With the fall leaves about to burst into brilliant color now is the perfect time to travel The Chautauqua Lake Erie Wine Trail.
photo credit: Odalaigh

The Chautauqua Lake Erie Wine Trail wanders through one of the largest grape growing region east of the Rockies. The trail is roughly 40 miles long and extends from Silver Creek, NY (which is in Chautauqua County) to North East, Pennsylvania.

There are over 21 commercial and estate wineries along the trail. Each has their unique history and atmosphere. For those who enjoy a wide range of flavor you are sure to find a wine fro just about any occasion. The varieties range from fruity native Labruscas to European-style wines. My favorites are the French-American wines.

One year when we had the Studebaker weekender at Chautauqua Institution, we organized a caravan of vintage Studebakers and toured the entire trail. It made for an interesting day.

photo credit: McBeth

Creation of the Chautauqua Wine area

Grapes need a particular climate to grow well. It was due to the Ice age that helped to create an area where the grapes would thrive.

Glaciers descended from the north during the Ice Age and gouged out great trenches in the Chautauqua Area. The glaciers also brought with them large quantities of Canadian soil, rocks and boulders. When the temperatures began to warm, the glaciers receded and filled the trenches with water to form the Great Lakes.

They also left behind ridges of soil and gravel along the Lake Erie shore. These glacial ridges are the basis for ideal growing conditions for wine grapes and the many fruit trees that also grow well in the area.

The moderating effect of the lake on spring and fall temperatures and glacial ridges that is comprised of a gravel-loam mix that drains well, combine to create a perfect growing environment for healthy vineyards.

The Chautauqua area is prone to early and late frosts so the area is challenging for growing a consistent grape crop each year but many families have managed a winery business for generations.

Welch’s Food Company is also located in Westfield New York,  is a small town nestled along the Lake Erie shore. Welch’s has become very well knows for their grape juice and jams and jellies, which use the Concord Grape.

A trip on the Chautauqua Lake Erie Wine Trail in the fall will be a relaxing day. Besides the beautiful fall foliage there are still many vegetable stands open that offer an amazing variety of fruits, vegetables and crafts.

photo credit: Kevin H.

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The Jazz weekend sponsored by Jazz Lives at Chautauqua Institution Sept. 17 – 20, 2009,  was again a success After 12 years the weekend continues to grow and become a part of the activities and atmosphere of the Chautauqua Institution.

The weekend’s weather was perfect for September in Chautauqua County. It made walking around the grounds while enjoying the music a perfect experience in relaxation and entertainment.

I didn’t find any you tubes of the performers that participated at the weekend event but what really struck me this weekend is how timeless jazz is and whether you like piano, trumpet or the sax, there is a style of Jazz that you will enjoy.

As the weekend wrapped up, I gathered my new collection of CD’s and said my goodbyes to my friends, many of which I will not see until next year and the Jazz weekend.

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The Chautauqua Institution may end its summer season at the end of August but many activities happen after the season is over. One of my favorite events is the Jazz weekend held at the Athenaeum Hotel. This event, in its 12th year,  is sponsored by the Allegheny Jazz Society.
photo credit: Sue Manus

My first experience of this event was when I was planning one of the Studebaker weekends held on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution. I was spending the weekend at the Englewood Guest House while setting up reservations for the Studebaker club event. The group staying at the Englewood was heading down to the Athenaeum Hotel for the weekend of Jazz entertainment. I was invited to attend.

What I found most amazing about this weekend was the excitement in the music and between the musicians. Many see each other only on this weekend and it has an air of a reunion of friends. Many friendly competitions of music are held between the musicians and the quality of the music is astounding. Each song seems to top the song before.

