Destination: Lakeside
At this historic Chautauqua, there's sure to be a class, activity, performer or quiet patch of grass that's just your speed.
Each Sunday morning at 8:30 during Lakeside Chautauqua’s 10-week summer season, drowsy guests amble out of Victorian cottages and drift northward to Lake Erie. They’re in T-shirts and shorts, flip-flops and sunglasses, a casual crew united by one of the pillars of this community: faith. Together, they’ll take part in the weekly dockside church service.
“There is nothing more inspirational,” explains Kevin Sibbring, Lakeside’s president and CEO, “than looking out over the lake.”
After a few days on the Ohio campus of this faith-based educational and cultural com- munity, one might quibble with him on that. For at every turn, it seems, Lakeside offers inspiration in a cornucopia of forms.
The Four Pillars
As the second-oldest and second-largest Chautauqua in the country, Lakeside is in a constant state of recommitment to, and re- interpretation of, the four pillars: religion, education, arts and recreation. For the 2013 season, that means some big changes to the very structure of the community itself.
Lakeside had long owned a tract of vir- gin woodland along its eastern border, and recently acquired an adjacent piece of land. it joined the two plots to create the commu- nity’s fourth park, Chautauqua Park, which will feature a garden pavilion, three ponds and nature trails. A mile-long path currently winds through the woods and connects with older trails on the property.
The Memorial Garden at Chautauqua Park also debuted this year. The football- field-sized formal garden provides families with a beautiful place to deposit their loved ones’ ashes.
“While there was no formal place to com- mit one’s ashes, that (practice) has been go- ing on for over a century,” Sibbring says. “For people who truly love Lakeside, we wanted to formalize a place, create a sacred ground.”
The park has already seen a large number of garden-side memorial servicesthere.
“We have a lot of children who are chris- tened at Lakeside, celebrate birthdays, grad- uations, engagements, weddings, births, an- niversaries,” he says. “This is a way to kind of bookend that circle of life.”
Play Date
Families have played together at Lakeside for 140 years. Just head to the shuffleboard courts to see for yourself.
Every summer since 1972, the National Shuffleboard Championships have descended on the village. “Shuffleboard is a hallmark of Lakeside,” says Sibbring. “it’s kind of consid- ered a mecca in the shuffleboard world.” But if you’re envisioning gray-haired Floridians whiling away a lazy afternoon, think again.
“You see some really amazing talent,” says Sibbring. “it’s kind of an intense sport.”
Of course, as a summer attraction right on the lake, water sports and water play also are vital to the fabric of Lakeside. in addition to the traditional beach, dock and swimming area in Lake Erie, Sibbring says there has been an overwhelmingly positive response to its newest offering: a splash park constructed on the site of an old children’s pool.Three zones offer kids from birth to age 12 different areas to play, from a zero- entry pool for babies to an area with high-powered jet sprays for the bigger kids.
Do Something, or Do Nothing
All-inclusive resorts tend to conjure up images of palm trees, wandering troubadours and Caribbean beaches. But Lakeside, Ohio, offers a Midwestern version with its own charms. Visitors come to relax, of course, settling in with a book on the beach and letting their week’s vacation waft by on a warm lake breeze.
When the urge strikes, though, there’s never, ever a shortage of things to do. The weekly newspaper, The Lakesider, features schedules for events ranging from tennis lessons to triathlons. The summer brochure details the marquee entertainment, which runs the gamut from Amy Grant to Cirque Zuma Zuma, david Cassidy to herman’s hermits. Plus, the Lakeside Symphony Or- chestra features members from the Cleveland Orchestra.
The foundation of Lakeside, though, is its educational programming and lecture se- ries. One day might feature a discussion on the theology of C.S. Lewis; another offers the chance to hear someone from Britain’s house of Lords filling in as Chaplain of the Week. Children can take advantage of an entire building devoted to them the Rhein Center for the Living Arts where programs are so popular, this year organizers have add- ed six tented pavilions to offer 30 percent more classes and events.
On a typical day your son could be off learning to build a miniature boat while your daughter takes advantage of the Lakeside Girls’ Club. You might drop your toddler off at Central Park, a staffed playground, so you can take a hatha yoga class or attend book club. Your parents might find the Guided Tree Walk just their speed, while your food- ie in-laws browse the twice-weekly farmers market.
