Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art

This year’s festival will
feature 250 quality artisans

Musical entertainment
includes gospel, jazz, blues

By Don Ward
Editor

(September 2009) – The 39th annual Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art will add a Bicentennial flavor to its show this year to mark the city’s 200-year history. A new riverfront overlook sponsored by the Chautauqua is being constructed at the foot of Vine Street just west of the Lanier Mansion and is expected to be open by festival time, Sept. 26-27. Also, the Madison Chautauqua limited edition poster will have a Bicentennial appeal.
The two-day event is Madison’s largest festival at an estimated 50,000 people, according to festival coordinator Georgie Kelly. Booths are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days and include a riverfront food court, children’s activity tent, live entertainment at Lanier Mansion North Lawn, roving entertainers and a Saturday night free outdoor concert from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. by The Doctor’s Band at the Broadway Fountain. The latter concert is part of the Music in the Park summer concert series sponsored by the Madison Main Street Program.
This year, entertainment, including Indianapolis-based Jazz Indiana and Hall of Fame musician Lawrence Clark, will take place on the patio of the Lanier-Madison Visitors Center at 601 W. First St. Other new entertainers include The Boys of Country Nashville from Nashville, Tenn., and strolling Celtic fiddler Emily Ann Thompson. Many regular music groups will return, including gospel, bluegrass and jazz bands, plus many strolling entertainers.
This year’s show will feature 250 juried artisans from around the country who set up on the streets of downtown Madison between Poplar and Vine streets.
Many exhibitors return each year, but Kelly said she likes to have some new exhibitors “to keep the show fresh.”
After the nation’s recent market crash and economic recession, Kelly has seen many regular artisans missing from this year’s show, she told the Madison Area Convention and Visitors Bureau board during its August monthly meeting. Some had to get jobs to pay their bills, while others credited the cost of travel during these tough economic times. Although sales have suffered at such shows this year across the country, Kelly said her committee is doing everything possible to help keep sales strong for vendors at the Chautauaqua.

Photo by Don Ward A new column sponsored by the Madison Chautauqua has recently been erected at the Madison Riverfront. The committee donated $6,000 in 2004 for the column and another $1,000 in 2005 to the Riverfront Development Committee.

In 2007, the show had 275 exhibitor booths. Last year’s show dropped to 250 and is expected to remain there this year. She had 245 exhibitors signed up as of late August.
Kelly said she has re-organized the show layout to make up for the lost vendors. “We want the show to appear tight; not to look like there are booths missing. That’s why we redesigned the layout.”
Kelly, who recently received a $2,000 raise from the CVB to $26,500 to organize and run the festival, said she had reached her goal of raising $9,000 in local business sponsorships, despite the poor state of the economy. The money helps the committee offset its cost to run the show.
Kelly has served as the Chautauqua coordinator for 12 years, from 1993-1994 and from 2000 to present. She also worked as a consultant and volunteer for another five years for a total of 18 years.
Kelly said local graphic designer Troy Seel has again designed the T-shirt logo and Heitz Sign Co. will produce the T-shirts. Hanover, Ind., artist Lawrence Rudolech has created the limited edition poster, which features a scene of Rogers Corner restaurant and the newly erected Bicentennial mural. The mural, created in separate panels by a group of local artists for the Madison Bicentennial, was mounted on the outside west wall of Rogers Corner during a June 8 ceremony.
Instead of the usual 250 limited edition posters, the Chautauqua committee this year will print only 200 posters, Kelly said. The price has increased from $45 to $50. Rudolech is scheduled to take part in a poster signing from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Madison Art Gallery, 301 E. Main St. The prints, along with T-shirts and sweatshirts, also will be on sale at the Lanier-Madison Visitors Center, 601 W. First St. This year, those who purchase a poster also will receive a mini version of the Bicentennial mural.
The Chautauqua committee will unveil the original Rogers Corner mural painting at 5 p.m. Sept. 1 at Madison City Hall, where it will hang in the Council Chamber.

Other weekend events

• Each year, the Madison Chautauqua coincides with the annual Old Court Days, a flea market and arts and crafts fair organized by the nonprofit Pilot Club of Madison. That event takes place around the Jefferson County Courthouse and extends to the city parking lot on Second and Jefferson streets. Old Court Days is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Because of the May fire at the courthouse, Old Court Days exhibitor booths had to be moved farther south down Jefferson Street toward the river last May. But the Pilot Club’s Dee Gauger reports that booths will return to their usual places around the Courthouse for the fall event. The show averages about 115 exhibitors, she said, and includes several food vendors and a few community groups selling food and drinks.

• The annual Friends of the Library Book Sale at the Madison-Jefferson County Public Library also takes place that weekend at 420 W. Main St. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library group, the event is a fundraiser for library projects and features books, magazines, videotapes, CDs and other literature for sale, some new and some used.

• A fourth event held that weekend in downtown Madison is Lanthier Winery’s Harvest Celebration, held on the grounds of the winery at 123 Mill St. The winery and restaurant, operated by Chris Lanthier and Tammy Hagemier, will feature arts and crafts booths and free wine tastings.

• Various other churches, fire departments and nonprofit organizations hold bakes sales, fish fries and yard sales during Chautauqua weekend to take advantage of the large crowd visiting downtown Madison.

• Both the Madison Trolley and the city’s Catch-A-Ride van transportation service operate throughout the weekend. The Catch-A-Ride will ferry visitors to and from the parking lot at the Madison Consolidated High School. The trolley will transport passengers up and down Main Street.

• For more information, call (812) 265-2956 or visit: www.MadisonChautauqua.com.