Despite all the hard work and blood sweat and tears put forth by a group of well-intentioned Des Plaines residents, the community's response Monday night to their crusade to save the Des Plaines Theater from the wrecking ball was minimal, at best.

Billed as the Des Plaines Theater Preservation Society's second annual gala to raise funds and support to keep the downtown theater as an entertainment venue, only about 70 people showed up. You could see the frustration and disappointment on the faces of those who volunteered their time. They worked hard to spruce up the theater and to book "Rat Pack" lookalikes to perform on stage. A radio personality conducted his show live from the theater before the Rat Pack took stage. His performance centered on the preservation society's quest to save the building which sits at the corner of Miner and Lee streets.

So, what happened? A small crowd turns out, not the throng organizers had hoped for.

It's my belief, however, that looks can be deceiving. Many Des Plaines residents---certainly many more than the 70 or so who attended Monday night's party---want the nearly 80-year-old theater to remain as a showcase for the community. The problem is that they've not been given a strong enough reason to attend save the theater functions and to get involved. They know that saving the theater is a good idea. But with life's daily challenges, actually supporting efforts to keep the building play second fiddle. That lack of commitment will remain until the general public is given sound and clear reasons why they should become involved and how they can personally benefit.

What's afflicted organizers is something fairly common among people who want to do good, who have a goal, but can't quite seem to bring the whole package together. Members of the theater preservation society are visionaries whose sole purpose is to keep one of the last architectural gems of downtown Des Plaines from succumbing to progress. What they lack is the sizzle to attract the throngs of local residents who really want the theater to stay but lack the passion and interest to become personally involved.

Monday night's gala appeared to be well thought out to a point. In the lobby of the theater, smiling greeters welcomed you as you entered. There were plenty of refreshments. The place looked nice. In one of the two theaters, the radio show was on the air. On the other stage starting at 8 p.m., Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. impersonators belted out familiar tunes. They were pretty good especially Frank and Dean.

The gala was good. Where society members stumbled was promoting the idea. A few newspaper articles and posters are OK, but they aren't enough. There has to be sizzle in the message to attract the curious and interested---not just a good idea.

This newspaper became aware of the event only a few weeks before it happened. And what this reporter thought at that time was that the party was going to be another nice show inside the theater. It didn't click until a week or so before the event that Monday night's gala was actually the second annual event to hopefully raise thousands of dollars to fund future shows, workshops and other entertainment-related experiences that seniors, youths and others could enjoy. The first gala, a sit-down dinner, a year ago, was hugely successful because the pre-promotion had plenty of sizzle.

In a nutshell, theater preservationists had the steak but they lacked the sizzle. With sizzle, they'll attract people. And with people, they'll succeed in saving the theater for generations to come. That's an asset all of Des Plaines can not give up on.