Harper’s Lifelong Learning Institute holds first Chautauqua

Danny Fox (left), as Bob Dylan, and Barry Cloyd, as Carl Sandburg, will participate in the August 25 Chautauqua hosted by the Lifelong Learning Institute at Harper College.

The Lifelong Learning Institute at Harper College will welcome Brian “Fox” Ellis as the host of its first Chautauqua on Friday, August 25.

So, what exactly is a Chautauqua?

A popular education and social movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chatauquas brought entertainment and culture into programs that sought to spread knowledge and foster discussion through the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, performers, preachers and specialists of the day. Watch this video to learn more.

Harper’s Lifelong Learning Institute Chautauqua 2023 takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, August 25, at the Wojcik Conference Center on the college’s main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine.

The day will kick off with a performance by Harper’s own Back Porch Revue, followed by presentations by Barry Cloyd as Carl Sandburg and Danny Fox as Bob Dylan, two icons of American culture.

Take a sentimental journey through this engaging event and experience nostalgia, fun and good, old-fashioned fun. Snacks and refreshments will be served. Tuition for the Chautauqua is $49. Lifelong Learning Institute members receive a 50% discount. Visit harpercollege.edu/lli to register.

Barry Cloyd as Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg, poet, Lincoln biographer and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, will regale you with songs and stories of his origins in Illinois, his life as a hobo and his love of American folk music. Barry Cloyd, as Sandburg, will share some of his more famous poetry as well as a few lesser-known works. He will sing a medley of the songs that trace America’s history through its music and reminisce about our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. He will share stories of his farm work as a hoe-boy and his life riding the rails of Americana.

Danny Fox as Bob Dylan

Danny Fox will present a concert of your favorite Bob Dylan songs. He has opened for such prestigious acts as Buddy Guy, Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Joan Baez, Tom Paxton and Beatles tribute acts American English and The Cavern Beat. He has also won the Bob Dylan singer/songwriter competition in his hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, three years in a row. Join us for an afternoon of Dylan tunes and stories behind the songs.