Chautauqua! Chautauqua! - Glimpses of the Past with Karen Webster

While those words from an old song may not have any meaning, other than having lots of vowels, for the 21st Century reader, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they meant excitement, culture, music and education. The Chautauqua shows were travelling entertainment ensembles that brought talented actors, musicians, showmen, preachers and lecturers to small town venues.
The roots of this institution were in rural New York State where two Methodists founded an ecumenical summer school for Sunday school teachers in 1874 at a campsite on the shores of Lake Chautauqua. It was there that people could hear lectures and musical programs, take part in nondenominational Bible studies and enjoy the outdoor atmosphere.

 

The concept of entertainment and education in these summer camps was copied in 1904 by an entrepreneur who felt that troupes of talented performers and distinguished lecturers could travel all over the country and perform in tents. A Canadian Chautauqua company, formed in 1918, crisscrossed the four western provinces. By 1930, this company moved into eastern Canada.

 

When a Chautauqua event was planned for a town, an advance staff member called a Chautauqua Girl would come and set up contacts and advance publicity for the event. As well, she would take care of arranging accommodations for performers, setting up the hall (in post-tent era), pushing advance sales of tickets and as well introducing the acts during the performances. 

 

Some towns featured a children’s ticket hunt. This involved tickets being hidden in plain sight in areas such as store windows. At a designated time, the children could start to search for the tickets and those successful would gain their admission to the shows. In contrast to today’s astronomical concert ticket prices, a series ticket for all performances used to cost $2 for adult admission. In Wingham in 1932, the Chautauqua girl, Miss Murphy, conducted games for children in the park and concluded the time with a peanut scramble.

 

Since this was way before the advent of entertainment sources like movie houses and television stations, the arrival of this travelling entertainment was greatly anticipated. Backers would sign a contract to host the event that would span three to five days. In return for a guaranteed amount, the Chautauqua organization would bring their show to town. In some cases, shows would feature certain acts on the first day and then those performers would move on to the next location for that first night. Subsequently, each day’s entertainers would perform in one location and then follow along to the next stop.

 

By looking at past newspaper reports, we can see the breadth and depth of the entertainment. In 1918, a Chautauqua troupe came to Wingham for performances by such acts as the Welsh Glee Choir, a lecture on the “camouflage of Kaiserism”, a patriotic concert by the Royal Dragoons and a Shakespearean play, The Comedy of Errors, among many other attractions. 

 

After this Chautauqua run, a financial account of the event was published the local newspaper. Total receipts were $1,416.77. The Dominion Chautauqua Company received $1,200, miscellaneous expenses such as advertising and food booths totalled $195.12 which left a profit of $21.65. The concerts were not as big a moneymaker as the backers (mostly local business people) had hoped, but that did not discourage Wingham and other local towns from hosting the shows. 

 

The Chautauqua events did bring in crowds and some of those folks were likely to do some shopping while in the area. In Blyth, Ezra Bender advertised “Chautauqua specials” such as men’s overalls for $1.25, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies at two boxes for 25 cents and a pair of Ibex flannelette sheets for $2.19

 

The name Chautauqua did not exclusively refer to the multi-day and -evening itinerant entertainment groups. In 1891, a Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle was organized in Brussels, in which an executive was elected and 15 people signed up to belong to the group. Apparently this would have been a chance for some Brussels folks to partake in educational and cultural pursuits.

 

The last Chautauqua in Clinton was in 1926 and by 1934, years of the Great Depression, as well as the advent of other modes of entertainment, had spelled the demise of the travelling shows. Additionally, cars were becoming more prevalent and people were more able to seek entertainment rather than the other way around.

 

From time to time, the concept is revived, such as in Bayfield in 1984 when the village was celebrating Ontario’s Bicentennial. The Tapestry Singers were the featured entertainment, and, as in days of yore, there was a Children’s Chautauqua Camp in which youngsters learned various songs which they later performed for the audience.

 

The Chautauqua Institute of New York State, birthplace of the concept that many travelling shows imitated, is celebrating its sesquicentennial in 2024. Attendees will be able to take part in lectures and workshops, some of which are “Eight Billion and Counting - the future of mankind in a crowded world” and “the AI Revolution”, as well as many faith-related topics.

 

“Chautauqua! Chautauqua!” This song is only an echo of the days of the travelling shows that brought the world to Southern Ontario.