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The local newspaper recently ran an article about the Wildish Theatre. It's the old McKenzie Theater in downtown Springfield! Perhaps you caught a movie or two there -- a few years ago! I think it cost 25 cents to go to the "show" on Saturday afternoon. So this is the article, plus a couple of pictures of how it looks today. It's a performing arts center and it's opening act was Mason Williams (remember Classical Gas?).

Behind the scenes

A businessman's quiet efforts take Wildish Community Theater from dream to reality

By Michael Booth

For The Register-Guard

The downtown theater at 630 Main Street bears the name Richard E. Wildish, the first major financial contributor. The lobby is lined with the names of other major donors. A plaque outside the theaters front door says the theater is dedicated to the people of Springfield.

But there is no public recognition for the man who came up with the idea to build the theater and saw it through to the end.

And thats just the way Tom Draggoo likes it.

Draggoo, 59, is the president of the Springfield Renaissance Development Corp., a group of business people whose mission is to enhance the livability, culture and economic vitality of Springfield.

Throw the words corporation and business together and the next word to come to mind might be profit. Not in this case, Draggoo said.

Weve been incorporated since 1998, Draggoo said. Weve met every Thursday morning for nine years, took off our personal-business hats and applied our energy to the public good.

Draggoos business hat hangs at the downtown Springfield branch of Siuslaw Bank, where he is the branch manager. He is also a financial planner for Carter and Carter, part of Siuslaw Banks financial group.

Although the development corporation purchased the property, gathered support and funding, oversaw construction and still manages the property, Draggoo said board members have no personal financial stake in the theater.

Public perception may be that the theater was an idea that came to fruition within a few years. But the seeds were planted nearly 10 years ago, Draggoo said, when a summit meeting on civic entrepreneurship at the Springfield Chamber of Commerce included keynote speaker John Melville of California.

Thirteen chamber members, including Draggoo, attended Melvilles workshop in Palo Alto, Calif., with the idea that they would return and champion a cause for the public good, Draggoo said.

They formed the development corporation and represented all parts of Springfield.

We met again and thought: You know, no matter where you are, how people feel about their city is directly related to downtown, he said.

By 2000, after several planning meetings and interviews with people involved in the performing arts, the group had secured enough grants and donations to buy the property and get started. They had hoped to have the theater completed by 2003.

It finally opened in (November) 2006, Draggoo said. It took longer than we thought (to find funding), but people havent invested in downtown Springfield in a long time.

The first public production at the Wildish Community Theater was held on Dec. 1, when popular guitarist Mason Williams of Eugene played as Mason and Friends.

A few years ago if youd have told anybody in Eugene-Springfield that one day Mason Williams would play a concert in downtown Springfield, there wouldnt have been anyone who would believe you, Draggoo said.

Draggoos list of thank yous for the theater project is a long one including government officials at many levels, local architect Otto Poticha, the performing arts community and Chambers Construction, which was willing to begin building before all funding was secured.

I just wanted to be a part of something that enhances Springfield, Draggoo said.

The development corporation manages the Wildish Theater, and the Willamalane Park and Recreation District is handling event scheduling through the end of 2007. The development corporation hopes to have a board of directors for the theater in place by the time the Willamalane contract expires, so they can move on to new projects.

Draggoo gives all the credit for getting Wildish Theater open to other board members and to the Springfield community.

Although Draggoo has no financial interest in the Wildish Theater, he does have a soft spot for the performing arts. He and his two brothers toured the country during the mid-1970s in a performance band they called The Eli Victor Show, named after their father.

The joke was that we got our musical talent from our mom, and dad felt left out, he said.

Draggoo and his wife, Teri Sue whom he says still has a delightful Texan accent bought a home on Springfields Kelly Butte in 1988, where they raised two sons, Wyatt , 32, and Kevin, 28.

He enjoys playing guitar and doing a lot of reading at his Springfield home, where he and Teri Sue plan to retire.

And, naturally, his mind is frequently occupied with business ventures.

I don't see any reason to move anyplace else unless they build some condos in Glenwood overlooking Island Park, Draggoo said. I think those would sell if someone decided to build there.