​Chautauqua Opens 14th Season with Aaron Burr
MOUNT VERNON – Opening its 14th season, the Chautauqua Series is happy to have Ken Hammontree portraying the controversial 3rd Vice President of the United States, Aaron Burr. Burr is probably most remembered for the duel he had with Alexander Hamilton in which he killed Hamilton. But few remember that he was later put on trial for conspiracy to overthrow the United States and separate the western colonies so he could service as a rival President to the current United States. All in all, Burr was a very interesting individual. Ken’s presentations are always lively, interesting, entertaining, informative and enjoyable.
This presentation will be held at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon) on Thursday January 16 at 7 PM. Doors will open at 6 PM and held in the lower level of the hotel that is accessible to those with special needs such as wheel chairs, walkers and strollers.  They are family friendly and presented on a donation basis and all are welcome whether you can afford to donate or not. The programs are meant for community enrichment and a chance to meet old friends and to make new ones.
The Chautauqua Series is first person living history, held on a monthly basis. It is organized and presented by Elixir Presents with the support from the Ariel Foundation, KPAC and the Grand Hotel. The series provides students, families and those who like history to learn more about real people living real lives. Each performer does extensive research to put together a fact based program that goes well beyond what you read in history books.
Entering its 14th season, the Chautauqua Series has been recognized by the Ohio Humanities Council as the only year round monthly Chautauqua Series in the United States. The Series was also recently nominated for an Ohio Governor’s Award.
For more information about this program and upcoming presentations, please visit www.elixirpresents.com or call 740-392-3018. To receive a “Gentle Reminder” email on the Sunday before each program, contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com.

MOUNT VERNON - Most people in Knox County do not know the name Miranda Bricker.  Most people in Knox County do not know of the Maplehurst Mansion that once stood near the intersection of East Gambier and Division streets in Mount Vernon. But it was at the Maplehurst Mansion on Sunday April 23, 1905, that the body of Miranda Bricker was found, the victim of a murder that was never solved and remains unsolved to this day.

Being an investigative reporter, historian, playwright and someone with a great fascination in discovering the truth of a matter, Mark Sebastian Jordan will provide the Chautauqua audience the findings of his investigation at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon) on Thursday October 31 at 7 PM.

The Chautauqua Series brings donation based programs of living history and historical interest monthly by Elixir Presents with the support of the Grand Hotel and a grant from the Ariel Foundation that is managed by KPAC. For 13 years the series has provided students, families and all those interested in exploring history through entertaining presentations at a cost that all can afford. The series is also recognized by the Ohio Humanities Council as being the only year round Chautauqua Series in the United States and a local treasure for the community to learn from people who do extensive research to put together programs that a fact based and go well beyond the history books.

Opening the program at 7 PM will be Joshua Hlavaty, a singer and guitarist from the Ashland area. Then Mark Jordan will present his findings as only Mark Jordan can, in a well-structured, entertaining and fascinating manner at 7:40 PM, followed by a question and answer period immediately following his program.
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For more information about this program and upcoming presentations, please visit www.elixirpresents.com or call 740-392-3018. To receive a “Gentle Reminder” email on the Sunday before each program, contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com.
 

MOUNT VERNON – Name the author, who has been outsold by only the Bible and Shakespeare. That author has written 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections that have sold over 2 billion copies worldwide and also owns the record for the longest running play in one theater, from 1952 to 2012. The answer is Agatha Christie.
This coming Thursday, October 17, Tammy Souhrada will bring Agatha Christie to the Chautauqua stage at The Grand Hotel. Tammy will bring Christie to life in first person living history. Tammy has portrayed a wide range of characters over the years and Agatha will be a special treat to those who enjoy mystery novels and fictional characters like Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, TV or film adaptations like “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile” or just sitting back and enjoying a good old fashioned mystery novel.
 
Opening the program and making their first Chautauqua appearance will be the Chapeux, an a cappella quartet, comprised of Scott Johnson, Ted Starcher, Jim Stoner and Tadd Sponseller.
 
The Chautauqua’s are presented in the lower level at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon).The facility is accessible for those with special needs such as walkers, wheel chairs or strollers. Doors open at 6 PM and program begins at 7 PM.
 
