By Melanie Penner

Residents and visitors to Morden will be treated to one of the most significant arts and culture events of the decade this weekend.

The entirely new Chautauqua Celebration Festival will be the crowning event of the many Chautauqua Spirit activities this year.

Events got underway Thursday evening and will continue Friday and Saturday afternoon and evening, and wrap up with a community worship service Sunday morning.

With many of the events taking place under a Big Top tent at the Morden Recreation Centre, the festival aims to recapture the spirit of the Chautauqua’s that came to Morden in the early 1900s.

The program includes an eclectic variety of music, dance, drama and speech arts.

Larry Danielson, chair of the Chautauqua Spirit executive said the weekend will be a showcase and culmination of the many Chautauqua projects that have taken place this year.

“Cameron Friesen and Wes Hamm have worked hard to produce a festival that has a wide range of arts performance. We will enjoy the talents of both established and emerging artists, some of whom have traveled a long distance home to perform for us.”

Danielson noted the Chautauqua Celebration is free to the public, with costs underwritten by Cultural Capital funding.

There are four different sections to the festival and the lineup is sure to have something for everybody.

“Under the Big Top Tent” will feature concerts both Friday and Saturday evening. Highlights include the debut of Lulu & the Tomcat’s new fossil songs, the JP LePage band, cellist Leanne Zacharias, and music by John C. Wiens.

The winners of the Loreena McKennitt Composition Competition and Festival of the Arts and Back 40 Youth representatives will also take their turn on the stage. There will be dance performances by Melanie Trameer and Jazz Child.

Another emerging artist returning to his hometown for a performance in the Saturday lineup is Baritone Paul Wiens.

The theatrical creation, “When the Stone Speaks,” will also be performed Friday and Saturday evening under the tent.

And if our September weather is cool, the tent is heated to keep the audience comfortable.

The arts and culture exhibition portion of the festival will take place inside the Recreation Centre Hall.

The exhibits feature some of the products of Morden’s Chautauqua Spirit year including the unveiling of the Chautauqua Heritage quilt, a 32 block quilt depicting aspects of Morden’s culture and heritage.

The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre will have a display and will feature the new trailer for its “Swimming with Bruce” film documentary. Local sculptor Jake Goertzen will also display and demonstrate his work.

The Manitoba Arts Council is showing its support for the efforts of the community by hosting a public reception inside the Hall Friday starting at 9 p.m. The arts council provides many types of funding for artists, arts organizations, and community arts development.

Another section to the festival will have three guest speakers give public presentations.

The first guest speaker is Roland Fisett, president of the Manitoba North Western Ontario command. He will address the topic, “Spirit of Service,” an inspirational speech for youth and adults.

The second presentation will feature CFDC curator Anita Janzic, a noted paleontologist who will speak about “Paleo-Passion.”

Sarah Williams, a well-known horticulturalist and historian, will speak on “Manitoba’s Horticultural Pioneers,” including the significant work of Morden’s Henry Marshall.

Following her presentation, winners of the Parkland Rose Photography Competition will be announced.

The final aspect of the festival consists of the many off-site Chautauqua attractions, including the Dr. Henry Marshall sculpture, the four new murals, and Natalie Rostad’s Journey in Spirit: Full Circle exhibition at the Pembina Hills Gallery.

You can also visit the Baseball Hall of Fame to see the taped interviews with current inductees and past members or take the “Story of the Stones” self-guided walking tour.

An advance program of information is available now on the Chautauqua Spirit website at www.chautauquaspirit.com. From there you can download the Events Schedule.

Printed programs will be distributed through Thornview Grocery, Morden Friendship Centre, and Pembina Hills Arts Centre.