Circus to hit Hot Springs
HOT SPRINGS – One hundred years ago, long before the mainstream distribution of movies and television, Chautauqua circuits were common events during the summertime throughout Montana and major portions of the United States.
The events, often spanning a week or more, were hallmarks for rural communities from coast to coast during the pleasant evenings of the warmer months. The event itself would consist of speakers, musicians, artists and all manners of entertainers traveling together from place to place.
The Chautauqua brought popular entertainment, usually only found in large cities, to people throughout the United States.
From July 27-29, in Hot Springs a Chautauqua will return, as the New Old Time Chautauqua stops by in the midst of their Keep the Faith Tour.
While the group is in town residents in and around Hot Springs will be able to attend workshops and performances, experiencing a unique cultural exposition.
The three-day event will conclude with a parade featuring members of the Chautauqua and anyone who wants to take part in the festivities. The parade will take place on July 29, beginning and ending on Spring Street in town.
Every summer the touring group hits the road traveling to various areas of the nation as 40-70 volunteers join up with the group, a non-profit organization, to provide local communities with their unique form of entertainment.
This year’s tour will travel through western Montana and the Pacific Northwest, as a tribute to the late Faith Petric, a longtime member of the NOTC. Petric was born in Orofino, Idaho, inspiring the group to bring their annual tour to this portion of the county.
The visit will include a vaudeville show, workshops, a parade and community outreach over the weekend at the end of July.
NOTC operates entirely on volunteer efforts, with everyone responsible for bringing the show to life, doing so in a voluntary function. The mission of the organization is to promote interaction within communities through laughter, entertainment and education.
The tour volunteers work together to advance these goals and make their weekend in town a special event.
Ed Persico, Executive Director of the Hot Springs Community Association has worked with members of the NOTC to bring the troop to Hot Springs this summer.
Describing the background of this type of entertainment Persico mentioned how popular these large touring groups were in the past.
The festivities were exciting events in rural areas, with limited access to the outside world before the advent of modern road systems.
“These type of shows were really popular at the turn of the century,” Persico said.
Persico also spoke highly of the performers, noting the NOTC visited Hot Springs a few years ago.
“They are very professional, top notch people,” Persico said.
During their time in Hot Springs the Chautauqua will hold a potluck and will also head over to Pablo to spend some time at The People’s Center in Pablo.
The NOTC itself was founded in 1981, off of the model of the original Chautauquans who once toured the nation.
Their form of cultural enrichment originated in the Southern Tier of New York State.
The first of these group specialty acts was preformed on the banks of Chautauqua Lake, which was eventually adopted by the travelling entertainers and educators.
The cultural enrichment brought by Chautauquans prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to call this particular form of entertainment and cultural enrichment, “the most American thing in America.”