Solon to mark 175th anniversary with Chautauqua

The city of Solon will mark its 175th birthday later this month with a Chautaqua.

Sandy Hanson, a member of the sesquicentennial organizing committee, came up with the idea for the Chautaqua after taking a group of seniors to the Repertoire Theater in Mount Pleasant.

'There they have a curtain that has Solon businesses on it,” she said. 'In the back of this museum, they had this big Chautauqua tent set up and it just kind of struck me.”

Hanson said the name comes from Chautauqua, N.Y., home to the Chautauqua Institution, a not-for-profit education center. In the 1800s, the community took tent shows on the road.

'They had orators, they had a lot of music and I found out a lot of it was Czech music, they read poetry,” she said. 'It was an opportunity to get people in small communities together and kind of spread the word.”

Mayor Steve Stange said the celebration is in recognition of the town's heritage.

'It's a tight community, it's close, most people know each other,” he said. 'It's yet another celebration within Solon where people get to be together and enjoy each other's company.”

Solon, which now has a population of 2,037, was founded in 1840 by Hamilton Kerr and John West.

Hanson, who has lived in Solon since 1973, said she hopes the Chautaqua brings Solon High School alumni back to town to see what the city now has to offer.

'We have two golf courses, we have a marvelous nature and recreation area, we've got great schools, three great churches and a lot of things that seniors can do,” Hanson said.

The celebration will kick off Sept. 18 with one-hour city loop trolley tours departing every 45 minutes from the Solon Recreation & Nature Area.

There also will be an alumni reunion social hour and banquet that evening for Solon High School graduates.

The following day, Solon United Methodist Church will host a luncheon from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This year also marks the 175th anniversary of the Solon United Methodist Church.

At the Timber Dome Lodge, there will be city loop tours, food vendors, historical photos and artifacts on display, Czech egg decorating and a beer tent. At the Chautauqua tent, there will be performances by the Solon High School jazz choir, band and dance teams, a historical fashion parade and a military uniform tribute.

Later in the afternoon there will be children's music performances as well as a performance by Czech skit players and old fashioned children's activities and games.

On the night of Sept. 19, there will be a blues performance by the Tornadoes at 5 p.m. At 7 p.m., Bob Dorr and the Blue Band will perform followed by a fireworks display at 10 p.m.

Sept. 20, the final day of celebrations, will feature a fall festival breakfast at St. Mary Catholic Church and an ecumenical worship service under the Chautauqua Tent featuring local choirs.