​Chautauqua Welcomes Erma Bombeck
 
Mount Vernon –On Thursday May 26, the Chautauqua Series presents Susan Kahrl as   Erma Bombeck  humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper humor column describing suburban home life, syndicated from 1965 to 1996. She also published 15 books, most of which became bestsellers. The program will be at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon) at 7 PM. The cost of admission is a donation with all monies collected going to the performer. The Chautauqua Series is brought to you with the help of a grant provided by the Ariel Foundation.
 
For those unfamiliar with the Chautauqua format, these programs present historical figures in first person portrayals, dressed in the clothing of the era.  Susan will give her presentation then take questions from the audience. These programs are intended for families, students and all who wish to know more about history in a family friendly, entertaining manner.
 
There will be no opening act for this Chautauqua so please come early to see full presentation.
  
NOTE: Masks are optional. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available.
 
Upcoming programs include:
 
June 30 – Mark Jordan with more local murder mysteries.
July 28 – Jim & Amy. K. Stoner as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
August 25 – Tammy Souhrada as Shirley Temple Black
September 29 – Chris Petee discusses women spies of World War II
October 27 – Benjamin Frayser as President James Garfield
November 17 – Raylene Hlavaty as Jane Austen                 
 
For more information about these programs, visit www.elixirpresents.com. If you would like to receive a “Gentle Reminder” on the Sunday before each program, contact The Chautauqua Series at elixir_petee@hotmail.com. 
 

​Mount Vernon –On Thursday April 28, the Chautauqua Series presents Valerie Hamill as   Major Pauline Cushman, Spy of the Cumberland, who served as a spy and scout for Sunbury, Ohio native Major General William Rosecrans in 1863 and was the first known female veteran of the United States Army. The program will be at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon) at 7 PM. The cost of admission is a donation with all monies collected going to the performers. The Chautauqua Series is brought to you with the help of a grant provided by the Ariel Foundation.
 
For those unfamiliar with the Chautauqua format, these programs present historical figures in first person portrayals, dressed in the clothing of the era. Valerie will dress in uniform. She will give her presentation then take questions from the audience. These programs are intended for families, students and all who wish to know more about history in a family friendly, entertaining manner.
 
There will be no opening act for this Chautauqua so please come early to see full presentation.
  
NOTE: Masks are optional. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available.
 
Upcoming programs include:
 
May 26 – Susan Kahrl portraying Erma Bombeck
June 30 – Mark Jordan with more local murder mysteries.
July 28 – Jim & Amy. K. Stoner as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
August 25 – Tammy Souhrada as Shirley Temple Black
September 29 – Chris Petee discusses women spies of World War II
October 27 – Benjamin Frayser as President James Garfield
November 17 – Raylene Hlavaty as Jane Austen                 
 
For more information about these programs, visit www.elixirpresents.com. If you would like to receive a “Gentle Reminder” on the Sunday before each program, contact The Chautauqua Series at elixir_petee@hotmail.com. 

​Mount Vernon –On Thursday March 24, the Chautauqua Series is happy to welcome Julia Geiger as Roseanna McCoy, one of the central people involved in the Hatfield & McCoys feud. The program will be at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon) at 7 PM. The Chautauqua Series is brought to you with the help of a grant provided by the Ariel Foundation. The cost is a donation with all monies collected going to the performers.
 
For those unfamiliar with the Chautauqua format, these programs present historical figures in first person portrayals, dressed in the clothing of the era. Julia will, for all intents and purposes, be Roseanna McCoy. She will give her presentation then take questions from the audience. The programs are intended for families, students and all who wish to know more about history in a family friendly, entertaining manner.
 
Opening the program will be Gerry Rensel as Rufus T. Calhoun, singing songs of the era.
  
NOTE: Masks are optional. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available.
 
