Project Description
Online in 2021!
“Breaking Barriers, Expanding Boundaries” is the theme of the 2021 High Plains Chautauqua, online August 2-5. Although you can skip the drive to Greeley, online attendees will be able to watch scholars and interact with them in real time by asking questions of both the character and the scholar, preserving the traditional format of Chautauqua.
Expanding boundaries are portrayed through the life achievements of notable figures like Rosa Parks, Edwin Hubble, and Selena, Tejano music superstar. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Mother Jones, key figures in Colorado coal mining, the United Mine Workers strike, and the Ludlow Massacre in southern Colorado a little more than 100 years ago, will appear on opening night.
In recognition of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, participants will meet the combative and outspoken leader of the Women’s Suffrage movement, Alice Paul. John Deere, with his improved steel plow, and trader/rancher William Bent, both of whom played important roles in Western expansion, also join the program. Colorado’s Legendary Ladies will entertain with brief appearances by Dr. Florence Sabin, miner Captain Jack, and Frances Wisebart Jacobs, whose legacy was the forerunner of the United Way. A real treat on closing night will be Doug Mishler, appearing as Nikola Tesla, tortured genius and inventor of alternating current, in what is sure to be an electrifying performance. As is the tradition every year, each performance will be preceded by a Young Chautauqua Cameo, portrayed by elite performers from Greeley-Evans School District 6. The Young Chautauquan character lineup this year includes Edwin Hubble, Selena, Marie Curie, and Oskar Schindler.
High Plains Chautauqua offers a series of interactive daytime programs online that will offer the option to participate in a deeper discussion of the issues presented in the historical context of character portrayals. Live participants can interact with the scholars and should visit highplainschautauqua.org to get the links to join the platform. The program will also stream on High Plains Chautauqua’s Facebook.
Chautauqua Scholars

Becky Stone
as Rosa Parks

Hayden Hein
as John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Judith Black
as Mother Jones

Brian “Fox” Ellis
as John Deere

Michael Hughes
as William Bent

Leslie Goddard
as Alice Paul

Legendary Ladies Announcer
Kyle Neidt

Kathy Swafford
as Dr. Florence Sabin

Sue Shenk
as Captain Jack

Susan Malmstadt
as Frances Wisebart Jacobs

Doug Mishler
as Nikolai Tesla
Production of High Plains Chautauqua is a year-round labor of love. Contributions from friends and enthusiasts have enabled this program to become one of the foremost living history events nationwide. Since its beginning in 2000, HPC has flourished as a result of broad community support from local schools, volunteers, sponsors, thousands of attendees, and donors like you.
Thank you for donating today. Your gift is greatly appreciated.
501(c)(3) nonprofit Colorado Humanities administers donations for High Plains Chautauqua.
Schedule
Sunday, August 1 | |
3 - 5 pm | Young Chautauqua Presentations |
Centennial Village - Open only to the students and their families | |
Monday, August 2 | |
6:00 - 6:15 pm | Young Chautauqua Cameo |
Emiley Massy as Oskar Schindler | |
6:15 - 8:15 pm | Hayden Hein as John D. Rockefeller, Jr. |
Judith Black as Mother Jones | |
Tuesday, August 3 | |
8:00 - 9:15 am | Coffee & Conversation with Chautauquans |
Hayden Hein, Judith Black, and Emiley Massy | |
9:30 - 10:30 am | Why 1955? Why Montgomery? |
Becky Stone | |
10:45 - 11:45 am | The Trouble with Genius |
Doug Mishler | |
1:00 - 2:00 pm | The 1910s: Model T Fords, Ragtime, and the New Woman |
Leslie Goddard | |
2:15 - 3:15 pm | Indian Battles or Indian Massacres? |
Michael Hughes | |
6:00 - 6:15 pm | Young Chautauqua Cameo |
Giselle Larson-Reyes as Selena Quintanilla | |
6:15 - 8:15 pm | Brian “Fox” Ellis as John Deere |
The Legendary Ladies as Dr. Florence Sabin, Captain Jack, and Frances Wisebart Jacobs | |
Wednesday, August 4 | |
8:00 - 9:15 am | Coffee & Conversation with Chautauquans |
Brian “Fox” Ellis, The Legendary Ladies, and Giselle Larson-Reyes | |
9:30 - 10:30 am | A Native American Perspective |
Brian Fox Ellis | |
10:45 - 11:45 am | Tesla in Colorado |
Doug Mishler | |
1:00 - 2:00 pm | Votes for Women: The 72-Year Struggle to Gain Women’s Suffrage |
Leslie Goddard | |
2:15 - 3:15 pm | The History and Future of Agriculture |
Brian “Fox” Ellis | |
6:00 - 6:15 pm | Young Chautauqua Cameo |
Scarlette Howell as Marie Curie | |
6:15 - 8:15 pm | Becky Stone as Rosa Parks |
Michael Hughes as William Bent | |
Thursday, August 5 | |
8:00 - 9:15 am | Coffee & Conversation with Chautauquans |
Michael Hughes, Becky Stone, and Scarlette Howell | |
9:30 - 10:30 am | Get to Know Our Northern Colorado Immigrant Community |
Immigrant & Refugee Center of Northern Colorado | |
10:45 - 11:45 am | African-American Culture Through Story and Song |
Becky Stone | |
1 - 2 pm | On the 200th Anniversary of the Santa Fe Trail: Marriages Made in Heaven? |
Michael Hughes | |
2:15 - 3:15 pm | Irony Is the Driving Force of the Universe |
Judith Black | |
6:00 - 6:15 pm | Young Chautauqua Cameo |
Alex Larson-Reyes as Edwin Hubble | |
6:15 - 8:15 pm | Leslie Goddard as Alice Paul |
Doug Mishler as Nikola Tesla | |
Friday, August 6 | |
8:00 - 9:15 am | Coffee & Conversation with Chautauquans |
Doug Mishler, Leslie Goddard, and Alex Larson-Reyes |