Saturday, July 12th Program
LOCATE PERFORMANCE BY TENT VENUE
Programs will unfold under three tents, at Bethel Center, and in the street. The Martin Tent will feature historical performances and music, the Deaconess Tent will present informative lectures, and the Kid-Tauqua Tent will be home to programs and all-day activities for children. Bethel Center will feature African American stories and Maryland’s Poet Laureate, Lady Brion.
Between tent performances is Vaudeville In The Street. See live music and unusual acts in the round.
Lady Brion
2:00 PM at Bethel Center
SINGLE PERFORMANCE
FEATURED PERFORMANCE
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FEATURED PERFORMANCE |
You won’t want to miss an exclusive performance by Lady Brion, Maryland’s Poet Laureate, arranged and sponsored by the Garrett County Arts Council. Lady Brion is an international spoken word artist, activist, organizer, and educator. She currently serves as the executive director of Maryland’s Black Arts District. In 2024, she was appointed by Governor Wes Moore as the Poet Laureate of Maryland, making her the youngest Poet Laureate in Maryland’s history and the only spoken word artist ever to hold this position.
During her *slam career, she has won the 2016 and 2021 National Poetry Slam, the 2017 and 2019 Southern Fried Regional Slam, and the 2019 Rustbelt Regional Slam. In 2021, she became the Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion, making her the number one ranked woman slam poet in the world.
*Slam poetry is a competitive form of performance poetry where poets read original poems aloud in front of a live audience, and the audience serves as judges. It's a vibrant and engaging form of spoken word art that emphasizes performance, audience interaction, and competition.
THE MARTIN TENT
LOCATE PERFORMANCE BY TENT VENUE
11:00 Woody Guthrie
MARTIN TENT
Portrayed by Bowie Grant
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie [1912 – 1967] was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism and has inspired many generations both politically and musically with songs such as "This Land Is Your Land" and "Tear The Fascists Down.”
Bowie Grant will return for his second consecutive performance at The Victorian Chautauqua. This unique performance will be presented like an interview. Grant will combine his theatrical and musical talents to share the life of Woody Guthrie.
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Bowie Grant has a long history of theatrical performance and music. He currently resides in Florida.
12:30 The Garrett County Playhouse “The Blue Barn”
MARTIN TENT
Portrayed by Mikey Virts
The Garrett County Playhouse, fondly called “The Blue Barn,” was a respected institution that brought theatrical performances to Deep Creek Lake in Maryland’s westernmost part of the state. Mikey Virts will portray the theater’s artistic director, Gene Yell, who gathered incredible talent from across the country to this remote, rural community. Virts, who serves as the artistic director of Our Town Theatre in Oakland, was a sympathetic choice to play this challenging role. A welcome stroll down memory lane is part of Deep Creek Lake’s 100th Anniversary Celebration.
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Mikey Virts is the Artistic Director of Our Town Theatre.
3:30 HALO
MARTIN TENT
Female Barbershop Quartet
HALO first graced Mountain Lake Park for the Bethel Center Dedication Ceremony in September of 2024. Their performance was so moving that they have been invited back to showcase their remarkable harmonies for the ever-growing Victorian Chautauqua audiences. Founded as Harmony’s African-American Legacy Organization, this nonprofit organization leads a transformative movement of Community Music Therapy in which barbershop singing and listening serve as a metaphorical model. The ensemble shares the origins of barbershop music and how it has played an essential part in American culture.
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Shana Oshiro (Tenor) earned her Vocal Performance degree from Morgan State University. She sang as the bass of Harmony, Inc.’s 2012 International Harmony Queen quartet, Epic. Her other claim to queenly fame is that she served as Miss Maryland 2007 and competed on stage at Miss America 2008. She holds a master’s certificate degree from Shenandoah Conservatory in Music Therapy, where she also obtained her Master's in Music Therapy, and is a board-certified music therapist with experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly with a wide range of abilities. Shana continues to build her performance career as a soprano, presenting concerts and lecture recitals in local and nationally recognized performance spaces.
Portia Pitts (Lead) is also a graduate of Morgan State University, where she received her BFA in Vocal Music. There, she studied classical voice and performed multiple genres worldwide with the Morgan State University choir. She is a proud and happy mother of two and is the centerpiece of HALO, an organization with a mission to change the world with barbershop singing.