Upcoming programs include:
 
April 28 – Valerie Hamill as Pauline Cushman, Civil War Spy
May 26 – Susan Kahrl portraying Erma Bombeck
June 30 – Mark Jordan with more local murder mysteries.
July 28 – Jim & Amy. K. Stoner as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
August 25 – Tammy Souhrada as Shirley Temple Black
September 29 – Chris Petee discusses women spies of World War II
October 27 – Benjamin Frayser as President James Garfield
November 17 – Raylene Hvality as Jane Austen                 
 
For more information about these programs, visit www.elixirpresents.com. If you would like to receive a “Gentle Reminder” on the Sunday before each program contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com. 
 

​Chautauqua Opens Season 15 with General George Patton
 
Mount Vernon –On Thursday January 27, the Chautauqua Series opens its 15th season, with Ken Hammontree as General George Patton, describing his experiences at the Battle of the Bulge. The program will be at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon) at 7 PM. The Chautauqua Series is brought to you with the help of a grant provided by the Ariel Foundation and is donation based with all monies collected going to the performers.
 
For those unfamiliar with the Chautauqua format, these programs present historical figures in first person portrayals, dressed in the clothing of the era. Ken will, for all intents and purposes, be General Patton. He will give his presentation then take questions from the audience. The programs are intended for families, students and all who wish to know more about history in a family friendly, entertaining manner.
 
Opening the program will be Chris Petee, singing songs popular during World War II era. Chris is an accomplished singer, has opened many Chautauquas with music and has also presented many Chautauqua characters.
  
NOTE: masks are required and will be provided and hand sanitizer will be available.
 
Upcoming programs include:
 
February 24 – Robert and Barbara Blugler as President and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln
March 24 – Julia Geiger as Roseanna McCoy of the Hatfields and McCoys fame
April 28 – Steve Ball presenting the music of The Carter Family
May 26 – Susan Kahrl portraying Erma Bombeck
 
For more information about these programs, visit www.elixirpresents.com. If you would like to receive a “Gentle Reminder” on the Sunday before each program contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com. 

​

MOUNT VERNON - The 10th annual Foodstock concert to benefit Food for the Hungry will be held on Monday Dec. 6 at 7:00 PM (doors open at 6:30PM) at the Knox Memorial Theater, located at 112 E. High Street, Mount Vernon, Ohio.
 
This year the program will be called FolkFest and will pay tribute to the folk music of the 1960’s including the songs of Peter, Paul & Mary, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and others. The performance will feature Sarah Goslee Reed, Bob Ford & Chris Noon, and Chris Petee, Jeff Putnam and Mike Petee with upright bass provided by Bill Miller playing the music of Peter, Paul & Mary. To read more about the performers, go to www.elixirpresents.com.  
 
The concert is family friendly and the cost is by donation of food items, cash or check. Each dollar raised provides $8.50 of buying power at the Central Ohio Food Bank. For information on needed food items or if you are unable to attend but would like to donate, go to www.elixirpresents.com for details. All proceeds go to the Food for the Hungry campaign.
 
If you are unable to donate we ask invite you and your family to come to this event, as a Christmas gift to you from the musicians of Knox County and surrounding communities.
 
Foodstock is made possible through the efforts and support of Elixir Presents, the Ariel Foundation and the Mount Vernon Arts Consortium.
 
For more information, visit www.elixirpresents.com or call 740-392-3018.
 

​Mount Vernon –On Thursday November 18, the first person in history to accomplish the feat of receiving the Nobel Prize in two different disciplines will be the featured speaker at the Chautauqua Series. That person is Marie Curie and she will be portrayed by Tammy Souhrada, a seasoned Chautauqua performer. The program will be at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon) at 7 PM and is brought to you on a donation basis, with all monies going to the performers.
 
Learn of the fascinating life of the only woman to ever win two Nobel Prizes, physics and chemistry. She also developed a portable x-ray machine to help on the battlefield during World War I. Tammy will bring Marie Curie to life and into the world of Madam Curie.
 
Opening the program will be Bill Miller and his many acoustic instruments, playing and explaining music you though you knew about but now will learn so much more.
  
The Chautauqua Series is sponsored in part by a grant from the Ariel Foundation, The programs are intended for families, students and all who wish to know more about history in a family friendly, entertaining manner. Audiences will be able to ask questions at the end of each program.
 
