Ron Onesti: Unsung heroes at the theaters

It was 20 years ago when I first came to The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. The building was 80 years old at the time with so much history, and so many memories. Much of it was in disrepair, yet it had quite a bit of its original splendor still there, albeit in need of some polish and elbow grease.

Another element that literally came with the building was a gentleman by the name of Jim Shaffer. He reminded me a lot of Don Knotts, with the same somewhat scrawny physique and jumpy “Barney Fife” kind of personality. His passion was our original pipe organ. He would play it, maintain it and give tours about it. Jim was one of the finest men I have ever met.

He was at The Arcada for many years before I got there. A couple other guys, Bob Linn and Stan Battles, came on in the early ’90s and would ultimately make up the core of our usher team. They were stately gentlemen, Bob always witty, Stan always smiling.

And as much as they loved it, our customers loved them even more! Outfitted in red vests, white shirts and black ties they would greet the guests and show them to their seats with as much excitement as the ticket holders had themselves. Always helpful with their mini-flashlights, they were the “go-to’s” when there was a spill, a medical condition or an empty toilet paper roll somewhere.

Today we have over 50 volunteer ushers at both The Arcada and The Des Plaines Theatres. They are true gifts and I can never truly thank them ALL enough. And that pride and helpfulness is still prevalent. Red vests in St. Charles, gold vests in Des Plaines, but all represent the same thing — care and concern for our guests.

At any one time at The Arcada you would be greeted by our General Manager Johnny Maggio holding court on his throne by the elevator. But right there with him is Mike Marello, “Big” Steve Krawczyk and Sig Rudzitis. These guys expertly craft ways of making people feel comfortable, finding seats for people who are a bit larger than most, help with wheelchairs, finding places for folks who have wrong tickets and so much more.

Steve will always ask me, “Are you using your seats tonight?” This is so he knows what backup he has in case of duplicate tickets, which happens when they are bought from online scalpers.

Then when you go into the theater, you will be greeted by Marilyn, Nina or Vicky, or many other of our helpful red-vested ushers. What’s so great about these folks is not only how friendly they are, but also how big fans of the music they are. To see them dance and sing along with the stars adds to the upbeat environment of the theater.

Des Plaines is no different. When I first got there, I wasn’t sure if there would be volunteers who would want to be part of the team. Was I pleasantly surprised! Kevin Draftz stepped up to lead the team helped by Wayne Sloan, Frank Jasch, Robert Freddo, Debbie, Donna, Laurie and Jennifer, just to name a few. Every one of them is excited to be there, and equally excited to get folks to their seats on time.

I remember when I first came to St. Charles, the first folks to buy tickets from me were Al and Bonnie Jasik. It was for my “Beatles Meets The Wings” show. They loved the theater so much, they also became ushers for the next 15 years!

All in all, I have been blessed by the hundreds of volunteers we have had over the past 20 years. We lost Jim Shaffer in 2013 at the age of 78. Few days go by that I don’t think about his smile. Bob Linn is 91, Stan Battles is 90 and they still come out to usher on occasion. (Not for those “crazy rock ’n’ roll” shows, of course!)

So when you come to our theaters and you see someone in a red or gold vest, please make sure you thank them. They are there for you! THEY are the unsung heroes of the theater!

• Ron Onesti is president and CEO of The Onesti Entertainment Corp., the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles and the Des Plaines Theatre. Celebrity questions and comments? Email ron@oshows.com.