Lakeside pulls from its inspiring surroundings to create a summer retreat that's a treat for all the senses.
“There is nothing more inspirational,” explains Kevin Sibbring, Lakeside’s president and CEO, “than looking out over the lake.”
After a few days on the Ohio campus of this faith-based educational and cultural com- munity, one might quibble with him on that. For at every turn, it seems, Lakeside offers inspiration in a cornucopia of forms.
The Four Pillars
As the second-oldest and second-largest Chautauqua in the country, Lakeside is in a constant state of recommitment to, and re- interpretation of, the four pillars: religion, education, arts and recreation. For the 2013 season, that means some big changes to the very structure of the community itself.
Lakeside had long owned a tract of vir- gin woodland along its eastern border, and recently acquired an adjacent piece of land. it joined the two plots to create the commu- nity’s fourth park, Chautauqua Park, which will feature a garden pavilion, three ponds and nature trails. A mile-long path currently winds through the woods and connects with older trails on the property.
The Memorial Garden at Chautauqua Park also debuted this year. The football- field-sized formal garden provides families with a beautiful place to deposit their loved ones’ ashes.
“While there was no formal place to com- mit one’s ashes, that (practice) has been go- ing on for over a century,” Sibbring says. “For people who truly love Lakeside, we wanted to formalize a place, create a sacred ground.”
The park has already seen a large number of garden-side memorial servicesthere.
“We have a lot of children who are chris- tened at Lakeside, celebrate birthdays, grad- uations, engagements, weddings, births, an- niversaries,” he says. “This is a way to kind of bookend that circle of life.”
Play Date
Families have played together at Lakeside for 140 years. Just head to the shuffleboard courts to see for yourself.
Every summer since 1972, the National Shuffleboard Championships have descended on the village. “Shuffleboard is a hallmark of Lakeside,” says Sibbring. “it’s kind of consid- ered a mecca in the shuffleboard world.” But if you’re envisioning gray-haired Floridians whiling away a lazy afternoon, think again.
“You see some really amazing talent,” says Sibbring. “it’s kind of an intense sport.”
Of course, as a summer attraction right on the lake, water sports and water play also are vital to the fabric of Lakeside. in addition to the traditional beach, dock and swimming area in Lake Erie, Sibbring says there has been an overwhelmingly positive response to its newest offering: a splash park constructed on the site of an old children’s pool.Three zones offer kids from birth to age 12 different areas to play, from a zero- entry pool for babies to an area with high-powered jet sprays for the bigger kids.
Do Something, or Do Nothing
All-inclusive resorts tend to conjure up images of palm trees, wandering troubadours and Caribbean beaches. But Lakeside, Ohio, offers a Midwestern version with its own charms. Visitors come to relax, of course, settling in with a book on the beach and letting their week’s vacation waft by on a warm lake breeze.
When the urge strikes, though, there’s never, ever a shortage of things to do. The weekly newspaper, The Lakesider, features schedules for events ranging from tennis lessons to triathlons. The summer brochure details the marquee entertainment, which runs the gamut from Amy Grant to Cirque Zuma Zuma, david Cassidy to herman’s hermits. Plus, the Lakeside Symphony Or- chestra features members from the Cleveland Orchestra.
The foundation of Lakeside, though, is its educational programming and lecture se- ries. One day might feature a discussion on the theology of C.S. Lewis; another offers the chance to hear someone from Britain’s house of Lords filling in as Chaplain of the Week. Children can take advantage of an entire building devoted to them the Rhein Center for the Living Arts where programs are so popular, this year organizers have add- ed six tented pavilions to offer 30 percent more classes and events.
On a typical day your son could be off learning to build a miniature boat while your daughter takes advantage of the Lakeside Girls’ Club. You might drop your toddler off at Central Park, a staffed playground, so you can take a hatha yoga class or attend book club. Your parents might find the Guided Tree Walk just their speed, while your food- ie in-laws browse the twice-weekly farmers market.
Lakeside pulls from its inspiring surroundings to create a summer retreat that's a treat for all the senses.
Story:
Amber Matheson
Sept/Oct 2013