Dear Lakesiders,

Are you beginning to think about football, marching bands and autumn leaves? Here in Lakeside, young families, cross country teams, guests at the Hotel Lakeside, and lots of family dogs are enjoying the last week of summer.

The streets are gradually becoming quieter as families, college interns and seasonal workers head home to prepare for the school year. 

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our hardworking and talented interns, seasonal employees, staff and volunteers who have toiled to keep this community welcoming, enlivening, safe and beautiful for all of us this Chautauqua season. Please join me in leaving a special message of thanks, gratitude and love for the people who are instrumental in creating and supporting our enriching Chautauqua season. 
The Association Board held its regular quarterly board meeting in Wesley Lodge on Aug. 5. To meet the Association Board members who faithfully serve our community and to see our most recent board update, click here. The Board welcomes your ideas, questions and suggestions. Please stop on the sidewalk for a chat, email or call us.
 
On behalf of the Board, we invite you to visit during the gorgeous Lake Erie autumn. Read more about fall events below. Thank you for continuing to serve as ambassadors for Lakeside, sharing a warm welcome with all who visit for rest and renewal. 

With gratitude,
Jane Anderson            
Chair, Association Board 
Jane Higgins Marx 
Vice-Chair, Association Board
Message from the President/CEO
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This weekend, we will gather to celebrate and close the 149th Chautauqua season - a summer filled with purposeful and thoughtful experiences that inspired reconnection and nurtured mind, body and spirit for Lakesiders of all ages.

Gathering in community is vital to our lives, and the power of the four Chautauqua Pillars helps deepen our spiritual journeys, introduces new perspectives, sparks creativity, and nurtures our well-being. For 149 years, we've stayed true to our mission.

Religion
On Sunday mornings, Lakesiders congregated at the lakefront for worship and attended inspiring sermons in Hoover from preachers across the world. From the Rev. Peter Marty to the Rev. Dr. Shively T.J. Smith and the Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis to Father Michael Renniger, Lakesiders deepened their faith. Small group dialogues, Bible studies and workshops also allowed individuals to reflect and connect.

Education
The Chautauqua Lecture Series continues to teach. At the start of the summer, we learned about authors and writing and were inspired by jazz. Our minds were broadened about the impact of World War II and wellness of our times. We exchanged ideas and conversed about social justice issues and hope in our world. Through these life-long learning endeavors, we grew together and expanded our world.

Arts
It was a blessing to reopen the doors to Hoover Auditorium and welcome artists and entertainers like Sons of Serendip, Naturally 7, Herman Hermits, Tony Danza and We Are Messengers. A special thank you to Daniel Meyer and the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra for bringing extraordinary music back to the community and the Rhein Center for introducing guests of all ages to diverse art experiences.

Recreation
We kept active by sailing, walking Ohio's Most Beautiful Mile, biking, stepping onto the courts and challenging ourselves in fitness classes. Many children and families tried logrolling for the first time and reconnected through a friendly game of shuffleboard or miniature golf. World-class athletes also visited to teach Lakesiders about their sports, like Simone Jardim, JoAnne Russell and Luke Witte.

As we close Lakeside's 149th Chautauqua season, you're invited to take the Lakeside spirit and ideals with you to your home communities. With deep gratitude and appreciation, I thank the Boards, staff, volunteers and generous supporters who lend their hands, hearts and passions to this special place and created these meaningful and enriching experiences.
Neighborhood Gatherings & Porch Talks surface new ideas 
This summer, we've connected around Lakeside at Neighborhood Gatherings and Porch Talks to listen and talk about the future of Lakeside.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous time, ideas and input. When we come together as a community, we create better solutions to help navigate the future. By the end of the summer, we will have hosted 14 Neighborhood Gatherings, 7 Community Porch Talks and had many one-on-one conversations with Lakesiders.

In these community conversations, lots of ideas and themes surfaced. Below is a short snapshot of highlights:

  • Young families and youth are important
  • Upgrade accommodations so we continue to attract more young families and youth
  • Ensure that we have a safe community
  • Think about safety and resources as we expand the season
  • Diversify revenue to take the pressure off admission and parking fees
  • Excitement about the idea of collaborating with area colleges and the endless opportunities
  • Characteristics of faith, young families, safety, respectful community, the Chautauqua Movement and ideals were highlighted
  • Continue to strengthen the next generation's connection with Lakeside
  • Investigate new strategies, programs and ideas as we did at the start of the pandemic

We will continue these gatherings into the fall, winter and spring by traveling to your home neighborhoods and communities. If you're interested in hosting a gathering, please reach out to Development Coordinator Shelby Brossia at [email protected].
Lakeside Fire Station Purchase 
Lakeside continues to pursue and negotiate with Danbury Township the purchase of the Lakeside Fire Station building, located adjacent to the Lakeside Maintenance Building on State Route 163 near the South Gate entrance. Strategically, this will allow Lakeside to move the waste and recycling area to this property and use the freed up space for future housing development and to generate new revenue.
Lakeside Streets & Infrastructure
Since 2019, Lakeside has been working with MKSK, an engineering consulting firm in Columbus, to review the state of Lakeside's infrastructure.

