​
MOUNT VERNON – After Thanksgiving, what better way to spend an evening than hearing the words of wisdom from George Washington? Ken Hammontree, a Chautauqua Series favorite returns in the role of one of our Founding Fathers on Thursday, November 30.  Elixir Presents in association with The Ariel Foundation will provide an evening with the President at 7 PM, doors opening at 6 PM.  Presented in first person Living history, Ken will bring George Washington to life and if you have not witnessed a performance by Ken Hammontree, you are in for a special treat.
This event will be held on a donation basis at The Grand Hotel (12 Public Square) Banquet Room on the lower level of the hotel. The program starts at 7 PM with music of music from the 1700’s on traditional instruments, performed by JMJ Crescent, George Washington at 7:45 and conclude with a Q&A period with the audience immediately after the program.
Elixir Presents encourages anyone with an interest in learning more about the real people in history and what they were really like, to come and learn in a family friendly and enjoyable evening out with family, friends and neighbors.
The final program of the season will be the Annual Food For The Hungry concert at the Memorial Theater (112 E. High Street in Mount Vernon, Ohio) on Thursday, December 7th at 7 PM, featuring the music of the Beatles for a small donation of a food stuff, cash or check payable to Food For The Hungry, to aid our needy neighbors. After Thanksgiving and before Christmas what better way to help your neighbors and be rewarded with classic music.
For more information on this program and future programs in the series, visit www.elixirpresents.com or www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 740-392-6102. If you would like to receive a gentle reminder the Sunday before each program, please send a request to Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com.

​
Chautauqua Welcomes Wife of Martin Luther
​
MOUNT VERNON - They say behind every great man there is a great woman. In the case of Martin Luther, one of the most important participants in the Reformation was his wife, Katharina von Bora. 15 years his junior,  Katharina was sent to a nunnery at age 5 and escaped to join the reform movement 13 years later. The marriage of Katharina von Bora to Martin Luther was extremely important to the development of the Protestant Church, specifically in regards to its stance on marriage and the roles each spouse should concern themselves with. Although several told Luther that marriage would hurt the Reformation because of potential scandal, Luther eventually came to the conclusion that "his marriage would please his father, rile the pope, cause the angels to laugh, and the devils to weep."

In keeping with the theme of the Chautauqua Series, Elixir Presents brings the life of an historical person to life through first person living history. Although some characters may be more famous, the series' goal is to highlight the many contributions of a wide variety of people throughout history, their lives, their struggles, their successes, their failures, showing that one characteristic of all these people is that they are just like us, the everyday man and woman and that they go through the same struggles in life and joys and sorrows as the rest of us do.

Raylene Hlavaty, a veteran of the Chautauqua stage will bring Katharina to life and share her story at The Grand Hotel (12 Public Square, Mount Vernon, Ohio) on Thursday November 9 at 7 PM. Doors open for this donation based program, at 6 PM. Opening the program will be Chautauqua favorite, Tim Noble, an amazing Christian pianist/vocalist.
 
Coming Thursday December 7 at The Memorial Theater will be the annual Food For The Hungry Foodstock Concert, in association with the Chautauqua Series, Ariel Foundation and the Knox County Commissioners. The concert will feature a tribute to the music of The Beatles, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the release of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". For more details about both programs and other shows in the Chautauqua Series, please visit www.elixirpresents.com, www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 740-392-6102.