The Palmer Lake Historical Society is proud to present the 2010 Return of the Rocky Mountain Chautauqua in our historic town of Palmer Lake, nestled at the foot of Rampart Range 20 miles north of Colorado Springs and four miles west of Monument.
The original Chautauqua Assembly came to Palmer Lake in 1886 and was an annual summer event for more than two decades. Palmer Lake hosted one of the first Chautauqua Assemblies in the Rocky Mountain West.
The purpose of the Chautauqua Assembly was to provide entertainment, education, inspiration and outdoor recreation to enrich people’s lives. The Chautauqua Movement flourished in the U.S. from 1874 into the 1920s. At its peak, over 400 locations around the country held an annual summer Chautauqua Assembly.
The Rocky Mountain Chautauqua Assembly made Palmer Lake a destination point for many. People from Colorado Springs and Denver, as well as elsewhere in Colorado and Midwestern states, arrived on the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.
Palmer Lake's Glen neighborhood was site of the summer Chautauquas.
Palmer Lake's Chautauqua took place in Glen Park centered around an auditorium built on what we now know as Chautauqua Avenue. Chautauqua activities included lectures, debates, concerts, campfire gatherings and burro excursions up to the reservoirs.
Many homes in "The Glen" neighborhood began as rustic tent cottages, where Chautauqua-goers stayed for the six-week long assembly. Several Chautauqua cottages eventually evolved into permanent homes where some descendants still live today.
Due to changing times, the Chautauqua eventually faded away by 1910. However, in August 2008, the Palmer Lake Historical Society sponsored a one-day event to revive the Chautauqua Assembly, followed in August 2009, by a three-date event, 2009 Return of the Rocky Mountain Chautauqua. This event included a Vaudeville show, dinner theater, old-fashioned baseball game, historical walk, nature walk, ice cream social, church service in the Pinecrest Church, Model A and T cars, box lunches and much more.
This 2010 Chautauqua will be held August 6-8, 2010, builds on last year's success, which drew over 1000 people to Palmer Lake to watch and participate in activities. History-related events this year will include more interactive activities for the entire family. In addition to bringing back some of last years' events, we are planning a number of of demonstrations on "how to" make items, such as candles, pickles, etc, and "how to" do things, such as milk a cow/goat, make quilts, and make beadwork.
We also will have a two-day Civil War encampment by period re-enactors, a free concert by local cowboy singer and songwriter, Chuck Pyle, an exhibition by the Fort Carson Mounted Cavalry, a Native American lodge, old-fashioned games for kids, vintage bicycle demonstrations, ox wagon rides, and much more.
We are seeking volunteers for various committees to help us plan and support the 2010 Return of the Rocky Mountain Chautauqua. Volunteering requires no special talent - only your enthusiasm. If you would like to help with this years' Chautauqua, call Al at 719-559-0525 or email him at wldrdr@hotmail.com.
So mark your calendars and get ready for fun!
Palmer Lake Historical Society/Lucretia Vaile Museum
66 Lower Glenway, P. O. Box 662
Palmer Lake CO 80133
719-559-0837
www.ci.palmer-lake.co.us/plhs
CHAUTAUQUA 2010 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (CLICK HERE TO PRINT)
Friday, August 6, 2010 (Pinecrest Event Center)
6:00 PM Doors Open
6:15 PM - 6:45 PM Viewing of movie "Summer Sojourn"
6:45 PM - 7:00 PM Black Forest Chorus
7:00 PM - 7:15 PM
Opening Ceremonies - Boy Scout Color Guard
Reading of Chautauqua Proclamation (Don Moon as President Teddy Roosevelt - Master of Ceremonies)
7:15 PM - 8:30 PM
Songs by Black Forest Chorus
Historic Portrayals:
Isabella Bird (Linda Batlin) (First 19th century woman
globe-trotting news correspondent who made a solo
horseback ride throughout Colorado, including Palmer Lake)
Nikola Tesla (Richard Marold) (19th century scientist who
discovered AC current and conducted high- voltage experiments between Colorado Springs and Palmer Lake)
8:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Old Fashioned Square Dance by professional caller Gregg
Anderson. (No experience needed) (Free)
Saturday, August 7, 2010 (Town Hall and Village Green)
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pancake Breakfast - Provided by Palmer Lake VFD (Fee Charged)
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM History Tramp in The Glen. Guided tramp by local historian Jim Sawatzki through The Glen and Chautauqua sites (Limited to 30)
10:30 AM - 12:00 Noon Lucretia Vaile portrayal - guided hike to the reservoir
Fly fishing demonstration at reservoir
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Demonstrations:
o Bee Keeping
Educational how-to's (such as):
o How to quilt
o How to weave
o How to make pickles and churn butter
o How to spin yarn
o How to make flower arrangements
o How to use sign language
o How to "tat" and crochet
o How to press and mount plants
o How to tie knots and lash ropes
o How to make vintage jewelry
Exhibits:
o Boy Scouts - Then & Now
o 4-H Club - Then & Now
Children's Games
o Youth Games from 100 Years Ago (Boy Scouts)
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Potato Bake - Provided by Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts
(Town Hall) (Fee Charged)
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Ice Cream Social and the America the Beautiful Chorus -
(Supported by the Tri-Lakes Friends of the Library and the
Palmer Lake Historical Society) (Town Hall) Free
Saturday (Lakeside across from Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts)
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Second Colorado Infantry (Civil War Re-enactors) Encampment
Native American Teaching Lodge
3:00 PM - 4:45 PM
Vintage Baseball Game - Tri-Lakes Swans vs. Colorado
Territorial All-Stars (1864 Rules) (Lakeside Gazebo)
Music by the Colorado City Town Band
3:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Hot Dogs & Cokes - Provided by Palmer Lake VFD (Fee Charged)
Ice Cream - Provided by Pikes Peak Gelato (Fee Charged)
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Chuck Pyle In Concert - (Lakeside Gazebo) Free
6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Dinner Theatre: Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts and Red Herring
Productions present "Murder at Palmer Lake Station."
Tickets at www.trilakesarts.org/events.
Sunday, August 8, 2010 – Pinecrest Event Center
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Nature Walk in The Glen
(Limited to 20 - call 488-2462 to sign up)
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Old-Time Church Service at Pinecrest Chapel (Rev. John
Snyder and the High Prairie Band)
Sunday (Lakeside across from Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts)
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Second Colorado Infantry (Civil War Re-enactors) Encampment
Native American Teaching Lodge
Demonstrations:
o Vintage Bicycles
o Knot Tying & Rope Lashing
o Sign Language
o Bee Keeping
o Devon Cow milking
Exhibits:
o Alpacas
o Miniature Donkeys
o Oxen and Chuck Wagon
o Division of Wildlife (Wild Animal Safety)
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Barbeque - Provided by Slick Pig Barbecue (Fee Charged)
Ice Cream - Provided by Pikes Peak Gelato (Fee Charged)
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Music by the Colorado City Town Band
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
Fort Carson Mounted Honor Guard - Cavalry Demonstration
2:45 PM - 3:00 PM
Closing Ceremonies (Lakeside Gazebo)
