With Lakeside Chautauqua’s 150th Anniversary finally here, we’re excited to introduce you to Lakeside Online – a new way to connect with friends year-round, explore the Chautauqua experience from the comfort of home, and catch a sneak peek of what’s in store for the Sesquicentennial Celebration this summer.
Through April, discuss books written by this summer’s visiting authors and keynote speakers, participate in virtual conversations with the Chautauqua Pillar Directors, get a behind-the-scenes look at the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra, and participate in Centering Prayer on Thursdays.
For the inaugural year of Lakeside Online, programs will be free-of-charge and easily accessible via Zoom. Donations are gratefully accepted to support these mission-driven programs. Visit lakesideohio.com/today to contribute.
To participate in Lakeside Online, sign up for one or all of the experiences. Zoom links will be sent via email 48 hours in advance of each program. For questions, contact Jeannie Fleming-Gifford, Vice President of Programming, at jeannie@lakesideohio.com.
Join fellow Lakesiders during Lent for a virtual Lenten Study: Journeying through Lent with Hymns of the Faith, led by Rev. Dr. Charles Yoost, Lakeside’s Senior Director of Religious Life & Pastoral Care.
The one-hour study will be held on Zoom at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday from March 1-29. The series will be based on the book Unrevealed Until Its Season: A Lenten Journey with Hymns, written by Rev. James Howell, a United Methodist Pastor from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Books may be ordered online through The Fine Print bookstore or another source. Participants will find it helpful to read the book prior to the study, though it’s not required.
Each week, we’ll explore several familiar hymns, which will be sung and played by Michael Shritz, Lakeside’s Summer Director of Worship & Music. The Lenten Study will be co-led by Lakesider Amy Gingerich, Executive Director and Publisher for MennoMedia, the publishing arm of the Mennonite Church.
BOOK DISCUSSIONS
In preparation for the summer 2023 authors and keynote speakers, you’re invited to join Lakesider-led, virtual book discussions. Connect with friends across the country to exchange thoughts, questions and ideas about each book.
Lakesiders are encouraged to read the selected books prior to our discussions. Click the links below to purchase books through The Fine Print Bookstore or another resource.
Sunnyside Plaza
by Scott Simon
Monday, Jan. 8
How to Fight Racism
by Jemar Tisby
Monday, Feb. 6
Handprints on Hubble
by Dr. Kathryn Sullivan
Monday, March 6
The Upswing
by Robert Putnam
Monday, April 17
Sunnyside Plaza by Scott Simon
Discussion Host: Katy Greenhill
Monday, Jan. 9 | 7-8 p.m.
About Sunnyside Plaza: The book Wonder meets Three Times Lucky in a story of empowerment as a young woman decides to help solve the mystery of multiple suspicious deaths in her group home.
Discussion Host: Katy Greenhill is a lifelong lover of books. Greenhill is a retired middle school librarian, teacher, mother of four and grandmother of 10. She is a proud graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College and volunteer member of the Sewing Sisters.
Author Bio: Scott Simon is one of America’s most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of “Weekend Edition Saturday” and one of the hosts of NPR’s morning news podcast “Up First.” Simon has reported from all 50 states, five continents and 10 wars. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, and tragedy and comedy.
Lakeside Chautauqua is excited to welcome Simon as one of our Chautauqua Lecture Series keynote speakers in celebration of our 150th Anniversary. He will take the stage of Hoover Auditorium on Tuesday, July 25 at 8 p.m.
How to Fight Racism by Jemar Tisby
Discussion Hosts: Bob & Cindy Grimm
Monday, Feb. 6 | 7-8 p.m.
About How to Fight Racism: Winner of the 2022 ECPA Christian Book Award for Faith & Culture, this book explores how we effectively confront racial injustice, moving beyond talking about racism and equipping ourselves to fight against it.
Discussion Hosts: Bob & Cindy Grimm have been Lakeside homeowners on Vine Avenue for the past 22 years. Bob is a former Lakeside Association Board member, and Cindy is active with the Lakeside Heritage Society and the current Co-Chair of Lakeside’s Sesquicentennial Steering Committee. They both enjoy restoring wooden boats and are members of the Lakeside Wooden Boat Society. The Grimms have one daughter and two grandchildren.
Author Bio: Jemar Tisby credits the beginnings of his faith journey to a friend from high school who was an evangelist at the age of 15. He invited Tisby to go to (his very white, very evangelical) youth group with him. Tisby started going because it was a social outlet – they played sports, there were girls — all the best reasons to attend church activities as a high schooler. Over time, the youth pastor’s messages really sunk in and helped Tisby see the attraction to this new way of life.
