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A 21st Century “Chautauqua” At Beautiful Natural Bridge |
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Program Number: |
16228RJ |
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| Start
and End Dates: |
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| Duration: |
4 nights |
| Location: |
Natural Bridge, Virginia
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| Price starting at: |
$568.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city |
| Program Type:
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Multi-Topic
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| Meals: |
12;
4 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 4 Dinners |
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| Meal
Options: |
Low Fat; Vegetarian; Low Salt |
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Theodore Roosevelt called the Chautauqua movement “the most American thing in America.” Join us to re-create that spirit. Top instructors from all VCU Road Scholar sites present a dozen tantalizing and thought-provoking classes that change from program to program on topics ranging from history to culture, folkways, the sciences, music, Shakespeare, and more.
Highlights
• Enjoy two evenings of superb musical performances.
• Spend an afternoon discovering the grand stone arch that awed the Monacan Indians, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and every generation since.
• Take in an evening light show at the Bridge.
Activity Particulars
Minimal walking and standing on this program.
Date Specific Information
3-24-2013
Instructors will include John Quarstein on “The Monitor Boys,” Katharine Brown on “Irish History: Celts, Christians, Vikings, and Normans to the Modern Era,” Roland Minton on “The Signal and the Noise in Sports,” Ben Curns on “Richard III: Is there a murderer here?”, Keith Gibson on “Moses Ezekiel, Sculptor,” Christian Jennings on “Rev. William Morrison, Humanitarian Missionary to Congo,” Nancy Sorrells on “The Great Cattle Drives of the Wild West (in Virginia!)," and Barbara Martin on “Songs of Cole Porter,” plus Jim Wootton on architecture, Sarah Enloe on Shakespeare, Bruce Bytnar on his career as a National Park Service Ranger, and Jeffrey Ruggles on the history of Natural Bridge.
Enjoy the latest in hearing technology — listening devices — on this date.
8-11-2013
Topics at the August 2013 program will include “History of the Blue Ridge Parkway,” by Bruce Bytnar; “The Fiddle and Banjo: Uniquely American Dance Partners,” by Marcia and Woody McKenzie; “John M Brooke and the Creation of the CSS Virginia,” by Keith Gibson; “Virginia’s Response to the Civil Rights Movement,” by Jim Wootton; “The War of 1812 in the Chesapeake,” by John Quarstein; and “Turnip Seeders and Tourists: the connections between the north of Ireland and the Shenandoah Valley,” by Nancy Sorrells.
Enjoy the latest in hearing technology — listening devices — on this date.
Coordinated by Virginia Commonwealth University.
Natural Bridge
Considered one of the natural wonders of the world, Natural Bridge spans a deep gorge and caverns between the Blue Ridge and Alleghenies. This ancient limestone arch became a path for wildlife, a sacred site for Monacan Indians, a gateway for settlers and a curiosity for Europeans. Thomas Jefferson called it "the most sublime of nature's works."
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Accommodations
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, historic hotel complex from the pre-Interstate era; ridge-side setting with trails, buffet breakfast.
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| Road Scholar Instructors | | These instructors are participating on at least one date of this program. Please note that changes may occur. | Jeffrey Ruggles
| | Jeffrey Ruggles is a historian and photographer whose specialities include the history of Virginia and 19th-20th century popular culture. He has published a book on photography and a biography of Henry Box Brown. His professional background includes curator at Virginia Historical Society, gallery exhibitions, and permanent installations. Jeffrey also owned and operated a popular restaurant in Richmond's Shockoe Bottom for a number of years. | | | | John Quarstein
| | John Quarstein is an award-winning historian, preservationist and author who has taught at the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary, Old Dominion University and Virginia Commonwealth University. A Civil War expert, he formerly served as the director of the Virginia War Museum in Newport News. John is active in preserving Civil War and other historic sites throughout Virginia and received the President’s Award for Historic Preservation in 1993. | | | | Katharine Brown
| | Katharine Brown grew up in a Victorian mansion with a great-grandmother who told tales of family in the Mexican and Civil Wars. Katharine earned a Ph.D. in history at The Johns Hopkins University in 1969, has taught at several universities, and has written 12 books on American social history. She has been the director of the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace and Presidential Library, and recently taught art and history at Mary Baldwin College. | | | | Woody McKenzie
| | Woody and Marcia McKenzie are long-time residents of Virginia’s New River Valley and now live in Lynchburg. Woody builds instruments and is accomplished on guitar and mandolin, but fiddle is his greatest love. Marcia’s favorite instrument is her voice, but she plays the mandolin, guitar, clawhammer banjo, rhythm piano, drums and various whistles. Their repertoire of lively tunes, familiar ballads, sing-alongs and humorous novelty songs creates energetic entertainment. | | | | Keith Gibson
| | Col. Keith Gibson was raised near Richmond, Va., on land hotly contested during the Civil War. He earned his bachelor’s in civil engineering at Virginia Military Institute in 1977, and after a brief tour as a Naval officer, he returned to VMI as curator of exhibits. He is now executive director of museum programs at VMI, responsible for the operation of the VMI Museum in Lexington and the New Market Battlefield Historical Park in New Market. | | | | Sarah Enloe
| | Sarah Enloe, director of education at the American Shakespeare Center, has an MFA in dramaturgy and a master of letters in teaching from Mary Baldwin's Masters in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature, and a BFA in theatre studies from the University of Texas. She has directed “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” “Love's Labour's Lost” and “Much Ado About Nothing.” Sarah teaches at Mary Baldwin College and James Madison. | | | | James Wootton
| | James Wootton recently retired as the executive director for Virginia's Capitol Square Preservation Council. After graduating from the University of Virginia's School of Architecture, he was curator and assistant director of Ash Lawn-Highland, home of President James Monroe. Jim has appeared in films and documentaries and authored numerous articles and publications, including a biography of Monroe's wife. | | | | Nancy Sorrells
| | Nancy Sorrells attended Bridgewater College and received her master’s in history at James Madison University. She is a primary contributor to local dailies, newsletters of various historical societies, and co-author of “A Cyclist’s Guide to the Shenandoah Valley.” Nancy has been published in numerous publications, encompassing everything from history and government to conservation. Nancy is also an active member of several historical sites and museums as well as her local county government.
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