Chatauqua in the Park (and Dictionary)

Going to the Chatauqua at Simpson Park in Chillicothe is something I have memories of from way back. The chatauqua holds such an important place in my heart that I had to come back to visit it. Saturday afternoon some friends and I loaded up the car and hit the road to Chillicothe where we had an enjoyable evening of looking at the vendors’ wares, watching the Mic-O-Say dancers, and eating cotton candy.

Picture from Chillicothe Parks & Recreation Website

As my friends and I were walking along the paths looking at crafts and artists set up drawing or airbrushing designs on kids, we reminisced about past chatauquas. We remembered coming to watch puppet shows and listening to storytellers. As we passed the blow up boucy houses, we couldn’t help but be a little sad we were grown up.

Now that we’re older we notice different things. We saw crafters making things using old-fashioned techniques, such as spinning and broom making, and we saw other artists using creative new ideas in their goods. One thing we hadn’t thought much of until now was what does Chatauqua really mean?

Chatauqua is a word of the Seneca Native American tribe. There is some variation of what it actually means, but essentially it is the name describing a place on Chatauqua Lake in western New York. This is where the first “Chatauqua” was held. During the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, chatauquas, or local festivals with entertaining and educational aspects, were very popular. Today chatauquas may not be as popular, but our Chatauqua in the Park is still an important part of our culture and community.