Lakeside Chautauqua is excited to welcome Tisby as one of our Chautauqua Lecture Series keynote speakers in celebration of our 150th Anniversary. He will take the stage of Hoover Auditorium on Tuesday, July 11 at 8 p.m.
Handprints on Hubble by Kathryn Sullivan
Discussion Hosts: Linda & Doug Huber
Monday, March 6 | 7-8 p.m.
About Handprints on Hubble: Named one of the best biographies of 2020, Sullivan recounts her experience as part of the team that launched, rescued, repaired and maintained the Hubble Space Telescope.
Discussion Hosts: Linda & Doug Huber are enjoying their retirement years pursuing their passion for preserving history. Year-round Lakesiders, both serve on the Ottawa County Historical Society Board and are active in the Lakeside Heritage Society.
Before retiring in 2006, Linda had a career within the administrative management field and enjoys applying gained knowledge and skills to community volunteer activities. Doug recently retired as a Lorain County Community College Assistant Professor of Computer Information Science and is now Emeritus. Most of his career has been within the corporate information security and network engineering arena.
Author Bio: Dr. Kathryn Sullivan is a geologist, astronaut and oceanographer who was the first American woman to walk in space, the first woman to dive to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench (the deepest part of the Earth’s oceans) and is the first and only person to do both. She flew on three shuttle missions, including the mission that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope.
Lakeside Chautauqua is excited to welcome Sullivan as one of our Chautauqua Lecture Series keynote speakers in celebration of our 150th Anniversary. She will take the stage of Hoover Auditorium on Wednesday, July 5 at 7:30 p.m.
To purchase Handprints on Hubble through Amazon Smile for 0.5% of your purchase to be donated to the Lakeside Impact Fund, visit smile.amazon.com. Choose “Lakeside Association” as your charity of choice and type the book title into the search bar. From there, you will continue through the checkout process as usual.
Don’t forget to do your normal Amazon shopping through Amazon Smile, as this will allow you to support the Chautauqua experience from the comfort of your home at no extra cost.
The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again by Robert Putnam
Discussion Host: John Porcari
Monday, April 17 | 7-8 p.m.
About The Upswing: From the author of Bowling Alone and Our Kids, a “sweeping yet remarkably accessible” (The Wall Street Journal) analysis that “offers superb, often counterintuitive insights” (The New York Times) to demonstrate how we have gone from an individualistic “I” society to a more communitarian “We” society and then back again, and how we can learn from that experience to become a stronger more unified nation.
Discussion Host: John Porcari and his family have been coming to Lakeside for more than 20 years and became homeowners in 2015. Porcari has a deep appreciation for all that Lakeside offers through the four Chautauqua Pillars and seeks to share that way of living to those he encounters in his personal and professional life. He is serving as the Programming Chair on Lakeside’s Sesquicentennial Committee.
Like many others, Porcari is deeply concerned about the divisions and growing polarization of our society. He is committed to seeking and creating grassroots opportunities for people to come together and appreciate the dignity and equal humanity of one another in service to creating meaningful and flourishing community.
Author Bio: Dr. Robert D. Putnam is the Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University and a former Dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Nationally honored as a leading humanist and a renowned scientist, he has written 14 books, including the bestselling Our Kids and Bowling Alone, and has consulted for four U.S. Presidents. In 2012, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal, the nation’s highest honor for contributions to the humanities. His research program, the Saguaro Seminar, is dedicated to fostering civic engagement in America.
Lakeside Chautauqua is excited to welcome Putnam as one of our Chautauqua Lecture Series keynote speakers in celebration of our 150th Anniversary. He will take the stage of Hoover Auditorium on Tuesday, June 20 at 8 p.m.
“POWER OF THE PILLARS” SERIES
Our “Power of the Pillars” series will give a preview into the 2023 season, highlighting one Chautauqua pillar each month from January through April.
Get the latest information directly from Lakeside’s Pillar Directors through this interactive Q&A discussion. Learn more about speakers, preachers and entertainers coming to Lakeside next summer and get a first look at new program initiatives. The discussions will be moderated by Hannah Brainard, Lakeside’s Marketing Project Manager.
Power of the Pillars: Religious Life with Rev. Dr. Charles Yoost
Discussion Host: Hannah Brainard
Sunday, Jan. 22 | 3-4 p.m.
