Howdy, y’all. What a dark and miserable winter it has been.
As many of you know, I struggle with depression, and this has been a doozy of a bout. If any of you wonder why this is my first update in months, well…. as you folx with depression know, every task is heavy, and it makes it very difficult to lift yourself to do the things you want and need to do.
But ya know whut? It’s my birthday, and the days are getting brighter, and I have a show to peddle. Yes, once again, it’s “Rosegold”!
I think that’s what all you need to know right there. It’ll be my EIGHTH (how did that happen?!!) Time to visit my friends and start off the year with a bang. http://FresnoRogueFestival.com will get you to show listings for myself and others. If you know somebody in the Fresno area, and you just want to send them straight to me, here’s a little QR code to get you straight to my ticketing page:
So this year we will not be having our big opening night show in the Tower Theatre, a beautiful historic theater in the Tower district, heart of the neighborhood, because the community is in an epic battle against chicanery. The owner of the theater and its property decided to sell the theater to Adventure Church for an UNGODLY amount of money (deliberate word choice). And it’s one of the good kind of churches. It’s the kind of church that calls the Proud Boys to threaten the protesters, actual residents of the neighborhood. (I witnessed this first hand). The kind of church that spews homophobia in one of the strongest queer communities in Fresno. They have broken zoning laws and health mandates. They could have had one of SEVERAL buildings in the area, but they chose the beating heart of one of the most creative, loving, accepting, and just plain weirdo neighborhoods in California.
This article from September ’21 (click for link) will give you a brief history of the developments, and, if you read the comments, a clear insight into what the Tower residents have been dealing with. Heather and Jaguar, two long-time supporters, participants, and currently staff of Rogue Festival (and my friends) have been the recipients of much harassing, maligning, and straight-up threats by those that side with the church. And yet, they have kept the vigil for the Tower district.
This news story from a month ago shows progress at the crux of the legal side of the battle. Although, it seems that the church has dug in its heels, determined to purchase the theater, still in violation of zoning laws.
This is not just a bicker over property (which clearly favors Sequoia Brewing). This is not about intolerance for Christianity– several pastors of other churches have come to join the protest. This is about the death of a beating heart of neighborhood and a tightly-knit culture. And quite frankly, that theater is GORGEOUS, and full-time occupation of the church would bring about unnecessary renovations of the historic structure.
If you would like to support the Save The Tower Theatre demonstration committee, CLICK HERE to visit their Facebook page, and you can keep track of the latest news at https://www.savetowertheatrefresno.com/ .
Let’s keep, art, acceptance, equality, and love alive.