Jasmine Barnes (Bass) is an alumna of Morgan State University, with a BFA in Voice and a Master of Music degree in Composition. She is an incredible dramatic soprano who placed in the NATS vocal competition and advanced to regionals, and was a leading member of the SAI chapter organization at MSU. She is a skilled choral, a cappella, and orchestral composer whose works have been featured on concerts by the Morgan State University Choir and at major events such as the Young Artist Program, Glimmerglass. Jasmine is currently a music theory teacher at Booker T. Washington School for the Arts in Texas.
Ashley Conway (Bass II) is a professional musician and passionate performer. The Washington-born singer has an impressive and extensive musical theater background and works as a vocal coach and professional performer. Ashley is an alumnus of various prestigious learning institutions, including the Patapsco High School & Center for the Arts, where she studied Jazz, Classical, Chamber, Gospel, Show Choir, and Musical Theatre. She also attended Morgan State University, where she studied vocal performance & sociology. Driven by the desire to create a company that includes all musical elements and ventures that she enjoys, Ashley started her own business, Ashley Denay Music Entertainment, where she offers live music for weddings, corporate events, festivals, and other special occasions.
Niambi Powell (Baritone) has been singing her whole life, in the car and on the stage with her Motown band, “The Regressions,” in a girl group with her mother and sister, Shana. Cut from the same cloth as her sibling, Niambi set the stage for their sisterhood of beauty queen-dom as Miss Maryland Teen USA 2000. With music and beauty always in the foreground of her livelihood, Niambi’s professional background fortifies her clinical expertise in systems therapy with HALO’s Race and #RealTalk. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Work, formerly holding leadership roles and creating groundbreaking program initiatives for the city of Rockville and residents of Montgomery County.
5:00 Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
MARTIN TENT
Performed by Bill Grant
Bill Grant takes the Victorian Chautauqua stage for his fifth consecutive performance as Oliver Wendell Holmes. Grant has a unique talent for portraying historical figures with great detail, while delivering engaging performances that leave his audiences more knowledgeable. He has been a highlight each year.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. [1841 – 1935] was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932. Holmes is one of the most widely cited and influential Supreme Court justices in American history, noted for his long tenure on the Court and for his pithy opinions, particularly those on civil liberties and American constitutional democracy, and deference to the decisions of elected legislatures. Holmes retired from the Court at the age of 90, an unbeaten record for the oldest justice on the Supreme Court.
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Pending
Flex your competitive spirit!
LOCATE PERFORMANCE BY TENT VENUE
6:00 Beard & Mustache and Victorian Hat Competitions
Hosted by MC Mikey
Enjoy friendly Victorian competition in two categories. Men can sign up to show off their facial hair, and women can don elaborately decorated hat creations.
Join the merriment of the Beard & Mustache Contest and the Victorian Hat Competition. Two consecutive competitions will select the winners of the judge’s choice for facial hair and women’s headdresses.
BEARD & MUSTACHE CONTEST
This marks the fifth season of the Beard & Mustache Contest. Only one contestant will win the grand prize and walk away with the Hairyman Champion Cup, while the second and third-place runners-up will take home an engraved souvenir mug. Judges determine the winners through a series of questions and audience input. It’s a fun and hilarious event enjoyed by the entire family. Deep Creek Salon will supply beard grooming prizes.
2024 Winners!
Samuel Gish of Grantsville, MD & Christina McAlpine from Baltimore, MD.
THE VICTORIAN HAT COMPETITION
Sponsored by Wild Wind Café, the Victorian Hat Competition will see its second year. Contestants are encouraged to use their creativity to create a winning design for the judges. During the Victorian era, women placed great importance and pride in their headgear. Contestants are encouraged to be inventive while echoing the turn of the last century with their designs. A champion trophy and runners-up glassware will be awarded to the lucky winners.
Following the competition, you are invited to an exclusive high tea at Wild Wind Café at 5472 Garrett Hwy, Oakland, MD. See details below.
Contestants should sign up at the Civic Club booth by 5:15 on the day of the event and be at the Martin Tent by 5:30 to compete. Good luck
Rebekah Martin and daughter at Wild Wind Café
VICTORIAN HIGH TEA
Keep the Victorian vibe going at Wild Wind Café, where you can experience an authentic high tea. Hosted by Rebekah Martin, you’ll take in a world of floral enchantment at Wild Wind’s picturesque flower farm! Whether you're seeking a serene escape, artistic expression, or magical moments, Rebekah’s flower farm offers a unique blend of beauty, creativity, and whimsy for all ages to enjoy.