Based on their pre-engineering recommendation, MKSK estimates a significant amount of funds needed for street and drainage work in the future, and we don't have the financial capacity to implement all of their recommendations. We will, however, continue to revise the project to align with what we can undertake cost-wise.

In addition, the assessment rate will be determined by the Lakeside Board of Directors based on the street and infrastructure project and work, cost of construction, funds borrowed and interest rate.

We realize this project is a significant undertaking and affects all Lakesiders and homeowners. No decisions have been made and we will continue to schedule opportunities for feedback and input.
More Lakeside experiences in the fall
At Lakeside, we're excited about extending programs and activities into the fall. The team has put careful thought and effort into planning weekend events for you and your family to experience Chautauqua while also developing ways to introduce new groups to the grounds.

As mentioned, we'll welcome Girl Named Tom on Sept. 10, host artists from Bowling Green State University's Doctoral Music Program for a special concert on Sept. 11, introduce the new Lakeside Art Walk & Night Market in collaboration with the Ohio Arts Festivals on Sept. 17, host a Finding Your Way Workshop in partnership with Dr. Deforia Lane and Michael Shirtz on Sept. 23-24, and gather for the 26th Lakeside-Marblehead Lighthouse Festival on Oct. 8.

To complement these fall weekend events, shuffleboard, pickleball, tennis, miniature golf ($3.50/person, age 5 & under free), basketball, sand volleyball, parks and playgrounds will be open. The Rhein Center offers an Open Studio and classes on Saturdays through Oct. 1. Orchestra Hall will run Friday and Saturday movies (suggested donation to attend). Musical entertainment will be featured on Walnut Plaza on select dates. Fitness classes, like Chair Yoga, will be scheduled ($10/drop-in class or $90 for Fall Fitness Class Pass). A Community Worship Service, organized by the Lakeside United Methodist Church, will be held at the Steele Memorial Bandstand through Oct. 9. And select restaurants, shops and businesses are excited to welcome you back this fall.

If you live afar, book an overnight stay at Hotel Lakeside, the Fountain Inn or a Bed & Breakfast. Some weekends offer special packages.
Former Board Member Gathering, Sept. 3
Throughout the summer, we met for Neighborhood Gatherings and Community Porch Talks. As we conclude the summer, we would like to invite former Board members of the Association and Foundation Boards to a gathering at the Train Station at 9 a.m. Sept. 3.

We want to thank all the former Board members who have served. You have made a significant impact and are valuable to Lakeside. We hope you'll join us in conversation about the future of Lakeside. To RSVP, click here. 
Western shoreline next steps
Lakeside announced in the spring that we received state funding for the western shoreline. This summer, we had a delay in securing civil engineers, but are currently working with the civil engineers to provide a proposal for the work needed.

We plan to receive the proposal within the next few weeks and will set up a Zoom presentation for community participation in late September or early October.

As we set the date and time, we'll post the meeting information on the calendar and in our communications. All are invited to attend.
SR 163 Roundabout construction
To keep you informed on happenings across the peninsula, please read the update below about upcoming road construction on the State Route 163 roundabout project.

The start date of the SR 163 roundabout project is Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, with a projected completion date of Nov. 15, 2022, weather permitting.

Traffic will be maintained on SR 163 in a single bi-directional lane with temporary traffic signals. There will also be a temporary traffic signal located at N. Riedmaier in timing with the SR 163 temporary signals during construction.

Below is a summary of the construction and detours:

  • The southern half of the SR 163 roundabout and Englebeck Rd. will be the construction area while traffic is maintained as described above on the northern half of SR 163. Englebeck Rd. will be closed at SR 163. The Englebeck Rd. detour is Bayshore Rd. or Quarry Rd. to Bayshore or Church Rd. to Bayshore.
  • The northern half of the SR 163 roundabout and N. Shore Blvd. will be the construction area while traffic is maintained as described above on the southern half of SR 163. N. Shore Blvd. will be closed at SR 163. The detour will be SR 163 to Erie Beach Rd.
  •  Access to Mutach’s and Dollar General will be maintained throughout construction.

We'll continue to keep you up to date at on our website on the directions page.
Generosity fuels the Lakeside experience
As we start to make the transition from summer to fall, I invite you to pause and reflect on the cherished Lakeside moments you experienced this year and realize that thousands of children, individuals and families share these same moments of refreshment, reconnection, transformation and community.

These moments are made possible year in and year out because of the generous support of Lakesiders like you. Gifts of all sizes are vital in creating the Lakeside Chautauqua experience and make a direct impact on the lives of all who visit. Whether you're 10 or 110, we are all caretakers and stewards of this idea and special place - Lakeside Chautauqua.

To ensure that Lakeside and the enriching Chautauqua experience continues every year, I invite you to step forward to support the Lakeside Impact Fund, formerly known as the Lakeside Annual Fund, financially and to volunteer. Please consider a gift by visiting lakesideohio.com/today. To volunteer, visit lakesideohio.com/volunteer. Thank you for your generosity. 

Lakesiders near and far, I'm truly excited about your return to the shoreline next summer to open our monumental 150th Chautauqua season. Lakeside has made an impact on millions of individuals, children and families for generations. Next year's 'welcome home' will be a truly meaningful celebration.
Kip Greenhill
President & CEO, Lakeside Chautauqua 
Lakeside Chautauqua