Margaret Blennerhassett to take the stage tonight
COSHOCTON —Debra Conner, from Parkersburg, WV will perform at the Coshocton Fairgrounds tonight as part of Ohio Chautauqua portraying frontier aristocrat Margaret Blennerhassett of Blennerhassett Island near Marietta, Ohio.
Conner began her career as a chautauqua performer in 1997 after receiving a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts to develop a first-person portrayal of Emily Dickinson. She has since developed a variety of other characters including Margaret Mitchell, Zelda Fitzgerald, and Civil War surgeon Dr. Mary Edwards Walker.
“This will be my eighth tour with Ohio Chautauqua,” said Conner. “I’ve also been part of tours in Missouri, Florida, New Hampshire, Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.”
Conner says she has been portraying Margaret Blennerhassett since 1998. “The Blennerhassett story is a well known one in my region since Blennerhassett Island is actually not far from my house,” she explained. “This is a historically significant story that involves Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, and Supreme Court Justice John Marshall. The Blennerhassetts were not typical frontier settlers. Their story is an interesting contrast to the others.”
Margaret Blennerhassett will take the stage under the Ohio Chautauqua tent located at the Coshocton County Fairgrounds tonight at 7:30 p.m. Prior to her performance, there will be musical entertainment by Jerry Weaver at 6:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free.
The youth workshop for today, sponsored by the Coshocton Library, will be at the Presbyterian Church at 10:30 a.m. and will feature Jeremy Meier entitled, ‘A Star Spangled Banner’. The adult workshop will be at COTC at 2 p.m. and will feature Dan Cutler speaking on History in a Nutshell: The American Indian Perspective.
Sponsors and contributors to the Ohio Chautauqua in Coshocton include The Coshocton Foundation, Montgomery Foundation, Simpson Family Foundation, Kiwanis Club of Coshocton, Kraft Foods, Given Dawson Funeral Home, Tom Leech, Raven’s Glenn Winery, Coshocton Village Inn & Suites, Central Ohio Technical College, Annin & Co., Coshocton Co. Beacon, Coshocton Presbyterian Church, Coshocton Public Library, Willandale Golf Cart Sales, and Frontier Power.
There is no charge to attend the evening performances or the daytime workshops. For more information about The Ohio Humanities Council and Ohio Chautauqua visit www.OhioHumanities.org. For more information about Ohio Chautauqua in Coshocton, contact the Coshocton Visitors Bureau at (740) 622-4877 or 1-800-338-4724. A complete schedule of the Ohio Chautauqua events in Coshocton is available at www.VisitCoshocton.com.
Category: Arts & Entertainment
