Ashland Chautauqua 2023

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC DUE TO MAJOR SUPPORT FROM THE SPONSORS LISTED BELOW.

Action-Packed Lives Take the Stage at 2023 Ashland Chautauqua

A few years ago, some young audience members said, “These characters are great, but you should do a theme to get really active characters, you know, like action heroes.” And so we have this year’s theme: “History’s Real Action Figures.”

Real life can be as adventuresome and amazing as fiction. This year the character Harry Houdini, portrayed by scholar Larry Bounds, closes our 5-night series of performances in the Guy C. Myers Band Shell on Saturday. Houdini was a flesh-and-blood person, but his life remains a mystery for two reasons. First, Houdini’s imagination moved easily between truth and fiction so a listener (or a historian) could not be sure which of the two was being expressed when Houdini spoke. Second, he could perform physical feats that defied explanation. Houdini died nearly 100 years ago, but his name is recognizable by nearly everyone today and is synonymous with words like “magic” and “escape.” A real action figure.

Meriwether Lewis co-led (with William Clark) the Corps of Discovery commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly-acquired Louisiana Purchase territory and to find a travel-worthy route to the Pacific Ocean. Any day in this wilderness, guided or misguided by primitive maps, could hold unforeseen events—swollen rivers, animal encounters, meetings with indigenous people. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was well-documented by the men’s journals, a detailed gift of exploration for generations to come. We will hear Meriwether Lewis tell his story, portrayed by scholar Brian “Fox” Ellis, on opening night.

Jackie Cochran was as bold an adventurer as ever existed and quite a character too. She became interested in flying because she wanted to get around the country to market her line of cosmetics. She found that she loved flying. She was bold and competitive, risk-taking, brash, and vain. She had friends in high places (such as President Dwight Eisenhower) and yet many others distanced themselves from her and her abrasive style. How will she present herself to our Chautauqua audience on Wednesday evening through scholar Karen Vuranch? We audience members can speculate: why is this high-achieving, once highly publicized woman all but forgotten by history? Pirates in their “Golden Age” were real action figures that grew into legends with a fascination that never seems to end. Research into their lives pulls together “pieces and parts” of a lifestyle that did not exactly match the stereotypes. Pirates apparently had a defined social order and were not generally the terrorizing cutthroats of legend. Samuel Bellamy had a short and tragic career in piracy, documented sufficiently to tell his story and

he will do so on Friday evening; portrayed by Joey Madia. Through his recollections, we will learn of the orderly but dangerous business of piracy and of the thin line between privateering on behalf of a monarch and the business of being a pirate for one’s own benefit. Bellamy’s story is one of adventure, love, success, and tragedy.

A social activist is an action figure of another type. Pauli Murray knew of slavery and discrimination as experienced by her grandparents and knew racial discrimination in her own life. A person with her intellect and spirit could not be held back. When she experienced discrimination as a woman trying to get an education, she set on a life course of activism so that others would not be held back as she was. She became an attorney. She became a writer. She became an Episcopal priest. She was an indefatigable advocate for human rights. Scholar Becky Stone will portray her on Thursday evening. Check the schedule on page 3 for daytime workshops being offered by the scholars. All evening performances and all workshops are free and open to the public.

Pick up your 5-Nighter card Tuesday and have it marked by a Chautauqua volunteer every evening to be eligible for the prize drawing Saturday night.

Coffee with the Scholars will be held Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning in the Community Room at the Ashland Board of Realtors (107 E Main Street), starting at 8:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome to get better acquainted with the scholars and learn about behind-the-scenes Chautauqua.

The summer of 2024 will bring a special celebration event: 25 years of Ashland Chautauqua! To commemorate this tradition, we have invited back five memorable scholars/characters. See page 19 for more information about our “Silver Celebration” theme. In addition, scholar John Anderson is returning as Louis Bromfield, April 25-27 (see page 17).

Ashland Chautauqua is supported by Ohio Humanities, the Ohio Arts Council, the City of Ashland’s Parks & Recreation Department, Explore Ashland, local businesses and organizations, and local residents who want to see this vibrant celebration of history thrive in our community. We are grateful to Ashland Main Street, our fiscal agent. This programming is planned and implemented by a committee of local citizen volunteers. Thanks to everyone—planners, funders, scholars, and audience members—who make Ashland Chautauqua an exciting and informative event year after year!

Now, let’s enjoy a week with “History’s Real Action Figures.”

Schedule of Events

All Events are FREE and Open to the Public | All event locations are accessible In case of inclement weather, evening events may be moved indoors. Daily updates will be available after 4 p.m. at: Website: www.AshlandChautauqua.org | Facebook: Facebook.com/AshlandChautauqua | Band Shell Hotline: 419-281-3018

TUESDAY,

JULY 11

2:30 p.m. Jim Crow: Its History, Our Heritage

Adult workshop presented by Becky Stone

Location: Ashland Public Library

MYERS MEMORIAL BAND SHELL

7 p.m. Opening Act: Mike Gorrell

8 p.m. An Evening with Meriwether Lewis

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12

10 a.m. Houdini’s Scrapbook: A Life of Illusion

Adult workshop presented by Larry Bounds

Location: The Golden Center at the Loudonville Public Library

1 p.m. The Golden Age of Piracy: Fact, Fiction, and Fantasy

Adult workshop presented by Joey Madia

Location: Ashland County Council on Aging

2:30 p.m. Fly Girls: Women of WWII

Teen and Adult workshop presented by Karen Vuranch

Location: Ashland Public Library

MYERS MEMORIAL BAND SHELL

7 p.m. Opening Act: Steve Brown Jazz Trio

8 p.m. An Evening with Jackie Cochran

THURSDAY, JULY 13

8:30 a.m. Coffee with the Scholars

Location: Community Room, Ashland Board of Realtors

2:30 p.m. The Magical World of Harry Houdini

Youth workshop presented by Larry Bounds

Location: Salvation Army Kroc Center

3:30 p.m. Lewis & Clark His-Story and Natural

His-Story, too

Adult workshop presented by Brian “Fox” Ellis

Location: Ashland County Senior Citizen Center

MYERS MEMORIAL BAND SHELL

7 p.m. Opening Act: Roger & Robin

8 p.m. An Evening with Pauli Murray

EVALUATE ASHLAND CHAUTAUQUA

FRIDAY, JULY 14

8:30 a.m. Coffee with the Scholars

Location: Community Room, Ashland Board of Realtors

10 a.m. Tribal Tales from the River’s Edge

Youth workshop presented by Brian “Fox” Ellis

Location: YMCA Youth Camp at Myers

Memorial Band Shell

Note: Rain site location is the Ashland YMCA

1 p.m. Women of NASA

Adult workshop presented by Karen Vuranch

Location: Mill Run Place

2:30 p.m. Join a Pirate Crew!

