The Lakeside Chautauqua Community

Coffee Chat with the President

June 6 in Orchestra Hall

Orchestra Hall Highlights: On June 6, the Coffee Chat with the President focused on Orchestra Hall renovation highlights. These highlights were shared in the Orchestra Hall video that showcased the work completed this winter:

Audio/visual upgrades
Restrooms
Stage upgrades
Painting

The Lakeside community has a wealth of knowledge and skills, and our work together strengthened the outcome of Orchestra Hall’s renovations significantly. Special thanks to each donor, volunteer and community member who helped make the renovations possible.

Streets Highlights: The streets project was discussed with community members asking questions about the possibility of reviewing the one-way streets, which will be taken into consideration.

Neighborhood Gatherings for Streets Project: For more information on the streets project, community members are invited to participate in one of the Neighborhood Gatherings. Past updates can be found at community.lakesideohio.com, and future updates will be posted here as well.

152nd Season Start: As the summer season began, the rain, challenges with acquiring materials and labor shortages caused a delay in having the grounds and facilities ready for Memorial Day weekend. Charles Allen, President and CEO, shared about improving our care for the grounds by investigating the possibility of bringing in temporary work next spring ahead of the season. At the end of May and beginning of June, Lakeside staff were actively hanging the lamppost flower baskets, placing the flowering pots around the Business District and caring for the grounds.

Chautauqua Program, Safety Focus & Staff Shout Outs: At the Coffee Chat, several community members were excited about the return of the Mazza Museum programs and experienced the energy of CeCe Teneal’s outstanding Hoover performance. Lakeside continues to promote all marquee performances with some artists drawing a significant number of day trips and overnight guests.

In addition, several community members shared praise for Denise Robinson’s work as the recreation pillar got underway this summer. Robinson started in the new Director of Recreation position this winter. In addition to organizing the recreation programs, she has focused on safety, accessibility and adding new programs, like Sensory-Friendly Swim.

Under the leadership of the new Safety Services Supervisor, Angelo Frias, Safety Services personnel have actively been on the dock and across the grounds, ensuring the safety of the guests and increasing visibility to ensure rules are followed.

Let’s keep the conversation going! Your input and thoughts are an important part of the process. Please share your thoughts in the D igital Comment Card.

June 13 in Hoover Lobby

Hoover Highlights: The Coffee Chat with the President is located in a different location each week. This helps showcase the various buildings and spaces that contribute to making the Lakeside Chautauqua experience special and unique. This week, we met in the Hoover Auditorium Lobby.

Hoover Auditorium has been central to the Lakeside experience, serving as the community gathering place for decades. Families and individuals have gathered for worship services, live performances, lectures and book discussions, all part of our holistic Chautauqua experience. As first-time visitors walk into the historic auditorium, they’re always in awe of this magnificent space.

In recent summer seasons, Lakeside has provided backstage Hoover tours to showcase the opportunities for improvement of this space. The stage house, built over 95 years ago, was intended to be temporary.

Imagining the future for Hoover Auditorium: As you view the video and imagine the future of Hoover Auditorium, it will take the Lakeside community working together to bring this vision to reality.

Possibilities being investigated for the stage house and front of house updates include lighting, dressing room updates, audio and fly space, restroom updates, music storage, air conditioning, aisle lighting and more.

Remembering Dwight King: We remember Dwight King, a beloved community member and Hoover Auditorium enthusiast, who passed away this year. He and his wife, Alice, have been passionate about the possibilities of renovating the backstage of Hoover and continuing to attract artists and experiences for generations to come. Both Dwight and Alice are lovers of the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra, live performances, worship and concerts at Hoover. Dwight and Alice have traveled around the world experiencing theatres, concert halls and venues as they have imagined the possibilities of the backstage of Hoover Auditorium. We remember Dwight this year as his legacy lives on.

Let’s keep the conversation going! Your input and thoughts are an important part of the process. Please share your thoughts in the Digital Comment Card.

