Our 2021 Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration was a HUGE success!
Thank you to all who volunteered, donated, and attended! Because of YOU, this evening was magical!
Please enjoy this slideshow and we hope to see each and every one of you next year.
Make sure to visit us on Facebook to stay up to date on all of our events!
Chautauqua-Wawasee is hosting an evening with author and peace-seeker Cliff Kindy, an Indiana organic farmer. His book Resurrection Peacemaking recounts his thirty years working with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), facing violent, unjust regimes in Iraq, Colombia, Israel/Palestine, Nigeria, Mexico and other trouble spots around the world. Cliff and other CPT volunteers have repeatedly put their lives on the line as they chose to accompany targeted and beleaguered indigenous people who were striving to end violent occupation and warfare in their own lands. This striving is not only for far-away peoples. It is for us.
Cliff says, “Why will people be willing to risk their lives to confront violence or injustice? For me, that willingness is grounded in the gospel story of Jesus’ resurrection. For others, it will be based in love and goodness. Nonviolence for me is powered by the spirit of resurrection on Easter; it topples empires. But it also exposes the practitioner to transformation; all parties are transformed, or better, ‘plowshared’. Are we willing to nurture our imaginations and take the risks required to replace violence with nonviolence? If so, how would this change America, in terms of policing, politics, wars, family disputes, mass killings, and criminal justice?”
In this workshop, Cliff will…
1. Share some direct encounters that CPTers have had with violence and injustice;
2. Explain why nonviolent tools are better than violent methods, by any measure, including effectiveness, cost, availability and consequences.
What: Presentation, discussion, and workshop
Where: Syracuse, Indiana, Oakwood Resort, Event Center
When: October 6, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Free to attend. Registration requested, but not required…helps us plan room size.
To register go to www.CHQW.org or call Debbie at 574-377-7543 or go to Facebook.com/ChautauquaWawasee
Or, you may register at Eventbrite BY CLICKING THIS LINK.
Chautauqua-Wawasee is repeating last year’s successful “Lake Wawasee, Then & Now” presentation by local historian Ann Garceau of the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum.
As Ann shares interesting stories about historic structures that stood around the lake, you will be able to better visualize them with the aid of a provided pamphlet, Then and Now, picturing what you are hearing about while enjoying what is built there now. Among places that Ann highlights will be the numerous hotels, marinas, entertainment venues, neighborhoods and historic homes.
This event will sell-out so buy your tickets early.
Boarding begins at 12:45 at The Frog Tavern.
What: 2-hour Lake Wawasee Cruise
When: October 7, 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Where: The Frog Tavern, Syracuse, Indiana
Tickets: $25 and can be purchased HERE.
An Abe Lincoln re-enactor, Danny Russel provided an entertaining and often moving presentation of Lincoln’s life. He cited specific important events, such as the death of two of his children, and his introduction to slavery. He ended with a moving recitation of the Gettysburg Address. The program was part of Chautauqua-Wawasee’s Patriot Days program honoring Independence Day. This presentation, along with a Patriotic Pops concert by Wagon Wheel Symphony of the Lakes was moved indoors to Wawasee High School’s auditorium due to rain. More than 300 local residents enjoined the two events.
Please enjoy this article published by inkfree news.
Chautauqua-Wawasee and Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum are collaborating to offer the third annual series of three programs that explore the history of Native Americans in northeastern Indiana. The three programs are presented over a three-day period, September 2-4, with the first two one-hour programs held at the Syracuse Community Center; the third program will be held from 9:00AM to noon on Saturday, September 4, at the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation pavilion. All programs are offered free of charge and open to the public. Each program features presenters with expert knowledge and provides an interactive environment for discussion and hands-on examination of artifacts.
This year’s programs are:
Thursday, September 2, 6:30 – 7:30 at the Syracuse Community Center
Dr. Jeff Pyle will discuss and display a portion of the renowned Fred Bartol Collection of Prehistoric Indian Artifacts. This is one of the finest collections of mid-west pre-historic Indian relics. It was compiled by Warsaw’s Fred Bartol, who began collecting at a young age and collected his entire life. Upon his death in 1972, the collection was packed up and put away until Dr. Jeff Pyle acquired it in 2019.
Friday, September 3, 6:30 – 7:30 at the Syracuse Community Center
Notre Dame professors and researchers, Dr. Mark Schurr and Dr. Madeleine McLeester will be speaking about what archaeologists know about northern Indiana from the very first humans to settle here over 10,000 years ago through the historic occupations of the Potawatomi and Miami, with a special focus on Kosciusko County. The speakers will also present some new results from their ongoing research, the Kankakee Protohistory Project, which investigates how past societies used the Kankakee Marsh environment as well as changes to the marsh itself through time. Join us as for an evening filled with everything from woolly mammoths to sprawling mound centers, and uncover Indiana’s unique and rich archaeological past.
