The "Most American Thing in America" heads to the South Lake Tahoe stage

I love Lake Tahoe history and have been looking forward to the much anticipated Chautauqua which is coming to Valhalla's Boathouse Theater on Thursday, August 7.

The Lake Tahoe Historical Museum has had the posters of the event up on its walls for months, getting history buffs and locals excited about seeing the likes of Mark Twain, Anita Baldwin, Hank Monk and Pony Express Rider Warren Epson, all who played important roles in Tahoe's past.

First, you might ask, what is a Chautauqua (pronounced shuh-taw-kwuh)? Popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it is an educational meeting which provides lectures, concerts and dramatic performances during the summer months, usually in an outdoor setting. They're named after the location of the first one in 1874 at Chautauqua Lake in New York. They spread through rural America in the mid-1920s. Former US President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying that Chautauqua is "the most American thing in America".

And now South Lake Tahoe has its own Chautauqua.

If you haven't seen popular Mark Twain impersonator McAvoy Layne, this is your chance to catch his act. The other actors becoming a pony express rider, the daughter of Lucky Baldwin, a stagecoach driver and a way station owner will also bring the past to the present.

The show is expected to sell out so it is advised to get tickets early. They are available at the museum located at 3058 Lake Tahoe Blvd in South Lake Tahoe. They are open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Presale tickets are $18 for Historical Society members and $20 for non-members. Call 530-541-5458 with any questions you may have. The Thursday, August 7th show starts at 6:30 p.m.