Consistent with aspirations outlined in Chautauqua Institution’s new strategic plan, 150 Forward, officials have announced plans for Fall 2019 programs that expand upon the Institution’s normal fall and winter activities and offerings.

From the close of the summer assembly on Sunday, Aug. 25, through the month of October (potentially as long as Nov. 15, weather permitting), the Athenaeum Hotel will remain open and available for daily, weekly or extended bookings, offering breakfast for overnight guests. The Athenaeum’s Lobby Lounge will also be open noon to 8 p.m. daily, offering club sandwiches, burgers, soup, salad, appetizers and beverages. The Brick Walk Cafe will be open weekends 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the Coffee Gazebo open 7 a.m. to noon. Daily breakfast and lunch service at the Afterwords Café will continue throughout the fall, winter and spring months.

Following the conclusion of the summer assembly season, Chautauqua welcomes back returning “Week Ten” programs including the 12th annual Encore Choral Summer Institute and the 13th International Humanitarian Law Roundtable, hosted and sponsored by Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Public registrations for the Roundtable are available upon request to coordinator Molly White, at Mollyewhite.sucol@gmail.com.  

In addition to hosting several weddings and group programs, including three Road Scholar groups in September and October, Chautauqua invites guests to participate in its Farm to Table Culinary Getaway Weekend, Sept. 13 to 15. The weekend features exquisite locally sourced cuisine, hands-on workshops and the beauty of Chautauqua Institution in the fall. Packages include two nights at the Athenaeum Hotel, two farm-to-table dinners, breakfast, lunch and brunch, and two hands-on workshops.

This year marks the 140th anniversary of Albion Winegar Tourgée’s enormously popular and critically acclaimed novel of the Reconstruction Era, A Fool’s Errand By One of the Fools. Based largely on Tourgée’s own experiences of living in Greensboro, North Carolina, after fighting for the Union in the Civil War, the novel offers an intimate, jarring, and often witty account of Reconstruction. It has become a classic of the era. The “Literary Tourgée” conference at Chautauqua Institution Sept. 27 to 29 offers a unique opportunity to join the conversation about Tourgée’s novels, journalism and political writings, including his legal defense in the landmark 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case.

Chautauqua will celebrate the fall season with Oktoberfest on Oct. 4 and 5. Guests can indulge in a multi-course, German-inspired tasting menu at the Athenaeum Hotel and then spend Saturday on Bestor Plaza for Oktoberfest entertainment, as well as seasonal and local offerings with a German-style feast featuring the region’s best beers and wines.

The Third Annual Winter Village at Chautauqua returns Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 and Dec. 21 to 22. While the festival activities will be presented on just two weekends this year, guests can enjoy shopping and the Bestor Plaza light display throughout the season.

Details about overnight packages and registration for all of institution-sponsored events are available at fall.chq.org.