It’s almost like this year’s Chautauqua festival started out with a whimper insead of a bang. What a shame to see that what used to be such a major source of entertainment for the town and all it’s visitors has changed so much over the years. We used to get to see such great entertainers…Lorrie Morgan, George Jones, Dr. Hook…all gone now. I miss the wy it used to be, when everyone spent every free moment in the park, or in one of the workshops, or maybe just wandering through exhibits. Now it seems to have lost it’s glimmer, the park isn’t packed like it once was, the acts just aren’t there, and I honestly miss it all. I wa involved from the first year of the festival…got talked into selling balloons and painting faces…then my dance students performed year after year, then I performed in the Wohlfahrt Haus production of ‘Grease’ (the first time it ran, fantastic cast and choreography!).
Chautauqua has always meant a lot to me, and it just is not the same. As a member of the media, I did my best to try and help promote the festival, and thanks to Applebee’s you can hear daily updates on festival events on Z103.5 and Rock 102.5, so listen in to find out what good stuff there is to go to.
We need better sponsorship, better media coverage, better acts, and greater participation by vendors from everywhere, not just within the county.
This festival was started to promote the Arts and to increase tourism for Wythe County. I hope that those who attend Chautauqua buy plenty of Pepsi products in the park, that is like a direct contribution to next year’s entertainment.
I hope everyone who can do so will attend events and support the festival. I hope it grows and is successful for many years to come.
Beth Horne-Farmer

Considering that most people come here to post complaints, it is probably a positive indicator that there isn’t a lot of discussion about Chautauqua.  Little Texas opened on Saturday, and although I’m no connoisseur of country music, I think they’re a pretty big act.  I’ve been every day so far, and the attendance seems to be normal.  At lunch today there were quite a few people that came by just to eat (groups of nurses in their scrubs, people on lunch break, etc).

This year is just as exciting for me at Chautauqua as any year before… with the exception of the days I came to buy glow-in-the-dark necklaces, have my face painted, and to eat as many funnel cakes as I could afford with the money my parents gave me.

I walked into the food area Saturday on the way to the park to watch Little Texas, and the memories of those smells nearly took my breath away. I love this festival. In high school, I can remember only coming down to see my friends, careless of any events that were taking place. Now, after knowing exactly what kind of work, time and effort goes into an event like this, I’m proud to call it mine.

I love the people watchers, I love the kids playing in the dirty creek, I love the lights streamed across the trees, the flags draped all the way down Main St., I love it all. I even love that Chautauqua books smaller acts for entertainment. We’ve had wonderful entertainment in year’s past… but you must admit, it wasn’t in the prime of their careers. It was when they were thankful for performing for such a small crowd. I enjoy walking through the masses of people watching the show, and I know nearly every face will be a familiar one.

So again, I’m proud that we have a small, quaint festival to look forward to every summer.

Well, Beth…  I’m wondering where you’ve been and if you have even attended the festival this year.  Lorrie Morgan was here just last year, Little Texas this past Saturday… all FREE to the public..  Five2One kicked it last night. Granted they are a regional act but their performance was stellar!  There were roughly 4-5000 people in the park, and in the mud, Saturday night for Adam Tucker and Little Texas.  I suggest you go to http://www.wythevillefestival.org/ click on “Festival Guide” and see what all is going on at Chautauqua this year.  There are things going on all over town, all day, for EIGHT days from early morning to late at night.  There’s something for everybody, hence the name/theme Chautauqua:  consisting of various traveling shows and local assemblies , that provide popular education combined with entertainment in the form of lectures, concerts, and plays.

oh, I forgot.  This was on Channel 7 tonight.
http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=10583159 (transcript)

The Wytheville Enterprise has been on it too for whatever that is worth.

I agree.  Chautauqua didn’t feel very festive this year.  I look forward to this festival every summer and this year was kind of a let down.  The entertainment was so-so, but I’m glad they brought Chaz back for at least the first weekend.

I don’t feel that is was entirely the fault of the festival committee however.  The economy is tough now and even though the festival is “free,“ it’s really easy for a family to spend a lot of money there if they start buying food and snacks for their kids and such.

Highlights:

Becki the Balloon Lady.  She and Ken should be grandfathered in as annual attendees.  She twists balloons as well as anyone and brings a nice attitude to the festival.

Magic by Chaz.  Chaz might not be as great of a magician as can be found, but he is a friendly and genuine guy.  I wish they’d have him back more often.

Festival lows:

Captain Jim is Magic.  This guy is just “okay.“  Last year I was pretty impressed with his act.  His actual technique isn’t that great, but he has a lot of expensive props that make a nice kids show, and last year he really played the part of the children’s entertainer as Captain Jim.  This year was different.  With the addition of his ex-wife, soon to be re-wife, his act changed.  A lot of innuendo and inappropriate references to sex and bondage made me cringe.  If my kids were old enough to had understood what was going on, I would have been irate, but as it stands I just felt a little creeped out by his act.  I hope they never bring him back to Chautauqua.