FUTURE OF EAST COUNTY PERFORMING ART CENTER AT STAKE IN THURSDAY MEETING; CITIZENS PLAN PROTEST OVER CLOSURE

Update Jan. 21:  Tonight's outdoor rally has been cancelled due to rain, however those who wish to protest closure of the theater will instead gather inside the Ronald Reagan Community Center at 6:30.

January 20, 2010 (El Cajon) The City of El Cajon hosts its second of two community meetings on the future of the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC) on Thursday, January 21st. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan Community Center, 195 East Douglas St. in El Cajon (1/2 block east of Magnolia).

The City has announced plans to close the theater for up to two years for renovations. Citizen’s Oversight Project, a watchdog group, plans a rally at 5:30 to protest the two-year closure. The rally will be held on Main Street in front of the theater.(This rally has been moved indoors at 6:30 at the Ronald Reagan Community Center due to rain.)

“If we want to continue having a theater in El Cajon, we need to show some citizen's support for it,” an e-mail from Paul and Bobbie Slater sent to arts supporters read. Recent articles in some newspapers have referred to the theater as "out of date", "a money pit, "past its prime" and "a stage in disrepair". One story compared the theater to a car "an 18-year-old guzzler, one never really assembled right, and now on its last legs", the Slaters’ e-mail noted.

The first meeting held by the City in November drew only about 20 people. Arts supporters urge the public to turn out at Thursday’s meeting, emphasizing the importance of a strong public show of support to save East County’s only community theater and performing arts center.