Love for Lakeside Chautauqua

LAKESIDE — A lot has changed in the last 144 years.But what hasn't: A community nestled on Lake Erie's shores, tucked away from the rigors of everyday life, still provides people a place to live, lounge and learn.Lakeside Chautauqua's origins date back to 1873, when settlers, partaking in a westward migration movement, vacated metropolitan areas, such as New York City and Philadelphia. They instead opted for homes in more secluded locations.The pioneers wanted to create societies not only tolerating but also embracing all different types of education, culture, art and religion.Among the 350 communities founded on these principles included a quaint, undeveloped waterfront area near present-day Danbury High School.While the programming has evolved, Lakeside Chautauqua's fundamental beliefs have remained consistent since Day One."We're about nurturing the mind, body and spirit," said Kevin Sibbring, Lakeside Chautauqua's president and CEO. "That's still the case here today."Miles Webber, 9, smiles after assembling a sail for his pond boat on Thursday, June 29, 2017, at Lakeside Chautauqua.Activities aboundOn a recent weekday, hundreds of people crowded the Chautauqua streets.Children, seemingly acting out a Tour de France race, hopped on their bicycles and zipped down narrow streets named after trees and numbers. Some then pedaled down to Central Park, where they played basketball with friends and carved miniature wooden pond boats.Those hanging near a garden, filled with blooming and vibrant flowers, could easily hear laughter reverberating from a lakefront. Many families gathered at the beach, where some built sand-laden sea creatures, launched kayaks for an excursion around Lake Erie and cooled off by plunging into shallow water.Upon reading a novel or sipping on coffee, adults could spot the fun as they relaxed on a porch at Hotel Lakeside, a lodge debuting in the 19th century. It still manages to carry the mystique of a guest house housing guests from generations past.Whether over a smoothie at The Bluebird Café or purchasing a framed painting at Artists-N-Cahoots, anyone walking by a random shop's window can easily spot patrons and customers exchanging pleasantries.Literally, people in each and every section of the tight-knit community enjoyed themselves as they went about a routine day. Bret Johnson, from Lakeside Chautauqua's Wooden Boat Society gives Bekah Williams directions for making a pond boat at chautauqua's Central Park on Thursday, June 29, 2017.The scenes harken back to a simpler time in life when people focused more on camaraderie than computers. "This is a throwback, and some do think this is what living in America must have been like in the 1950s," Sibbring said. "We really do encourage people to disconnect from the fast pace of their everyday lives and get back to reconnecting with family and engage in the art of conversation."It's a routine occurrence during Chautauqua's peak season, spanning Memorial Day to Labor Day.Chautauqua primarily serves as a vacation destination for thousands of people who travel from all over Earth — including Australia, Ireland, Japan and various states across the U.S. — and visit the community during summers.It's also the home for about 1,000 people who signed 99-year lease agreements to live on the premises. Of those 1,000 people, about 200 of them live at Lakeside year-round with the remaining 800 treating their cottages as a secondary residence or a vacation home.Charlie Murphy, 8, works on making a pond boat during an activity at Lakeside Chautauqua on Thursday, June 29, 2017.Both population segments, however, blend as one when they take part in events underscoring Chautauqua ultimate goal: to nurture the mind, body and spirit.There's no shortage of ways to achieve that end.Outside the downtown district — home to quaint shops, unique restaurants and Ottawa County's only movie theater — and in addition to all-day, around-the-clock activities, such as swimming and boating, each day offers a wealth of featured activities.The events, marketed as both educational and entertaining, range from concerts at the historic Hoover Auditorium to comedy acts and musicial performances at the waterfront pavilion. There is also Tai chi, worship services, stargazing and guided tours, namely along a flower-filled waterfront walkway known as Ohio's Most Beautiful Mile.Chautauqua officials also frequently book and bring in reputable speakers for an ongoing lecture series about pertinent topics, such as algal blooms threatening Lake Erie's health. The conversations typically culminate in letting attendees know how to get involved so they can make a difference in and beyond Lakeside.Meanwhile larger festivals, such as the annual Fourth of July celebration and the recent Wooden Boat Show, help generate interest on a grander scale, introducing outsiders to Chautauqua's offerings in hopes of making them return visitors or possibly future leaseholders."This is like an amusement park for the mind," Sibbring said. "Lakeside Chautauqua encourages people to experience new things and then go back to their respective hometowns and make the world a better place through what they learned here."Day lilies bloom along the walking path, also known as Ohio's Most Beautiful Mile, at Lakeside Chautauqua on Thursday, June 29, 2017.Keeping up with the timesDespite the traditional setting and old-school philosophy, Chautauqua constantly offers something new. It's one reason why the historic district has endured for 14-plus decades and remains just one of about 15 Chautauqua-style communities still existing in the U.S. today.Among the more notable happening this year:• A $3.5 million fundraising campaign, with donations coming from Lakesiders, helped pay for a new, almost Olympic-size swimming pool. It's complete with water slides, zero-depth entry for small children and lanes for potential competitions.