Youth workshop presented by Joey Madia

Location: Ashland Public Library

MYERS MEMORIAL BAND SHELL

7 p.m. Opening Act: The Bridge Live!

8 p.m. An Evening with Samuel Bellamy

SATURDAY, JULY 15

8:30 a.m. Coffee with the Scholars

Location: Community Room, Ashland Board of Realtors

2 p.m. States Laws on Race & Color – Ohio

Teen & Adult Workshop presented by Becky Stone

Location: Ashland University (Ronk Lecture Hall, College of Education)

MYERS MEMORIAL BAND SHELL

7 p.m. Opening Act: Austin Walkin’ Cane

8 p.m. An Evening with Harry Houdini

Ashland Chautauqua reserves the right to use any photograph/video taken at any event sponsored by Ashland Chautauqua, without the expressed written permission of those included within the photograph/video. Ashland Chautauqua may use the photograph/video in publications or other media material produced, used or contracted by Ashland Chautauqua including but not limited to: brochures, invitations, books, newspapers, magazines, television, websites, etc.

Please take a few minutes and complete a brief evaluation form to help us improve our programming and provide suggestions for future Ashland Chautauqua characters. This is also crucial for our grant funding. Evaluation forms online at: ashlandchautauqua.org or scan QR code.

“The morning we left Fort Mandan I walked along the shore for want of exercise. Our vessels consisted of six small canoes and two large pirogues. This little fleet although not so respectable as those of Columbus and Captain Cook were still viewed with as much pleasure as those famed adventurers ever beheld theirs; and I dare say with as much anxiety for their safety and preservation. We were about to penetrate a country at least 2000 miles in width, on which the foot of civilized man had never trodden. Entertaining as I do the most confident hope of succeeding in this voyage I could esteem this moment as one of the happiest of my life!”

Meriwether Lewis

LEWIS TIMELINE

1774 Born in rural Virginia near Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.

1779 Father died, Jefferson became father figure and friend.

1795 Served in Indian Wars in Ohio with William Clark as his commander, friendship began.

1801 Moved into unfinished White House as Jefferson’s personal secretary.

1803

1803

Went to Philadelphia to study with the Philadelphia Philosophical Society.

Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon to fund his European War Campaigns. Expedition through the West is no longer a secret mission.

1804-1806

The Corps of Discovery, under the command of Lewis and Clark, made the first government-funded exploration of the West covering more than 8,000 miles round trip, meeting more than 30 tribes, and adding more than 150 plants and 120 animals new to western science.

1806

Upon returning, appointed Governor of the new territory and was quickly bogged down in politics, frustrated and distracted, had difficulty publishing his findings.

1809

Murder? Suicide? Found dead by ornithologist and artist Alexander Wilson at a wayside inn along Natchez Trace south of Nashville, TN.

– Meriwether Lewis, April 7, 1805

Exploring Unknown Worlds

by Brian “Fox” Ellis

Lewiswas born just down the road from Thomas Jefferson’s estate Monticello. Our third president became a second father to Lewis when Lewis’ father was killed in the American Revolution. Jefferson helped spark Lewis’ interest in natural history. Jefferson’s extensive library became a foundation for Lewis’ education. At a time when the Blue Ridge Mountains were the edge of the known world, he often pushed beyond that edge. The Appalachian Mountain forests became his playground. He would often wander into the woods for days at a time hunting, and harvesting the wild berries and nuts he found there. His mother was known as an herb doctor, an herbalist, who would offer up a plant for whatever ailed you. She taught him which plants were medicine, which were edible, and which were poisonous.

As a young man he joined the military, eventually climbing to the rank of Captain. While fighting in the Ohio Territory he met William Clark, who would later become his co-commander in The Corps of Discovery.

Thomas Jefferson invited Lewis to become his aide-de-camp and personal secretary when he was elected president. Lewis moved into the White House before it was finished. He put up a tent because the roof leaked and he slept on his cot because there were still dirt floors.

The best part of living in the White House would have been having Thomas Jefferson as a mentor and friend. Jefferson had one of the best scientific minds in early American History.

Jefferson helped to create the Philadelphia Philosophical Society. When he chose Lewis to lead the expedition to the West he sent Lewis to Philadelphia to study science with these men. Well-educated, well-traveled, and well-read, it is easy to imagine them having long conversations late into the night, discussing science, American Indians,

the Western Frontier, and the natural world.

Jefferson had named a prehistoric species of Giant Sloth Bear, megalonyx jeffersonii. He hoped Lewis would find a sloth bear and saber-toothed cat in the West. When Jefferson hired Lewis to lead The Corps of Discovery he ordered him to look for prehistoric beasts, to build friendly relations with the American Indians, to collect soil samples, plants and animals. The Corps of Discovery was first and foremost a scientific expedition.

By all accounts Lewis and Clark shared the leadership of the expedition as a well-matched team. Though all of the men were ordered to keep journals, Lewis’ journal is both the most poetic and scientific. The journey itself was like a modern trip to the moon. Much of the time they were in territory unknown to the Western world, unsure if the Natives would be hostile or friendly.

By all accounts the Corps of Discovery returned successful; they survived, only one man died, and they made hundreds of discoveries of new trees, flowers, mammals, birds, fish, insects, and they even collected more than 60 soil samples.

Tragically, when they returned, Meriwether Lewis never adjusted to his appointment as Governor of the Louisiana Territory. He became mired in the political morass of the newly expanding west. There is some debate about whether he was murdered or committed suicide; we may never know. But his name will always be paired with his good friend as the leader of The Lewis and Clark Expedition.

DAYTIME PROGRAMS

Adult Program: Lewis and Clark His-Story and Natural His-Story, too

Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 3:30 p.m.

