Exciting News: Chautauqua-Wawasee’s 2025 Calendar of Events is Here!
We are thrilled to unveil our incredible lineup of programs for 2025! This year, Chautauqua-Wawasee has a mix of cherished favorites and exciting new events to engage, inspire, and bring our community together. From arts and culture to history and nature, there’s something for everyone!

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our 2024 Chautauqua Wawasee Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration Sponsors
Old Fashioned Christmas Seeking Volunteers
Chautauqua’s annual Old Fashioned Christmas will return bigger than ever on November 30, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
This extravagant event features Santa, 50-foot tree lighting, musical groups, caroling, live reindeer, a horse-drawn wagon ride, a family photo booth, six live characters such as Frosty, Grinch, Gingerbread Man, all done with the goal of keeping Christ in Christmas with a reading from Luke at the historic chapel, live nativity…and much more! Last
year, more than 1000 people attended this free community event! Read more about it HERE.
Sixty volunteers and performers are needed to make this event the best of its kind in all of northern Indiana.
Due to its growth in 2024, Chautauqua is looking for volunteers who want to join in the fun of putting on this community program. This year’s event starts at 5:30 with Christmas music prior to the tree lighting at 6:00 and ends at 8:00. Help is needed for decorating trees, staffing booths, welcoming guests, handing out free gifts, directing cars for parking and more.
If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities, please contact Kip Schumm at 574-518-0678.
Humble Gumption: Cam Shriver’s Insight on Myaamia Survival and History
By: Dave Berry, Chautauqua Wawasee
On a brisk September morning, about 40 people attended Cam Shriver’s presentation on the survival of the Myaamia people hosted by Chautauqua Wawasee.
Cam is a Senior Research Associate in the Myaamia Center at Miami University (Ohio).
His research focuses on Indigenous history with a particular emphasis on the Myaamia experience of the last four centuries. Cam’s discussion began by establishing the year 1846 as the reference point. 1846 is the year that 350 tribal members were removed from Indiana to Kansas. Part of the discussion focused on the various tactics used successfully by the U.S. government to coerce members of the Myaamia nation into ceding most of their land in Indiana to the United States before and after 1846.
The discussion quickly moved to a series of participant questions about Myaamia farming practices; Miami University’s help in the Miami Tribe’s efforts to re-awaken the dormant Myaamia language; and stories of tribal leaders Peepakicia (Papakeechie), Waawiyaasita (Wawasee) and their descendants.
Given the history of non-Native people pursuing their research detached from living Native Americans, some Myaamia officials have adopted the phrase: “Nothing about us, without us.” In this spirit, Cam summarized his approach to community-engaged scholarship as “humble gumption.” As a non-Myaamia person, he is humble enough to understand that Myaamia leaders have their own priorities, that the nation has limited resources, and that he is only one of many well-meaning people who request Myaamia perspectives. Yet, he still has the gumption to develop long-term relationships that enable him to collaborate and ally with the project of the Myaamia cultural renaissance.
Next year, Chautauqua Wawasee will host Logan York, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, at the WACF Ruddell Pavilion on September 6, 2025.
Cam suggests perusing the Myaamia community blog, Aacimotaatiiyankwi, as a good starting point for learning more about Myaamia history, culture, ecological perspectives, and events: https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/
And for those of you who can’t get enough history…
Take a look at this! Our three-day Digging Through History Series starts tomorrow! Get the full details HERE.
Kroemer, Lomax and Tse join Chautauqua Wawasee’s Board of Directors.
We are proud to announce, that in January 2024, Karen Kroemer, Erin Lomax, and Carmen Tse joined Chautauqua Wawasee’s Board of Directors.
Karen Kroemer is retired from a career in educational, non-profit, media, and corporate positions. She has served on six non-profit boards of directors in Northern Indiana and Indianapolis. Karen also portrays the nativity angel in Chautauqua Wawasee’s annual Old-Fashioned Christmas.
Erin Lomax designs online learning programs and has developed and led educational programs at various organizations including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Erin is an expert on Manatees and has also written four books.
Carmen Tse is a C.P.A. who has led financial management teams with many private and public companies in Northern Indiana. She has also served as an advisor or board member to six other non-profit organizations, primarily in the arts. Carmen also sings soprano in her church choir.
The current members of Chautauqua Wawasee’s Board of Directors are:
Melissa Buesching
Shelly Judy
Mark Knecht
Karen Kroemer
Larry Lane
Erin Lomax
Mary Moretto
Judy Pursley
Kip Schumm
Ann Strong
Carmen Tse
Chautauqua’s Annual Fundraising Campaign A Success
Chautauqua Wawasee’s once-a-year annual fundraising campaign concluded successfully on January 8. “Due to the generous contributions of Syracuse and Wawasee residents, we blew over the top of our 2024 goal”, a grateful Mark Knecht shared. “Grant funding and donations are the lifeblood of our ability to offer life-enriching programs, most of them free to attend”.
Chautauqua Wawasee develops and sponsors programs in support of the four Chautauqua “pillars”: Arts, Education, Faith, and Recreation. “Our goal is to make Syracuse and the region a great place to visit, work, live, and raise a family” cited Mark Knecht, the organization’s president. “As a non-profit organization, our annual campaign is a significant and critical component of our financial budget.”
Among the programs donations support are the: Purdue Varsity Glee Club on March 1, Taps Across the Water at Dusk on May 26, Patriotic Speaker series featuring Ben Franklin on June 30, Pawasee Dog Parade on June 22, Stories of the Miami Peoples on September 7, Famous Hoosier series featuring John Wooden July 13, Old Fashioned Christmas, and twelve other programs. The majority of Chautauqua programs are offered at no cost to attend, so the support provided by the annual campaign makes these programs possible. Our team of 60+ volunteers is also a key element of our success in 2023.
Chautauqua Wawasee was founded in 2014 to provide the “Chautauqua Experience” for the Syracuse and Northern Indiana region. As a 501c(3) non-profit organization, grants and donations are the primary sources of revenue to support and provide programming.
We are thrilled to announce the 2024 Chautauqua Wawasee event calendar! This year’s lineup is packed with exciting events and activities that are sure to delight all ages. From live music performances and theatrical productions to educational lectures and workshops, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Our team has worked tirelessly to curate a diverse and inclusive schedule that highlights the talents and interests of our local community. So mark your calendars and join us for another year of fun, learning, and community building with your friends at Chautauqua Wawasee!
During WACF’s Earth Day event in May, we focused on the Monarch butterfly with the help of Cindy Gackenheimer of Flutterby Gardens from Claypool and Kay Pylant from Leesburg. We want to inform you of a few future events that are a must if you are serious about growing a garden that attracts pollinators.
Cindy will host her annual Butterfly Extravaganza on August 5, from 4-6 p.m. She can be contacted at (574) 453-8390 for further details. Kay will also host a number of “How to Save our Pollinators” sessions during June and July. Kay can be contacted at (913) 638-6502. You can find and watch short videos where Cindy and Kay discuss Monarchs on the Chautauqua Wawasee YouTube channel by pressing here.