CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — Chautauqua Institution today announced the Winter Village at Chautauqua, set to launch Nov. 24 and running on weekends through New Year’s Eve. A new family-oriented initiative, the Winter Village showcases Chautauqua’s picturesque grounds and boutique shops, restaurants, spas and other businesses in a celebration of the joy and fellowship of the holiday season. Highlights include a holiday lighting display across Bestor Plaza, activities for children including visits from Santa, holiday shopping, treat-decorating classes, food and drink, outdoor fire pits and special events every weekend.

The Winter Village at Chautauqua will be held over five weekends from Nov. 24 to Dec. 31 (excluding Dec. 22 to 24) on the Institution’s grounds, from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission and parking are free for all weekends. A special “Light the Plaza” opening-night event will commence the festivities — and showcase the enhanced lighting display — at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24.

“Our grounds are a tremendous but underutilized year-round destination, and the Winter Village is a major first step as we seek to expand Chautauqua’s reach and world-class offerings beyond our usual summer season,” said Michael E. Hill, president of Chautauqua Institution. “We are excited to invite and welcome our friends and neighbors to help write a new chapter in the Chautauqua story, and to create new family traditions and memories.”

Each weekend’s activities will be centered on Bestor Plaza, the Institution’s town square, including the holiday lighting display, beverages and snacks with outdoor fire pits, horse-drawn sleigh or wagon rides, and opportunities to meet or write letters to Santa.

In addition to the standard offerings, on selected dates, patrons can partake in Breakfast with Santa, Holiday Treat Decorating Classes with award-winning chefs, Wine Tastes and Small Plates pairing events, a Holiday Wreath Auction and Men’s Holiday Shopping Nights, along with a number of Chautauqua community events. See chq.org/winter for more details; pre-registration is required for some events.

Shopping experiences each weekend include: books and gifts at the Chautauqua Bookstore; stocking stuffers at the Pop Up Candy Shop; regionally sourced and organic products at Biodome Project; clothing and gifts at Chautauqua Wearhouse and GG My Love; salon and spa services and products at Vincenza and the St. Elmo Spa; and original fine art and photography at Gretchen’s Gallery.

Lunch and dinner will be served at the restaurants 2 Ames and La Familia, with lighter fare and hot beverages available from vendors on the plaza and the Full Moon Rising Bakery.

Overnight accommodations can be reserved at the Maple Inn or Spencer Hotel and Spa, just steps from Bestor Plaza.

Chautauqua and its restaurant partners are also able to accommodate catered office parties and other holiday social gatherings in several centrally located spaces around Bestor Plaza. Weekday and weekend dates are still open — contact 716-357-6306 or wintervillage@chq.org for availability and pricing.

For more information on the Winter Village at Chautauqua, or to register yourself or your family for special events, visit chq.org/winter. Admission is free for all weekends; free parking will be available in the South Lot on the Institution grounds, accessible via South Avenue at Route 394. A complimentary shuttle service to Bestor Plaza will be provided.

That was the result of Wednesday night’s Chautauqua County Legislature meeting in Mayville, where lawmakers amended a resolution allocating $100,000 for the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance, adding language that prohibits any of the money from being used for the purchase or application of herbicides in the lake.

The decision came after a dozen different people addressed the legislature to speak out against the use of Herbicides on the lake. The concerns were brought up after a small portion of Bemus Bay was treated with the herbicides Aquathol K and Navigate (also known 24D) at the end of June by the Chautauqua Lake Partnership, a member of the alliance which had received permission from the state DEC to move forward with herbicide treatment to combat the large amount of weeds in that area of the lake.

Among those who spoke was Maple Springs resident and retired teacher Jane Conroe, who said no other herbicide use should take place until the impact of the recent herbicide application is fully known.

“This is a science experiment in progress,” Conroe said. “24D is not going anywhere for about three years. It is in the sediment of Bemus Bay. It’s half-life is 186 days and the plants continue to adsorb the 24D for as long as its there in the sentiment. So about three years from now, there’s still going to be a quarter of a ton of 24D in the sediment of Bemus Bay.”

Chautauqua Institution resident John Dilly also voiced concern, saying that he was puzzled that the state gave permission to use the Navigate herbicide, despite it being banned elsewhere.

“Massachusetts did a similar study of 24D and recommended that it not be used in any pond or lake that fed a drinking water source,’ Dilly said. “Also, there’s multiple provinces in Canada that have banned 24D and multiple countries in Europe. So I don’t understand why if the local plan for the lake said don’t use this, how it still got to be used.”

Dilly was referring to the Chautauqua Lake Management Plan of 1990, which provided information on how to combat weeds in the lake, and also stated that the herbicide 24D should not be used.