Ashland County Senior Citizen Center

Blending creative writing ideas with interactive storytelling, this participatory workshop will challenge the audience to rethink their point of view on this important event in American History. Using techniques that can be applied to any chapter of history, participants will be given an opportunity to transform research notes into dynamic performances. Using Lewis’ journals we will also explore the scientific findings of the Corps of Discovery, celebrating the diverse flora and fauna of the American West through exciting stories and songs.

Youth Program: Tribal Tales from the River’s Edge

Friday, July 14, 2023 at 10 a.m.

YMCA Youth Camp at Myers Memorial Band Shell

Note: Rain site location is the Ashland YMCA

Before ethnology was a scientific discipline, Lewis and Clark collected stories, songs, and artifacts from the dozens of distinct cultures they encountered in their journey west. They kept detailed notes on tribal customs and collected vocabulary to create a rough outline of a dictionary of Indian Languages. In this dynamic performance, Fox shares both folklore and true history from the American Indians met along the way. The audience sees something of the transformation of the Corps of Discovery as they adapted to Native American lifeways and they hear about life before the white man came. Not once, but several times, the journey would have failed if not for the kindness of Native Americans.

ABOUT BRIAN “FOX” ELLIS

Fox is a storyteller, author, and freelance historian. He recently took a full-time position as the Membership and Outreach Coordinator for the Illinois Audubon Society. Fox portrayed John James Audubon at Ashland Chautauqua in 2019. He portrays more than a dozen historical characters including Charles Darwin, Walt Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, and Francis of Assisi. He is also the author of more than 30 books including 10 Chautauqua-style biographies in his series History in Person, which are available on Amazon and his YouTube Channel. He attended Oberlin College and holds a BA degree from Wilmington College in Southern Ohio.

OPENING ACT: MIKE GORRELL

As a solo artist, Mike Gorrell performs a wide range of material. His repertoire includes Country, Bluegrass, Folk, and classic Rock & Roll. He has performed in country and bluegrass bands all over the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. His music is fresh and aged, relaxing and exhilarating, familiar and, at the same time, unique. Hopefully, you will hear songs you can sing along with and some you have never heard that you will enjoy. Family style humor and a fast-paced stage show are trademarks of what you can expect from his performances. nwtbluegrass.com

LEWIS BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cutright, Paul Russell. Lewis and Clark Pioneering Naturalists Lincoln: University of Nebraska, 2003.

DeVoto, Bernard. The Journals of Lewis and Clark New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.

Ellis, Brian “Fox”. Meriwether Lewis and the Corps of Discovery. Bishop Hill: IL: Fox Tales, 2021.

Gilman, Carolyn. Lewis and Clark Across the Divide. Washington DC: The Smithsonian Institution, 2003.

Gragg, Rod. Lewis And Clark: On the Trail of Discovery: The Journey That Shaped America, A Museum in a Book. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Books, 2003.

Thenew technology of aviation took the world by storm in the 1900s. Soon flying became both an industry and a sport. Throughout the world there were contests of all kinds for these new daring pilots that captured the world’s attention and imagination. And the field was not limited to men. One of the most well-known pilots of the day was Jackie Cochran, known as the Fastest Woman Alive.

Jackie Cochran

COCHRAN TIMELINE

1906 Born in Florida as Bessie Lee Pittman.

1916 Began career as a beautician at age 10.

1929 Moved to New York City & works at Antoine’s Beauty Salon in Saks Fifth Avenue.

1932 Took flying lessons and earned pilot’s license.

1935 Competed in major competitions, and ran a multi-million dollar beauty products business. First woman to compete in the Bendix Transcontinental Air Race; came in third in 1937 and won in 1938.

1936 Married Floyd Odlum, CEO of RKO in Hollywood, one of world’s wealthiest men. Became friends with fellow aviator Amelia Earhart.

1938 Won Women‘s National Aviation Association outstanding pilot award. Won again in ‘39, ‘40, and ‘41.

1940 Broke both national 100 kilometer and international 2,000 kilometer speed records.

1943 Appointed to General Staff of U.S. Army Air Forces, directed all phases of WASP program.

1945 Became first woman civilian to be awarded the U.S. Distinguished Service Medal.

1948 Commissioned as lieutenant colonel in Air Force Reserve.

1953 Became first woman to breach sound barrier, held more speed and distance records than any flier in history.

1960 Sponsor of Mercury 13 Program to train women astronauts.

1964 Set women’s world speed record, which still stands.

1965 Inducted into International Aerospace Hall of Fame and into U.S. Aviation Hall of Fame in 1971.

1969 Promoted to Colonel in Air Force Reserve. Retired in 1970.

1980 Died at home in Indio, CA. To this day, she still holds the most records in aviation than any other pilot in history.

The Fastest Woman Alive

by Karen Vuranch

American pilot and business executive Jackie Cochran was called the Speed Queen and was one of the most prominent pilots in American aviation history. At the time of her death in 1980, no other pilot – living or dead, male or female – held more speed, distance or altitude records. Working with other women pilots such as her friend Amelia Earhart, she opened up speed races, including the McRobertson Air Race and the Bendix Air Race, to women, eventually winning the Bendix. By 1938, she was considered the best female pilot in America, setting transcontinental speed records and altitude records. She was also the first woman to break the sound barrier, just six years after her good friend Chuck Yeager. Cochran was born to an impoverished family in Florida. But she was able to work herself up from a job as a hairdresser to that of owning a prestigious cosmetics company and was considered to be one of the outstanding business women in America, with AP naming her Business Woman of the Year in 1953 and 1954. It was while she was establishing her cosmetics company that she went up in a plane with a friend and was smitten with flying. She took lessons and quickly earned her pilot’s license. Calling her line of cosmetics Wings to Beauty, she flew her own aircraft around the country promoting her products.

One of her most important contributions was to the field of aviation with her work during World War II. In 1939, she wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt and proposed a women’s flying division of the Army Air Forces. This led to the creation of the WASP – Women Airforce Service Pilots – an agency for which Cochran would serve as Director throughout the war; 1,100 women eventually served in the WASP and Cochran supervised their training. The WASP program ferried newly built planes to the war front, tested

new planes, and assisted with air gunner training. This program blazed a trail for women to serve equally in the U.S. Air Force.

Cochran remained active after the war. As a magazine reporter, she witnessed the Japanese surrender in the Philippines and attended the Nuremburg trials in Germany. In 1948, she joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a Lt. Colonel and was eventually promoted to Colonel. She earned three awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross while serving in the Air Force.

