By Humanities Nebraska (HN)
Humanities Nebraska (HN) is bringing “Weaving a Nation” Nebraska Chautauqua to Gering and Scottsbluff next week. This Chautauqua is will offer many different opportunities to hear and experience the lesser-known stories of the founding of our nation. It is presented by HN with local partners including Legacy of the Plains Museum, Midwest Theater, Gering Public Library, Lied Scottsbluff Public Library, Gering Visitors Bureau, Scotts Bluff Area Visitors Bureau, Scotts Bluff County Fair, West Nebraska Arts Center, the City of Gering and the City of Scottsbluff.
“This Chautauqua will include stories that are rarely — or never — covered in school,” said HN Program Manager Kristi Hayek Carley. “Our nation’s history is so complex, with so many different people contributing in different ways. I think audiences will never look at the Continental Congress the same way after hearing Abigail Adams’ story or think of the Lewis & Clark expedition the same way after getting the perspectives of Sacagawea and others who also went on that journey. Every event is going to be an eye-opener.”
Family-friendly events begin at 8 a.m. Friday, August 8, and continue through the evening of Saturday, August 9. All events are free and open to the public. The full schedule is below.
Friday, August 8 at West Nebraska Arts Center, Scottsbluff:
8:00 a.m., Weaving Class
Friday, August 8 at Legacy of the Plains Museum, Gering:
2:30 p.m., Lewis & Clark: What Was Their Value Worth? Seaman, York, Sacagawea & Pomp Stories
3:30 p.m., Early Japanese Settlers in Nebraska (Followed by an optional tour of Japanese Hall)
Friday, August 8 at Midwest Theater, Scottsbluff:
6:30 p.m., Guadalupe Dancers
7:30 p.m., An Evening with El Vaquero featuring Angel Vigil
Saturday, August 9 at Legacy of the Plains Museum, Gering:
9:00 a.m., Women’s Rights and the Saucy Mrs. Adams with Chautauqua scholar Jessica Downing-Ford
10:00 a.m., Sacred Seed: Reviving Indigenous Agricultural Lifeways with Chautauqua scholar Taylor Keen
11:00 a.m., The Origins of American Cowboy Culture with Chautauqua scholar Angel Vigil
1:00 p.m., “Ins” and “Outs” of the Nebraska Hall of Fame / Mexican-Americans in Nebraska
2:00 p.m., But, Who Lived Here in 1491? Indigenous Archeology in Nebraska/Storytelling in the Hispanic Tradition
3:00 p.m., Unseen Pioneers / Nebraska: Weaving a State
Saturday, August 9 at Midwest Theater, Scottsbluff
6:30 p.m., An Evening with Abigail Adams featuring Jessica Downing-Ford
7:30 p.m., An Evening with Chief Big Elk featuring Taylor Keen
“Weaving a Nation” is in commemoration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and our evolving vision of democracy. During a span of more than 40 years, the Nebraska Chautauqua has visited 41 different communities (many of them multiple times) and has explored 15 different themes. The last time the North Platte Valley hosted the Nebraska Chautauqua was in 2014.
Beginning earlier this summer, pre-Chautauqua events have been held in partnership with Katahdin Daughters of the American Revolution, Nebraska Daughters of the American Revolution, Nebraska Sons of the American Revolution, Gering Public Library Foundation, Lied Scottsbluff Public Library, Gering City Band, Scotts Bluff County Fair, the City of Scottsbluff and the City of Gering.
Humanities Nebraska is a private nonprofit with a mission to help people explore what connects us and makes us human. HN is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), an appropriation from the Nebraska Legislature, private donations, and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, a public-private partnership with state dollars matching private dollars to benefit the arts and humanities in Nebraska.