There is a sense of change in the air. While Week Nine’s plethora of entertainment and accessible erudition awaits those on the grounds, transition is close. The major arts companies have concluded their seasons. The weather is often a bit cooler. The days are noticeably shorter. Chautauqua is nearing the end of its 2015 season, and many of its seasonal employees have left to return to school or regular employment. Others remain well into the fall. Here are six of their stories.
Charles “Cary” and Suellen Lindsay are first-generation Chautauquans, and have loved spending time at the Institution since they first stepped on the grounds by chance more than 12 years ago.
For some members of the community, the Chautauqua experience has given them so much that they feel compelled to give back, sharing their time and talents.
On June 24, 1964 in Chautauqua, Bill Ingram had made a bet with his two other brothers: Whomever was the first to pick up a girl at the College Club mixer could have free rein of their mother’s car for the night.
Chautauqua Institution is a place that is difficult to describe for those who have never experienced it themselves. It is the job of the marketing department to find ways to describe Chautauqua’s programming and community to attract and retain visitors.
Albert C. “Ace” Barclay is a dapper, urbane, well-dressed man who has passed his 70th birthday. Growing up in central New Jersey in places well known to New Jersey Turnpike travelers as exits around the Princeton area, Barclay graduated from Yale, then received a law degree from Harvard, served in the Army and settled into a comfortable life with his wife and children, maintaining a local law practice based in the area where he grew up.
Fresh ingredients found their way from local farms to the lavish plates of guests at the Athenaeum Hotel parlor for the annual Farm-to-Table benefit dinner on July 23.
Chautauqua’s 2015 season passed its midpoint this week. The major arts programs are all in full swing, and there are still significant orchestra, theater, opera, music, arts and dance events to look forward to. The education and religion departments fill the days with erudition. Hundreds of smaller events enrich the cultural smorgasbord to which Chautauquans have become accustomed.
Prior to the season, the Institution announced plans to further engage the Chautauqua community on the Amphitheater project. It’s working. The community is engaged.
A year ago, Travis Bensink came back home to Chautauqua County. When he did, he was a man with a plan.
The Chautauquan Daily 