In the 1960s, Cochran was the sponsor of the Women in Space Program, popularly known as Mercury 13. This was an effort of NASA to assess the ability of women to be astronauts. This program has been in the news again recently when one of its participants, Wally Funk, flew into outer space with Jeff Bezos, making her the oldest astronaut to go into outer space.

Jackie Cochran was a wealthy woman. Throughout her life, she continually supported charitable causes and political campaigns. She remains one of the most important women in American aviation history, earning numerous awards and honors. She holds a significant number of records in the aviation world. Perhaps the title of the stage play written by Karen Sunde about Jackie Cochran sums up her memory – The Fastest Woman Alive.

DAYTIME PROGRAMS

Teen and Adult Workshop: Fly Girls: Women Pilots of WWII

Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at 2:30 p.m.

Ashland Public Library

About 1,100 young women flew military aircraft during World War II as part of a program called Women Airforce Service Pilots –WASP. These women, all civilian volunteers, flew almost every type of military aircraft as part of the WASP program. They ferried new planes long distances from factories to military bases and departure points across the country. They tested newly overhauled planes and towed targets to give ground and air gunners training shooting – with live ammunition. This workshop will explore some of the stories of these remarkable women.

Adult Workshop: Women of NASA

Friday, July 14, 2023 at 1 p.m.

Mill Run Place

Since the 1950’s, America has been sending astronauts to space. As a nation, we watch space orbits and moon landings with fascination. Although the early astronauts were men, over the years many women have been a part of the space program. They served as engineers, technicians and specialists in many fields. But in 1983, Sally Ride became the first woman astronaut. Since then, many women have been on space missions. This workshop will explore the contributions of all women to the NASA program.

ABOUT KAREN VURANCH

Karen Vuranch is a storyteller, actress, historian and writer from West Virginia. Karen also recreates historical figures, many of whom she has presented at earlier Ashland Chautauqua events, such as Pearl Buck, Clara Barton, Julia Child, Louella Parsons, and Edith Wharton. Karen is also a traditional storyteller. She has presented workshops on the techniques of storytelling and how to collect oral history. Although retired from Concord University, where she directed the Theatre Department, she still teaches as an adjunct professor. She graduated from Ashland University in Theatre and Sociology and has a master’s degree in Humanities from Marshall University.

OPENING ACT: STEVE BROWN JAZZ TRIO

The Steve Brown Jazz Trio consists of Steve Brown on piano, Paul Martin on bass and Steve Berry on drums. The group plays together only occasionally, but the three musicians have had lots of experience performing together and with other groups. stevebrownsmusic.com

COCHRAN BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ackmann, Martha. The Mercury Thirteen: The True story of Thirteen Women and Their Dream of Space. New York: Random House, 2004.  Cochran, Jackie and Marilyn Bucknum Brinley. Jackie Cochran: An Autobiography. New York: Bantam, 1987.

Cochran, Jackie and Chuck Yeager. The Stars at Noon. New York: Little Brown, 1954.

Dailey, R.J. Goodbye Glamour Girls: The True Story of American Women Pilots in WWII. Self-published, 2004, revised 2017.

Granger, Byrd Howell. On Final Approach: The Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII. Scottsdale, AZ: Falconer Publishing, 1991

Rich, Doris. Jackie Cochran: Pilot in the Fastest Lane. Gainesville: Florida University Press, 2010.

Landdeck, Katherine Sharp. The Women With Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII. New York: Crown, 2020.

Smith-Daughtery, Rhonda. Jackie Cochran: Biography of a Pioneer Aviator. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2012

Teitel, Amy Shira. Fighting for Space: Two Pilots and Their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflght. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2020.

DVD: Jackie Cochran: First Lady of Flight. Directed by Dr. Elliott Haimhoff. Starring Suzy Amis-Cameron and Chuck Yeager, 2014.

Aviator Heroes: A Wing and a Race, 2010.

PauliMurray faced challenges repeatedly – her entire life. She did not go looking for them. They found her. And when they found her, she took them head-on. Equipped with intelligence, a gift for words, and a fierce determination to make things right, Pauli sat down at her typewriter and confronted the status quo.

Murray was raised in the Jim Crow South, in the town of Durham, NC. The African-American population of Durham was growing in numbers, and in terms of social and economic prosperity. Yet African-Americans remained second-class citizens, limited by the racism of Jim Crow. Murray’s goal was to get away and never come back.

When Murray finished high school, she applied to Hunter College in New York City. Murray had to do another year of high school before she could

Pauli Murray

MURRAY TIMELINE

1910 Born in Baltimore to Agnes Fitzgerald and William Murray.

1914 Moved to Durham, NC after mother died. Lived with grandparents and aunt.

1926 Graduated high school first in class.

1933 Graduated from Hunter College. Worked for the WPA, Workers Defense League and the NYC Remedial Reading Project.

1938 Graduate school application rejected due to race.

1940 Arrested and jailed for protesting Virginia law requiring segregation on buses.

1941 Entered Howard Law School, encountered overt sex discrimination from faculty and students.

1944 Graduated from Howard first in class and only female. Rejected by Harvard Law School due to gender. Enrolled at University of California’s Law School.

1951 Wrote “States’ Laws on Race and Color.”

1961 Appointed to the President’s Commission on the Status of Women Committee (PCSW) on Civil and Political Rights.

1964 Co-authored “Jane Crow and the Law: Sex Discrimination and Title VII.”

1965 First African-American to receive a J.S.D. from Yale.

1966 Founding member, along with Betty Friedan and others, of the National Organization for Women (NOW).

1977 First African-American female priest ordained by the Episcopal Church.

1985 Died of pancreatic cancer in Pittsburgh, PA.

Confronting Barriers All Her Life

by Becky Stone

get in. The Jim Crow high school in Durham only educated its students through the 11th grade course of study.

Murray got a degree from Hunter in Creative Writing, but she used the power of words to creatively fight for change. Her poetry was a pointed critique of the racism in the United States. However, she used her skill to craft letters of protest. Murray believed that one typewriter and one person are a movement. Murray kept copies of all of her letters and the correspondence she received. She wisely sent a copy of the letter she wrote to President Roosevelt to the First Lady. She never got a response from the President, but Eleanor Roosevelt was kind enough to reply. Murray did not agree with everything the First Lady said, so Murray wrote back. This correspondence led to a lifelong friendship.