Chautauqua Institution gets its drinking water supply from the lake. Chautauqua Representative John Shedd urged the legislature that the Department of Environmental Conservation and local science committee hold a forum to sort out there opposing views on herbicide use, before any further application takes place.

“We are asking the legislature to advocate for the DEC to create a forum where the important points of disagreement are vetted with all interested parties at the table. We suggest that no further use of herbicides, or testing  be pursued until the disagreements are vetted and understood by all parties,” Shedd said.

Others who spoke out against the use included representatives of the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy and the Conewango Creek Watershed Association, noting that the herbicide poses negative consequences for animals and plants not only in the application area, but also in other areas of the watershed.

Later in the meeting, the legislature considered a funding resolution for the alliance, to apply $100,000 of bed tax money to be used for various projects and other expenses that may come up from the alliance and its members. Prior to voting on the resolution, legislator Mark O’Dell (R-Portland) offered an amendment that stated the money could not be used for the purchase or application of herbicides on Chautauqua Lake.

Legislator George Borrello (R-Irving), who’s also running for County Executive, reminded the legislator that even with such an amendment in place, herbicides could still be used on the lake.

“The alliance is not solely funded by this legislative body. they receive funds from other source,” Borrello Said. “There for us to restrict this money really doesn’t do anything, because at the end of the day they can say we didn’t use your money, we used the other money. I know this for a fact because I’ve had similar situations like there, where unless we 100 percent fund that body, there’s no way for to designate that they can not use herbicides. I bring this up because while this is certainly a nice gesture, it really does nothing.”

Legislator Paul Whitford (D-Jamestown) responded to Borrello’s comment, saying that the amendment would send a message to the residents and lake organizations.

“We need to send a clear message to the alliance that we do not approve of this, and I will be voting for this to send that message. It may not make a difference on what money they spend, as far has herbicides, but this legislature needs to let them understand that we stand with the populus here when it comes to the herbicide issue.”

Following discussion, the legislature approved the herbicide amendment by a vote of 17 to 0.

The final version of the funding resolution was approved 13 to 4, with some legislators concerned about giving money to the alliance without first knowing the specific purposes for its use.

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There is no question that the Chautauqua Institution is not only a gift to our county, but so too, deserves the world class reputation it has earned over more than a century as a seat for intellectual discourse and creative artistic presentations.

You’d be hard pressed to find any other center of learning like it, anywhere in the world.

…and the announcement earlier this week of the end of year retirement of its president, Tom Becker, should give us pause to reflect on his accomplishments and say to him as a community, “Thank you”.

I am troubled, however, by the planned demolition of the historic amphitheater in order to replace it with a modern version. I have followed the discussion for the past year, as presented in the media, as proponents of restoration have built….I believe….a strong case for retaining the existing theater and rehabbing it at a much less expensive price tag than the new plan calls for….A reported $42 million.

Here are my thoughts.

One thing that has always challenged me about the Institution is their limited interaction with Jamestown and the missed opportunities to develop “off-season” programming for a population of children largely economically disadvantaged.

Though over the years, they have solicited and received monies from the Jamestown based Foundation community (in the millions I might add) my personal experience some 12 years ago when I first came to our community to serve as CEO of the Gebbie Foundation, troubles me to this day.

I was invited to and attended a luncheon with their senior staff and a few board members. Being new to the position and only having a cursory knowledge of the Institutions value and import, it was suggested by my bosses that I accept the invitation, visit the Institution and ask a simple question.

That question was, “what can we do to have the Institution program more broadly in the Jamestown community, especially in the “off-season?”

The response I received was unanimous….as several persons attending the luncheon spoke to the same basic answer.

“To experience Chautauqua, one needed to be inside the walls of the Institution”

What troubles me about that idea is that “one” would think, that given their reputation and stature around the world, they would look at their local role in broader terms….feel some level of responsibility to help uplift and educate those children who might otherwise go a lifetime without hearing a concert, see a ballet or learning from the lecture series…all of which are unparalleled.

To give them credit, they have partnered with the Reg Lena, the Jackson Center, WRFA and many other local organizations for decades….yet, off season programming designed to nurture and expand the minds of Jamestown’s most vulnerable citizens (our children) has been relatively non-existent.

Is it their job to play a part in such an effort? I believe it is. After all, they are a part of our community, too.

If it was possible to raise some $42 million to replace the historic amphitheater from donors who believe that it is the correct step to take, then how tough would it be to create an “off-season” fund for specially designed programming benefitting the community’s children….in effect playing an important role in building new generations of local residents whose appreciation of the arts and letters presented there, guarantee future supporters…..and wouldn’t it help build better citizens in the long run?

Whenever legacies are discussed….regardless of the individual or organization being touted at the time, those who will stand out are not the ones who confine their efforts to a limited constituency, but rather reach out to those whose need for those gifts is obvious…and well outside a limited definition of who their beneficiaries are.

