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21st ANNUAL CHAUTAUQUA IN THE PARK 2005
September 10 and 11, 2005 Entertainment Line-Up | Map | Entertainment Stage Schedule | Application Information Photos of the Chautauqua in the Park
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Chautauqua in the Park! Press
Release Monday, September 12, 2005 THOUSANDS ATTEND 21ST ANNUAL CHAUTAUQUA IN THE PARK Despite the warm weekend temperatures, several thousand people attended the 21st annual Chautauqua in the Park held Saturday and Sunday at Simpson Park. Organizers report that 118 vendors participated in the two-day event, selling everything from crafts to candles and pottery to clothing. The Chautauqua in the Park officially opened at 9 a.m. on Saturday and continued throughout the day until 6 p.m. According to Barb Burton, Chillicothe Area Chamber of Commerce executive vice president, the largest crowds attended between 11 until 4 p.m. on Saturday. The event was held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday. "The park was filled with a wide variety of handcrafted items from vendors who came as far away as Wisconsin," said Burton. Vendors from other states, including as Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Nebraska and Arkansas, participated in the festival, sponsored by the Chamber and the Chillicothe Area Arts Council. Shoppers were encouraged to veer off the trail and take a stroll through the traditional arts section of the festival which included displays of several art trades and other features. According to Burton, there were 30 traditional artists in the Traditional Arts Area. "A popular attraction was the 1890s covered wagon," said Burton. "Also, many of the traditional artists spent time teaching visitors the basics of knitting, weaving, spinning, pottery and broom-making." Entertainment for Chautauqua is funded by the Chillicothe Area Arts Council with assistance from local foundations and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. The Chris Talley Trio, which played a variety of traditional, gospel, original bluegrass music and old-time country, was a featured band at the festival. The Thoms, a unique string duo, entertained crowds with early swing, ragtime and blues music. Color of Mercy is a trio who entertained with a selection of contemporary of spiritual songs and the Premium Adjusters showed off their four-part harmonies with a variety of jazz, blues, soul and rock.
Press
Release Tuesday, September 13, 2005 CHAUTAUQUA
IS SITE FOR ONE-OF-A-KIND CREATIONS Lined with vending booths offering everything from handmade quilts and jewelry to home decor and woodworking items, Simpson Park's walking trail was filled with thousands of people over the weekend who converged for the 21st annual Chautauqua in the Park. During the two-day festival, shoppers browsed through Bittersweet and mums in the farmer's market area, sorted through colorful sweatshirts and shawls and peered closely at handcrafted jewelry and stone carvings.
Through her reading, Garman discovered that the craft involved beeswax and dyes and is most popular in a Ukrainian household near Eastertime when duck, goose and ostrich eggs are decorated as gifts for family and friends. After a few months of research and study, she decided to practice the art on chicken eggs. Only after a year of intense practice did Garman decide her work was good enough for craft shows. And nowadays, she carefully packs and unpacks her eggs around 14 times a year as she travels to and from various shows around the Midwest. The weekend marked her first time at the Chautauqua and Garman smiled as she looked down at the sea of green lying at her feet. "This is nice. I especially like the grass with my eggs." With her brightly-colored duck, goose and ostrich eggs scattered around her booth in trays and on stands, Garman revealed that it takes an average of eight to ten hours to decorate a duck or goose egg. An ostrich egg takes about a week and is done one square inch at a time. Each egg is decorated with symbols that mean something. For instance, wheat asks for a bountiful harvest, and animals, mostly deer, signify prosperity. Any form of the cross signifies the Resurrection of Christ, death and suffering. And while her eggs are all different, they have one thing in common. At the bottom of each one is Garman¹s initials, the year it was decorated, identification on whether the egg is a duck or goose egg and a depiction of a spider. "That's the Ukrainian symbol for patience," Garman said, smiling. Across the park, another booth was drawing a huge crowd Saturday. Among those squirming for a peek at the items for sale was six-year-old Ruby Walker, who was being introduced to "Claire," a five-pound baby created by Kathleen Caudle, of Lebanon, Mo. Claire was among several babies filling the booth ranging from five to nine pounds. Some were "awake," others were "sleeping." All were unique. "Every baby has a name and their weight and the date they were created is inscribed on their bottom," Caudle said. She explained that she used to give birth certificates out with her babies, but soon realized that those papers can be easily lost while the bottoms of the babies "are always there." The babies can also be created to resemble a specific baby. Caudle explained that people often send her baby pictures of their grandchildren or children and she creates the baby in their likeness. "Some of the resemblance these babies have had are remarkable," she said.