Murray attacked the University of North Carolina with a battering ram of letters when they rejected her application to graduate school because of her race in 1938. This battle, she did not win. However, she loosened the lock. In 1951, a black student was accepted at the law school. In 1955, black students were admitted for undergraduate study.

Murray was ahead of her time and never shy about being early. In 1940, she was arrested for refusing to move to the colored seats on a segregated bus when it crossed from Washington, D.C. into Virginia – a good 14 years before that kind of action drew national attention in the Civil Rights movement.

In that same vein, in 1943 while a student at Howard Law, Murray organized and led student sit-ins that led to the desegregation of two restaurants. Murray was not the first woman to study law at Howard Law

School, but she may well have been the first to raise a ruckus about the sexism she encountered there. She went to law school expressly to destroy Jim Crow, yet her colleagues and professors were blind to their own bias against women, which Murray called “Jane Crow”.

Murray won the Rosenwald Fellowship upon graduating from Howard Law. It went to the graduate with the highest grade average and was customarily used for graduate study at Harvard. Pauli Murray went right ahead and applied. She was rejected because women were not accepted at Harvard Law. Murray waged another battle through correspondence. And again, Murray lost. But in 1950, six years later, Harvard Law admitted women.

Murray had very public battles with both Jim and Jane Crow. Her legal thinking on segregation produced the seminal idea used in the arguments that won Brown v. Board of Education in the Supreme Court. She applied that same thinking to arguments for women’s rights. Murray served on President Kennedy’s Commission on the Status of Women and was a founding member of the National Organization for Women. Later in life, Murray confronted the sexism in her church, the Episcopal denomination. She approached it as she did everything in life – with careful research, creative thinking, and carefully crafted arguments. Murray was the only African-American in the first class of women to be ordained in the Episcopal church. Her thinking changed with her theological studies. She no longer thought in terms of Negroes’ rights, or women’s rights, or labor rights. Her all-consuming desire was the guarantee of human rights, and she believed that it could be accomplished through spiritual growth.

Pauli Murray was often “the first” or “the only.” She stated repeatedly that she did not take on these battles to bring glory to herself. Her goal was to bring down barriers and make the way easier for those who followed. She would be proud to see how others have taken the fight forward.

DAYTIME PROGRAMS

Adult Program: Jim Crow: Its History, Our Heritage

Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 2:30 p.m.

Ashland Public Library

Explore what historians consider the beginning of “Jim Crow”, race laws to restrict or deny citizenship rights to newly emancipated enslaved citizens. We will take a look at how these laws work and how Americans of all colors were affected. Program to include a few writing exercises that will allow us to think about what the experience of living under Jim Crow might have been like and how the legacy of slavery influences our lives today.

Teen and Adult Program: States Laws on Race & Color - Ohio

Saturday, July 15, 2023, at 2 p.m.

Ashland University (Ronk Lecture Hall, College of Education)

In this workshop participants will look at this index which was called “the bible” for civil rights attorneys prior to the 1954 Supreme Court Decision on Brown v Board of Education Topeka KS. It was compiled over 2 years by Pauli Murray for the Women’s Division of the United Methodist Church. They will also discover what laws, positive and negative, were on the books in Ohio and discuss their reaction to them.

ABOUT BECKY STONE

Becky Stone was born and raised in Philadelphia. She currently lives near Asheville in Western North Carolina. She earned her undergraduate degree at Vassar College in Drama with a minor in French. Her M.A. is in Elementary Educational Counseling from Villanova University. She worked for seven years for the Philadelphia School System as a counselor and taught theater for 10 years at a classical Christian school in Fletcher, NC. Becky has been a Chautauqua scholar since 2003 when she first researched and presented Pauli Murray for the Greenville (S.C.) Chautauqua. Her other characters are Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, and Josephine Baker. Becky continues to act in theater. More often she is on stage as a storyteller at festivals, libraries, and schools.

OPENING ACT: ROGER & ROBIN

The group is led by a very talented and well-known area singer, songwriter, and musician, Roger Semer. He is joined by his singing partner, Robin Holthouse. The duo has been singing together since 2014. The band features a beautiful mix of two-part harmonies, accompanied by intricate acoustic guitar. They offer an eclectic assortment of classic rock, folk and country, featuring hits from the 50’s through today. facebook.com/ robin.n.roger.56

MURRAY BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bell-Scott, Patricia. The Firebrand and the First Lady: Portrait of a Friendship: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice. New York: Alfred Knopf, 2016.

Murray, Pauli. Pauli Murray: The Autobiography of a Black Activist, Feminist, Lawyer, Priest, and Poet. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1989. (Originally published: Song in a Weary Throat. New York: Harper & Row, 1987)

Murray, Pauli. Dark Testament and other poems. Norwalk, CT: Silvermine Publishers, 1970.

Murray, Pauli. Proud Shoes: The Story of An American Family. New York: Harper & Row, 1956.

Rosenberg, Rosalind. Jane Crow: The Life of Pauli Murray. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2017.

Saxby, Troy. Pauli Murray: A Personal and Political Life. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2020.

Calledthe “Robin Hood of the Seas” by his allies and “Black Sam” by his enemies, Samuel Bellamy fought for liberty, equality, and fraternity sixty years before the American and French revolutions. As the fiercely antislavery captain and commodore of the Republic of Pirates, he recruited a diverse crew of all races, classes, and creeds.

Sam’s rebellion against injustice began in his teens, when aristocrats forced the Bellamys and their neighbors off centuries-old farmsteads when they seized their common lands. Relocating to Portsmouth, the family struggled, leading Sam to join the privateer crew of Captain Forster at the start of the War of Spanish Succession, a decade-long, mostly maritime dispute, with Catholic Spain and France fighting Protestant Britain and Denmark over who would be king of Spain.

The terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht outlawed “privateers” (legal pirates commissioned under a “Letter of Marque”), leaving many with

Samuel Bellamy

A Pirate Captain with Ideals

By Joey Madia

BELLAMY TIMELINE

1689 Born in Devonshire, England.

1702 Land seized. Family forced to Portsmouth.

1703 Became a privateer, War of Spanish Succession.

1713 Treaty of Utrecht outlawed privateers. Lover’s father blocked marriage. Joined Jacobite cause.

1715 Arrived in the Bahamas. Joined the pirate community. Boarded and procured materials and treasure from ships without violence.

