Chautauqua Coming to Lasqueti

WHAT: Travelling circus troupe 'New Old Time Chautauqua' (NOTC) is coming to town with a specific community event including a  parade, potluck, music, vaudeville show, juggling, comedy and community workshops/skill sharing. **The troupe is arriving on their own ships!**

WHEN: July 15-19, 2009

WHERE: Mostly at and around the community hall.

New Old Time Chautauqua (pronounced "Shuh-TAWK-wuh") is an all-volunteer 50+ person troupe (with 25+ musicians) that has been staging summer tours for 25 years. In Spring 2006 they travelled to New Orleans and the coast of Mississippi and brought free entertainment and friendships to the Hurricane Katrina survivors and volunteer relief workers.

Chautauqua  was a movement that brought entertainment and culture to families and communities in rural North America (that means us!). It began in Lake Chautauqua, New York in 1874 and spread and thrived across the continent until the mid-1920s. It still hasn't died out.

Their primary events are: an 'everybody's welcome' parade, workshops (circus skills, folk singing, joke telling, quilt making etc.) and a vaudeville show (music, magic, juggling, comedy etc.).

They are very supportive of artistic, cultural, and skills exchange and encourage us to offer workshops, too. The event is for the Lasqueti community and will not be advertised off-island.

There will be a 'getting to know you' potluck supper and dance shortly after they arrive, and they plan to spend one day working on community projects that we would like to help with.

Things are still in the very beginning planning stages. The Lasqueti Community Association has been asked to be the primary sponsor of the event. If you have question.info/help to offer, contact Peter Johnston.

More info: www.chautauqua.org