TOP PHOTO CAPTION: Maggie Garman, of Princeton, Kan., brought between 250 to 300 Pysanky eggs to the Chautauqua in the park. She said that it takes about eight to ten hours to decorate one duck or goose egg. An ostrich egg takes an entire week and is done one square-inch at a time. C-T Photos/Laura Schuler Press Release August 15, 2005: CHAUTAUQUA IN THE PARK SEPTEMBER 10 & 11 In a few short weeks Chillicothe’s Simpson Park will be transformed with the sights and sounds and flavors of the 21st Annual Chautauqua in the Park. The two-day festival will be held Saturday, September 10th from 9am to 6pm and Sunday, September 11th from 10am to 4pm. in Simpson Park. Artisans, crafters, and shoppers from a wide area come for a weekend of great shopping, entertainment, food, and to appreciate the skills and workmanship of those who handcraft their items. An 1890’s covered farm wagon and over 9,500 artifacts discovered on a north Missouri farm will be on display in the Traditional Arts Area. Artisans including potters, broom-makers, weavers, spinners, rug hookers, needle felters, tole painters, and metal artists, will educate festival-goers as they demonstrate their special skills. Many of these artisans will have items for sale.
Margaret Vance, Arts Council board member and festival co-chair, says,” We are excited to see such a variety of handcrafted items this year. The Traditional Arts Area has also added new artisans and visitors will be able to see and experience many new forms of craftsmanship.” Chautauqua is a juried show with over one hundred vendors including food, fine arts, crafts, traditional arts, and farmer’s market. Children can look forward to having their face painted, making a sand art creation or princess crown and magic wand, and visiting the petting zoo or inflatable jumper and slide. Food is a real treat during Chautauqua in the food court area where you can get great food and sandwiches and support local not-for-profit groups such as the Boy Scouts, Lions Club, United Methodist Men, and the Knights of Columbus at the same time. Hamburgers, tenderloins, Polish, hot dogs, marinated steak, chicken, and BBQ beef are all available in the food court. Sprinkled along the trail and in the entertainment circle you will find other special homemade treats like Hawaiian shaved ice, funnel cakes, fresh fruit smoothies, cotton candy, mini-donuts, homemade pie by the slice ala mode, kettle corn, walking tacos, caramel apples, and fresh-squeezed lemonade and limeade. Farmer’s Market is your destination for a wide variety of mums and other perennial plants, dried flowers in bulk, flaxseed, apples, pumpkins, gourds, homemade sorghum, honey, mustard, horseradish, herbs, homemade baked bread, whole pies, cakes, cookies, jams, jellies, preserves, and farm fresh produce. Kevin Murray, Chamber of Commerce board member and festival co-chair, says, “Chautauqua is a great family event and one that the Chamber is proud to sponsor. I encourage families to make this festival part of their weekend plans. Bring your lawn chairs and sit in the shade under the large tent that will be provided in the entertainment area. The Farmer’s Market vendors have moved out of the tent this year and will set up closer to the trail under the trees to make them more accessible to visitors.” A full schedule of musical performances on an entertainment stage, storytellers in a designated area and strolling balloon artists all add to the family friendly atmosphere. Chautauqua in the Park is sponsored by the Chillicothe Area Chamber of Commerce and the Chillicothe Area Arts Council with funding assistance from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. New This Year: 1890’s Covered Farm Wagon
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The sheer volume and variety of crafts offered by the 118 vendors was evident. Perhaps not quite as evident was the incredible uniqueness of each hand-crafted item for sale and the stories that went along with them.
Vendor Maggie Garman, of Princeton, Kan., had a story to tell about her decorated eggs that she brought to the Chautauqua. However, her eggs aren't your garden variety Easter eggs.
They're called Pysanky eggs and Garman didn't even know about them until reading a book about the ancient form of Ukrainian folk art in 1997. She said that the intricacy of the work and the beauty of the colors drew her to the craft and made her want to learn how to do it herself.
"I was just fascinated. I'd never heard of them before," she recalled.
Caudle
said that she started creating the babies four years ago after being
diagnosed with Parkinson¹s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. Because of her
health, she was forced to quit her job as a school counselor and she found
herself wondering what to do next. The idea of creating babies began to form
in her mind and Caudle said she brought the idea up to her husband, who
winked at her when she said she wanted to "make babies." I
said, OLet me rephrase that "I want to build babies," Caudle
recalled, laughing. That was the beginning of a business that has grown
immensely since its formation. Caudle's babies have been sold at various
craft shows in the Midwest and have been shipped across the country and even
overseas to West Africa and Paris, France. She noted that she even received
an e-mail from a British broadcasting company who was interested in using
two of her life-like babies when filming a new television series because
labor laws prohibited the company from using actual babies over a certain
number of hours. And while she enjoys creating and selling her babies, its
the people she's met along the way that keeps Caudle¹s love for creating
babies so strong. While looking through her nursery of babies, Caudle said
that people often stop to hear her story about being diagnosed with
Parkinson's and MS. "Many of those people have told me that they would
keep me in their prayers," she said. Caudle's story doesn¹t end there.
Almost one year ago, she was able to see a specialist in Barnes Hospital in
St. Louis, Mo., who informed her that while she did have Parkinson¹s
Disease, she did not have MS, but a much less severe muscular disease called
Dystonia. For Caudle the diagnosis serves as proof of the power of prayer.
"It has been said that whenever God closes a door, He opens a
window...These babies have been my window," she said.