The Chautauqua Series is organized and brought to you by Elixir Presents, the Grand Hotel and supported in part by a generous grant provided by the Ariel Foundation. These programs bring year round living history to our community and are presented on a donation basis. All donations go to the performers.
 
For more information about this and upcoming presentations, please visit www.elixirpresents.com, www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 740-392-3018. To receive a “Gentle Reminder” email on the Sunday before each program, contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com.
 
For those wondering, the name of the longest running play that was mentioned in the first paragraph is “The Mousetrap” with over 25,000 performances in its first run from 1952-2012.

Chautauqua Welcomes Ida B. Wells
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MOUNT VERNON – “I think Ida B. Wells should be remembered as an African-American woman who battled both racism and sexism at a time when it was extremely dangerous to speak out… She used her gift of writing, speaking and organizing to help shed light on injustice.  She was extremely brave and held steadfast to her convictions despite being criticized, ostracized and marginalized by her contemporaries.” -Michelle Duster, great-great granddaughter of Ida B. Wells.
This coming Thursday, September 26, Sandra Quick will portray Ida B. Wells, an investigative journalist, educator, and an early leader in the civil rights movement, who was one of the founders of the NAACP and who fought for equality for African Americans, especially women. Sandra has portrayed several characters in the Chautauqua Series, most notably, Phyllis Wheatley.
 
Opening the program will be Bob Ford, bringing his own brand of music and entertainment to set the stage for special night, with a special lady.
 
The Chautauqua will be held in the lower level at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon).The facility is accessible for those with special needs. Doors open at 6 PM and program begins at 7 PM.
 
The Chautauqua Series is organized and brought to you by Elixir Presents, the Grand Hotel and supported in part by a generous grant provided by the Ariel Foundation. These programs bring year round living history to our community and are presented on a donation basis. All donations go to the performers.
 
For more information about this and upcoming presentations, please visit www.elixirpresents.com, www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 740-392-3018. To receive a “Gentle Reminder” email on the Sunday before each program, contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com.

Chautauqua Series Welcomes Natalie Wood
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MOUNT VERNON – The name Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko doesn’t roll off the tongue very well, but Natalie Wood sure does and from the age of 4, RKO Pictures chose that name to promote the acting career of their youngest star. Natalie was the daughter of Russian immigrants. She received 3 Academy Award nominations before the age of 25 and to this day, there is an ongoing investigation into her mysterious death by, as the coroner stated, “… drowning and other undetermined factors.”

On Thursday, September 12, Mary Spence will present a living history presentation as Natalie Wood, discussing her life and acting, family and maybe even answer some of the questions surrounding her last boat ride. The event will be held in The Grand Hotel     (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon) at 7 PM.

The Chautauqua Series is brought to you by Elixir Presents, sponsored in part by the Ariel Foundation, KPAC and the Grand Hotel, bringing year round living history to our community. The Series a donation based, so you, your family, students and friends learn about history that goes well beyond what you read in books. All donations go directly to the performers who bring historical people to life and the opening act that sets the mood for the program. At the end of each presentation the presenter will answer questions from the audience.

Opening the program will be Desmond Wall playing acoustic music of the era. The program is held in the lower level of the Grand Hotel and doors open at 6 PM to accommodate those with special needs.

For more information about this program and upcoming presentations, please visit www.elixirpresents.com, www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 740-392-3018. To receive a “Gentle Reminder” email on the Sunday before each program, contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com.

​MOUNT VERNON – Ever wonder how Civil War spies passed along information on the actions and plans of the enemy? The South used what is called Vigenere Cipher. An example is shown below:
 
To send a message in the cipher, you write the letters of the key word under the letters of the message, repeated as many times as necessary, to the end of the sentence. A new sentence repeats the process. If the message is “The North will attack. Send help.” and the key word is “Greenhow,” this would appear as:
 
The  North     will     attack.      Send   help.
Gre  enhow   Gree   nhowGr    Gree   nhow
 
On Thursday, August 29 the Chautauqua Series invites southern spy Rose O’Neal Greenhow (portrayed by Raylene Hlavaty) to discuss her life and perils during the Civil War and she will explain how she used the cipher system to get her messages to the Confederate government and the audience will receive a handout so you can learn how they were used.
 
