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Big Top Chautauqua
Bayfield WI Tent Show

Big Top Chautauqua
Bayfield's Big Top Tent Show - 2009 Grand Opening, June 19th

Beginning its 25th season, the Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua * show is held at the base of Mount Ashwabay Ski Area a few miles south of Bayfield, Wisconsin. Resident musicians and performers provide the core of summer season schedule yet practically every week some shows feature nationally known artists like . . . Willie Nelson, The New Christy Minstrels, The Bodeans, and Arlo Guthrie. Warren Nelson is the founder and Betty Ferris is the co-creative director of the show.

My wife Jo and I had a brief history with Warren in the late 1970s when he lived in Mazomanee, Wisconsin and his Lost Nation String Band played at the ski area we managed (Tyrol Basin Ski Area). So we had a special reason to look forward to hearing Warren and the band play again. At least one of the members of the current Big Top Blue Canvas Orchestra - Cal Aultman - goes back to the Mazo days with Warren.

Big Top at Mt. AshwabayWhile the show was great, the pleasant surprise was the pre-show atmosphere with people enjoying food, beverages, conversation and an easy ambience. It is well worth arriving an hour or two early to enjoy this part of the event.

The Big Top dinner fare isn't your usual concession food. BBQ ribs, grilled chicken, fish boil, bratwurst, and sandwich wraps are among the dining choices prepared by volunteers with the Mt. Ashwabay Outdoor Educational Foundation. And if you've already eaten, snacks like fresh popcorn, are also available. A variety of beverages are offered - from soft drinks to wine to local and domestic beers.

*Some incorrectly spell it Big Top Chatauqua - as it is pronounced "sha-ta-qwa"

Before the Show

Big Top Chatauqua

People stroll the grounds or relax at a picnic tables, frequently meeting old friends and catching up on the news. > > >

Bayfield Big Top Tent Show


< < < These comfortable benches are sprinkled throughout the grounds.

Big Top Dining

Not your typical event concession food, dining at the Big Top is part of the experience (prices reasonable too). And made even more exceptional because Leinie Creamy Dark was on tap !
> > >

Big Top Gift Shop


< < < The Gift Shop has some neat souvenirs, good quality articles of clothing, and some hard to find items like the Stormy Kromer hats - a woolen winter cap popular with Lake Superior loggers "invented" by Stormy and his wife Ida in 1903.

The Big Top Tent Show

Here is where we should be showing you some shots from the performance but my compact camera and flash was not up to the task (unless you want to see some pictures of the backs of seats and heads!). Our seats were near the back but we could still see the stage and the sound was decent. But here's a few shots courtesy of the Big Top website photo gallery that will give you and idea:

Big Top House BandBig Top Tent Show

While Warren and his friends favor old tyme, folksy, banjo & guitar picken' music, the guest artists performing throughout the season cover a wide range of the musical spectrum. And not each show performed by the Big Top players are identical. They come in a variety of flavors, some mixing comedy and music and some featuring multi-media productions.

Schedule of Performances - See the 2010 Schedule Here

During the off-season, the Big Top Show is on the road presenting performances throughout the upper midwest. You can also hear the Big Top on Tent Show Radio

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More Bayfield Area Pages

  Bayfield Wisconsin

  More Bayfield, WI Photos

  Things to Do in Bayfield, WI

  Bayfield Apple Festival

  Bayfield Iron Bridge Hiking & Nature Trail

  Bayfield Orchards

  Bayfield Sea Caves - Ice Caves

  Big Top Chautauqua

  Campgrounds Bayfield Wi area

  Bayfield-Ashland Color Tour

  Ashland Wisconsin

  Ashland Mural Walk

  Apostle Islands

  Apostle Islands Cruise

  Meyers Beach - Apostle Islands Park

  Cornucopia - western gateway to Bayfield

  Madeline Island

  Lake Superior Facts

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