June 20 in Hotel Lakeside

Hotel Lakeside celebrates 150 years this summer. We thank the Hotel Lakeside Anniversary Planning Team that is coordinating the celebration, including:

July 14: Community-Wide Dinner
July 19: Cruise on Lake Erie
Aug. 2: Rededication Ceremony
Aug. 3: Ice Cream Social
Aug. 3: Hotel Lakeside Lecture by George McCormick
Aug. 4-8: “Historic Hotels & Inns” Lectures
Aug. 6: Candlelight Symphony Showcase featuring Hotel Lakeside
Hotel Lakeside History Display in the Lobby

This coffee chat with the president in the Hotel Lakeside Lobby will help us imagine the future of hospitality at Hotel Lakeside. The Capital Improvement Business Case Task Force and staff have reviewed the structure with a structural engineer.

Hotel Lakeside Lobby & Exterior Painting

As we envision a refreshed Hotel Lakeside Lobby, the volunteer team is investigating furniture, carpeting, wooden floor refinish and paint for the first floor walls and entrances. To date, we have raised more than $120,000 toward the lobby refresh work. An important factor is keeping the historic charm and character of the lobby.

As we go into Fall 2025, the exterior painting of Hotel Lakeside is included in the facility upgrade. This work will refresh the Maple Avenue side of the Hotel Lakeside.

The Future of Hotel Lakeside

As Lakeside imagined a fresh lobby and renovated Hotel Lakeside, the timeline stands out due to the seasonality. There is a small window for renovation due to operation throughout the summer months.

Today, there are more than 70 rooms in Hotel Lakeside and an important factor is determining the possible demand through the fall, summer and spring months as well as projected profit and loss. As we look toward the future, grants and historic tax credits are also being investigated as possible funding sources for a larger renovation. In addition, Lakeside may investigate the possibility of families donating to help fund the renovation of a hotel room, similar to the past work completed by Friends of Hotel Lakeside, a volunteer-led group that worked to preserve the historic hotel.

Chautauqua Program

It’s important to seek diverse programs, live entertainment, performances and lectures. Today, the arts platform is a balance between new and emerging artists and individuals who have an established following. The experience helps us broaden our view of the world, become better people and grow deeper connections with God. As we continue to gather, we encourage you to share your insight about the Chautauqua program using the Digital Comment Card.

Oak Street Lots

Lakeside has had inquiries about the Oak Street Lots that are for sale. During the summer season, the visibility will remain high. The proceeds from these lots will go to help fund the Campground expansion project.

No Smoking on the Grounds

Please note that Lakeside has a no smoking on the grounds policy. Extra signs were added to the Fifth Street Gate and South Gate Parking Lot this year. Safety services, Lakeside staff and community members continue to help remind guests and visitors of this policy.

Severe Weather Shelters

For severe weather shelters, the following are locations:

Fountain Inn Restrooms (1st Floor Only)
Hoover Auditorium Lobby Restrooms
Orchestra Hall Basement and Restrooms
Hotel Lakeside Restrooms and Hallway (1st Floor Only)
Lower Pavilion (Including Sailing Center)
Pavilion Restrooms
Shuffleboard Court Restrooms
Wesley Lodge Restrooms
Campground Restrooms
Pool & Wellness Center Restrooms (Including Restrooms outside of Gate).
E 2nd St Gate Restrooms
Blue Bird Hallway and Restrooms

Admissions & Parking Revenue and Procedures

Lakeside experienced a decrease in revenue during Memorial Day Weekend in comparison to the previous year, like many other tourist attractions, restaurants and hotels in the area. This decrease is most likely attributed to weather, including low temperatures, rain and severe storms.

Through the first few weeks of June, Lakeside attendance has been similar to 2024 numbers, with increase in during the week of June 15. Adult Season Pass sales have increased in comparison to last year. We discussed the importance of diverse arts programming to attract new and returning visitors to Lakeside.

Let’s keep the conversation going! Your input and thoughts are an important part of the process. Please share your thoughts in the Digital Comment Card.

June 27 in Hilltop House

Hilltop House: This week, the Coffee Chat with the President was held at Hilltop House, one of Lakeside’s group housing facilities in South Lakeside. Participants toured both Hilltop House and the neighboring Hilltop Annex. After the tour, words to describe the facilities included: possibilities, a beautiful piece of property, part of the historic fabric of Lakeside and worth preserving.

