You can’t spell Chautauqua without the ‘you’

We still may have too much July heat to get excited about the upcoming fall Chautauqua, but it’s not too early to take note of what’s lining up for the 32nd consecutive festival in Gallatin.

The torch of leadership is passing. Mary Hacking literally stood in the gap at the helm of volunteer efforts for the past three years and deserves our thanks. If it weren’t for her outstanding personal efforts, no doubt the event would have suffered a lapse.

Now Chautauqua moves forward with Kate Chrisman as overall chairman. Her prompt response to Mary’s plea last May is already paying benefits. Following Kate’s example, volunteers are stepping forward to oversee various parts of the festival, some longtime helpers and some new: Jenny Donovan, James Wilson, Dan Lockridge, Larry and Ron Baldwin, Damon Hennen, Deanna Swalley, Judy Vyrostek and Janie McKinsey, Amy Heldenbrand, Jessica Holcomb … plus various local organizations. And no doubt there’ll be more names added to this list.

There’s something new! This year a different outdoor stage will be put to use for the first time during Chautauqua. The specialty trailer, designed for power and sound plug-in convenience and with foldout wings, easily enlarges and offers improvements over flatbed trailers used in the past. The performers may benefit the most since this specialty stage resolves acoustic problems. The specialty unit can be easily moved, allowing more flexibility to locate the festival’s main outdoor stage at different locations.

Mary Hacking initiated a website during her tenure for communications and promotion. Building upon her insights, the website has been overhauled. Renaming the website was no small matter and actually redefines how the festival is organized.

For a number of years, volunteers coordinated efforts through the Daviess County Fine Arts Council. There were advantages in seeking funding and potential for related activities. When this fizzled and Mary stepped forward filling the leadership void, the Arts Council became less relevant.

Choosing “Chautauqua” for the name of Gallatin’s fall festival seemed appropriate 30+ years ago. At that time, nothing much was happening on the community level. There was no Chamber of Commerce, no “Scare on the Square,” no “Christmas Around the Square.” So, the idea was to build upon the Lions Club Flea Market — expanding the schedule to include informational displays, guest speakers, historical re-enactments and fun activities and contests.

That is the definition of “Chautauqua.” Today the meaning is understood better than its spelling. And spelling is important when it comes to naming websites on the internet. So, rather than using a misnomer like “DaviessCountyArt.com” or risking something like “GallatinChautauqua.com” the choice is “FriendsofGallatin.org”

Give it a click. You will already see how the festival is beginning to take shape (even as the schedule develops and updates are made). Online registration forms are now working for vendors, contests and parade entries. You can hear samples of music performed by this year’s featured entertainment, Tracy Allison & The Drive, and view a trailer of the free kids’ movie to be presented outdoors, “Trolls.”

And there’s tradition! A click on the “Chautauqua History” tab reveals a photo of the Daviess County courthouse being decorated for Chautauqua in 1927. Another photo shows the family of William Hockensmith in front of their tent erected at Dockery Park for the duration of 1918 Chautauqua held on the park grounds that particular year.

Both of these photos, of course, are before the modern Chautauqua began anew in 1986.

We like printing good news. So it’s always the right time to be talking about Gallatin’s Chautauqua.

Think about it. Small town festivals put “U” right in the middle of comm-u-nity. Now, think about how even the spelling of Chautauqua gives you multiple opportunities to get into the fun: Cha-you-ta-you-q-you-a!

Hokey? Well, yes. And who cares …as long as you share a smile and attend some or all of this local event. After all, the best things in life are really what you make of it. Here’s hoping you’ll join those working now to make the 32nd consecutive Chautauqua in Gallatin the best yet. Give www.FriendsofGallatin.org a click to get an even bigger picture of what Chautauqua here means.