WAYNE – To commemorate the centennial remembrance of the end of “the Great War”, Humanities Nebraska is bringing “World War I: Legacies of a Forgotten War” to Wayne from June 7th until June 10th. There will also be a Youth Chautauqua Camp starting Monday, June 4th.
According to press releases from Humanities Nebraska, the Chautauqua will give its audiences a chance to learn about WWI and its impact in greater detail. There will be daily workshops to give participants insight into the legacy of the war in terms of changes in America’s role in international relations, how it impacted the home front in terms of race, gender, ethnicity and class issues and how the war changed technology, according to Kristi Hayek Carley, program manager of Humanities Nebraska.
“We’re going to try to explore those topics in depth and help people see how Wayne connects to that era in history, how Nebraska connects to that era in history and then also where the United States fits and how the United States’ role changes in that time frame,” Hayek Carley said.
Part of the program also includes five scholars who will portray historical figures of the era to discuss the war’s effects on America today. Audiences will get to watch president Woodrow Wilson, author Edith Warton, activist W.E.B. Du Bois, politician William Jennings Bryan and social reformer Jane Addams be brought to life.
The Youth Chautauqua Camp is open to up to 20 4th-8th graders, who have pre-registered at Wayne Public Library. The children will work from 1-5 p.m., Monday through Thursday researching and telling the stories of local people from the WWI era. On Friday at 6 p.m., the students will present their stories on stage as the people whose stories they are telling. The camp, like all Chautauqua events, is free. Dr. Ann Birney, who will lead the workshop said that community volunteers are needed.
“We’ll need people to listen and provide feedback like, ‘that was a good story, but what if you also did this,’ and as well as researchers and people who know people, who can say ‘oh, you need to talk to …I know just the person.’,” Birney said.
For more information and a full schedule of events, visit www.nebraskachautauqua.org. Tune into the View From Wayne America Tuesday just after 9 a.m. on Big Red Country 104.9 or just after 6 p.m. on The City 98.9 FM/AM 1590 to hear a full interview with Hayek Carley and Birney.
