August 1, 1915 – The annual week-long Iowa City Chautauqua opens in City Park.
Beginning in 1906 and extending well into the roaring 20’s, Iowa Citians gathered on grounds in today’s Manville Heights – every August – for ten days of Chautauqua. Billing itself as “the people’s college”, Chautauqua was birthed out of the Lyceum Movement of 19th century, and by the turn-of-the century, all across rural America, it evolved into a huge traveling tent show that included lectures – both secular and religious in nature, song-n-dance, and other forms of G-rated, family-oriented entertainment. Here in Iowa, Chautauqua – between 1900 and 1920 – became the intellectual counter-point to the agricultural-focused Iowa State Fair.
The “big tent” at the Iowa City Chautauqua was equivalent to the “center ring” at the circus and during the early 20th century featured fiery speeches from Rev. Billy Sunday, William Jennings Bryan, and many others – as well as lectures, plays, skits and musical concerts of all sorts.
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