Archives lecture to trace history of traditions

George Cooper | Staff Writer

Gladiolas, fireworks, Old First Night, Bryant Day — and there are more, some of them beginning even as we speak: traditions at Chautauqua. Jon Schmitz, archivist and historian at Chautauqua Institution, will ferret out the origins of Chautauqua traditions in a presentation at 3:30 p.m. today in the Hall of Christ: “True Tales, Tall Tales, Trivia and Traditions of Chautauqua.”

Before it becomes a tradition, it is a simple, often spontaneous incident — an impromptu gesture, a behavior in natural response to a particular situation: But then, meaning becomes attached to it. Chautauqua Institution’s history is steeped in tradition, or so it seems. But Schmitz said there are not as many as he had thought.

The Chautauqua Salute has a remarkable origin, as well as the Drooping of the Lilies. But origins are not always clear or agreed upon by members of the Chautauqua community — the three taps of the gavel, for example; the longest continuously running book club; and the presence of gladiolas on Chautauqua porches.

“Traditions are important as a means of introduction to a community,” Schmitz said, putting special emphasis on the word “community.”

Sometimes, specialized traditions can serve to insulate a group against those outside it. However, Chautauqua traditions “should be used to introduce and reintroduce people” to this place, Schmitz said.

Schmitz also will moderate “Let’s Play ‘How Much Do You Know?’” The interchange of his own design — a game, if you will — will challenge the audience with teasers about the opera, theater and the Institution’s founders.