Winter Met Edward Thache (Blackbeard), helped craft his look. 1716

Spring Became captain of the Marianne. Fiercely anti-slavery, 1716 recruited crew of all races, classes, creeds. Aligned with Olivier Levasseur.

1716 Had crew of 200. Captured 50 ships. Gave “Princes of the World” speech. Nicknamed Robin Hood of the Seas.

January Became Commodore of the Republic of Pirates. 1717

March Captured slaver ship Whydah carrying 28 guns and laden 1717 with treasure.

April Drowned with more than 160 others in nor’easter off 1717 Massachusetts.

no option but poverty or piracy. When Captain Forster retired, 24-yearold Sam—the sea now in his blood—remained on Cape Cod looking for work. A few months later, he fell in love with Goody Hallett, seven years his junior. When Goody’s father refused permission for marriage, Sam declared he would become a wealthy, celebrated man and joined Scottish silversmith Paulsgrave Williams in the Jacobite cause (“Jacobite” derives from Jacobus, the Latin name for James Stuart, rightful king of Britain and Ireland).

In autumn 1715, they arrived in the Bahamas, joining a group of exprivateers under Benjamin Hornigold, building a fledgling Republic of Pirates based on ten egalitarian Articles. To finance their ambitious vision, they plundered the wrecks of the twelve treasure ships of the Spanish Plate Fleet, which a hurricane had sunk off the coast of Florida that July.

With making his fortune and reputation and returning to Cape Cod to marry Goody always his foremost intention, Sam and his crew used psychological warfare to avoid violence, approaching ships in the dark with wild hair; painted, near-naked bodies; and swords and torches held high. Given the choice between relinquishing half of everything or fighting these savage-looking pirates, merchant captains almost always capitulated. Within a year, Bellamy’s tactics earned him the captaincy of an eight-gun sloop. He then taught Edward Thache the art of psychological warfare, suggesting he grow his beard long, braid it, add ribbons, and carry six pistols. Soon after, Thache adopted his nom de guerre—Blackbeard.

In May 1716, Bellamy allied with Olivier Levasseur, called “The Buzzard” or “The Mouth,” because of the speed of his attacks and tendency to brag. For seven months, with hundreds under their command, they terrorized the West Indies and Caribbean, capturing fifty vessels. When the

formidable Captain Francis Hume’s 32-gun HMS Scarborough, while in pursuit of these wanted outlaws, destroyed John Martel’s six-ship flotilla, Sam aided Martel’s crew of 130, although it jeopardized his future. After becoming commodore of the Republic of Pirates—replacing Hornigold, who refused to plunder English ships—Sam parted ways with Levasseur, turning his attention to capturing a prize worthy of a triumphant return to Goody. In February 1717, he chased for three days the slaver Whydah Galley. A three-master with massive holds and 28 guns, she was fast and stout. Her 72-year-old captain, Laurence Prince, offered no resistance when Sam ran her down. Searching the holds, Bellamy found indigo, ivory, sugar, gold, silver, and silks—spoils of the sale of 500 slaves in Jamaica. Today, Whydah’s treasure is worth $400 million. Before releasing Prince, Bellamy told him: “Ye vilify us, ye scoundrels do, when the difference is only this: Ye rob the poor under cover of your laws while we rob the rich under cover of our courage. My men and I are princes of the world with as much right to make war upon a world that would deny us our natural rights as any king with 200,000 men in the field and 200 ships upon the sea!”

After a successful March and April, Bellamy sailed for the Cape, although a reunion with Goody was not to be. On April 26, 1717, within sight of Massachusetts, the Whydah and two consorts met a nor’easter off the coast. Despite heroic efforts, twenty-five-foot seas and vicious winds tore the ships to pieces, taking the lives of Bellamy and more than 160 others. The Boston authorities hung nine survivors, sparking Blackbeard’s outrage and ushering in the decline of the Golden Age of Piracy, Republic of Pirates, and the death of Sam’s revolutionary ideals

DAYTIME PROGRAMS

Adult Program: The Golden Age of Piracy: Fact, Fiction, and Fantasy

Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at 1 p.m.

Ashland County Council on Aging

The pirate is one of the most popular archetypes in history. From novels to musicals, from film to television (and even amusement park rides!), the tales of the Brethren of the Sea have been oft told and remain beloved among children and adults. The problem is, almost everything you know is wrong. From walking the plank to blowing holes in ships while loaded up on rum, history and Hollywood have gotten it wrong. This engaging presentation, based on seven years of research and performance, proves the old adage that Truth is stranger than Fiction—and much more interesting!

Youth Program: Join a Pirate Crew!

Friday, July 14, 2023 at 2:30 p.m.

Ashland Public Library

In this interactive workshop, Captain Samuel Bellamy will take the participants through all the steps of becoming a member of a pirate crew. Participants will design their own flag, come up with their pirate nickname, learn about and sign the Articles, take an oath of loyalty to one another and King James Stuart, be assigned on-ship duties, learn and practice how we peacefully board ships and negotiate with merchant captains, and learn to talk like a pirate.

ABOUT JOEY MADIA

Joey Madia is a writer, actor, director, Escape Room designer, story analyst, podcaster, educator, and historical education specialist. His Chautauqua portrayals include Allen Ginsberg, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, “Black” Samuel Bellamy, Mariano Vallejo, Edgar Allan Poe, and Captain Louis Emilio. He is Lead Story Designer for American Lore Theater. He has written four novels on the Golden Age of Piracy, “The Cannon and the Quill” series. He is the writer of several award-winning screenplays and stage plays, plus books on using theater in the classroom and on his field investigations. He also works with publicists, agents, and producers in Hollywood and for production companies around the country as a story analyst, script doctor, and freelance writer.

OPENING ACT: THE BRIDGE LIVE!

Mary Spayd and Glenn Armstrong have performed together for over 20 years in tribute bands and as a duo since 2009. Their concerts feature Mary’s amazing vocal talents and Glenn’s masterfully expressive bass guitar and music production. They incorporate their many years of experience to present a high-quality and energetic live music performance, where the biggest music of yesterday remains alive today! thebridgelivemusic.com

BELLAMY BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brooks, Baylus C. Quest for Blackbeard: The True Story of Edward Thache and His World. [Ebook] Lulu Publishing, 2016.

