During its heyday at the turn of the century, Chautauqua, a traveling tent show, was a forum for political oratory, dance, theater and music.

Chautauqua was the major form of entertainment for many Midwestern communities. Ohio Chautauqua 2000 "Creating the 20th Century: Ohio Voices" was developed by the Ohio Humanities Council and Ohio State University's Humanities Institute. Five Ohio communities received grants from the Ohio Humanities Council to be presenters. This summer Chautauqua is coming to Ashland County through the efforts of Ashland Community Arts Center, recipients of a grant from the Ohio Humanities Council. Bill Harris Auto Center has provided major funding with additional support from Ashland Balloon Festival and Loudonville Recreation Department.

Trish Applegate, Director of Ashland Community Arts Center and Judy Webster, Loudonville Recreation Director collaborated to bring two performances to Loudonville. All performances are free and open to the public. Wednesday June 28 at 10:30 a.m. 'John D. Rockefeller' as portrayed by Damian Bowerman, will be center stage at Loudonville's historic Ohio Theatre, 156 N. Water Street.

John D. Rockefeller moved to Cleveland from Western New York at the age of 14. At the age of 24, in 1865, Rockefeller began building what would become the Standard Oil Company. He devised a systematic plan to dominate the oil industry and by the turn of the century controlled 90% of the oil refining and transporting business in the U.S. He absorbed or forced into bankruptcy as many other oil companies as possible. Mr. Gates and Microsoft don'' even compare! John D. Rockefeller in many ways symbolizes all the contradictions of the good and bad of modern industrialization. Damian Bowerman is a Master of Fine Arts student of acting at Ohio State University.

On June 30 at 10a.m. Riverside Park Pavilion (rain sight; Budd Audiorium) Paul Lawrence Dunbar as portrayed by Herbert Woodward Martin.

Paul Lawrence Dunbar was the first African American poet to gain national prominence. Inaddition to attaining critical acclaimed wide popularity in his own time, he remains to the present a central figure in the canon of American Literature. Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio to former Kentucky slaves who had settled there. He died prematurely at the age of 33, but not before publishing a large body of work that remains the focus of study and enjoyment today. Herbert Martin is professor of English and Poet-in-Residence at the University of Dayton. He has studied Dunvar for more than 20 years and portrayed him throughout Ohio on behalf of the Ohio Humanities council.