Lakeside Chautauqua’s Religious Life Pillar hosts 15 programs each week, including Sunday Worship Services, Faith for Living Hour, Wednesday Family Picnics and Vespers by the Lake, as well as children, youth and teen ministries.
Led by the Rev. Dr. Charles Yoost, this “Power of the Pillars” program will give a sneak peek into the 2023 season. Learn about some of the guests and preachers coming to Lakeside and new program initiatives.
The Rev. Dr. Charles Yoost is Lakeside Chautauqua’s Senior Director of Religious Life & Pastoral Care, a position he has held since September 2018.
After 17 years as Senior Pastor of Church of the Saviour, a 1,500-member United Methodist Church (UMC) congregation in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Yoost became Pastor Emeritus in 2015. He has also served as District Superintendent and Dean of the Cabinet, Senior Pastor of Church Hill UMC, and Pastor of Northampton UMC in the East Ohio Conference.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Akron, Master of Theology and Doctor of Ministry from Boston University School of Theology.
Power of the Pillars: Arts & Entertainment with Shirley Stary 
& Steve Hartman
Discussion Host: Hannah Brainard
Sunday, Feb. 12 | 3-4 p.m.
Can’t wait until the summer 2023 season? Get a sneak peek now as Shirley Stary, Director of Arts & Entertainment, provides insight and overview to the arts and entertainers we will experience during summer 2023. Who will be in Hoover and how does the season come together? Plus, this session welcomes Steve Hartman, American broadcast journalist, who will provide a “call to action” to Lakesiders to be part of his special keynote presentation on Tuesday, July 18 at 8 p.m.
Shirley Stary serves as the Director of Arts Programming and joined Lakeside Chautauqua staff in 2005. Her responsibilities include coordinating over 75 nightly arts and entertainment programs during the summer Chautauqua season as well as arts festivals, exhibits and entertainment events across the grounds. Stary also functions
as the orchestra manager for the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra.
Steve Hartman is a CBS News correspondent based in New York, a role he has held since 1998. Hartman brings viewers moving stories from the unique people he meets in his weekly award-winning feature segment “On the Road,” which airs every Friday on the “CBS Evening News” repeats on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
Power of the Pillars: Education with John Mann
Discussion Host: Hannah Brainard
Sunday, March 26 | 3-4 p.m.
The Education Pillar provides numerous weekly opportunities for learning and growth for all ages. The Chautauqua Lecture Series theme weeks, Science Rocks!, programs on wellness and gardening, and living history presentations have provided weekly inspiration with the Education Pillar. In this “Power of the Pillar” presentation, learn what we have planned for next summer at Lakeside, plus what’s new.
John Mann, Director of Education, will share information about nationally recognized thought leaders and authors who will provide weekly keynotes, as well as the addition of a weekly children’s music program and Writers & Authors workshop series. Join us and get ready to plan your week of learning and fun this summer at Lakeside Chautauqua.
John Mann has been with the organization since 2014. Mann holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Toledo. Previously, he was the Manager of Human Resources for the Sears & Roebuck retail store in Sandusky for four years. Mann served as the Director of Human Resources for Lakeside Chautauqua for seven years before transitioning to his current role in spring 2021.
Power of the Pillars: Recreation & Wellness with Katalin Domotorffy
Discussion Host: Hannah Brainard
Sunday, April 23 | 3-4 p.m.
Nurturing mind, body and spirit is at the heart of Lakeside recreation. The grounds of Lakeside encompass parks, pools and recreation courts, including shuffleboard, tennis and pickleball. Nature trails, most notably Ohio’s Most Beautiful Mile along the shoreline, are where the beauty of nature, the charm of good company and the energy of the lake come together.
Join us in a sneak peek of tournaments, workshops and classes planned for 2023 as we connect with the community and celebrate Lakeside’s 150th Anniversary.
Katalin Domotorffy joined the Lakeside Chautauqua team as the Director of Recreation & Wellness just in time to kick off the 2021 summer season. Domotorffy earned her bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy in 2000 from the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland and worked as a licensed Physical Therapist for 20 years at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Her treatment philosophy embraced treating the whole body, mind and spirit, which led her to countless hours of training in myofascial body work, energy medicine and becoming a 500-hour certified yoga teacher.
Discussion Host: Hannah Brainard
Hannah Brainard serves as Lakeside’s Marketing Project Manager. Brainard holds a bachelor’s degree in arts management from Indiana University with a concentration in music.
Her great-grandparents met in Lakeside in the 1890s and later purchased their family cottage on Sycamore Ave. in the 1940s. A lifelong Lakesider, Brainard’s earliest experiences with the arts took place at Hoover Auditorium.
