21st century Chautauquas

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The Chautauqua movement flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, then declined. However, some Independent Chautauquas still operate today, and these are the 21st century Chautauquas. They are divided into two categories, Continuously Operating Chautauquas and Revival Chautauquas.

[edit] Continuously Operating Chautauquas

All references agree that at least these three Chautauquas have continued operations, without missing a year, from the heyday of the Chautauqua Movement (1920s or earlier) into the 21st Century:

• Chautauqua Institution (the original Chautauqua in New York State).
• Lakeside Chautauqua in Lakeside, Ohio
• The Colorado Chautauqua in Boulder, Colorado

In addition, as of January 2007 several other entities self-report that their activities constitute Continuously Operating Chautauquas:

• Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts
• Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association in Ocean Grove, New Jersey
• Bay View Camp Meeting Association in Bay View, Michigan
• Fountain Park Chautauqua in Remington, Indiana
• Monteagle Sunday School Assembly in Monteagle, Tennessee
• various other Sunday School Assemblies

[edit] Revival Chautauquas

Some other organizations have honored the Chautauqua tradition by starting (or restarting) similar operations in the late 20th century and early 21st century. Examples include the following:

• Chautauqua-by-the-Sea at Ocean Park, Old Orchard Beach, Maine
• Pennsylvania Chautauqua at Mount Gretna in Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania
• The annual Chautauqua Festival held in Wytheville, Virginia since 1985
• Chautauqua Andrews Valley Experience in Andrews, North Carolina
• The Florida Chautauqua Assembly held in DeFuniak Springs, Florida since 1996
• The New Piasa Chautauqua in Chautauqua, Illinois
• The Waxahachie Chautauqua held in Waxahachie, Texas since 2000

[edit] References

• The Chautauqua Network of the Chautauqua Institution
• Galey, Mary (1981): The Grand Assembly: The Story of Life at the Colorado Chautauqua. Boulder, Colorado: First Flatiron Press, ISBN 0-9606706-0-2.
• Pettem, Silvia (1998): Chautauqua Centennial, a Hundred Years of Programs. Longmont, Colorado: The Book Lode, ISBN 1-891274-00-7.