Five Points becoming part of the equation; comedy show a start
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- Published on Friday, 21 August 2015 15:30
- Written by Paul Gordon
It’s probably not every day that the Chicago-based comedy group that gave us Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Mike Meyers and Chris Farley is used as a “test case.”
But in a way, that’s exactly how the comedy show called “Comedy Rocks,” scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 29 at Five Point Washington, is being considered by the complex in the city just east of Peoria.
Featuring the improvisational comedy grouo iO Theatre, formerly known as ImprovOlympic, “Comedy Rocks” will give Five Points the chance to see how an outside group with far-ranging appeal will fare at the complex that is striving to get itself known as an entertainment venue for the entire central Illinois region, said Shae Harris, Five Points’ marketing representative.
“We have a great facility here and while we are attracting a lot of weddings and using the auditorium for events such as corporate meetings and the Heartland Festival Orchestra and Peoria Pops, we will to promote it to the surrounding area. We want to bring in additional events to appeal to a wider range of audiences,” Harris said.
“Here we have this beautiful, state-of-the-art auditorium that seats 1,020 and we want to see it get used more often.”
Five Points opened nearly eight years ago in the heart of Washington. It is self-sustaining and non-profit, with fitness center memberships, facility rentals and event admission sales funding day-to-day operations and building reserves for repairs and maintenance.
Aside from the Caterpillar Auditorium, it houses a gym, fitness center with new fitness classrooms, swimming pools for competitive meets as well as recreational swimming and aquatic classes, a banquet center that can be split into multiple banquet/meeting rooms, and the Washington Public Library.
Five Points works with local companies and retailers to help with promotions. For example, new fitness center members get a gift certificate to Blue, an apparel store in downtown Washington. Five Points maintains a list of 20 caterers for its banquet facilities, which can be used for weddings, receptions, meetings or parties.
It’s parking lots close to 500 vehicles and is frequently filled, particularly when there are events at Washington High School, whose football field is across the street.
Still, Harris said, “it seems people from outside the Washington-Sunnyland-East Peoria really don’t know about us, or at least everything we have to offer. It’s not like the Illinois River is a border that can’t be crossed. We would like to change the perception that we’re only a Washington facility.”
Since its opening, Five Points has expanded only once, to add fitness studios for classes in Pilates, spinning and others so the gym can be kept open for the purpose it was intended, for basketball, volleyball and such. “Almost from the start we knew we’d need to do that because there was an almost-immediate overflow of people signed up for classes. That was a good thing,” Harris said.
But that doesn’t mean the facility has gone without upgrades when needed, especially in maintenance. For example, its pools all were closed for the month of April this year so the operations system could be upgraded and the pools emptied and repainted.
A juice bar has been added so those coming to or from working out can get refreshed.
And in September, Five Points will unveil a new area outside, on the south end of the facility, which will be called Washington Pride Plaza. In the middle will be a sculpture called “Community Spirit” that is intended to recognize the strength of the community that was shown after a tornado devastated much of the community in November 2013.
The 10-foot bronze sculpture was created by Missouri sculptor Charles Strain. It was purchased by Sharon and John, whose home was heavily damaged in the tornado, and donated to Washington Pride Plaza. The Amdalls had previously acquired and donated a sculpture that was placed in front of the WTVP and Peora Symphony offices in Peoria.
Harris said Five Points prides itself on its cleanliness and being a place its 7,000-plus members can be proud of. “Our members, of course, mean everything to us so we are always listening to them and we consider their suggestions to make Five Points better. We don’t have any more expansion plans at this time, but we certainly wouldn’t rule it out in the future,” she said.
The Caterpillar Auditorium, named for the Peoria-based manufacturing giant that donated millions to the construction of the facility, is certainly one of the highlights of Five Points. It is the exclusive auditorium for Washington High School plays, musicals and concerts as well as the Heartland Festival Orchestra, which will soon open a new season there.
The Peoria Pops Orchestra uses Five Points for concerts, including its annual holiday show, the Peoria Ballet and the Civic Chorale frequently perform there and companies like the seating capacity and technical facilities of the auditorium for large meetings.
But there are plenty of open dates for the auditorium.
The Aug. 29 “Comedy Rocks” show isn’t the first time an outside professional theatre-type group has been brought in. A troupe from well-known Second City, a Chicago-based sketch and improvisation comedy group, played a concert there more than a year ago as a fundraiser for the tornado relief fund. And in the spring Five Points presented a musical comedy show by the Church Basement Ladies. That one included a luncheon buffet with the matinee and dinner in the banquet hall before the evening performance.
“That one did really well. It catered more to an older audience but we wanted to try something similar, using the banquet facilities before and after the event, with an event that has a wider appeal,” she said.
On Aug. 29 there will be a pre-show party in the banquet hall with cocktails and music beginning at 6:30 p.m., with the show set to begin at 7 p.m. Then there will be an “After Party” following the show with drinks, a DJ, photo booth and food.
All is included for the ticket price of $30. Tickets can be reserved online at www.fivepointswashington.org, by calling (309) 444-8222 or at the door the night of the event, provided it hasn’t sold out.
And if you need a baby sitter, those services are being provided at Washington Middle School by a group of volunteer students and adults who are raising money for a school trip to Washington, D.C.
The event is sponsored by Thomas Eye Care, which is a platinum sponsor for the pre-show party. Gold sponsors for the event are New Image Laser and Massage and Backyard Living, both in Washington.
“This is kind of a test to see what things we need to do to attract people to events they normally wouldn’t find in a small town like Washington. We are bringing awareness of what we can offer and we hope we can get people to see Five Points is really a great place for the entire region,” Harris said.
She acknowledged competition is strong in the region, but she added, “There is enough going on that people should never have to search long to find something to do. We want to be part of that equation.”
For more information about the facility and all it has to offer visit www.fivepointswashington.org.
