LONGVIEW, Texas — The Chautauqua Festival is returning on April 23 from 10 am to 3 pm.
The Longview Public Library is holding their annual Chautauqua Festival outside of the library front doors on the Eastman Library Plaza.
Admission to the event is free, but vendors are encouraged to register a booth to promote themselves for a cost of $20. There will be many activities taking place at the festival, including performances; local authors; artists; crafts; art installations; food trucks; face painting and more.
The festival is meant to celebrate the rich culture that Longview and its surrounding areas has to offer, aligning with the spirit of the traveling cultural tent show named the "Chautauqua Movement."
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Chautauqua Movement brought culture to communities where they would have speakers; teachers; musicians; entertainers; preachers; and specialists perform for a variety of audiences.
There will be performances held throughout the day. Each performance will last 30 minutes and can be found here:
- 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM: Pine Tree Parkway Elementary - Jolly Roger Jam Band
- 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM: Author Discussion Panel: Sara Henning, Querida Duncalfe, Toni Delane Perry
- 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM: The DownHome Cloggers
- 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Sketching Demonstration by Donald Pitchford, author and illustrator of "Lum and Abner" comic strips
- 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM: Wirelight (acoustic/harmonic, folk band)
- 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM: East Texas American Society of Karate Demonstration
- 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM: Filmmaking lecture w/ Derek Wayne Johnson
- 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM: Baking Up History: Creating a Historical Landmark w/ Debbie Fontaine
- 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM: Fellowship of the Christian Swordsmen Exhibition
- 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM: Meet and read to the Silver Paws Therapy Dogs
For more information regarding vendor listing, rules and further details regarding the event, you can visit their website.