• As part of the fundraising initiative, construction continues at a new wellness center, located next to the pool, where people can participate in yoga and other exercise-related classes. The center should open by spring 2018.A fundraising campaign resulted in the opening of Lakeside Chautauqua's new pool in June. People living and vacationing at Lakeside raised more than $3 million to help pay for the complex.• At Hoover Auditorium, crews recently upgraded the speaker system to improve acoustics throughout the 2,800-seat arena. The improvements should also entice more marquee names to perform at Lakeside.• Some cosmetic updates also happened at Memorial Garden within Chautauqua Park, a popular spot where people's ashes are spread throughout a perennial garden.For 2018 and beyond, an ongoing master plan process aims to outline even more enhancements, in an efficient and effective manner."We are looking, very broadly and very directly, on how we Lakeside can remain relevant for future generations," Sibbring said.Construction continues at the wellness center in Lakeside Chautauqua on Thursday, June 29, 2017. By next spring, people can participate in yoga and other exercise-related classes there. Lakeside loveSpouses Celeste (Cook) and Bill Williams trace their roots back to Lakeside many decades ago.In fact, it's the very location where they first met, 45 years ago at the tennis courts, and got married, 35 years ago.Bill's great-grandparents built a cottage at Lakeside in 1908. Celeste, who is a master U.S. Coast Guard captain, founded the community's first sailing school 41 years ago. "Before that, boats weren't allowed at the dock," she said. "But the club helped at least five other activities that have (resulted from) that interest of boating."For the majority of their lives, the Columbus residents make the annual pilgrimage up north to spend their summers at Lakeside Chautauqua.They take part in many activities, including strolls along Ohio's Most Beautiful Mile, where views of both Put-in-Bay and Kelleys Island are clearly seen on a nice day."I love the richness of the community and what we can continually share and bring with each other every day," Celeste said. "When we walk through Lakeside, there is a general feeling and understanding that people accept each other. We welcome engagement. We welcome the exchange of ideas with each other. We support people we don't even know."Their considered two of Lakeside Chautauqua's ambassadors who embody the community's very spirit."It's a Christian community, but all faiths and all people are welcomes and invited," Celeste said. "That is the beauty of it, too. We are all different, but we really aren't because we are comfortable with each other. Lakeside is a place to accept those differences of people because Lakeside is a place for everybody."Located within Lakeside Chautauqua's premises, the Hoover Auditorium, which hosts many popular entertainers and musical acts, just received a whole new sound system. The improved acoustics could entice more marquee names to perform from there.What is Lakeside Chautauqua?Here's a quick summary of what Lakeside Chautauqua offers:Many families are searching for a vacation destination to rest, renew and reconnect. For more than 140 years, Lakeside Chautauqua has welcomed all ages to take part in a Chautauqua experience dedicated to nurturing mind, body and spirit.There's no place quite like Lakeside. It's a historic community on Lake Erie that offers cultural, intellectual, spiritual and physical learning opportunities in the summer. Quaint shopping, unique restaurants and a variety of accommodations complete the experience. You can also retreat to Lakeside during the peaceful months of fall, winter and spring.It's our mission to enrich the quality of life for all people, to foster traditional Christian values and to nurture relationships through opportunities for renewal and growth while preserving Lakeside's heritage.For more information, visit lakesideohio.com or call 419-798-4461.Source: Lakeside ChautauquaA fundraising campaign resulted in the opening of Lakeside Chautauqua's new pool in June. People living and vacationing at Lakeside raised more than $3 million to help pay for the complex.Ohio Historical Marker: Lakeside "the Chautauqua on Lake Erie"Established in 1873, Lakeside is a pioneer of the American Chautauqua Movement, one of the greatest revival movements in United States history which flourished in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Founded by the Methodist Church, Lakeside is one of the few existing Chautauqua communities that remain and thrive today. Each summer, the late-Victorian community provides spiritual, cultural, intellectual, and recreational programs designed to nurture the mind, body, and spirit. It draws visitors from across the country and around the world for its Chautauqua program. Lakeside is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.Source: Ohio History ConnectionChildren create pond boats with help from members of the Wooden Boat Society on Thursday, June 29, 2017, at Lakeside Chautauqua.Flowers line a mile-long walking path at Lakeside Chautauqua on Thursday, June 29, 2017. The path is considered Ohio's Most Beautiful Mile.The mile-long walking path at Lakeside Chautauqua is considered Ohio's Most Beautiful Mile.A fundraising campaign resulted in the opening of Lakeside Chautauqua's new pool in June. People living and vacationing at Lakeside raised more than $3 million to help pay for the complex.Construction crews work on building the Wellness Center at Lakeside Chautauqua on Thursday, June 29, 2017. By next spring, people can participate in yoga and other exercise-related classes there.