Jazz Age comes to Jacksonville

The Morgan County Historical Society and Illinois and Missouri humanities councils have teamed up again this year to sponsor the third Heartland Chautauqua, which will be held in Jacksonville from June 11 through 15.

This 2002 Chautauqua pays homage to "The Jazz Age" and features living history lectures from five American icons: Henry Ford, Edna Ferber, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Harry Truman, and Coco Chanel. The lectures, presented by scholar/actors/ historians, will be held under the big tent in Jacksonville's Community Park and be preceded by sit-down dinners and live jazz from some of central Illinois' finest musicians.

In addition, this year's Chautauqua will host a series of American History workshops and lectures that offer Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDUs) for teachers in need of recertification credits. The free course offerings will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. every afternoon of the Chautauqua and cover such topics as the coal mining wars of the 1920s and '30s, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the New Deal, the Roaring Twenties in American Politics, Route 66, and the American Social Gospel.

For more information about the Chautauqua, the workshops, or the Illinois Humanities Council, call 217-243-2423, or visit the IHC website at www.prairie.org.

ILLINOIS HERITAGE 19