Schedule of Events

“Chautauqua, the most American thing in America!”  -Theodore Roosevelt

“Women Who Changed Their World”
Evenings, 6:30-8:00 pm, $15
June 11: Mary Ann Jung portrays Grace O’Malley—Ship’s captain and pirate queen.
June 18: Bowen Lee portrays Anna May Wong—First Chinese-American film star in Hollywood.
June 25: Roopa Mohan portrays Kasturba Gandhi—Civil rights activist and wife of Mahatma Gandhi.
July 16: Dorothea Phelan portrays Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus—Founder of the American Association of Retired Persons.
August 13: Steve Hale portrays Major General John C. Frémont—Reminiscence of his wife Jessie Benton Frémont.
August 20: Kim Harris portrays Elizabeth Van Lew—American abolitionist. “Southern Woman, Yankee Spy.”

“They Did It Their Way”
Mornings, 10:00-11:00 am, Free for everyone.
June 6: Researcher Debbe Nye will give a presentation on the “History of Chautauqua” followed by a portrayal by a guest Young Chautauquan.
June 13: David Woodruff portrays William Mulholland—Engineer of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. “There It Is … Take It!”
June 27: Kim Harris portrays Sarah Althea Hill—Mistress to Comstock millionaire William Sharon.
July 11: Margaret Bergland portrays Lottie Deno—Notorious nineteenth century “Lady Gambler.”
July 18: Cora Johnson portrays Anne Henrietta Martin—Suffragist, pacifist, and author from the state of Nevada.
August 1: Dave Pierson portrays Abe Curry—Founding father of Carson City, Nevada.
August 8: Ross Mortensen portrays William Sharon—Notorious millionaire and infamous “King of the Comstock.”
August 22: Kathy Pierson portrays Helen J.W. Stewart—“First Lady of Las Vegas.”
September 5: Barbara Lewicki portrays Etta Place—Member of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch.
September 12: Nancee Goldwater portrays Mary Preston—Pioneer of the mining town of Bodie, California.

“The Famous and the Infamous” Chautauqua Showcase with McAvoy Layne as Mark Twain
July 25th and 26th, $45/All event pass or $15/performance
July 25, 10:00-11:00 am: Douglas County Historical Society’s Young Chautauquans will portray an array of historical characters. Free for all to attend.
July 25, 6:30-7:30 pm: Doug Mishler portrays Al Capone—American gangster during the era of Prohibition.
July 26, 10:00-11:00 am: Kim Harris portrays Calamity Jane—American frontierswoman, associate of Wild Bill Hickok.
July 26, 6:30-7:30 pm: Leslie Goddard portrays Lucille Ball — American actress, comedian and studio executive.

Chautauqua Workshop
June 12, 10:00-11:30 am, $50 (any age).
Includes tickets to all Chautauqua events. Please register in advance.
Mary Ann Jung, award-winning actress, Chautauquan and Smithsonian scholar will present a workshop designed to help Chautauquans and re-enactors add animation and personality to their characters, helping bring them alive and make them memorable.

Concerts

Evenings, 6:30-8:00 pm, $20.

June 19: Old West Trio plays songs of the cowboy: three voices, two guitars, and a stand-up bass bring Western harmonies and plenty of fun.
July 10: Hick’ry Switch plays bluegrass and Americana music, and much more!
July 17: Carolyn Dolan & Big RED play rockin’ blues and R&B with Mick Clarke on his Gibson guitar.
August 14: Moni’s 30s & 40s Bebop Revival with music to make you get up and swing.

Speakers and Authors

Mornings, 10:00-11:00 am, free for everyone.

June 7: Historian Pat Hickey will speak on his book, Here and Hereafter.
June 21: Mark McLaughlin, historian and author, presents “True Tales From Tahoe” introducing his latest compendium of Tales from the Tahoe Sierra.
June 28: Historians David and Gayle Woodruff will speak on “Memories of Bonanza.”
July 12: Gregory Crouch, historian and author, will speak on “William Sharon: Comstock Millionaire.”
July 19: Historian Larry Schmidt will speak on “Mark Twain at Lake Tahoe.”
August 2: Glen Whorton, of the Nevada State Historic Prison Preservation Society, will speak on “Executions.”
August 9: Susan Clemons of the Glenbrook Historical Society will speak on “Glenbrook: Timber to Tourism.”
August 16: Historian Michael Fischer will speak on Nevada’s notorious mobsters.
September 6: Tami Force will speak on her book, In the Shadow of the Sierra.
September 13: Donna Inversin returns to speak on the ongoing restoration of the “Historic V&T Trail.”

Date:
June 6 - Sep 13, 2025

Location:
Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park, 1450 State Route 88
Minden, NV 89423

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