ASHLAND – The Nebraska Chautauqua Festival, planned for late summer in Ashland, has been postponed until next summer because of COVID-19 concerns, Humanities Nebraska (HN) announced Thursday.
Presented by HN, this year’s theme was “The Fifties in Focus,” and included family-friendly events, along with opportunities to learn more about that decade, and Chautauqua-styled presentations allowing the audience to interact with historic figures.
However, HN and the Ashland community will present programming and activities that will still allow for the exploration of the 1950s this summer, while staying socially distant. These include a DIY Fifties film festival, which is already available at NebraskaChautauqua.org.
Other programming and activities are expected soon.
This year’s event was to include a Fifties fashion show, a keynote address about President Dwight Eisenhower, and discussions on topics like rock-and-roll and the space race.
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Chautauqua-styled presentations on two historic figures of that era – Rosa Parks (portrayed by Becky Stone) and Thurgood Marshall (portrayed by Dr. Lenneal Henderson) – were also planned.
The Chautauqua event is held annually in different Nebraska communities. Last year’s event was held in Kearney.
“With another year to plan, there’s no telling how much more exciting ‘The Fifties in Focus’ will be in 2021,” said Chautauqua manager Kristi Hayek Carley.