Ramona Outdoor Play-Back to Roots

BACK TO ROOTS

The operators of the Ramona Bowl say they are trying to reconnect with the community and focus on their core event -- the Ramona Outdoor Play -- after the venue almost went broke last year amid declining attendance and the staging of other events that failed to produce much revenue.

"Ramona" is part of the fabric of the San Jacinto Valley. Generations of Inland residents have played cowboys or Indians or volunteered as ushers or food sellers.

The play, which opened at the Ramona Bowl near Hemet in 1923, is based on a book written by Helen Hunt Jackson that illustrates the struggles of Native Americans in Southern California during the 1850s.

The venue's board of directors is bringing back service clubs to sell refreshments, eliminating events such as children's theater and battle of the bands, and has sat down one-on-one with potential donors.

Already, group ticket sales for "Ramona" are ahead of last year's pace, board President Andrew Kotyuk said, after the Ramona Pageant Association teamed on marketing with other regional attractions, including the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and the Temecula wineries.

"It's baby steps," said Kotyuk, 34, who joined the board last June and became president in October. " 'Ramona' is going to survive. We're out to convince everybody one at a time."

That survival has not been guaranteed. The association lost $123,995 in 2007 and $158,243 in 2008, according to tax records. Officials considered canceling the 2009 performance because of financial troubles.

Attendance for the five annual performances of "Ramona" declined from 21,336 in 2000 to 9,035 in 2009. The decade's lowest attendance was 8,560 in 2008.

A $100,000 gift from the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians allowed "Ramona" to be staged in 2009. Soon after, the association asked Riverside County to buy the site in Hemet for $1 and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on renovations. But the sides could not agree on other terms, according to Verne Lauritzen, chief of staff for county Supervisor Jeff Stone.

The association used a grant last year to bring in a new operations director, Paul Jacques, and produce a battle of the bands, concerts, children's theater and a Renaissance Faire. Most were not financially successful. Although income from the Renaissance Faire exceeded projections, the event lost $50,000, Kotyuk said. A decision has not been made on its future, he said.

Many other events -- and Jacques -- will not return this year after the grant ran out.

BACK TO ROOTS

Al Cordova said he has seen positive signs.

He is president of the Ramona Bowl Music Association, which has staged summer concerts at the bowl for 63 years, though it is not affiliated with the bowl. This offseason he had been looking at new venues amid uncertainty about the bowl association's financial status.

However, he was in negotiations last week to return to the bowl, where eight of the current 10 Ramona Pageant Association board members have joined since January 2009.

"It's a healing session for everybody," said Cordova, who has volunteered during "Ramona" for 46 years. "This new group ... instead of being a commercial deal, they are trying to get back to the community roots."

Larry Minor, owner of Agri-Empire, a potato-growing giant in San Jacinto, said his grandfather was a caretaker at the bowl. Minor remembers that every town in the area used to erect a banner, businessmen grew beards and parades were staged in honor of the pageant.

"This should be one big event with the whole community behind it," Minor said.

For some, that has been difficult.
BROKEN LINKS

About a dozen years ago, bowl operators cut ties with the myriad service groups that had sold food and refreshments during performances to make money for their organizations, in favor of a single professional concessionaire.

Hal Brown, secretary of the Hemet Lions Club, said his group had the soda and water concessions, and that friends would come from out of town to visit club members and attend the play. When the Lions were let go, the friends no longer came.

"There were a lot of things that have occurred like that that have caused the community to become disconnected," Kotyuk said.

But the concessionaire's contract has run out and the service clubs will be back this spring when the bowl stages five performances April 17-18, April 24-25 and May 1. Kotyuk also reached out to the clubs this year when he asked them to help fix up the bowl.

"I think the pageant needs to do a better job of local outreach like those things," said Eric Gosch, co-owner of the Gosch Auto Group in Hemet and a longtime financial contributor to the association.

The association has found success with the personal touch.

Minor said he hadn't contributed in several years but donated $5,000 this year after a visit from board member Lori VanArsdale.

"It's a lot different when someone comes in and sits in your office, instead of sending a flier," he said.

expenses slashed

The bowl will run a leaner operation, Kotyuk said. Expenses for 2010 have been cut by 20 percent, but unlike last year, Artistic Director Dennis Anderson and the actors playing the lead roles of Ramona and Alessandro will be paid.

The events Jacques produced "were too similar" to those in Orange and San Diego counties, Kotyuk said. The play with its Native American theme, meanwhile, is not duplicated anywhere else, he said.

"Our focus now is really shifting heavily to update, modernize and expand that historical significance," Kotyuk said.

Jacques said he "was very satisfied" artistically with his productions. The Riverside resident said when the association wanted to cut back his hours this year, he decided to focus instead on teaching theater and film at three Inland colleges as well as directing "Music Man" for the Redlands Bowl and raising his children, ages 4 and 5.

The bowl association wants to increase donations and build an endowment with contributions from "Ramona" participants and attendees so it doesn't have to depend so much on ticket revenue. Kotyuk said the Soboba tribe donated $15,000 this week.

The association is shifting to a fiscal year that will run from July 1 to June 30. Kotyuk estimated expenses of $250,000 and revenues of $280,000 for the first six months of 2010, so the bowl appears to be on the right track.

"It belongs to the community," Cordova said. "If Hemet and San Jacinto lose the bowl ... it would be a major hole in the history of the community."

WHERE;
Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre
27400 Ramona Bowl Road, Hemet CA. 92544
Toll Free: 1-800-645-4465 / 951-658-3111or email: ramona@ramonabowl.com

2010 Ramona dates: April 17&18, 24& 25 & May 1

April 17 & 18 2:00 – 4:30p.m. Gates open at 11:00 a.m.
April 24 & 25 4:00 – 6:30p.m. Gates open at 1:00 p.m.
May 1 4:00 – 6:30p.m. Gates open at 1:00 p.m.



2010 Ramona Ticket Prices
Lower Level: Online: $34 for all ages*
Box Office: $32 for all ages, Locals: $19
(Local zips: 92543, 92544, 92545, 92546, 92548,
92549, 92581, 92582, 92583 and 92596)




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Upper Level: Online: Adults $34*, Box Office: $32
Online: Seniors (62+) $32*, Box Office: $29
Online: Children (-12) $21*, Box Office: $19
Local Discount: $19
Family 4-Pack: $99 Includes 4 tickets
Free Parking
One Souvenir Program



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Shaded Box Seats: Online: $49* for all ages, Box Office: $47


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Group Rates: (20 minimum) $28 for tickets only, lower level
1 free ticket for every 20 paid
Whole Enchilada package: $45 per person includes
Lower Level seating, Lion’s Club Deep Pit BBQ,
Rental cushion and free program



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* Includes all handling and processing fees

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