Township Auditorium

There is a place in Columbia called Township Auditorium. It has been on Taylor Street downtown since 1930 and hosted a lot of big-name acts over the years. It was also the place to see wrastlin', when I was growing up, but I never went to that. The first thing I can remember attending there was the celebration of Columbia being an All-American city. That was a big deal. My high school graduation was also there. It took 35 minutes for my class to file into the auditorium. Since my last name started with "D", that meant I had to remain standing until the "Z's" came in. I even performed in the auditorium in a musical put on by my church for the city called "Joy Comes in the Morning". I played a disciple and had some acting to do in it. But, the main thing about the auditorium is all the acts I have seen there. Not too many, but some of the greats. George Carlin (twice), Bob Dylan, Crosby Stills & Nash, BB King, Gary Lewis, The Shirelles, Andy Childs, Marcel Marceau, Hair, and a few more. Last night, I saw James Gregory and Mike Sanders. They are fixing to renovate the auditorium. Both inside and out, and it will be closed for a while. Other acts have played there like Chicago, John Sebastian, Prince, and I think even Elvis. There is a lot of history within those walls, and I am actually a little sad to see it changed, but hopefully they will maintain the integrity of the place as a downtown theatre. It may not be the biggest venue in Columbia, but it has a lot of heart. Here's hoping that Columbia will do the best. And, we will once again have the Township back in all its glory.