Ohio Chautauqua 2011: Participate in Living History

The big tent is coming to Lakewood. But don’t worry it doesn’t involve circus acts or trapeze artists.

The old fashioned red-and-white-striped tent is a telltale sign of a historical spectacle known as Ohio Chautauqua, which will kick off its 2011 traveling show in next week.

This year’s Ohio Chautauqua will commemorate the sesquicentennial – or 150^th anniversary – of the Civil War in a five-day event that will include a lineup of interactive workshops and engaging first-person historical characterizations.

The event runs from Wednesday through Sunday and brings five humanities scholars-in-residence who assume the costume and character of President Abraham Lincoln, surgeon and winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor Mary Edwards Walker, physician, journalist and soldier Maj. Martin Delany, Confederate socialite Mary Boykin Chesnut, and soldier, spy and Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman.

In its 12^th year, Ohio Chautauqua is the nation’s largest and is sponsored and presented by the Ohio Humanities Council. The local extravaganza involves the collaborative effort of several community organizations led by the Lakewood Historical Society.

“It’s a very big deal,” said Mazie Adams, executive director of Lakewood Historical Society, which is coordinating the event – a process that began two years ago. “This was all started by one of our board members, Ann Bish. She had attended an Ohio Chautauqua in Centerville, Ohio, and really loved it and thought it would be a good fit for what we try to do in the Lakewood Historical Society.”

After a competitive application process with the state council, Lakewood was chosen as one of five host communities for the 2011 schedule that also includes stops in Westerville, Lima, Chester and Coshocton.

“Lakewood sold me,” said Fran Tiburzio, Ohio Chautauqua coordinator and director of public relations for Ohio Humanities Council, who said she was won over by the city’s “gorgeous” library. “I was really impressed especially with your library. It was a Tuesday morning and the place was packed – that’s a sign of the vibrant, cultural health of a community. And people seemed really positive and upbeat.”

And it didn’t hurt that Lakewood is also celebrating its centennial of becoming a city in 1911, Tiburzio said.

“We were very lucky to be chosen,” Adams said. “It also speaks to the strength of our application which one of the main pieces was that had so many community partners on board, including the Beck and the library, the city and the schools, and chamber of commerce – all those partnerships showed a willingness for the whole city to bring the event to Lakewood and really make it an outstanding program.”

The historical society has spent the last year planning the event and raising the $7,500 each community has to contribute to the $40,000 it cost the statewide council to put on each five-day event.

“The idea of Ohio Chautauqua is to create a weeklong learning program that brings in five humanities scholars who come into the community,” Adams said. Each scholar will do a daytime children’s workshop – all of which are at 10 a.m at Beck;  a daytime adult workshop -- all of which are at 2 p.m. at the library; and a living history characterization in the evening at 7 p.m. at Lakewood Park under the big tent that will have seats for 500 people.

“We’d love to break the attendance records for Ohio Chautauqua and really show them that Lakewood supports this kind of programming. I think we can do it,” Adams said. “Lakewood Park is a beautiful place to be anytime of year especially in late June and the programming is great. Our goal is 500 people a night and 40 to 50 people at each of the daytime workshops.”

The performing scholars go through an application process in order to be selected as part of the Ohio Chautauqua program. They are vetted through the council and only the strongest scholars are selected, Adams said.

“All the programming is very family oriented. The marquee events are the evening programs,” she said. “But the daytime programming is very strong as well.”

Cindy Einhouse, president of the Beck Center for the Arts, said Ohio Chautauqua is a very fitting event for the city.

“It’s a great thing to add to the list of other commendations and recognition awards that Lakewood has received,” Einhouse said. “It all adds up to this being a vibrant, active community of people who enjoy arts and education and educational experiences.”

Ohio Chautauqua 2011:  Lakewood Calendar of Events

Children’s Programs @ Beck Center for the Arts, 17801 Detroit Avenue

“Brown Bag Lunch & a movie” and Adult Programs @ Lakewood Public Library, 15425 Detroit Avenue

Musical Entertainment and Evening Programs @ Lakewood Park (under the tent), 14710 Lake Avenue

Wednesday, June 22

10 a.m. Children’s Program: The Every Day Life of the Civil War Soldier

12 p.m. Brown Bag Lunch and a Civil War movie: Shenandoah

2 p.m. Adult Program: “Please, Do You Have Any News?”

6 p.m. Musical Entertainment: Vive L’Four (LHS Barbershop); Julie Tabaj on Concertina; and Duncan Virostko on Violin (in costume)

7 p.m. Evening Program: Harriet Tubman portrayed by Ilene Evans

Thursday, June 23

10 a.m. Children’s Program: African American Heritage: Stories, Games and Songs

12 p.m. Brown Bag Lunch and a Civil War movie: The Littlest Rebel

2 p.m. Adult Program: Strategy and Planning for the Long Campaign

6 p.m. Musical Entertainment: Horace Mann Elementary Choir; Lakewood High School String Quartet; Vive L’Four (LHS Barbershop)

7 p.m. Evening Program: Mary Boykin Chesnut portrayed by Dianne Moran

Friday, June 24

10 a.m. Children’s Program: Dear Mr. President

12 p.m. Brown Bag Lunch and a Civil War movie: Young Mr. Lincoln

2 p.m. Adult Program: The Port Royal Experiment: Rehearsal for Radical

Reconstruction of the South

6 p.m. Musical Entertainment: Vive L’Four (LHS Barbershop); Frank Blackman (LHS ’10-singer); Lakewood High School String Quartet

7 p.m. Evening Program: Mary Edwards Walker portrayed by Debra Conner

Saturday, June 25

10 a.m. Children’s Program: Civil War Diaries

12 p.m. Brown Bag Lunch and a Civil War movie: The General

2 p.m. Adult Program: Your Favorite Lincoln Stories and Mine

6 p.m. Musical Entertainment: Lakewood High School String Quartet; Gary Rice on Banjo & Saw; Vive L’Four (LHS Barbershop)

7 p.m. Major Martin Delany portrayed by Jim Armstead

Sunday, June 26

10 a.m. Children’s Program: Healthy Living, Civil War Style

2 p.m. Adult Program: A Literary Look at the American Civil War

5:30 p.m. Ohio Historic Marker unveiling

6 p.m. Musical Entertainment: Vive L’Four (LHS Barbershop); Gary Rice on Banjo & Saw; Lakewood High School String Quartet

7 p.m. Abraham Lincoln portrayed by Richard Johnson