Morgan County Democrat

Muskingum Valley Assembly Recognized As Meeting Changing Conditions In Way Of Entertainment---

Good Roads Contributing Factor To Season's Prosperity---Grangers Vary Program Of 1931---A Highly Entertaining, Mirthful, Musical and Cultural Bill This Year.

Drawn by their interest in Chautauqua programs and brought here for such enjoyment, Muskingum Valley Chautauqua will draw heavily from outside communities this year. The Chautauquas of other years that have been in active competition with M. V. C. in years past are absent this year and the Chautauqua minded folks of these communities will come to swell the crowds that will enter the assembly gates August 1 to 9.

The absence of Chautauquas at Zanesville, Marietta, Caldwell, Cumberland, Crooksville, Glouster and a number of other towns in this section of Ohio, means that a good crowd will be drawn from outside points. These towns have been heavily "billed," for M. V. C. and Chautauqua goers have programs and dates of entertainers fully in mind.

Organized over 25 years ago, Muskingum Valley Chautauqua drew its patrons largely from Morgan county. It is one of the old independent Chautauquas in the country now. In these years it has established a reputation throughout the Chautauqua world for the high character of its entertainments.

Twenty-five years ago and up to seven or eight years ago M. V. C. was mud bound with bad roads. This is changed. While public attitude on programs change, also there are changes in conditions that affect such programs. Good roads stretch in every direction. Marietta, Barnesville, Cambridge, Caldwell, Glouster, Crooksville and Zanesville places of like distance are as close to Muskingum Valley Chautauqua as Meigs, Pennsville, Reisersville, Chesterhill, and other points in the county were when the Chautauqua was organized.

It is an hour or less from Zanesville to McConnelsville, from Marietta, Crooksville, Glouster, Caldwell, Cumberland. You can come to Chautauqua much easier than you did in 1906.

The program is made up this year to fit the changing times. You will find more music, more mirth, more light, more action in M. V. C. assembly this year. Along with wholesome thought and culture will come bundles of high class music, plays for which the city box office of the theatre would charge you twice the cost of a season ticket, magic which if bought singly would be priced at three times the cost of a single admission ticket, and other parts of the entertainment pro rata.

A closer affiliation between town and country is being effected. Schools have drawn town and country together and the fact that more country people are buying season tickets goes in evidence that town and country come closer together.

The city man or woman goes to the country, the countryman comes to the town in greater numbers every year-both in search of changing entertainment and culture brought about by a desire for different environment.

Grange Day ushers in the 26th annual assembly Saturday. It will be a big day for town and country to meet. The grounds are open free from nine in the morning until six in the evening and a contingent of active young men will pass out coffee, tea and ice to the folks hereabouts. The Malconta Band will be there, the fifes and drums will sound, and sports for both young and old bring everyone to the "grove," and the "commons," where the contests at horse shoes, at racing and stretching will abound. Lady horse shoe pitchers will set high, wide and handsome marks for the lady horse shoe pitchers of other communities to shoot at-or pitch at.

There is not a dull day in the M. V. C. program this year. The program is different; the crowds will be different and the character of entertainment fully up to standard and above. There are a half dozen headliners that individually will give the price of a season ticket in pleasurable hours. There is thought but no vinegar in the 1931 program. Young and old -from eight to eighty-will find number after number to give them pleasure and joy.