Community Events

Div. II, 5;00 pm

Div. I (most competitive), 6:40 pm

Several Div. I players will be playing for Div. II absenteeism players for the 5:00 pm game so it should be a real ‘slugfest’!

Refreshments available behind the 3rd base stands across the street at Yoder’s Red Barn.

Red, White & Groove your way into the Fourth of July weekend and celebrate America’s 250th Birthday with a glow skate night at The Kroc. Rock and roll through history with classic tunes and current hits for all ages. All glow items will be provided. Bring your skates or borrow ours and enjoy this fun family activity!

Join Rebecca Marks Jimerson to learn about the civil rights movement through music and storytelling; be encouraged to find your voice for social justice. This interactive workshop guides youth in creating their own songs or poems and posters and artwork inspired by civil rights themes. Participants will then perform their creations for their peers. Gain a deeper understanding of civil rights history, develop your creative expression, and be inspired to advocate for social justice in your community. This workshop is led by scholar Rebecca Marks Jimerson who will be portraying Coretta Scott King the evening of July 25.

The workshop will be held at the Salvation Army Kroc Center, 527 E. Liberty Street, Ashland.

Ashland Chautauqua’s 5-day America’s Stories event, in celebration of America 250, runs from July 21-25, 2026 with daytime workshops at various locations in Ashland County and living history performances each evening at Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park, Ashland. All events are free, open to the public, accessible and sensory-friendly.

Scholar Susan Marie Frontczak takes on the persona of popular 20^th century humorist Erma Bombeck in a living history performance on Tuesday, July 21 at 8:00 p.m. at the Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park, 209 Parkside Drive, Ashland.  After the first-person characterization of Bombeck, Susan Marie will participate in a Q&A session, first as Erma Bombeck and then as herself.

Opening Music Act at 7:00 p.m. – Mike Gorrell

Ashland Chautauqua’s 5-day America’s Stories event, in celebration of America 250, runs from July 21-25, 2026 with daytime workshops at various locations in Ashland County and living history performances each evening at Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park, Ashland. All events are free, open to the public, accessible and sensory-friendly.

The Western Frontier was hard on women, especially the formerly enslaved. Hear the success stories of some African American women who ventured West and started anew, such as Mary Ellen Pleasant, Clara Brown, and Biddy Mason. They had a strong work ethic, a head for business, and a desire to create community – and in one case, the desire to find a daughter sold away from her in slavery. This workshop is led by scholar Becky Stone who will be portraying Mary Fields the evening of July 23.

The workshop will be held at The Golden Center at the Loudonville Public Library in the Library basement meeting room, 122 E. Main Street, Loudonville.

Ashland Chautauqua’s 5-day America’s Stories event, in celebration of America 250, runs from July 21-25, 2026 with daytime workshops at various locations in Ashland County and living history performances each evening at Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park, Ashland. All events are free, open to the public, accessible and sensory-friendly.

Hear how Irving and his work have been a pervasive presence in American pop culture, from Joseph Jefferson’s 40-year-run on stage as Rip Van Winkle, to Irving himself as a character in the 1938 Broadway musical Knickerbocker Holiday, to many comic book, film, and TV adaptations of his work, including Walt Disney’s 1949 animated version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Tim Burton’s 1999 horror film Sleepy Hollow, and a popular 2013-2017 TV series. This workshop is led by scholar John Dennis Anderson who will be portraying Washington Irving the evening of July 24.

The workshop will be held at the Ashland County Council on Aging, 240 East 3^rd Street, Ashland.

Ashland Chautauqua’s 5-day America’s Stories event, in celebration of America 250, runs from July 21-25, 2026 with daytime workshops at various locations in Ashland County and living history performances each evening at Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park, Ashland. All events are free, open to the public, accessible and sensory-friendly.

E. B. White wrote, “Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies.” Don’t worry: No amphibians are harmed in this workshop.  Join Susan Marie in examining examples, eliciting pointers, and braving exercises that bring humor to oral or written stories.  No experience or literary aspirations required. Warning: smiles, chuckles, or laughter may ensue. This workshop is led by scholar Susan Marie Frontczak who will be portraying Erma Bombeck the evening of July 21.

The workshop will be held at the Ashland Public Library, 224 Claremont Avenue, Ashland.

Ashland Chautauqua’s 5-day America’s Stories event, in celebration of America 250, runs from July 21-25, 2026 with daytime workshops at various locations in Ashland County and living history performances each evening at Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park, Ashland. All events are free, open to the public, accessible and sensory-friendly.

Scholar Martin Lahman takes on the persona of English-born American founding father Thomas Paine in a living history performance on Wednesday, July 22 at 8:00 p.m. at the Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park, 209 Parkside Drive, Ashland. After the first-person characterization of Paine, Martin will participate in a Q&A session, first as Thomas Paine and then as himself.

Opening Music Act at 7:00 p.m. – Steve Brown Jazz Trio

Ashland Chautauqua’s 5-day America’s Stories event, in celebration of America 250, runs from July 21-25, 2026 with daytime workshops at various locations in Ashland County and living history performances each evening at Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park, Ashland. All events are free, open to the public, accessible and sensory-friendly.