Theater shows how it's done

By: PHIL STRICKLAND - For the The Californian | Monday, November 5, 2007 7:48 PM PST ∞

In light of our latest tangle with Southern California wildfires, it's not too hard these days to feel lucky that we live in Southwest Riverside County.

To even mention surviving without a scratch as thousands of our neighbors lost everything is somewhat akin to whistling as we walk past the graveyard.

Truth is, even before all of this we were a fortunate bunch.

This not-so-little fact of life found its way to the surface of consciousness Friday evening during the Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-Fonics concert at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater.

As the consummate guitarist, accompanied by Crazy Joe Tritschler, a guitarist cut from the same cloth, filled the venue with a buffet of what we're all calling roots music these days, he commented on the quality of the house.

In fact, he commented twice during his performance.

He is not by any means the first artist to make that observation.

Indeed, seat for seat, it is hard to better.

And, the synergy of using the entry through the historical Mercantile Building to display local artists -- this time it was quilts, the likes of which you rarely see -- is a masterful touch.

All in all, it's obvious that time was taken to mold nicely form around function. Doing it right, they call it.

There's a lot of that around us.

Before we get all bunched up about sprawl, traffic, McMansions, loss of Wine Country vineyards to housing, tasting-room habituees driving the roads from those same wineries, "farmers" markets, creeks and quarries, Taj Mahals and plans gone awry, let's be truthful: Our good fortune is undeniable.

Over the years, as our valley's ranchland sprouted a bumper crop of housing, things somehow seemed to have worked out pretty much OK.

To be sure, there's stuff to complain about, to question. There's stuff of our own doing to work on and challenges not our doing to meet. But, look around, you'll see that dollar for dollar this is not a bad place for a family to be.

And it's exciting in a fun sort of way.

Just three examples: Lake Elsinore is working through a revitalization; Murrieta's aptly called Golden Triangle could blow the region wide open as a mecca of one sort or another, and then there's the direction Temecula's Old Town will take.

One of the critical things to keep in mind as we define life in our valley is its quality. Once lost, it is expensive to regain.

Often, longtime residents, those being folks who predate the cities of Murrieta and Temecula, bemoan the explosion of their quiet corner of the world.

They haven't seen anything yet.

Peruse a map to see what's left to develop in the region between Los Angeles and San Diego. Look east, developer.

That'd be the I-15 and I-215 corridors.

There's no reason why good-thinking folks can't come together to craft development that will support a good life for our region's inhabitants. After all, good living is good business.

If anyone needs instruction on how to work together toward a goal, take a look at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater. It's a private-public project that deserves a bravo.

And, while you're at it check out the shows. Maybe Deke'll come back to see how we're doing.

-- Phil Strickland is a resident of Temecula and a regular columnist for The Californian. E-mail: philipestrickland@yahoo.com.