NOTE: masks are required and will be provided and hand sanitizer will be available.
 
The remaining program for 2021:
 
December 6 – FOODSTOCK  (at the Knox Memorial Theater – Folk Fest – featuring the music of Peter, Paul & Mary, Joan Baez and music of the era)
 
For more information about these programs, visit www.elixirpresents.com, or you can call 740-392-3018. If you would like to receive a “Gentle Reminder” on the Sunday before each program contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com. 
 

Mount Vernon – Mark your calendars. Thursday November 11, Amelia Earhart will make a rare appearance, gracing the Chautauqua Series stage at The Grand Hotel (12 Public Square – Mount Vernon, Ohio). The program is brought to you by Elixir Presents and will feature Amy K. Stoner as Amelia Earhart, performing first person living history. The program is presented on a donation basis with all monies going directly to Amy and her opening act – Bob Ford, a musician that will teach you, entertainment and make you laugh. Not necessarily in that order.
 
Amy K. Stoner is no stranger to the Chautauqua stage, having made many appearances in roles ranging from Helen Keller to Gilda Radner to Aubrey Hepburn to Pocahontas. She is a director, actor and current President of the Mount Vernon Players.
Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences.
 
  
The Chautauqua Series is sponsored in part by a grant from the Ariel Foundation, The programs are intended for families, students and all who wish to know more about history in a family friendly, entertaining manner. Audiences will be able to ask questions at the end of each program.
 
NOTE: masks are required and will be provided and hand sanitizer will be available.
 
The remaining programs for 2021 are as follows: 
November 18 – Marie Curie (Tammy Souhrada) 
December 6 – FOODSTOCK  (at the Knox Memorial Theater – Folk Fest – featuring the music of Peter, Paul & Mary, Joan Baez and music of the era)
 
For more information about these programs, visit www.elixirpresents.com, or you can call 740-392-3018. If you would like to receive a “Gentle Reminder” on the Sunday before each program contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com. 

​Mount Vernon – “The People of mid-Ohio’s Pleasant Valley went on with their normal lives that cold and rainy spring of 1896, not knowing that young Ceely Rose was brooding.  She’d been told to forget her obsession with handsome Guy Berry. She’d been told about the danger of Rough-on-Rats poison. She’d heard about murdering those who stand in the way of love. By the time she was done, her family would be dead and others threatened.” So starts the description on the back cover of Mark S. Jordan’s new book, “The Ceely Rose Murders at Malabar Farm”.
 
For those familiar with the play “Ceely” that Mark wrote and directed, this story is familiar but now Mark has expanded the story with extensive research and gives as thorough an investigation into the murders as is possible in this day and age.
 
On Thursday, October 28, just in time for Halloween, Mark will enthrall the audience for this Chautauqua Series program. The presentation will occur at the Grand Hotel (12 Public Square in downtown Mount Vernon, Ohio). Jordan will present the findings of his research starting at 7 PM. There will be no opening musical act for this presentation.
 
Mark Jordan is a familiar face at the Chautauqua Series, having portrayed Orson Welles and Georg Friedrich Handel as well as sharing his research on an unsolved murder that occurred in Mount Vernon in the early 1900’s. He is an entertaining and dramatic speaker and is sure to leave the audience with a lot to think about in regard to Ceely Rose.
  
The Chautauqua Series is sponsored in part by a grant from the Ariel Foundation, The programs are intended for families, students and all who wish to know more about history in a family friendly, entertaining manner. Audiences will be able to ask questions at the end of each program. Each show is donation based, with all monies collected going to the performers. 
 
The schedule for 2021 is as follows: 
November 11 – Amelia Earhart (Amy K. Stoner) 
November 18 – Marie Curie (Tammy Souhrada) 
 
For more information about these programs, visit www.elixirpresents.com, or you can call 740-392-3018. If you would like to receive a “Gentle Reminder” on the Sunday before each program contact Mike Petee at elixir_petee@hotmail.com.