Journal Reporter
The so-called "Baron of Barrington" has joined the campaign to save the Des Plaines Theater.
Joe Gentile, who airs a daily radio show on WJJG, 1530 AM, will host a call-in fundraiser for the Des Plaines Theater Preservation Society on his program tomorrow, Thursday, July 24, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Gentile, who also owns a car dealership in Barrington, first heard about the Society's efforts to restore the theater and turn it into a performing arts center last week, when a member of the Preservation Society called in to talk about the project.
According to Preservation Society Vice-President Paul Saletnik, Gentile responded with enthusiasm, urging more members of the Preservation Society to call in.
When Saletnik followed up the next day, he says Gentile told him, "I'll tell you what. You show up next Thursday morning with some of your people, and we'll call it "Save the Des Plaines Theater Day."
The Preservation Society is continuing its efforts to raise money for the project, despite the fact that the Mount Prospect National Bank recently purchased the building. The bank plans to build a new drive-through bank on the site.
But efforts by the Preservation Society to enlist the help of the Des Plaines City Council last month resulted in a 60-day moratorium on any demolition of the theater.
The group has also worked to have the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bank is now in discussions with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) about the future of the downtown property.
Gentile's support for the Des Plaines theater, Saletnik says, may come from the radio host's familiarity with a similar project - the York Theater in Elmhurst, which was restored a few years ago.
Saletnik calls Joe Gentile a combination of businessman, "cantankerous old guy," and philanthropist. Gentile sits on the board of directors at Loyola University, and is a financial supporter of its medical school, St. Ignatius High School, the Veterans Association, and other charitable causes.
He's also a well-known sports nut, Saletnik says, familiar with many professional sports figures. And he's such a fan of Loyola basketball, that he became a major contributor to the school's sports arena - the Joe Gentile Center.
A frequent guest on WGN radio programs in past years, Gentile decided a decade ago to start his own talk radio station: WJJG-AM, in the town of Berkeley, near Elmhurst.
"It is an obscure radio station - it has a cult following," Saletnik admits. Still, he's grateful for any publicity the Preservation Society can get.
"It's not mainstream, but to get on a large network [to promote the group's efforts] is not too realistic of a possibility."
But Saletnik is not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. The Preservation Society is attempting to raise $600,000 in six months, in hopes that a deal can still be worked out to save the theater.
Saletnik says more and more unsolicited donations have been coming in since the Fourth of July, when the group sponsored a theater-shaped float in Des Plaines' holiday parade.
The contributors are "just average people," Saletnik says, "sending in five, ten, twenty dollars at a time, up to $200." There was also a recent $1,000 donation from one individual.
Fundraising efforts continue with a luncheon for the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 11 at David's Bistro. A $25 per plate benefit will take place Sept. 6 at Giuseppe's, followed by a pre-season Chicago Bears game raffle at a local tavern, and a black tie, $100 per plate event in November.
Members of the Preservation Society also hope the city council will vote to extend its moratorium on demolishing the theater when it meets on Aug. 4.
Meanwhile, Saletnik and other Preservation Society board members are more than happy to participate tomorrow morning in Joe Gentile's "Save the Des Plaines Theater Fundraising Radio Show." The program will be re-broadcast on WJJG between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Evidently, Gentile is serious about raising money for the cause, and he expects his listeners to be, too. According to Saletnik, Gentile told him, "Aw heck, we don't want pledges. We want money."