Hard to say, fun to do

A spokesman said the Chautauqua program can change a community.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- A program with a different name -- Ohio Chautauqua -- will follow Salem's celebration of its Bicentennial.
"It's a big word, Chautauqua. Nobody can pronounce it, and nobody can spell it," said Fran Tiburzio.
She knows. She's the spokeswoman for Ohio Chautauqua that will be in Salem July 18-22.
The Chautauqua (pronounced Sha-ta-qua) program is a continuation of this country's long history of summer vacation education for adults and children.
Program and theme
The Chautauqua Institution on the lake of the same name in lower New York State was formed by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1874. The institute says it still hosts the oldest continuous book club in America that once had 10,000 reading circles throughout the country.
The institute sparked the Chautauqua movement in an era of poor mass transportation, where speakers traveled to the crowds.
The Ohio Chautauqua says its theme of "War and Peace" will explore the legacies of those whose lives were shaped by both. The historical figures helped to change the world.
The people are Inca Conquistador Francisco Pizarro, Shawnee leader Chief Cornstalk, Civil War nurse Clara Barton, WW II journalist Ernie Pyle and President Theodore Roosevelt. Vindicator files say Roosevelt sent a letter of greetings when Salem celebrated its Centennial in 1906.
There will be daily programs for kids and adults in addition to the nightly events in a tent at Waterworth Memorial Park.
History buffs
Jean Alice Fehr, program chairwoman and history buff, said, "History alive is more interesting."
Tiburzio said the performers portraying the historical figures are highly trained in the lives of their characters. There is a question and answer period during the performances, where the actors respond in character.
Tiburzio said the program, "It can really change a community. It depends on the community and what it does with it."
She added that the Chautauqua program is aimed at everyone, not just history buffs.
In a sense, the program is similar to what Salem already does with its active library, theater and arts programs.
One of the Chautauqua programs will include a walk where people will meet characters of the Underground Railroad that moved the oppressed to freedom.
Julie Wack, president of the Lawren Council for the Arts, said the arts touch people. "It's a fundamental part of the human condition. It opens people up," she said.
wilkinson@vindy.com