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.