Chautauqua was an adult and social movement that brought speakers, teachers, musicians, showmen, preachers, and specialists of the day to gather together and offer entertainment and culture to the outdoor Summer crowds.
In a charming village on the shores of Lake Chautauqua, N. Y., 145 years ago, began the Summer program that at its peak in the mid-1920s attracted 45 Million persons to more than 10,000 programs when America’s population was 116 Million.
Methodist minister John Heyl Vincent and businessman Lewis Miller organized the first New York Chautauqua Assembly in 1874.
In 1905, president Theodore Roosevelt visited to share ideas and to learn. In 1919 Thomas Edison and Henry Ford spent many hours discussing the issues of the day. Amelia Earhart was part of the lecture circuit in 1929 which followed the aviation pioneer’s transatlantic flight in June 1928. In 1933 Eleanor Roosevelt spoke to 6,000 individuals who filled the Amphitheater to hear her speech, “The New Responsibility of Women.”
One writer thought in 1919 that “the vast numbers of rural dwellers…now gorged with fried chicken, watermelon-rind preserves, eloquence, music, blueberry pies, pink popcorn, soft drinks” had stored up enough knowledge to suffice for the ensuing 12 months. He continued “At a relatively small cost, they are vouchsafed the opportunity to see and to hear former presidents and future presidents, great political leaders, reformers, economists, churchmen, evangelists, soldiers, artists, orators.”
Those who came to entertain at Chautauqua included singers, orchestras, readers, impersonators, pageants, theatrical companies, and speakers upon almost every imaginable topic that is timely or helpful or illuminating.
Cars are discouraged so adults walk or rent bicycles. There might be a television, but who would choose to give up a lakeside amphitheater on a beautiful summer evening and listen to music so intoxicating to instead watch TV? This Victorian village invites visitors to sit on a porch and sip lemonade and use their little grey cells while listening to glorious music cascading though the trees.
The Chautauqua Institution was founded on the belief that everyone “has a right to be all that s/he can be and to know all that s/he can know.” It is a place similar to Ravinia in Highland Park where music, dance, opera, theater, and the visual arts create the “Chautauqua Mix.”
Part of my Summer vacation in 1999 was to drive east and visit Chautauqua. I rented a bicycle and rode around the area. I do not recall who presented the lectures or the music, but remember that I enjoyed the visit. I stayed in one of the guest cottages and was surprised to find that my room had no lock! Didn’t know if I could sleep those nights, but I did. I just said my prayers and asked the angels to protect me as I slept. The area was so bucolic and refreshing that I was able to relax and sleep.
Chautauqua opened only online for the 2020 nine-week calendar due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Offered is five separate, but interconnected digital properties where video content, conversations, master and enrichment classes, and virtual experiences will be offered and presented. This dramatic lakeside setting and the beauty of its National Historic Landmark architecture makes the Chautauqua Institution a still thriving community.