Heritage Area Grant Enhances Festival
Under a canopy of towering oaks, Black Magic Burlesque performs on a makeshift stage in 2023.
Mountain Maryland Gateway To The West and Heritage Areas Authority has awarded The Victorian Chautauqua Festival grant funding to assist with additional way-finding and staging for the event. An important part of the Victorian Chautauqua Festival is helping people find what they’re looking for while keeping a consistent historic look everywhere you turn.
An addition in 2023 was Artisan Row, located on the Historic Assembly Hall lawn. Local and traveling artists shared their unique handmade goods that included textile design, locally harvested honey and bee products, quilling, jewelry, painted collage, hand-cut silhouettes, tintype photos, and more. The grant funding will provide identifying flags clearly marking the vendor area, distinguishing it from other exhibitors. Plans are underway to expand the vendor market to offer an even broader range of handmade items and heritage craftspeople.
The remaining grant funding will go towards the construction of a round platform stage for Vaudeville In The Street which also premiered in 2023. Situated next to Artisan Row, the highly successful venue featured music and unusual acts in the midway of the festival grounds. A temporary stage allowed festival organizers to test the program format before making a larger investment in long-term staging. The new stage will offer performances in the round for attendees who would like to either gather around, or take a comfortable seat under cover. Acts like Black Magic Burlesque & Circus, Strong Man Cody, and period music by Soup Camel, and Joey Osment had guests entertained all weekend long. Some new acts and returning favorites will break in the new and colorful stage in 2024.
Each year, the Victorian Chautauqua looks for fresh performances to keep audiences excited and in anticipation. The 2024 season will be announced in the coming weeks. Live historical reenactments, enlightening lectures, music, and entertainment for the entire family make a full and festive weekend on July 6th & 7th. With the generous Heritage Area grant funding, performers and vendors will be treated better than ever.
Assembled from four sections, the new stage will have a 16-foot diameter, allowing more space for performers.
