A Chautauqua for Thermopolis

by Sue Blakey, Director

Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation

This week, Thermopolis citizens, almost by accident, created an old-fashioned “Chautauqua.”

What’s a Chautauqua? Its history actually goes back to the 1820s, when the first American Lyceum was founded by a traveling lecturer and teacher, Josiah Holbrook. He believed education was a lifelong experience, and he hoped the traveling lyceums would provide lectures, dramatic performances, class instructions and debates to remote rural American communities.

For nearly 50 years, these “town meetings” were a strong influence on rural society. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain -- all spoke at lyceum meetings. After the Civil War, entertainers, politicians and musicians joined the traveling mix.

In the 1870s, an unrelated group set up camp on New York’s Chautauqua Lake to find a pleasant way to train Sunday school teachers and others interested in education and inspiration. This Chautauqua Assembly grew, and the two movements became the mainstay of adult education in rural America, with Chautauquas lingering even as late as the 1910 and 1920s, when the automobile and radio broke rural barriers.

In their heyday, Chautauquas spread from the East to the West Coast, as well as Idaho, Utah, Montana and at least one spot in Wyoming -- Powell.

A Chautauqua could last a few days or a week. But at its core was the idea of “life-long learning,” a phrase that is at the heart of the mission of Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation.

So how is this week like a Chautauqua? This week’s programs cover science -- history -- social issues -- music -- and just plain fun.

On Tuesday, Sam Mahira, a survivor of the Heart Mountain internment camp for Japanese during World War II, presented a public program with audiovisuals and a first-hand account of what it was like to be a young boy growing up in the camp.

On Wednesday, a group of fine contemporary jazz musicians, presents a multi-media show, “A Rambling Stretch,” written by Riverton native, Tyler Gilmore, who has won national awards for his compositions.

On Thursday, Ken Manning, formerly with NASA, will present a show-and-tell program, “Astronomy for Everyone!” complete with a special telescope.

On Friday, Otter Creek, a traditional folk group who sing and play a dozen instruments, will be working with students in Hot Springs schools.

And on Saturday, there’s Oktobrewfest, a day-long mix of lively music, food and beverage in downtown.

What we’ve discovered in Wyoming is that - despite radio, television and the internet - today’s traveling programs, teachers and entertainers are still important in our rural state. They not only provide a personal touch and expand our points of view, they play a part in the quality of life in our community, as well as aiding economic development and tourism.

So here’s to those who have made this “accidental Chautauqua” possible -- Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation, Hot Springs County School District No. 1, Hot Springs County Library and Main Street Thermopolis. All these groups have played a part in at least one of the programs and activities, along with the support of the Wyoming Arts Council and Wyoming Humanities Council.

Maybe we should work together for a Chautauqua week again next year.