Clifford, Barry, with Paul Perry. Expedition Whydah: The Story of the World’s First Excavation of a Pirate Ship and the Man Who Found Her. New York: Cliff Street Books, 1999.

Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life among the Pirates. New York: Random House, 1996.

Dolin, Eric Jay. Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America’s Most Notorious Pirates. New York: Liveright Publishing, 2018.

Duffus, Kevin. The Last Days of Blackbeard the Pirate (Fourth ed.). Milwaukee, WI: Looking Glass Productions, 2014.

Nelson, Laura. The Whydah Pirates Speak: A Collection of Non-Fiction Pirate Articles. Postillion LLC, 2015–2016.

Rediker, Marcus. Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates of the Golden Age. New York: Beacon, 2004.

Woodard, Colin. The Republic of Pirates. Boston: Mariner Books, 2015.

Actionheroes sometimes create secret identities. This was true of Houdini. Ehrich Weiss (Harry Houdini) was born in Budapest, Hungary, son of a rabbi, but he re-invented his identity creating the fiction that he was actually born in Appleton, Wisconsin, and that he was just another kid from the American Midwest. Not until decades after his untimely death did his biographers discover the true nature of his roots.

During Houdini’s early childhood in Appleton, he became fascinated with circus performers. He set up a trapeze from which he swung and mastered the trick of picking up pins upside down with his eyelids. He then mastered magic, becoming “Houdini, the King of Kards.” With his brother Theo and later with his young wife, Bess, he toured America in sideshows, circuses, and small theaters eking out a modest living. Finally his heroic effort paid off with his invitation to tour a larger theater circuit. Houdini was encouraged to focus on the kind of trick that was the centerpiece of his act - the trunk escape. He expanded his escape act to include handcuff, rope, and chain escapes. He challenged his audiences

Harry Houdini

A Life of Magic, Deception, Mystery and Action

by Larry Bounds

HOUDINI TIMELINE

1874 Born as Ehrich Weiss in Budapest, Hungary

1878 Family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin

1888 Adopted the name Houdini

1894 Married Bess and toured magic act in tent shows

1900 Gained fame with escape act across Europe

1906 Staged prison break for publicity in Washington, D.C.

1910 First successful aviator to fly above Australia

1918 Began movie career

1924 Exposed fake mediums for Scientific American

1926 Died in Detroit, Michigan, on tour

to bring their own cuffs, ropes, and locks, and he offered a prize to anyone who could restrain him in a way that prevented his escape. No one ever succeeded in holding “The Great Houdini” the “King of Handcuffs.”

Numerous tours of Europe made Houdini an international celebrity. He escaped from a prison cell at Scotland Yard after being stripped naked and medically examined. He proved he was not guilty of false advertising of his amazing skills in a German court by escaping from within the judge’s own locked safe. He became the world’s most celebrated magical entertainer. While touring France in 1909, Houdini saw the flight of a pioneering aircraft. Fascinated, he became a pilot and even bought a custom-made aircraft of his own. He emblazoned the wings with his name and became the first successful pilot to fly above Australia, a feat which he recorded for history on film.

Only recently, evidence has emerged suggesting that part of Houdini’s rise to international stardom was secretly supported by American and British spy masters. Houdini, a native German speaker and skilled aviator, had carte blanc access to German military posts and airfields in the days leading up to the First World War. The evidence is intriguing, but Houdini never admitted to being a secret agent. Of course, a successful spy never would.

After World War I, Houdini tackled the movie business. In 1918, he became an action, adventure film star in a 15-episode serial The Master Mystery. Each episode ended with Houdini in an impossibly dangerous dilemma, and each episode began featuring his perilous escape. From 1919 to 1923

he starred in four feature films. One of his films even included the first humanoid, killer robot ever presented in the movies. Houdini’s movie star recognition can still be seen, memorialized on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. By the way, in the early 1920s, Houdini’s most enthusiastic fan mail came from his many adoring admirers in Japan!

Following the loss of millions of lives in WWI and the pandemic of 1918-1919, there arose a passionate interest in Spiritualism. Particularly attractive was the promise of possibly contacting the suddenly departed. To meet this demand, charlatans began numerous scams to separate the grieving from their money.

Houdini, whose mother’s death had always haunted him, sought out people who promised contact with the spirits. But as a master magician, he immediately saw through their deceptions. Outraged, as time after time he saw the bereaved deceived, Houdini began a campaign of exposing the frauds. He testified before Congress and he wrote the books Miracle Mongers and Their Methods (1920) and A Magician Among the Spirits (1924). But most of all, in a series of incredible disguises he attended seances in every city his show toured and then exposed the names and details of the scammers from the stage each night.

Houdini received countless death threats from the con men and women who marketed deceptions as divinity. But Houdini continued his crusade against their dishonesty until his death on Halloween in 1926.

Houdini had promised his wife that if there was a way to return to the land of the living he would, but he never did - though now, nearly a hundred years after his death, Houdini’s name lives on as that of the world’s greatest magician.

DAYTIME PROGRAMS

Adult Program: Houdini’s Scrapbook: A Life of Illusion

Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at 10 a.m.

Loudonville Public Library/Golden Center

Larry Bounds presents a PowerPoint-guided tour of the life of Houdini focused on his greatest challenges and how he overcame them. With images of Houdini’s childhood family, Larry shares the story of the family’s difficult immigrant struggles in America. We view his rise from a boardwalk sideshow to become the greatest headliner in top-tier theaters around the world. The presentation describes his life-risking publicity stunts as well as his successes as a pioneering aviator, film star, and activist who exposed charlatans and scammers.

Youth Program: The Magical World of Harry Houdini

Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 2:30 p.m.

Salvation Army Kroc Center

Larry Bounds has been performing magic shows professionally since he was hired to do so by the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Corporation for their museums in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in 1973. This is his fiftieth year of presenting fun-filled magic shows with lots of audience participation for groups young and old. In conjunction with his Harry Houdini presentation, he combines the tricks with stories of the famed magician. Houdini was best known for his dangerous escapes, but he loved entertaining children and frequently visited hospitals to entertain the kids.