Saturday, September 4, 9:00 – Noon at the Wawasee Area Conservancy Ruddell Pavilion
Five individual programs are being offered:
Myaamia (Miami Native American) Plant Traditions 9:00 – 10:30
Led by Dani Tippmann at WACF Amphitheater
Follow Myaamia history as we look at the lives of the plants who accompany us on our journey through time. [See insert for more details]
French Influence in the Area 10:30 – Noon
Led by Joe Zdziebko
Joe Zdziebko, dressed as a 1750s French Marine will display and discuss his equipment, uniform, musket, furs, maps, etc. He will also talk about old sayings that are still used today. [See insert for more details]
Flintknapping Hands-on 10:30 – Noon
Led by Jeff Mesaros
Want to know how native American artifacts were made by hand? Jeff Mesaros will show you how. And here’s your chance to try making one!
Kayak Display 10:30 – Noon
Led by Mike Smith
Mike will display and describe his hand-built 17-foot sea kayak.
Archaeological Dig for Children 10:30 – Noon
Led by Jamie Clemons
Through this hands-on activity, students will “dig” for artifacts, documenting findings through drawings and notes.
This Festival brings together 30 local and regional artists from around the northern Indiana area.
The outdoor setting provides a family-friendly environment. Food vendors are onsite for snacks and lunch, with outside seating available. Also, the Pier and Back Porch at Oakwood offers a full menu with both indoor and outdoor lakefront dining overlooking beautiful Lake Wawasee. Children’s activities and playground are available. Attendance is free. Stop by our booth for a giveaway.
What: Oakwood Fine Art Festival
When: June 12, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Where: Oakwood Resort, Syracuse, Indiana
Free to attend. Registration requested, but not required
Don’t forget to stop by the Chautauqua tent for a giveaway!
To honor Memorial Day, Chautauqua-Wawasee and Syracuse American Legion Post 223 are working
together to organize “Taps Across the Water at Dusk” for a May 30 th event.
The playing of Taps will be performed in synchrony by more than thirty buglers positioned strategically around Lake Wawasee,
Syracuse Lake and Papakeechie Lake so it’s audible to all lake residents and boaters.
The organizers are seeking buglers who wish to participate by performing in the event. Interested buglers should contact
Debbie Yankosky at 574-377-7543 or Chris Longenbaugh at 574-529-0566 for more information.
Sponsored by: Oakwood Foundation Chautauqua-Wawasee, a 501-c3 non-profit organization provides
life-enriching experiences in support of the Arts, Education, Faith, and Recreation. To learn more see
http://www.chautauquawawasee.org or our Facebook site.
John Edgerton of Shelbyville, Michigan returns to Syracuse for a second workshop to explore wholistic, resilient, sustainable techniques for gardening and small farming. He will share his experience and practical knowledge on the importance of healthy soil, healthy plants, and helpful insect habitats. Other topics will include variety selection and ways to account for climate-related imbalances of diseases and insects. He will share what others in the bioregion are doing to address these issues. The Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation and the Syracuse-Wawasee Garden Club are jointly sponsoring this program with Chautauqua-Wawasee.
What: One hour presentation, followed by deeper discussion.
When: April 24, 1:00 – 4:00
Where: Syracuse Community Center, 1013 N. Long Dr, Syracuse, Indiana
Cost: Free to the Public. Please register to help us estimate attendance.
About the Presenter
John Edgerton lives with his partner and fellow farmer, Amy Newday. Together, they have done both market gardening and community-supported agriculture. John has done dozens of workshops on gardening and seed saving, most recently, at conferences sponsored by the Michigan Food and Farm Alliance, Michigan Integrative Food and Farming Systems, and KEEP GROWING DETROIT. He and Amy have worked with the Inter-Tribal Food Summit to grow out and repatriate several varieties of indigenous Northern Flint Corn. They also work with a network of northern gardeners to perform grow-out trials of Upland Rice varieties to determine suitability for our northern bioregion. John and Amy co-taught a course for seniors at Kalamazoo College on “Slow Farming” a form that is committed to limited and appropriate technology. John co-founded a local community garden in Martin, MI. He has also served as a schoolteacher in the Martin Michigan public school, and, long ago, at The Learning Center, a parent-teacher non-public cooperative elementary school, in Fort Wayne.
Chautauqua-Wawasee is proud to present the 2021 Patriot’s Day Celebration.
Lincoln re-enactor, Danny Russel, brings Lincoln’s wonderful humor, honesty, love of learning, mastery of language, and empathy for his fellow man to life in a one-hour presentation on the lawn at Oakwood Resort.
Chautauqua-Wawasee invites you to start the Patriot’s Day celebration with Lincoln’s tour-de-force at 4:30, then have dinner at Oakwood’s Pier & Back Porch lakeside restaurant, then return to the lawn for the annual 7:30 Patriotic Pops concert by the Wagon Wheel Symphony of the Lakes Orchestra. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Stop by our tent to receive a free patriotic gift.
What: Lincoln performance by Danny Russel
When: June 27, 4:30 – 5:30
Where: Oakwood Resort, Syracuse, Indiana
Tickets: Free
See www.ChautauquaWawasee.org or follow us on Facebook or call 574-377-7543