“You’d think we’re in the
middle of nowhere, but actually we’re in the middle of
everywhere,” says Chris Speyrer, proprietor of Mason City
Limits, a three-week-old comedy club in downtown Mason City. He’s got a good point. Mason City lies
about halfway between Peoria and Springfield on Route 29, a
north-south highway, and halfway between Lincoln and Havana on
Route 10, an east-west road. Speyrer, originally from Dayton, Ohio,
bought the building that once housed the town’s pool hall and
converted it into a 90-seat showroom with a full bar, but the route
to comedy-club ownership was circuitous: After receiving a degree
in English and working off and on at his father’s print shop,
he began his professional comedic career in 1989. In 1992 he met
comedian Dr. Gonzo, a Mason City native known by his friends and
family as John Means. After a successful career in show business,
Means moved back home and invested in the downtown area of Mason
City, starting a pizza place and a steakhouse. “I visited Gonzo when I was working
shows in the Midwest and saw how he had an impact on this
town,” says Speyrer. “I decided, ‘Rather than
trying to get noticed in a big city, why not move to a small town
and really make an impact?’ That’s how I
ended up here.” The club hosts a music/comedy open mic on
Thursdays nights and two comedy shows per night on Fridays and
Saturdays. Per customers’ request, the first Saturday-night
show is always smoke-free. Attracting talent doesn’t seem to
be a problem for the fledgling club. “Between Gonzo’s connections on
the West Coast and my Midwest friends, we have some good comedians
lined up,” says Speyrer. “This weekend is Rex Havens.
He’s one of those guys you see and go, ‘How come this
guy is not famous?’ ” Along with the reopened, refurbished Arlee
Theater and Means’ restaurants, plus a few other renovations
in downtown Mason City, the comedy club is a welcome part in the
revitalization of a small town. “You know, you really spend half your
life finding out what you don’t want to do,” says
Speyrer. “I’d like to see this place become a
destination for people living in central Illinois.”
For more information, visit Mason City Limits
in person at 114 E. Chestnut St. in Mason City or online at
www.mclimits.com or call 217-482- 5233.
This article appears in Apr 27 – May 3, 2006.