ABOUT LARRY BOUNDS

Larry Bounds has performed on the Chautauqua stage since 2002. He has portrayed Einstein, Churchill, Disney, and Cronkite, among others, but recreating Houdini holds a special place in his heart. Since 1973 Larry has worked as a professional magician, including 8 years appearing with Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in Gatlinburg and Myrtle Beach and 3 years as a theme park magician in Kentucky. Over the years he has presented thousands of public, private, and corporate magic shows.

Larry is also a well-respected, South Carolina teacher with a Master’s degree in education from The University of Tennessee, a National Board Certification, and 35 years of classroom teaching experience. He has recently retired from teaching but serves on several community boards and is an active member of Piedmont Area Mensa.

OPENING ACT: AUSTIN WALKIN’ CANE

Austin Walkin’ Cane is a blues singer, songwriter, and slide guitar impresario who performs both acoustic and electric guitar mediums. He has toured internationally and crossed the USA, most notably from New Orleans to Juneau, Alaska with only a guitar and suitcase in hand. His voice and original compositions recall Delta Blues, Chicago Blues, and Bourbon Street Jazz. walkincane.com

HOUDINI BIBLIOGRAPHY

Christopher, Milbourne. Houdini The Untold Story. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1969.

Christopher, Milbourne. Houdini A Pictorial Life. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1976.

Cox, John. Wild about Harry. (Website) 2002-2021. https://www. wildabouthoudini.com/

Houdini, Harry. Miracle Mongers and their Methods. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1921.

Houdini, Harry. A Magician Among the Spirits. New York: Harpers & Brothers, 1924.

Kalush, William and Larry Sloman. The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Super Hero. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006.

The Master Mystery. (Film) Directed by Burton King. B.A.Rolfe Productions, Octagon Films, 1918.

Rapaport, Brooke Kamin. Houdini Art and Magic. New York: The Jewish Museum, 2010.

Silverman, Kenneth. Houdini!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss. New York: Perennial, 1997.

CHARACTER SPONSOR

($1,200)

Bob & Jan Archer

HERO ($150+)

John & Lori Byron

Starr & Jim Dobush

Betty & Al Garrett

Harshman Family Charitable Fund

Rob Hovis

Mike & Seiko Hupfer

Al King

Peace Lutheran Endowment

Tom & Barb Slabaugh

Dorothy Stratton

Ralph & Betty Jo Tomassi

John & Doris Wanamaker

Susan Whitted

STAR ($100-$149)

Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce

Ashland Noon Lions

Teresa Durbin-Ames & Larry Ames

David & Debora Gray

Mike & Judy White

FIGURE ($50-$99)

Allan & Mary-Rose Anderson

Henley Graphics

John & Penny Miller

IN-KIND

Ashland Board of Realtors

Ashland County Park District

Ashland Main Street

Ashland Public Library

Ashland University

Tommy & Laurie Beech

Explore Ashland

Farmers State Bank

Hampton Inn & Suites

Kingston of Ashland

Mike Ruhe

WebDev Works, LLC

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO GIVE

Donations are greatly appreciated to sustain Ashland Chautauqua from year to year. Please give what you can through audience donation, by going to our website (www.ashlandchautauqua.org), or by sending contributions to:

Ashland Chautauqua, P.O. Box 611, Ashland, Ohio 44805

ASHLAND CHAUTAUQUA 2023 COMMITTEE

Deleasa Randall-Griffiths

Ashland University

Laurie Beech

McCready Interiors

Lori Byron

Ashland University

Amy Daubenspeck

Ashland Chamber of Commerce/Explore Ashland

Starr Dobush

OCALI Lifespan Transition Center

Barb Slabaugh

Wayne County Community Foundation

Dorothy Stratton

Ashland University (Professor Emerita)

Former Member: Judith Webster

Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell

FOUNDING MEMBER: Tricia Smith Calver

Ohio Northern University

SEAT CUSHIONS FOR SALE!

INTERESTED

CHAUTAUQUA ENDOWMENT

ASHLAND CHAUTAUQUA ENDOWMENT AT THE ACCF

In 2020, Ashland Chautauqua was selected to participate in the Ashland County Community Foundation (ACCF) Silver Anniversary Agency Endowment Challenge. The planning committee raised $5,000, which was matched by ACCF to create a $10,000 endowment fund. Ashland Chautauqua can build greater financial sustainability through this endowment fund and by being an Agency Partner of ACCF.

The endowment provides Ashland Chautauqua with an additional source of funding for special projects and/or to expand features of the popular regular summer programming. However, it does not replace the annual donations to Ashland Chautauqua, which sustain the live evening performances and the workshops every summer. Contributions by donors and pass-the-hat gifts during the events will continue to be vital funding sources to provide Ashland Chautauqua’s annual budget income.

Continuing to grow the endowment helps to provide additional funding each year for expansion, stability, and special projects. Please consider a gift to increase the endowment fund by donating online at www.ashlandforgood.org or mailing a check with “Ashland Chautauqua Agency Fund” in the memo line to: Ashland County Community Foundation, 300 College Ave., Ashland, Ohio 44805. Thank you!

THE NIGHTER PASSPORT 5

Attend all five evening performances of the 2023 Ashland Chautauqua for your chance to win! Pick up your 5-Nighter Passport card on Tuesday and ensure it is stamped each night by an Ashland Chautauqua Committee member. Following the final performance on Saturday night, one completed passport will be drawn as our grand prize winner!

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING

Let us know if you would like to help with Ashland Chautauqua. Contact us at 419-281-4584 or info@ashlandchautauqua.org

COFFEE WITH THE SCHOLARS AT ASHLAND BOARD OF REALTORS

Join the scholars and committee members for an informal discussion of Chautauqua behind the scenes. Ask a question, listen to stories, and enjoy the conversation. The discussion each morning takes its own direction. Be part of this lively gathering held in the Community Room at the Ashland Board of Realtors (107 E Main Street) Thursday, Friday, and/or Saturday from 8:30-9:30 a.m.

Ashland Chautauqua is partnering with the Ashland County Historical Society’s “Speaker Series” on Thursday, April 25, 2024. There will be additional events Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27.

More details to come later in 2023. Check our website or Facebook page.

Mark your calendar!

Karen Vuranch as Julia

Cooking teacher, author & TV personality

Hasan Davis as Joe Lewis Boxing champion

Ilene Evans as Ethel Waters Blues singer & actress

Jeremy Meier as John Dillinger Bank robber & gangster

Elsa Wolff as Amelia Earhart Aviation pioneer