When teachers John Denton, Pie Kasbar, Gretchen Hathaway, Heidi Zarou and Tiffany Clementi-Hammes all sat down together to write this year’s annual Children’s School “Troll Play,” they figured they would try something new.
At 2 p.m., during the School of Music’s annual Sing-In, the students will face their fate—some accompanied by nerves and others nudged by confidence, all ready to showcase their talents.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini opens with the ringing of a gong, transporting the listener into the second circle of hell, where Francesca da Rimini and her lover, Paolo Malatesta, are swirling around in a violent storm as punishment for their adulterous deeds.
Francesca’s husband — who is also Paolo’s brother — has killed the pair after discovering them together in his bed.
It is every child’s birthday at the Children’s School this week, as Chautauqua Institution glides through the week of the 139th anniversary of Chautauqua’s founding. In the manner of Lewis Carroll, the children are observing five “un-birthdays” during Week Seven at Children’s School, themed “Happy Birthday Chautauqua.”
A single bat dips and weaves over Chautauqua Lake.
It is a remarkable sight. The creature makes such tight turns that it seems ungoverned by inertia. It flies low over the water, leaving a thin wake behind it as it picks bugs out of the air, making tiny corrections in its flight path based on where its echolocation indicates there’s an insect. It may eat half of its body weight tonight.
Photos by Greg Funka | Staff Photographer
Sitting in the second row of the near-capacity house was a young woman wearing a blue T-shirt with the sign of the horns (the gesture the cartoon characters Beavis and Butt-head were known for) and the legend “You Rachmaninoff.”
At 6:30 p.m. today, Deb Naybor will present “How Special is Chautauqua Lake” at the Lake Walk, discussing the gift of fresh water. Meet at the covered porch of the Heinz Fitness Center, located on South Lake Drive at the corner of South Avenue (below the Youth Activities Center). This event is sponsored by the Bird, Tree & Garden Club in cooperation with the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy.
Things got a little messy at the Children’s School this week. Luckily for parents, the students didn’t have to bring their work home with them.
The question on everyone’s mind at Chautauqua Institution’s annual Library Day: What is your favorite book? Kids from the Children’s School and Boys’ and Girls’ Club are provided with stickers to write their answers on. Even some adult attendees spend all year thinking about what title they will proudly display on their shirts.
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