Matt Burkhartt | Staff Photographer
The Styrofoam “Promise” near the Colonnade on Bestor Plaza anchored activities.
On June 29, the Chautauqua Foundation invited the community to its natural gathering place, on Chautauqua’s front lawn, and threw a party in celebration of the Promise of Chautauqua.
Scores of Chautauquans assembled in Bestor Plaza from 12 to 3 p.m. for Promise Day, with activities centered around the themes of The Promise Campaign.
Giant foam letters spelling “Promise” provided a sculptural piece and a canvas for multicolored Sharpies. A five-location scavenger hunt based on the campaign’s five theme words — civil, sustainable, inclusive, innovative and engaged — sent participants on a race for stamps in order to secure one of 200 free T-shirts and a chance to win an inflatable two-person kayak. (Eli Guinee and his family were the victors.)
Local food vendors were also on hand for a Fresh Festival, to tie in with Week Two lecture theme “Feeding a Hungry Planet,” and representatives of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Partners gathered non-perishable food items in support of the Orchestras Feeding America drive.
Funds sought to fulfill The Promise Campaign will contribute $98.2 million in new investments in Chautauqua’s people, programs and facilities. For more information, visit ciweb.org/promise.
The Chautauquan Daily 
