National Post (National Edition)
Summer jewel
Adult education has never been so bucolic as in Chautauqua, N.Y.
The guy strolling past me on Bester Plaza is saying wonderingly to his pal, “It’s just like a little village.” And it’s true — Chautauqua Institution, in Chautauqua, N.Y., has a lot of village-like elements. The houses, for one. Many are 19th-century gothic revival homes in charmingly named styles: carpenter, steamship, Moorish-gothic. There’s so much gingerbread in evidence your teeth practically ache. Then there’s the plaza itself, a several-block-long swath of green where well-bred children and dogs frolic, a fountain splashing nearby. A handsome library anchors one end, close by the ice cream shop and coffee kiosk.
Regulars are positively lyrical about Chautauqua. “A step back in time,” “a utopian environment,” even “paradise” are typical descriptions. Ask them what it is that attracts them and you’ll get answers such as, “It’s a place for community, a place for sharing” or “What I love about this place is there’s something for every age group.”
These testimonials don’t hint at what Chautauqua is at heart: a Norman Rockwellesque sleep-away camp for grown-ups looking for a vacation that is the antithesis of a potboiler and a beach. Instead, it’s a place to pack in compelling lectures and readings and panels all day long, then catch some culture — maybe a play or opera or orchestral performance — in the evening. And it’s a camp with day care: there’s programming for kids from ages three up to 15.
Founded in 1874 as a Methodist Sunday school assembly, Chautauqua has morphed into a con-ed haven “dedicated to the exploration of the best in human values and the enrichment of life.” In practical terms, that translates to each of the season’s nine weeks having a theme (“Our Elegant Universe,” “Markets, Morals and the Social Contract”), addressed in lectures by big-deal speakers.
This year’s season, which begins today, includes George Packer, David Brooks, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Robert Kagan. These and three dozen others will take to the stage every weekday morning at 10:45 in the “Amp,” a 7,000-capacity, open-air amphitheatre that is the heart of the 750-acre site. By then the committed Chautauquan could have attended a meditation session, picked up fresh produce at the onsite farmers’ market, then attended the 9 a.m. service.
Given Chautauqua’s roots, it’s not surprising that religion is one of the institution’s four program areas, along with education, arts and recreation. There’s no pressure on heathens to attend any of the religious events, just as no one’s going to force you onto the 18-hole golf course or into the lake. But the visiting ministers — there’s a different one each week — tend to be so dynamic that I’ve found myself wanting to go. Last summer a friend visiting for the first time was also drawn to the Amp for the morning services — and she’s Jewish.
Another legacy of the institution’s history is the absence of watering holes. The handful of restaurants is licensed to serve beer and wine, but after the evening’s main performance, Chautauquans don’t head to the bar — there aren’t any — but to the ice cream shop.
Few of those queuing for their mint chocolate chip fix are Canadian. On any given day, there are roughly 7,500 people in residence. Strangely, given Chautauqua’s proximity to southern Ontario — it’s about a three-hour drive from Toronto, an hour east of Buffalo — just 1 to 2% of them are Canadian. This isn’t entirely surprising, since the institution has all the profile of a doormat here, although at one time prominent families like the Masseys were regulars.
Chautauqua could do with an infusion of new visitors, since the demographic skews toward retirees. One indication: the free “seniors’” rate kicks in at ... 90. The Friday night entertainment is another clue, tending toward vintage groups such as the Beach Boys or the Village People. Last year the Temptations were a big draw. One member spent the whole set bopping away seated on a stool; he was recovering from a hip replacement.
Still, multi-generation families are common, and there are lots of kids — enrolment in the day programs for youngsters and teens tops 500 a day. Some are staying in heritage “cottages” that may have been passed down through generations, but other visitors are bunked down in B & Bs, condos, apartments or rental houses.
Perhaps the most spectacularlooking choice is the iconic Athenaeum Hotel, opened in 1881. A handsome Second Empire structure with a two-storey porch overlooking the lake, and the rockers to go with it, its eclectic roster of famous guests includes Bill Clinton and nine other U.S. presidents, Susan B. Anthony and Sandra Day O’Connor. Double rooms here start around $350 a night, including three meals.
At the other end of the scale are the dozen or so “denominational houses” that offer bargain-rooms space, with first dibs going to clergy and missionaries. The groups represented list heavily to the Protestant, but also include Catholic, Christian Science and Reform Jewish facilities. Amenities vary from elevators, air conditioning and three meals a day (Presbyterian House, roughly $650 per person a week) to BYO fan and bedding, skip down the hall to the shared bathroom (Ecumenical Community, about $125 per person a week).
Personally, I like to think that the spartan rooms underscore the message that Chautauqua isn’t for lollygagging about inside — a notion founders John Vincent and Lewis Miller would have endorsed. What’s different today is that it’s no longer mandatory to attend all events, but given their appeal, you’ll want to.