THE DEACONESS TENT
LOCATE PERFORMANCE BY TENT VENUE
11:00 Deaconess Tours
DEACONESS TENT
Hosted By MLPHA (Mountain Lake Park Historical Association)
In 2024, the Mountain Lake Park Historical Association acquired the oldest standing cottage in Mountain Lake Park, which was built in 1882, the same year the first Mountain Chautauqua kicked off. The charming cottage was the family summer home of Reverand John Thompson, who provided the first sermon in the soon-to-be-renowned mountain top summer resort community. The tours will give visitors the first opportunity to see the cottage and learn about the restoration plans to convert it to a public facility that will house special events, gatherings, and cultural experiences in the Historic District of Mountain Lake Park.
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The Thompson’s cottage offered rooms for Methodist Deaconesses to join its owners for a respite from their usual toils. Their open doors gained favor and prompted an official place that would bear the name “Thompson Rest Home For Deaconesses.”
Ongoing expansions offered 40 rooms and ample grounds for outdoor gatherings. The massive complex was the first of its kind and sustained itself for several decades. Multiple cultural and economic shifts ended Mountain Lake Park’s reign as a tourist destination, and all but Thompson’s original cottage and half of the annex remain to this day.
12:30 Frederick Law Olmstead
DEACONESS TENT
Presented by Kirk Brown
Frederick Law Olmsted [1822 – 1903] was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the United States. Olmsted was famous for co-designing many well-known urban parks with his partner Calvert Vaux. Olmsted and Vaux's first project was Central Park in New York City, which led to many other urban park designs. These included Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Cadwalader Park in Trenton, New Jersey, and Forest Park in Portland, Oregon.
Kirk Brown brings an enchanting blended presentation by portraying Olmstead giving a lecture using an illustrated journey of his life’s work. If you’re a gardener or enjoy lavish green spaces, you won’t want to miss this unique presentation.
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Kirk Brown is a highly praised horticultural speaker and keynote speaker, as well as a former president of the Garden Writers Association and the Association for Garden Communicators. He served as president of the Garden Writers Association Foundation and the Foundation for Garden Communicators.
It comes as no surprise that Brown is also an award-winning garden designer. He is a certified lecturer for the Garden Club Design School and an Instructor for the Certification Course in Landscape Design at Northampton Community College. He enjoys portraying famous people from history, such as Carl Linneaus, John Bartram, Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles Wesley, and Master Glazier.
3:30 Victorian Etiquette
DEACONESS TENT
Presented by Paula Thomas
Mountain Lake Park was founded in 1881 as a Methodist summer resort for people eager to escape urban congestion. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the mountaintop community bustled with railroad travelers, and besides the security of an established religious community, summer residents and visitors enjoyed lectures, live music, nature excursions, and college-like courses to enrich their lives. They also carried on traditions from their city lives that were remnants of the Victorian era. Paula Thomas will pluck one crucial aspect from this history to demonstrate how society was solidly built around propriety, manners, and respect for their friends and neighbors, and how many of those sentiments can be applied to modern life.
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Paula Thomas is a certified etiquette consultant who owns the Western Maryland School of Etiquette and The Traveling Tea Party. Paula packs up and takes her entire tea party service to wherever she is invited. That includes all china, crystal, silver, linens, food, tea, and everything needed to present a memorable and accurate experience. She also provides etiquette lessons at the tea party. The topic of etiquette can vary from a host of subjects. She will also guide etiquette workshops for individuals or groups.
5:00 Reviving Rural Adult Civic Education:
How Past and Present Chautauqua Can Inspire Western Maryland to Learn and Engage Together
DEACONESS TENT
Presented by Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski and Liza Zakharova
This insightful presentation will examine the historical beginnings of the Chautauqua movement in New York, along with the communication leadership of Julia Walker Ruhl, a West Virginian suffragist leader and civic organizer who lived and participated in The Mountain Chautauqua in Mountain Lake Park. Her summer home, Ruhl Cottage, still stands today. You’ll also learn why the movement diminished and how its revival through opportunities like the Victorian Chautauqua Festival can mobilize a new framework for adult civic education in rural areas. How can Chautauqua again play an important role in educating adults, bridging divides, and supporting local community-building? Bring your questions.
