Day Seven – June 24, 2018 – Chautauqua Institution

The night was a little rocky, but morning comes and it’s a new day. Nick starts the coffee and as people begin appearing, he works on scrambled eggs with onions, cheese, and tomatoes, and bacon. Great way to start the day!

Since our first event doesn’t start until eleven, we have time to prepare another grocery list and make a Wegman’s run. Nick, Betsy, and I make the trek to this grocery extravaganza!

Lots of olives!

Cookies!

So many kinds of nut milks!

We get home in plenty of time to put away the groceries, grab something for lunch, and set out to the Athenaeum to see the klezmer concert by Simply Tsfat. It’s in the hotel’s parlor and when Ginger, Betsy, Myra, and I arrive, we have to figure out how to get in. We finally follow a man who has opened the sliding doors. We took the scenic route and stopped for lots of photos on the way.

I said there would be more house photos!

For our tech spec who was a fireman in Jamestown, NY!

Bestor Plaza

What a stirring performance! I start taking photos and then sit down; but I can’t stay in my seat and spend the next hour and a half bouncing and clapping and grinning like an idiot!! There are only three of them; but they have the whole audience enthralled. Roddy and Nick had arrived before us and heard the opening introductions. When asked, the entire audience, Nick and Roddy excepted, replied that they had been to Israel, and about a dozen of them had even been to the little town which the trio now claim as home!

There are about two hundred in the audience, although people do come and go. Along the side of the parlor there is a refreshment table with fruit and chocolate pastries, called babka. There is also coffee and iced tea.

(I stole this from a video I took, so it's a little blurry.)

The guys' circle

Thanks, Betsy, for these photos of the women's circle!

The musicians are very clever, inserting little musical tags from other genres, and even including an Irish jig, if you were paying attention! Most of the way through the concert, everyone gets to sing “Hava Nagila” and that’s a real audience pleaser. Then, at the end, one of the musicians grabs one of the men and starts a circle dance. He adds more men until there are about eight dancers. Roddy calls my attention to the side of the parlor, where the women have started their own circle, and I can’t wait to join in!!

We’re all grinning and exhausted! We applaud wildly as the band calls it a day.

Next on our agenda is the United States Army Field Band, but we have a few minutes in between and it is right next door at the amphitheater where we were last night. Everyone goes their separate ways and Betsy, Roddy, and I decide to walk down to the lake for a few minutes.

The artist's name is Kaneko and the piece is dated '05.

When we get to the amphitheater we see our group right where Ginger had texted us they would be! There are about a thousand people in the audience; but the house is so large that there are lots of open seats. The band is superb, all in their camo uniforms. The color guard is from the Mayville (the closest town) VFW. The program tells the story of the United States in a multi-media presentation. There is the music, of course, but also there are two narrators and two vertical screens with a slide show that is timed perfectly with the presentation. Being the sentimental fool that I am, I spend a lot of time sniffling and wiping my eyes. One of the surprises was a U. S. soldier who was born in South Korea; he sang a Korean song called “Arirang”, backed by the Army chorus, which was touching even when you didn’t understand the words. Other features included a fife and drum duo who escorted the color guard, a trio who sang, “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree”, a quartet who sang “ R-E-S-P-E-C-T”, and several others, including “God Bless the USA.” At the end of the program, each branch of the military was recognized by the playing of their songs. Members of each branch were asked to stand, and the flag descended from the flies, as everyone stood and applauded. (Sniffle!)

Wait for their conductor, who is a colonel.

This is one of the two screens used in the multi-media presentation.

Bassoons for Kaj!

Betsy's view of the stage in the amphitheater.

As we’re leaving Nick and Ginger spot Pete! He says there’s an “opera flash mob” happening!! It’s actually kind of an inverse flash mob, in that the performers are stationary and the “mob” moves from place to place. The singers are positioned on various balconies near the amphitheater, and the route gradually leads us back toward Bestor Plaza, where, at five o’clock “As You Like It” will be presented by the Chautauqua Theater Company.

Although the flash mob is continuing, we drop out as we pass the plaza and spot Betsy and Roddy. If we want seats, we need to claim them now!

Rain has been promised off and on all day and as we’re waiting for the show it begins to sprinkle. It is light and intermittent and I spread my umbrella over my camera. About half way through, the rain has intensified and the director says they will take a short break and decide whether to continue as they have been, or to move under the tent which was being used by the BBQ sales. Sorry - no photos of the actors working so hard in the rain!

We decide that we’ve seen a sampling of their work, and, while it is entertaining, we could be happy going home and opening some wine. As we start walking, the tram comes by and Ginger is taping on the window to get out attention! The rest of the crew is all safe and dry inside!!

Back to our home away from home and people strip off wet clothes while Nick begins preparing a chicken dish with squash, mushrooms, green beans, and sauterne, served over rice. It is very tasty and everyone eats their fill. Betsy and I clean up the kitchen and things quiet down.

There is talk about tomorrow’s offerings and the possibility of rain and a discussion of today’s events, and another glass of wine is enjoyed by most of us. I suspect it will be an early evening for nearly everyone.

Here are some shots of the inside of the townhouse -