She took her first Lakeside job in 2017, working summers at the hotel front desks. In 2019, she returned as the Arts/Entertainment Management Intern, then Arts Programming Assistant in 2020. Working alongside Shirley Stary and the talented Programming staff, Brainard helped bring programming to life at Hoover Auditorium and the Steele Memorial Bandstand, coordinate exhibits and support the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra.
Brainard joined the Lakeside team full-time in fall 2020, and in her current role, she is able to spread the word about Lakeside and introduce new people to the community she loves.
“BEHIND THE CURTAIN” SERIES
Lakeside Symphonic Series with Daniel Meyer
Sunday, Feb. 26 | 3-4 p.m.
Come behind the curtain with Daniel Meyer, Music Director & Conductor of the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra, to get a sneak peek of the symphony’s upcoming 60th season. Meyer will discuss the pieces and ensembles that inspire him to lead the artistic vision of the music that engages thousands of Lakesiders each summer.
Daniel Meyer, a Cleveland native, studied conducting at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. He’s a graduate of Denison University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
As Music Director of the Erie Philharmonic, Artistic Director of the Westmoreland Symphony in Greensburg, Pa., and Director of Orchestral Activities at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Meyer has reinvigorated orchestras with his engaging presence and keen musical intellect.
Finding Our Way Through the Arts with Dr. Deforia Lane and Michael Shirtz
Thursday, March 30 | 7-8 p.m.
As part of Lakeside Online programming this spring, join us for a special online workshop with Dr. Deforia Lane & Michael Shirtz called Finding Our Way through the Arts on Thursday, March 30 from 7-8 p.m.
Practicing spiritual, mental, emotional and physical well-being is a driver of vibrant and thriving communities. Join Dr. Deforia Lane and Michael Shirtz for a powerful overview of how and why the creative arts and music are such a vital part of the Chautauqua experience.
This online session is a preview and sample of a special workshop offering which will be Saturday, May 13, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at Lakeside Chautauqua.
“Behind the Curtain: 150 Years at Michigan’s Oldest Theater” with Erik Gable & Jere Righter
Thursday, April 20 | 7-8 p.m.
What does Michigan’s Oldest Theater have to do with Lakeside Chautauqua’s 150th season? Join Erik Gable, Marketing Director & Business Manager at Croswell Opera House, and Jere Righter, their Artistic Director, to find out.
During this online program, learn the fascinating history of the Croswell Opera House—from its rich history and most memorable productions to surviving (and thriving through) the global pandemic. With discussion of exciting plans for collaboration with Lakeside, this conversation will inspire and engage those who love live theatre.
Erik Gable is Croswell’s Marketing Director & Business Manager. A graduate of Grinnell College in Iowa with a degree in history, he wrote the book on the Croswell’s history that was published to mark its 150th Anniversary in 2016. Purchase the “Behind the Curtain: 150 Years at Michigan’s Oldest Theater” Book.
Jere Righter has been the Artistic Director at Croswell Opera House since 2009, during which the theater has more than doubled its attendance and completed a $6.5 million renovation that will safeguard this 157-year-old landmark for future generations. She is a graduate of Siena Heights University in Michigan and prior to coming to Croswell worked in fundraising for Siena Heights, Notre Dame Academy in Toledo and the University of Michigan.
Through the Fall and Winter, Centering Prayer is held via Zoom from 8-8:30 a.m. each Thursday. After a brief devotional reading, participants will sit in quiet prayer followed by a time of reflection.
“ONCE UPON A PORCH” EPISODES
‘Once Upon a Porch’ Series with Chip Richter
Launching in 2023
Chip Richter is looking to expand God Squad, Lakeside’s beloved children’s program, through a new online streaming show for the whole family, called “Once Upon a Porch.” The vision is to create the same safe, nurturing environment families experience at God Squad and Lakeside and deliver it right to your living room.
The plan is to release a total of 6-10 episodes starting in 2023. Stay tuned for details on how to join the fun.
Chip Richter, an award-winning children’s singer-songwriter, is widely known for his feel-good shows, heartfelt music, endearing storytelling and gentle spirit that soothes the soul of parents and grandparents as much as children.
For nearly three decades, he’s toured the country as a solo musical artist and with his band, The Munks. Richter has also grown into a beloved part of the Chautauqua experience, touching the lives of thousands of young Lakesiders every summer through his leadership and timeless God Squad messages of love, laughter and song.