Excitement is building all over the community in anticipation of this week’s grand opening of Chautauqua 2013 “Anything Goes: America in the 1920s.” Oklahoma’s own “Favorite Son,” Will Rogers, as portrayed by Dr. Doug Watson will kick off the most exciting and historically interesting five days beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28. William Penn Adair “Will” Rogers was an American cowboy, vaudeville performer, humorist, social commentator and motion picture actor. He was one of the world’s best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s.
Two workshops will be held at the Altus Public Library each day and the tent performances will take place on the Western Oklahoma State College campus grounds.
The tent activities start each evening at 7 p.m. with local entertainment featuring musicians, dancers, vocalists, and poetry by former Oklahoma State Poet Laureate Eddie D. Wilcoxen written especially for the “Roaring Twenties” theme and characters. The Chautauqua living history performances will begin at 7:30 p.m.
The daily workshops will begin at the Altus Public Library on Tuesday. The first workshop at 10 a.m. with Dr. Doug Mishler is “The Automobile and the Development of Modern America 1890-1960.” Henry Ford and the other early manufactures caused a sea change in America. In the workshop, they will explore all the ways the automobile altered America from the time of its introduction in 1896 through the 1950s.
The second workshop with Debra Connor, at 2 p.m., “Get Square” is for the whole family. In the 1920s Cubism was a radically new movement in the art world. In this workshop, participants will learn about Cubism and the artists who pioneered this distinctive and influential style. Audience members will have the opportunity to create their own mini-masterpiece. Fun for adults and children ages five and up. Refreshments will be available at both workshops.
















