cornerstone Bank; Ken- neth Miller, Attorney at Law; Tehama Family Fitness; Te- don Specialties; The Prescott Ballroom; Banner Bank and the Sierra Pacific Foundation. We have also been fortunate to receive McConnell Fund grants, as well as funding from other unofficial spon- sors who are willing to write a check, but prefer to remain anonymous. We love our com- munity sponsors, and could not exist without them. Our final source of finan- cial support is derived from ticket sales and concession proceeds associated with State Theatre-sponsored events. It is only natural that the community desires big- ger and better entertainment, and we do our best to book the biggest and best that we can possibly afford. That said, it is important to understand that the bigger the name, the more we pay. The more we pay, the more you pay. The more we pay, the more seats we have to fill. If you would like more informa- tion regarding membership, seat sponsorship or the Per- formance Series Sponsor pro- gram, please call 529-2787. ••• Coming to the State The- atre: Jan. 7. Main Street Band followed by "The Beatles- Eight Days a Week," a Ron Howard film. Call 529-2787 for more information. 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. WilliamTells Theater restoration a community effort Cartoonist's take "Can you believe some jerk told me it was rude to talk on my cellphone inside the movie theater?" "Well, sir, he did have a point. In the era of cell- phones and so- cial media, too many people are so consumed with their own needs, they're trampling civil society." "Ah, put a cork in it." "Look, there have been times in human history when barbar- ians ruled and manners didn't. But what really ruled during these periods were selfishness and impulsiveness." "You're going to have to ex- plain." "Did you know the word 'eti- quette' originated under Henry XIV in the 1600s? Proper et- iquette and manners define what social behavior is and isn't proper." "I ain't following rules of be- havior drafted up by snooty old French people." "Then perhaps I can ref- erence someone nearer and dearer to your heart: As a teen- ager, George Washington hand- copied 'The 'Rules of Civility,' a list started by French Jesuits in the 1590s that was translated into English around 1640." "His mother probably put him up to it." "The fact of the matter is that America has been more man- nerly in the past than it is now. Until the 1960s, children were taught good manners in school. Adults defined themselves as la- dies or gentlemen based on how well they practiced good eti- quette — how considerate they were of their fellow human be- ings." "Hey, my old lady grew up in that era and she don't know nothing about etiquette. We went to the ballet once and she forgot the sandwiches." "But today, sir, civility is com- ing unraveled at the seams. Peo- ple are rude, impatient and in- considerate. Some say the lack of civility is caused by our fast- paced society. Others suggest that new technology is making it easier to be rude." "Yeah, yeah." "But I say it's also because we're living more isolated lives. We're getting more wrapped up in ourselves. And that is bad for our society." "Who are you, Miss Man- ners?" "To be honest, sir, Miss Man- ners speaks good sense. She, Judith Martin, says that man- ners and etiquette are the phil- osophical basis of civiliza- tion. She says that people must have a common language of be- havior that restrains their im- pulses. This is how we prevent our communal lives from being abrasive, unpleasant, and even explosive." "Sounds like something that nutty lady would say." "Martin says that our legal system was originally intended to punish serious conflict in- volving the loss of life, limb or property, but now courts are forced to handle disputes that the proper use of etiquette used to prevent." "I ain't following." "She says that what used to be an insult, for instance, is now called slander. What used to be meanness is now called hate speech. And what used to be boorishness is now called sexual harassment. If our rules of etiquette were stronger, you see, fewer people would engage in actions that are now consid- ered crimes." "You think so, huh?" "It's really not so compli- cated, sir. A civil society is one in which people are concerned for their fellow man. Manners and etiquette are a conscious way of exercising this concern." "You're losing me." "Look, we need to remem- ber to say 'please' and 'thank you.' We need to open the door for strangers. We should turn off the cellphones at the movies and inside restaurants. At din- ner, we shouldn't eat until the host does, we should never put our elbows on the table, and we should dab our mouths with the napkin, never wipe." "'Napkin'? What is this thing you call 'napkin'?" "I see we have our work cut out for us." Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood" and "Wicked Is the Whiskey," a Sean McClanahan mystery novel, both available at Amazon.com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom@TomPurcell.com. Tom Purcell Why minding manners matters GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIAL BOARD 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, 728Main St., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS Tom Purcell Bill Cornelius As the U.S. mainstream me- dia obsessed last week about Russia's supposed "hacking" of the U.S. elections and Presi- dent Obama's final round of Rus- sia sanctions in response, some- thing very important was tak- ing place under the media radar. As a result of a meeting between foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkey last month, a cease- fire in Syria has been worked out and is being implemented. So far it appears to be holding, and af- ter nearly six years of horrible warfare the people of Syria are finally facing the possibility of rebuilding their lives. What is so important about this particular ceasefire? It was planned, agreed to, and imple- mented without the participation of the United States Government. In fact it was frustration with Washington's refusal to sepa- rate its "moderates" from ter- rorist groups and its continued insistence on regime change for the Syrian government that led the three countries to pursue a solution on their own for Syria. They also included the Syrian government and much of the opposition in the agreement, which the U.S. government has been unwilling to do. We have been told all along by the neocons and "humanitarian interventionists" that the United States must take a central role in every world crisis or nothing will ever be solved. We are the "indispensable nation," they say, and without our involvement the world will collapse. Our credibil- ity is on the line, they claim, and if we don't step up no one will. All this is untrue, as we have seen last week. The fact is, it is often U.S. in- volvement in "solving" these crises that actually perpetuates them. Consider the 60-plus year state of war between North and South Korea. Has U.S. interven- tion done anything to solve the problem? How about our de- cades of meddling in the Israel- Palestine dispute? Are we any closer to peace between the Is- raelis and Palestinians despite the billions we have spent brib- ing and interfering? Non-intervention in the af- fairs of others does not damage U.S. credibility overseas. It is U.S. meddling, bombing, dron- ing, and regime-changing that damages our credibility over- seas. U.S. obstruction in Syria kept the war going. As the Syr- ians and Russians were liber- ating east Aleppo from its four year siege by al-Qaeda, the Obama Administration was de- manding a ceasefire. As Syrians began to move back into their homes in east Aleppo, the State Department continued to tell us that the Russians and Syrian government were slaughtering civilians for the fun of it. So why all the media atten- tion on unproven accusations of Russian hacking and President Obama's predictable, yet mean- ingless response? The main- stream media does the bidding of Washington's intervention- ists and they are desperate to divert attention from what may prove to be the beginning of the end of Syria's long nightmare. They don't want Americans to know that the rest of the world can solve its own prob- lems without the U.S. global po- licemen in the center of the ac- tion. When it is finally under- stood that we don't need to be involved for crises to be solved overseas, the neocons will lose. Let's hope that happens soon. Ron Paul is a former Congressman and Presidential candidate. He can be reached at the RonPaulInstitute.org. RON PAUL Washington frozen out of Syria peace plan OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, January 4, 2017 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4