Chautauqua week is coming July 7-11 and will offer 16 events in 5 days to guests in Syracuse. The week offers something for everyone, from lectures to concerts, performances to arts. Guests are even able to take a ride on the SS Lillypad Cruise on Lake Wawasee.

All programs and events will take place at the Hilltop Banquet Center at the Oakwood Resort in Syracuse.

Monday, July 7

On Monday, July 7, guests can enjoy both the Past, Present and Preservation Adventure as well as the Two Piano Recital. The Preservation Adventure will begin at 4 p.m. and will be an educational adventure with Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation (WCAF), Syracuse Historical Museum and Chatauqua Wawasee. Presentations will take place on Monday as well as on Friday aboard the SS Lillypad Cruise.

The Two Piano Recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. with duo performances by Marianne Tobias and Anita Cast. Marianne is a Harvard Graduate who is resident program annotator and musicologist for Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Anita’s talent and love for music is evident in her involvement in outstanding music organizations including the instrumental violin competition in Indianapolis, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Those who purchase a week pass will be offered VIP seating. The event is free.

Tuesday, July 8

At 9 a.m., Tuesday, July 8, the Peace Pole Project will be held. Peace poles are recognized as a prominent international symbol and monument to peace. Come make your own garden peace pole with Kathleen Boyts of Creative Fish Art Gallery. Cost is $40 and includes both Tuesday and Thursday sessions and materials.

Reverend John Denson will present, “The God in Whom We Live and Move And Have Our Being” at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 8. Denson is the rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Indianapolis. Cost to attend is $18.

At 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday guests can enjoy a lunch and lecture featuring Ron Manahan who shares a story of moving from isolation to engagement. Cost is $25

Wednesday, July 9

Building Tomorrow with George Srour will kick off Wednesday’s events at 9 a.m. Srour, who is founder and chief dreamer of Building Tomorrow, Inc., will present on his work in Uganda where his company has constructed classroom space for over 3,000 children while engaging a college-based chapter network of students at over 25 universities across the United States.

A lunch and lecture will follow at 12:30 p.m. with a lecture on “Beating a Sword into a Plowshare, circa 2014” by Dr. Welling Hall of Earlham College. A craft course on felted flowers will follow lunch and the lecture at 4 p.m. and will be hosted by Michelle Fife. This is a great project that can brighten up a jacket, embellish a purse or enhance a fashionable hate and much more. Cost is $15 and includes the materials.

The Sons of Bill concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. From Charlottesville, Va., Sons of Bill is made of three brothers, Sam, Abe and James Wilson, along with Seth Green (bass) and Todd Wellons (drums). The three eldest sons of William Wilson grew up playing music and embarked on their official project in late 2007. Since then, they have toured both sides of the Atlantic, sharing the stage with artists ranging from My Morning Jacket to the Drive-By Truckers and playing coveted spots at Bonnaroo, ACL Fest and SXSW. This outdoor concert will be held at the Oakwood Resort Gazebo.

Thursday, July 10

The second installment in the peace pole project class will be held at 9 a.m. Cost is $40 to take part in both the Tuesday and Thursday sessions.

At 10:30 a.m. R. Scott Appleby, director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame will present the lecture “Is Peace Possible”. This will be followed by a lunch and lecture by Jim Brennaman, president of Goshen College, who will discuss, “Confessions of a Reluctant Pacifist”. Cost to attend the lunch and lecture is $25.

A needle felting craft course will be hosted at 4 p.m. by Michelle Fife for those looking to learn a new decorating technique. The class will make a tissue holder for a purse size pack of kleenex and a bookmark. Cost is $15 which includes material costs.

At 7:30 p.m. The Schmidts & First Love will take perform “music that ministers the heart”. The Schmidts & First Love have been working together as a husband and wife team singing in churches, concert halls, fairs and bluegrass festivals for over 20 years. The event is free and those who have purchased the week pass will be offered VIP seating.

Friday, July 11

Friday events will come to a close with the 9 a.m. interfaith panel and the Past, Present and Preservation Adventure. The panel will offer religious scientific dialogue on how to debate ideas and will be held by Frank Levison, self-described Silicon Valley Nerd; Nate Bosch, Environmental Scientist, Grace College; and Brian Murphy, Butler Astrophysics.

The Past Present and Preservation Adventure will take place at 11:30 a.m. and will be aboard the SS Lillypad. Boarding for the event will take place at 11 a.m. Cost of attendance for both Monday and Friday’s events is $40.

The Chautauqua is sponsored by the Kosciusko County Community Foundation and The Papers, Inc. The Chautauqua Week Pass will offer admission to all Chautauqua Week programs and activities, the SS Lillypad Cruise, lunches on Tuesday through Friday, VIP seating at evening performances and concerts. Cost is $175 per person. Special pricing of $150 per person with the purchase of four or more tickets is offered.