What’s in a name? The concept of
“chautauqua” was an early education
movement in the U.S. Traveling chautauquas
took the form of tent shows. President
Teddy Roosevelt called them “the most
American thing in America.”

Get ready to road trip! Way up north there’s a place often referred to as “THE summertime venue for musical awesomeness.” It’s also known more simply as “The Tent” or “The Big Top” and I first read about it moons ago in Michael Perry’s Truck, A Love Story. A place where kick-keister local, regional, and national acts show up, under the stars with a view to the largest lake in the world (Superior), and play their hearts out. Where a lively mix of old-fashioned goodness and state-of-the-art musical technology unite and charm your socks off. Up north in a sweet meadow high atop Mt Ashwabay there’s a striped canvas tent and that’s it – Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua.

The concept of “chautauqua” was a popular adult education movement in the U.S. during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Traveling chautauquas took the form of tent shows moving from town to town, often traveling by rail during the summer offering lectures and entertainment for the whole community. President Teddy Roosevelt was quoted as saying that chautauqua is “the most American thing in America.”

Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua is a real deal canvas tent (not vinyl), a living breathing fiber creating warm pleasing acoustics, where rows of comfy church pews and old theater seats await you and the wild northwoods spills in along with you. This summer the “Big Top” will celebrate 25 years of doing it up right, making summer sweeter under the stars. Musicians like Willie Nelson, Nanci Griffith, Yonder Mt String Band, Greg Brown, Johnny and June Carter Cash, Bela Fleck, and Garrison Keillor have performed under the “Tent”… and if they’re still kicking they keep coming back. You can also catch regional acts like Yazmin Bowers, Trampled by Turtles, and Cory Carlson and sing along, hard pressed to wipe the smile off your face (seriously) with Blue Canvas Orchestra, the “Big Top’s” house band.

Right along with bringing in top musical artists, the “Big Top” has a mission to dish out original musical theater productions that are educational and entertaining. These pieces were first created by co-founders of the “Tent” Betty Ferris and Warren Nelson to share the area’s dynamic cultural history and teach the stories of our ancestors through original song and big screen photographs and still bring the tent down.

The whole shebang began as a community effort in the summer of 1986 with a bevy of bright-eyed and motivated musicians. Phillip Anich, a UWEC graduate has been playing with Blue Canvas Orchestra since the early days. When I asked Phillip how he would describe the “Big Top” to someone who’d never been there, he replied, “It’s yours. It is a public place that can feel like you own it. Bring your best, genuine attitude and participate in the act of appreciating life with the grounds, the sound, and the visuals as a party just for you. It is world-class entertainers, safe, secure, beautiful, organic, and fulfilling.”

“It is a public place that can feel like you own it. Bring your best, genuine attitude and participate in the act of appreciating life with the grounds, the sound, and the visuals as a party just for you.” – Phillip Anich, a UWEC grad and Blue Canvas Orchesra member

Greg Brown, a folk-god from down Iowa way who has performed all over the world, has been showing up on stage since the early 90s and keeps coming back. When I asked what him keeps coming back he said, “There is something unique about the Big Top, there’s nothing else quite like it. It’s a very relaxing gig, something about the setting there and the people are really open and nice. It’s a natural thing.”

I’ve been blessed to call that area home and what I found most impressive, beyond the crazy-good talent and tasty scenery, has been the community, the local folks, many of them volunteers, who make this non-profit organization rock. It’s their sweat equity, commitment, and – ultimately – love that shape and make this magic happen under the stars summer after summer, year after year.

For more info, schedules, and ticket prices visit BigTop.org or call 888-BIG-TENT. If you can’t make it, check out Tent Show Radio hosted by Michael Perry. It’s a weekly variety series showcasing live performances from the “Big Top.” Check it out locally on WHWC 88.3FM, Saturdays at 7pm.