Current Use: Due to its dormitory-style layout, Hilltop House is only used for a few weeks each summer, typically when large camps visit. The current configuration makes it challenging to host multiple families or groups simultaneously.

The Challenge: We’re exploring how to transform Hilltop House into a more flexible space, one that can still accommodate large groups but also be subdivided to house multiple families at once.

Envisioning the Future: The video presentation includes early renderings of a reimagined Hilltop House, a multi-purpose facility used to serve families, church groups, interns and summer staff.

Community Input: We’re actively gathering feedback from the community on Hilltop House and other Lakeside structures. Our goal is to ensure development aligns with the needs and values of the Lakeside community.

Looking Ahead: Historically, Lakeside hosted church camps, conferences and youth groups, many of which are disappearing. Other than family legacy and tradition, how are we attracting people and groups to Lakeside? That includes offering appealing programming during the shoulder seasons and encouraging camps with their own programs to use our facilities in the summer. These efforts are built into the long-term business plan and will take time to develop.

July 11 in C. Kirk Rhein, Jr., Center for the Living Arts

The purpose of the “Coffee Chats with the President” program is to imagine the future of Lakeside together and envision what might impact future generations. It is important for us to continue to gather input and feedback from the community.

Capital Improvement Background

Information you have shared in the Coffee Chats and Capital Improvement Survey will help us continue to plan for the future, ultimately informing a capital improvement and business plan. Review the Capital Improvement Townhall meeting from Spring 2025 here by scrolling to March 26 or searching for “Capital Improvement & Business Case Advisory Task Force.”

Many individuals continue to ask about a future capital campaign, but Lakeside first needs to create the capital improvement plan, develop the business case and prioritize projects. Ultimately, President and CEO Charles Allen shared that we want to stop the “duct tape and last-minute fixes,” and look for long-term solutions.

Community Alignment & Mission

Allen also shared that it is important that we are aligned as a community and remember that “wisdom standeth where the paths meet,” the very message written on the side of Hoover Auditorium. We need to come together and lend our hands, hearts and skills to advance the mission.

Future of C. Kirk Rhein, Jr. Center of the Living Arts

At the July 11 Coffee Chat, Lakesiders visited the C. Kirk Rhein, Jr., Center for the Living Arts and met under one of the outdoor classroom tents. As we envision the future, check out this video about the living arts at Lakeside and read more about the history of the Rhein Center here.

At the Coffee Chat, members of the community, board and staff split into small groups to discuss the Rhein Center and provide input and feedback.

The groups considered the differences between skills and crafts. Individuals felt that life-long learning and classes with multiple sessions could be investigated to enhance skills or develop new talents. Individuals shared that skills might be connected to adult experiences while crafts might be of more interest to children and youth.

Attendees shared additional considerations for the Rhein Center’s operations, including: recruiting local artists and specialized instructors, investing in equipment for specialized classes, providing air conditioning for the building, expanding offerings for ages 3-7 and promoting all the classes.

Various program ideas were recommended for further exploration, including: woodworking, woodcarving, furniture refinishing, screen-printing, laser cutting, canning, picture stories, friendship bracelets, lanterns, and more. Additionally, a variety of technology classes were suggested, with a focus on areas like artificial intelligence.

Lakeside as a Year-Round Family Destination

As the discussion continued, individuals asked about the origin of Lakeside’s goal to enhance its appeal as a year-round destination. From the 2021 Strategic Plan, the community emphasized “Year-Round Family Destination” as a long-term strategic priority. Individuals can review the progress made on the Strategic Plan to date.

It is noted that the following buildings are available for year-round use:

Fountain Inn with 47 hotel rooms
Wesley Lodge
Orchestra Hall
Drackett Hall & Fitness Center at Grindley Aquatic & Wellness Campus
Aigler Room at the Fountain Inn
Chautauqua Hall at the Fountain Inn
Director’s Cottage located on 7th Street and Maple Avenue
Poolside
Train Station

Let’s keep the conversation going! Your input and thoughts are an important part of the process. Please share your thoughts in the Digital Comment Card.

July 18 in Walnut Plaza