Raylene has presented several characters over the years including Beatrix Potter, Abigail Adams and Katarina Luther, wife of Martin Luther. Raylene spends up to a year preparing her characters and the audience is in store for a wonderful evening of entertainment, education and fellowship.
 
Opening the program will be Steve Ball, playing and explaining music of the Civil War, performed on authentic instruments of the era.
 
The Chautauqua Series is held in the lower level conference room at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square, Mount Vernon).The facility is accessible to those with special needs such as walkers, wheel chairs, service dogs and strollers. Doors open at 6 PM and program starts with Steve Ball at 7 PM with Rose O’Neal Greenhow at 7:45 PM, with a Q&A with the audience immediately after her presentation.
 
This living history series is organized by Elixir Presents with the assistance of the Grand Hotel and supported in part by a generous grant from the Ariel Foundation. These programs bring year round entertaining historical programming to our community and presented on a donation basis. All donations go directly to the performers.
 
For more information about this and upcoming presentations, please visit www.elixirpresents.com, www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 740-392-3018. To receive a “Gentle Reminder” email on the Sunday before each program, contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com.
 

​F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald to Speak at Chautauqua
MOUNT VERNON - On Thursday, August 15 the Chautauqua Series, now in its 13th season, continues with F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. To speak of this famous couple is to invoke the Jazz Age, romance, and outrageous early success with all its attendant perils. Their names summon flappers, reckless spending, gleaming hotel lobbies, smoky speakeasies, ocean journeys, white suits, smart dresses, and nostalgia for lost innocence. In spite of leading short, nomadic lives they defined an era and left an abundance of artistic achievements.
 
The couple will be portrayed by Jim and Amy K. Stoner, veterans of the Chautauqua stage, having presented more 20 characters between them.
Opening the program will be Joe Rollin Porter from Cleveland, Ohio. Joe is a blues guitarist specializing in music from the early 1900’s and has been receiving acclaim for his most recent CD, “Take This Hammer” and charted in the top ten for independent blues station play lists.
 
The Chautauqua Series is held in the lower level at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon).The facility is accessible to those with special needs such as walkers, wheel chairs, service dogs and strollers. Doors open at 6 PM and program will start at 7 PM with F. Scott and Zelda coming on at 7:45 PM, with a Q&A with the audience immediately after the Fitzgerald’s program.
 
The Chautauqua Series is organized and brought to you by Elixir Presents, the Grand Hotel and supported in part by a generous grant from the Ariel Foundation. These programs bring year round living history to our community and are presented on a donation basis. All donations go directly to the performers.
 
For more information about this and upcoming presentations, please visit www.elixirpresents.com, www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 740-392-3018. To receive a “Gentle Reminder” email on the Sunday before each program, contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com.

​MOUNT VERNON - On Thursday, August 8 from 7 to 8 PM, the Chautauqua Series is extremely proud to have three of this year’s History Day students from the Middle School as they present their projects to our audience.
 
The program includes Cora McFadden, who will present George Muller and his work with the Orphans of Bristol, England. Cora went to the National competition at the University of Maryland this past June. Rylee Jarosz, a competitive athlete will discuss the trials and tribulations of the Olympic Gold Medalist, track and field athlete Wilma Rudolph. Being she wishes to work with exotic animals, especially primates as a career Brooklyn Ellis will portray Jane Goodall, a great role model for young women.
 
The Chautauqua Series is held in the lower level at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon).The facility is accessible to those with special needs such as walkers, wheel chairs, service dogs and strollers. Doors open at 6 PM and program will be presented from 7 to 8 PM. There will not be an opening act for this Chautauqua.
 
The Series, now in its 13th season, is organized and brought to you by Elixir Presents, the Grand Hotel and supported in part by a generous grant from the Ariel Foundation. These programs bring year round living history to our community and are presented on a donation basis. All donations go directly to the performers.
 
For more information about this and upcoming presentations, please visit www.elixirpresents.com, www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 740-392-3018. To receive a “Gentle Reminder” email on the Sunday before each program, contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com.