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Elesha L. Ruminski (Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Duquesne University) is a professor of Strategic Communication and coordinator of Leadership Studies at Frostburg State University (FSU). She also chairs FSU’s Department of Communication and coordinates the Communication Leadership Lab. Ruminski developed the Lab after participating in a Kettering Foundation research exchange that supported the creation of “centers for public life” and was the project manager of the Sustaining Campus and Community dialogue series, funded by the Maryland Judiciary's Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office. She researches, teaches, and supports facilitation of communication strategies within organizations and communities and has authored publications on various communication and leadership topics. A past chair of the National Communication Association's Public Dialogue and Deliberation Division and current steering committee member of the Choose Civility chapter of Allegany County, MD, she advocates for civic engagement and the development of public voice.
Liza Zakharova is the Special Collections Librarian/Archivist at FSU, managing the David M. Gillespie Special Collections and J. Glenn Beall archives located in the Lewis J. Ort Library. She has served in this role since 2019 and is active in campus shared governance. She has a Master’s in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University and a Master of Arts in History from Sul Ross State University. Her training is in Archives and Records Management, and she has worked as a professional archivist for the past 13 years. Liza is also the Editor for the Journal of the Alleghenies, for which she has written several articles utilizing the collections found in the J. Glenn Beall Archives.
6:00 Amelia Earhart
DEACONESS TENT
Presented by Mary Ann Jung
She’s back! Mary Ann Jung is a Victorian Chautauqua veteran who is engaging and entertaining while assuming the role of famous historical women. Her performances are lively, interactive, and fun for the entire family. You won’t want to miss her portrayal of one of America’s most noted aviation pilots.
Amelia Earhart was much more than just a brave pilot and aviation pioneer. She was also a photographer, truck driver, teacher, nurse, and clothes designer who inspired women to follow their dreams. In full character, Mary Ann Jung will invite you to follow Earhart’s dangerous career as the first woman to solo the Atlantic and the first person to solo the Pacific Ocean. Meet the fascinating people who supported her adventures, including Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. The amazing Amelia said she risked it all for the Fun of it!
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Mary Ann Jung is an award-winning actress and Smithsonian scholar. You may have already seen this performer, scholar, writer, and director, but not in modern clothing. Jung researches and writes her scripts, and performs in the authentic costumes, accents, and attitudes for her characters’ eras.
Mary Ann has appeared on CNN, the Today Show, Good Morning America, and in newspapers worldwide as a famous woman from history. She has been a lead actress and Director of Renaissance History and Shakespearean Language at the Maryland Renaissance Festival for over 30 years. She performed as queen and was a Director with the Florida Renaissance Festival from 1994 to 2006. She was Director of Street Theater and Family Performances for ArtScape (the USA's largest arts festival) for ten years; in 1998, Mary Ann was awarded a citation from the Mayor of Baltimore for her work at that event.
LOCATE PERFORMANCE BY TENT VENUE
12:30 & 4:30 Bethel A.M.E. Church Storytelling
BETHEL CENTER
Presented by Diane Macklin
Diane Macklin brought down the house with her portrayal of Zora Neal Hurston in 2024. She’s is returning to present storytelling in the African “griotic” tradition at Bethel Center, formerly the 1900 African American Episcopal Church that now resides in Mountain Lake Park. Diane has researched the African American community that once called Garrett County home. She’ll share compelling insights into what life was like and the many accomplishments of the African American community in rural Western Maryland. Diane’s energetic performance style is captivating and inviting. Be prepared for an incredible experience.
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Diane Macklin has dedicated over two decades to the narrative arts. As a performer, teaching artist, and writer, she invests fully in the transformative nature of storytelling to explore the unique, yet universal, elements of humanity.
As a certified historian, educator, actress, and lecturer, Diane enlightens audiences. She is also deals in conflict resolution and facilitates multicultural mediation.
2:00 Maryland’s Poet Laureate
BETHEL CENTER
Presented by Lady Brion
You won’t want to miss an exclusive performance by Lady Brion, Maryland’s Poet Laureate, arranged and sponsored by the Garrett County Arts Council. Lady Brion is an international spoken word artist, activist, organizer, and educator. She currently serves as the executive director of Maryland’s Black Arts District. In 2024, she was appointed by Governor Wes Moore as the Poet Laureate of Maryland, making her the youngest Poet Laureate in Maryland’s history and the only spoken word artist ever to hold this position.
During her *slam career, she has won the 2016 and 2021 National Poetry Slam, the 2017 and 2019 Southern Fried Regional Slam, and the 2019 Rustbelt Regional Slam. In 2021, she became the Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion, making her the number one ranked woman slam poet in the world.