Community Chautauqua Program [July 22-26, 1920]
Descriptive Object
Identifier:
OBJ.O.1989.168Description
The Chataqua Movement, an adult education and cultural event series that flourished from the 1870s to the mid 1920s, was started in 1874 as the Chataqua Lake Sunday School Assembly, a training program for Sunday school teachers. This became the Chataqua Institution, which remains in operation and which inspired numerous independently-run rural "chataquas" throughout the continental U.S. and southeastern Canada. The movement was a successor to the lyceum movement of the early 19th century.This item is the "Program de Luxe" by Community Chataqua, Inc. for their events hosted in Old Town, Maine on July 22-26, 1920. It is a large fold-out pamphlet on heavy paper stock, with promotional photographs and descriptions of featured lectures and acts including a large spread for the play "Polly of the Circus" in the interior and on the front cover. The back of the pamphlet provides the full schedule broken down by time and day, as well as ticket information, a mission statement on the nature of service by the president of Community Chataquas, Inc. (Loring J. Whiteside), a poem for children and daily schedule of children's programming.
Adult programming for this chataqua blended educational lectures (e.g. "The Future of Devastated France," by Percy Allen; "Americanism, the Goal of History," by Dr. E. E. Violette; and "Keeping in Trim," by Louise L. McIntyre) with various musical and theatrical entertainment, like the play "Polly of the Circus." Children's programming featured games for different age groups (under 10 years of age and over 10 years of age), daily story hour at 4 p.m., and rehearsals for a pageant to be performed on the last day.