Burton lauded for attracting history event

You’ve got to hand it to Burton Village for being chosen as a host community for the Ohio Chautauqua 2017 living history event.

After all, Burton earned the distinction of being one of just four Ohio communities selected by the Ohio Humanities Council as venues for the Ohio Chautauqua 2017 Tour this summer.

Making that accomplishment even more noteworthy is that it marks the second time in recent years that Burton has submitted a successful application to host the Ohio Chautauqua event.

We believe that Burton being picked to kick off the Ohio Chautauqua 2017 Tour June 6-10 is great news not only for the village, but everyone in Northeast Ohio who’s interested in history.

Ohio Chautauqua delivers history lessons in ways that can’t be provided by traditional textbooks.

At each stop on its yearly tour, Ohio Chautauqua presents a five-day community and cultural event that combines living history performances, music, education and audience participation.

For Ohio Chautauqua 2017, the theme is “The Natural World,” featuring scholars portraying the following:

• President Theodore Roosevelt;

• physicist and chemist Marie Curie;

• primatologist/activist and “Gorillas in the Mist” author Dian Fosse;

• “Frankenstein” author Mary Shelley; and

• Shawnee Chief Cornstalk (Hokoleskwa), who lived in Ohio and Kentucky in the time of the Revolutionary War.

The free-of-charge event, which Burton held previously in 2012, is expected to draw thousands of visitors from Ohio and Pennsylvania.

With “history putting on a show,” Ohio Humanities Program Coordinator Missy Ricksecker said the tour not only inspires conversations and opens minds, but also supports regional heritage and tourism.

We’re impressed at how Burton earned a host spot for the 2017 event by rising to the top of what was a very competitive field of applicants.

Ricksecker and Ohio Humanities Executive Director Pat Williamsen visited all 10 towns/cities that applied to host Ohio Chautauqua to determine which would ultimately serve as venues in 2017.

“It was really tough because there a lot of good communities out there that would have been a good fit, but we wanted to come here again,” Ricksecker said.

”Because we had such a variety of strength of application, we wanted to up our criteria.”

One attribute high on the list of qualifications for Ohio Chautauqua 2017 host communities was a strong sense of place and commitment to the city or village core.

“...Burton certainly fits that to a tee,” Ricksecker said.

It also helped that Burton had a track record with Ohio Chautauqua from hosting the event in 2012.

“Another thing was strong community support, and we knew Burton had that from last time,” she said.

“Burton has very strong civic engagement and that’s a key to a successful Chautauqua.”

Perhaps that type of support is reflected by Tom Ford, an Ohio Chautauqua enthusiast and Burton property owner. Ford said he enjoys the mixture of education and entertainment the event showcases.

“My family settled in town in 1807 and this will be a great thing for Burton,” he said.

“In the 1820s and ‘30s, and the early part of 19th century, this (Chautauqua) was the internet. It was education, it was music and it was talks by people from outside isolated farm towns. People got to see the rest of the world.

“It was everything all rolled into one for folks that didn’t get much education or entertainment.”

In addition, Ricksecker noted that Burton went above and beyond the Ohio Humanities Council’s expectations when Ohio Chautauqua came to the village in 2012.

“Burton has met our programs with additional programs, like complementary workshops, she said. “Not every community steps up the way Burton does.”

Credit also must go to everyone in Burton and/or Geauga County who helped put together a successful application and presentation that persuaded the Ohio Humanities Council to bring back Ohio Chautauqua to Burton in 2017.

Since Burton has hosted Ohio Chautauqua before, Geauga County Historical Society Board Member Bill Jackson said the organization knew what Ohio Humanities was looking for.

“We got very positive comments after the 2012 event, so we knew what they liked ,” Jackson said.

Clearly, Burton Village has what it takes to serve as a host community for the Ohio Chautauqua 2017 Tour.

The News-Herald salutes those people who helped in attracting the event, and encourages everyone to mark their calendars for June 6-10 and see history recounted in an entertaining and engaging manner.