Chautauqua to feature W.C. Fields

Mount Vernon – Greetings my little Chickadees! Elixir is happy to bring you one of only 6 genuine comedic geniuses according to Woody Allan. William Claude Dukenfield, known to the world as W.C. Fields, brings his comedic genius to ThePlace@TheWoodward (111 S. Main Street in downtown Mount Vernon, Ohio) on Thursday May 30th at 7 PM. Supported in part by grants from the Ohio Arts Council, Ariel Foundation and Rolls-Royce Charities/Civic Fund, this donation based series, brings a wide range of first person historical portrayals from Founding Fathers and Mothers to Civil War personalities, Western era to WWII characters to entertainers and musicians and people who made Ohio and Knox County history, both well-known and lesser known but just as important people, who have graced our county, state, country and beyond.

Portraying W.C. Fields and making his Mount Vernon Chautauqua debut is Greg Patterson, an entertainment attorney from Delaware, Ohio. Greg has been portraying Fields for many fields as well as several other characters including John Adams and George burns.

Open for W.C. Fields will be the presenters of these programs, the musical trio who re-invent American music in fun and entertaining new ways. Elixir, made up of Chris Petee, Gerry Rensel and Mike Petee will perform a half hour set of songs to set the mood for the main speaker, W. C. Fields, followed by a question and answer period, where you the audience can ask W. C. Fields any question you might have ever wondered about.

Did you know W. C. Fields was the original choice for the title role in the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz? Fields also figured in an Orson Welles project, after losing money on Citizen Kane, Welles was urged by RKO to choose as his next film a subject with more commercial appeal and Welles considered an adaptation of Charles Dickens's The Pickwick Papers which would have starred Fields and John Barrymore. And during the early planning for his film, It's a Wonderful Life, director Frank Capra considered Fields for the role of Uncle Billy.

Doors open at ThePlace@TheWoodward at 6 PM, the program starts at 7 PM and finishes around 9 PM. For more information about this program or other upcoming programs in this year round Chautauqua [only one of its kind in the United States], visit www.elixirpresents.com or www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 740-392-6102 or 740-392-3018. You already have your ticket!

Last Saturday Café Continues May 25

Mount Vernon – Imagine relaxing on a Saturday evening after a long week. Imagine relaxing to refreshing music

and enjoying coffee, tea and goodies all on a donation basis. Imagine finding a secret oasis where you don’t have to

travel far to get to, can feel comfortable inviting friends and bringing the kids (or not) and just recharge your batteries.

Imagine a place where you can listen to music that doesn’t blow out your eardrums, isn’t top 40, you don’t have to

dance to if you don’t want and is created by people from the surrounding communities, your own unique experience.

You don’t have to imagine, because such a place exists. The Last Saturday Café is open from 7 to 9 PM at

ThePlace@TheWoodward (111 S. Main Street in downtown Mount Vernon) on the last Saturday of each month.If you enjoy it perhaps it can expand to opening more frequently, but that will depend on you. So we hope to see you there.

The Last Saturday Café features the talents of Sarah Goslee Reed, Alison (Miller) Cline, Noah Shull, Bill Miller, Skip Track and Mike Petee collectively calling themselves OWL CREEK ( the name used by pioneers in this region around the Kokosing River). In addition the group will have other guests to performance from time to time. ThePlace@TheWoodward

Is set up in a coffeehouse style setting and the group provides coffee, tea and goodies in addition to the music
and all this on a donation basis.

Thanks to a partial grant from the Ohio Humanities Council, the musicians above are providing a setting for you to relax
and enjoy yourself without breaking your budget and providing an alternative to bars and clubs and events that perhaps you might not want to go to but don’t have other opportunities on a Saturday evening. So, bring your family, friends, yourself and the kids (or not) and pay what you can afford for some wonderful music and goodies.

The next Last Saturday Café will take place May 25. For further information visit www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 740-392-6102 or 740-392-3018.   

We are sorry for the inconvenience on May 9 - Ken Hammontree came down with a severe case of pink eye in both eyes and we didn't know until about 5 PM so we couldn't cancel - Ken will do Martin Luther AUGUST 1. EVE to Speak at Chautauqua

MOUNT VERNON - The first woman mentioned in the Bible, and the mother of the human race, poor Eve has taken a ribbing [pun intended] ever since Genesis, chapter 3, was written and has wrongly been made the scapegoat for mankind’s fall from grace ever since. Has anyone ever given Eve the chance to defend herself? Of course not! On Thursday, May 16, 2013, Eve will be given the chance to tell her side of the story as part of the seventh season of the Elixir Chautauqua Series. Presenting a wide range of historical, first person portrayals; the Chautauqua Series is happy to present the second oldest person known to man and the oldest to grace the Chautauqua stage.

Eve will be portrayed by Kathie Dice, who wrote a one woman play based on the life of Eve. Kathie appeared last year as Eleanor Roosevelt and caused much laughter with her unusual comedy style presentations, that tell the story, but in an entertaining and lighter manner, not too serious and stuffy, academic manner. Opening the program will be Mary Miller, comedienne and guitarist. For those who recently went to the Comedy for the Cure program, Mary was one of the presenters.

The Chautauqua is held at ThePlace@TheWoodward [111 S. Main Street in Mount Vernon], a first floor facility that is easily accessible to people with special needs. The doors open at 6 PM and the program begins at 7 PM. The presentation is offered on a donation basis and sponsored by Elixir, the Ohio Humanities Council, Ariel Foundation and the Rolls-Royce Charities/Civic Fund.  Coming on May 30 will be W.C. Fields.

For those who planned to come to the May 9th Martin Luther program, Ken Hammontree unfortunately became ill too late to provide cancelation notice. That program has been rescheduled for August 1. For further information on the Eve program or other programs in the Chautauqua Series please visit www.elixirpresents.com,www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 740-392-6102 or 740-392-3018.

Mount Vernon – The Elixir Chautauqua Series welcomes religious leader and reformer Martin Luther to speak at ThePlace@TheWoodward (111 S. Main Street) at 7 PM Thursday May 9.

Luther set in motion the Protestant Revolution in the 1500’s. He believed the church had become corrupted in trying to sell relief from punishment for sin with money and church leaders making money from this practice. It was but one of the 95 theses he posted on the church door that lead to his excommunication and spurred on the revolution that has lead to the multiple Christian denominations.

Elixir in association with the Ohio Humanities Council, Rolls-Royce Charities/Civic Fund and Ariel Foundation provide a wide range of historical people, portrayed in first person to the community on a donation basis, with the goal of providing further education, enhanced information not told in the history books, in an entertaining and casual format.

Portraying Martin Luther is Ken Hammontree, a retired Ohio teacher and minister, who performs a multitude of characters ranging from Tecumseh to George Washington to Harry S Truman and has graced the Chautauqua stage in Mount Vernon on many occasions. Opening the program is Desmond Wall, performing all original Christian songs.

The doors open at ThePlace@TheWoodward (a first floor facility and easily accessible for people with special needs) at 6 PM, the program starts at 7 PM. Coming on May 16 – Eve (after the fall) and May 30 - W. C. Fields. For information on this program and future programs in the series, visit www.elixirpresents.com,www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 740-392-6102 or 740-392-3018.