The musicians play well into the night and the sound of their melodies float on the air and around the grounds of Chautauqua. Later during one of the evenings I will head down to the waterfront and watch the boats on the water and the reflections from building casting their light upon the water. The music adds to the atmosphere and magic created during this event.
photo credit: Sue Manus

If you have the opportunity to attend the even starts Thursday, Sept. 17 with a Get Acquainted Day. There will be a Jazz Photography Exhibit at the Athenaeum Hotel lobby with photographs by Duncan P. Schiedt – Pittsboro, IN, on display. There will also be tables with records and sheet music available for viewing and purchase from 7:00 – 11:00 PM.

The event continues Saturday and will end on Sunday, Sept. 20. For a complete list of events and musicians you can download a schedule at Jazz at Chautauqua in PDF form.

For those who attend there are also many other activities in the surrounding towns of Mayville, Westfield, Chautauqua and Jamestown, NY.

I have attended the Jazz weekend for five years and I will also attend this year. The music impresses me more each year. I also have the chance to talk with friends I have meet over the years.

For further information visit Chautauqua Jazz weekend

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Ten years ago, the Kinzua Region Studebaker’s Drivers club along with the Hamilton Studebaker Driver’s Club organized a weekend event to meet and tour the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution. There had been rumors that Clement Studebaker had built a few houses on the grounds and these studebaker car enthusiasts wanted answers to which houses were designed by Clement Studebaker and what history the family had at Chautauqua.
photo credit: tö

The event was planned to meet in Westfield NY, about 10 miles away from Chautauqua. The plans for the hotel fell through and at the last moment there was a wild scramble for rooms for a large gathering of Studebaker enthusiasts. As luck would have it, and being off-season, rooms were available for the group the stay on the Chautauqua grounds. Rooms were booked at the Englewood, Mardell Manor, The Miller, Rose Cottage and Cambridge Inn.

Chautauqua had no idea the quiet winding streets would soon be filled with vintage Studebakers. Plans were also made to visit the more well know Studebaker house, now known as the United Missionary House. The event was a success and the club has returned each year. The group has met and stayed at the Carey Cottage Inn for the last three years. This year’s event will take place this Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4 – 6.

And one of the bigger Chautauqua Studebaker weekends took place the year, founder of the Kinzua Region Studebaker Club, was married on the grounds. The wedding took place at Kennedy Park, near the Spencer Hotel. More than 50 Studebakers surrounded the Park and the bride arrived in a horse drawn carriage.

The bride was quite late and rumors were circulating she may have taken off but the carriage finally arrived. A safe route had to be taken, as the brakes to the carriage were not working. And the bride and groom still had a long downhill trip to the reception, which was taking place at the lakeside pavilion.

United Missionary House

Clement Studebaker, founder of the Studebaker Corporation, built the United Missionary house, located on the lakefront of Chautauqua Lake and on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution. Studebaker was known first for their wagons and later for the automobiles, which were produced until 1965.

Clement Studebaker as a wedding gift for his daughter also built the house located directly behind the United Missionary house.

John Hyle Vincent, Lewis Miller and Clement Studebaker were also responsible for the Atheneum Hotel, working with the design and raising funds for a hotel that would be one of the first hotels in the United States to have electricity.

Lewis Miller’s Daughter married Thomas Edison so many of the experiments in electricity were performed at the hotel and down in Miller Park

Atheneum Hotel

photo credit: Sue Manus

Studebaker brought in his architect that designed the Tally Ho, his home in South bend Indiana, to design the home on the Chautauqua Grounds. This would be their summer home. For those of you who have visited the Tally Ho, the similar design and architecture of both buildings is apparent.

The first mention of the Studebakers at Chautauqua was a small clip in the newspaper announcing the arrival of Anne Studebaker, her children and their small pony. Clement later went on to be interim president after the death of the founder, Lewis Miller. Clement soon took ill and passed away in 1901.

During the time when the Studebakers visited Chautauqua they lived in five to six different homes, with the United Missionary house being the most well known. It is still a mystery as to why the Studebakers stopped visiting Chautauqua and sold the houses that they built. It may have something to do with the closing of the Studebaker Company but the reason is still unknown.

If you are in the area of the Chautauqua Institution on Labor Day weekend, stop by and enjoy the vintage cars.

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