TSP strikes out at City Council

Town Square Players (TSP), the oldest active community theater group in McHenry County and the oldest resident community theatre company operating out of the Woodstock Opera House, presented a good case at the City Council meeting tonight for why it ought to receive a share of the $41,000 kitty being distributed by the City from the Hotel/Motel Use Tax fund. Unfortunately, its case wasn't good enough.

Admittedly, times are tough for many, and that includes TSP, but it is working hard to make the current season happen and to stay in business.

Go buy that Lottery ticket this week and then tithe your winnings to TSP. Wouldn't it be cool if someone in Woodstock won $1,000,000 and gave $100,000 to TSP?

Tonight I couldn't even "sell" the City Council on $1,000, and that was more than Paul Lockwood, TSP's President, was trying to get out of them. I suggested the City Council carve out $1,000 from the ten grand it'll give to the Chamber of Commerce.

Paul raised an interesting question about First Time Recipients of the tax fund. The language of the Hotel/Motel Use Tax program seems to favor those recipients who are already in the "club", as Paul called it. After they get their "share", if there is anything left over, it gets doled out to newcomers. If the newcomer doesn't get anything this year, then next year he is still a newcomer, and it's likely he won't get anything then, either. And this year there is nothing left over. And there won't be next year, either.

Councilman Mike Turner seemed worried about getting criticized for giving TSP some money, should the stage go dark for them. Not a worry, Mike, when the City would have been giving so little.

I shared with the City Council the image I had, when Paul was there with his hat in his hand. I thought of settler dragging himself across the hot desert floor to a well pump. By it was a tin cup of water, and the settler was very thirsty. Then he saw the sign, "Prime the pump!"

Heck, I thought it was a good closer for the sale. But the City Council didn't prime the pump.

Visit www.tspinc.org and get your tickets early for this year's plays. Fill the Opera House. It beats spending your money in some other town.