To the Editor,

The implications circulating that the councilmen of the City of Washington will not continue to sustain funding for the Turnage Theatre is disturbing to me. My husband and I purchased our condo at Moss Landing three years ago because we saw that this great historic town was trying hard to lift itself “off its knees” downtown. We hoped it would continue to improve. Sadly we watched the Inner Banks Artisans’ Center, a real draw card for artists and visitors alike, close down and then slide into disrepair. Now, after successfully reopening, the Turnage Theatre is also at risk.

The Turnage is a natural site to host excellent films and art programs and a natural home for Arts of the Pamlico. If this town chooses to not continue to its funding assistance, it will surely fail again. Small efforts just will not be enough. Its budding great performances will be irretrievably lost to our city.

My husband and I believe reducing funding would be a shortsighted decision. For our city to thrive, we need all the theaters, restaurants, shops and such thriving on Main Street and mutually supporting one another. The Turnage is the key draw to this continued renaissance. Truly, the longevity of the downtown, the Turnage and indeed, related sites like the North Carolina Estuarium hang in the balance of a decision to sustain the funding or not. Please join me in encouraging citizens to ask the Washington City Council to continue sustaining this noble institution.

 

Nancy C. Williams

Washington