Experiencing Chautauqua should not be limited to what happens inside the walls of the Institution…especially for children who will never see a play, lecture, dance, concert or any other of the wonderful offerings presented there, unless nurtured to appreciate.

Because so much financial support has been awarded to them by Jamestown based foundations for decades, and in order to play a part in building a stronger local community, choose instead to rehabilitate and restore the existing historic amphitheater and take a few of the millions raised to teach our children during their school year (the institution’s off season).

Open the gates to Chautauqua’s valuable programming…let it out for our children to experience.

Legacy is built and sustained by the gifts that are given to those who otherwise will never know…and without the Chautauqua Institution reaching out in a generous way, many of our children will never know….and ultimately….care even less.

I’m John Merino and this is American Chronicles.

American Chronicles is a bi-weekly locally produced feature on WRFA written and produced by retired Gebbie Foundation CEO, John C. Merino. Currently, John is an Adjunct Professor of Micro-Economics, Organizational Management, and 20th Century World History at Mercyhurst University. American Chronicles airs twice monthly, Friday mornings at 7:15 and Friday Afternoons at 4:35. American Chronicles features original stories (partly fact and partly fiction), commentary on local, state , national, world conditions and more.

Find past episodes at www.wrfalp.com/tag/american-chronicles/

Image from CIWeb.org.

(Note: The following is a submitted Media Release from Chautauqua Institution)

CHAUTAUQUA – The Chautauqua Institution Board of Trustees voted Saturday to let design plans for a renewal of its Amphitheater go out to bid. Board Chairman Jim Pardo called the decision “the best guarantee for the sustainability and growth of Chautauqua Institution’s mission and its reputation as a place where ideas are shaped, audiences are inspired and a community is engaged. It is a vote that positions our entire Institution for the next 100 years.”

The decision follows an eight month intensive process that included a review of the study group work and findings begun in 2010, the addition of information from outside historic preservation experts, and opinions and ideas heard from the community during this past season’s weekly public forums.

Pardo said he understood the sensitivity around any structure with the history and tradition of the Amp.  “The feedback during the past eight months included critics and equally emphatic supporters of change.  We listened and learned from all we heard,” Pardo said.

 Board Chairman Pardo said today’s action involved three key steps:

• Reaffirming goals for the Amp, including guaranteeing safety and accessibility, respecting audiences and performers and honoring the Amp’s history of place and purpose.
• Authorizing the Chautauqua staff to put the project out to bid to learn the actual cost. The Board still must vote on accepting bids and moving forward with the construction. The vote is expected at the Board’s November 7 meeting.
• Instructing Chautauqua’s administrative team to seek the necessary permits for the project from the town of Chautauqua.

Pardo said private donors have stepped up in dramatic fashion, pledging more than $33 million for the Amp project, nearly meeting fundraising goals. Pardo said he is confident those goals will be met.

Chautauqua Institution President Tom Becker put the Amp project on hold in January, asking the board for time to consult with preservation experts, re-engage and gain additional input and ideas from the Chautauqua community and review the project’s design and timeline.

During this period, the Institution engaged the National Park Service Office of Preservation Assistance and was guided by their recommendations. The Institution named an independent panel of historic preservation experts; redoubled its efforts to seek preservation-specific engineering counsel; produced regular written updates; created web access to previous reports and information; released to the public the reports and studies additionally commissioned; further explored the feasibility for retaining parts of the current structure; and led 27 community engagement sessions during the just completed 2015 summer season.

“We have actively sought input from our stakeholders from the inception of the project in 2010, and we continue to listen carefully,” Becker said.  “Renewing the Amp is the most definitive statement the Chautauqua Institution can make to support our vision, to honor our cultural tradition, and to preserve Chautauqua Institution’s legacy as a place of community and assembly.”

Becker said that he believed the renewed amphitheater will enhance Chautauqua’s ability to attract global opinion leaders and thought leaders for the lectures that make the Amp famous and a facility that will allow the classical arts, endangered in so many places, to thrive at Chautauqua.

“Today we have been given the opportunity to design a place that is also safe, accessible, and respectful of audiences, artists, speakers and clergy, a place that recognizes and can respond to the constant evolution of its content. It is a design intended to give Chautauqua what it  needs and does not have today–the flexibility to create and respond to ideas and opportunities not yet imagined, but sure to be a part  of the coming century,” according to Becker.

“It’s about the work. The Amp is more than a building,” said Becker.   “It is the programs that take place there and the experiences audience members have when they attend those programs. The true Amp brand is the history, the traditions and the cultural contributions it has made and will continue to makeas the heart and soul of Chautauqua Institution. That is the legacy we’re preserving with this project.”