Chautauqua Park, in Boulder, Colorado, has stood for something larger than itself. With its spectacular natural setting and long history as a home for art, culture and ideas, Chatauaqua Park is re-emerging as an important agent of change in our world. The Chautauqua Movement once spread like wildfire across the U. S. Its founding principles of inspired a nation weary of the excesses of Victorian thinking. Chautauquas were opportunities for Americans to listen and learn together in the great outdoors. People made their way from the cities to settings of wild natural beauty where they could hear and discuss the big ideas of the day in a diverse community camp and retreat. Today, our connections to the natural world and to our communities are eroding as the complexities of modern life bear down. Now the founding principles of the Chautauqua Movement have become more relevant than ever—a blueprint, in fact, for : voluntary simplicity in an age of consumption; love of nature as we face critical environmental challenges; lifelong learning at a time when the world is smaller and more complex than ever; a commitment to music and art as a unifying and inspiring experience for the entire family. Chautauqua has stood steadfast for more than a century as a forum for these larger conversations and the exploration of a new simplicity in harmony with nature. Just as we need all that Chautauqua represents, . A long list of much-needed repairs and improvements to infrastructure joins a mandate for the greening of the Park and burial of the power lines for fire protection. Similarly, this jewel in the cultural crown of the Rocky Mountain West must make a new commitment to stronger and more consistent programming in order to remain vital for another century. On September 12, 2009, Chautauqua will host the second Grand Convergence to raise both awareness and funds for this remarkable place. We will host a speakers event in the spirit of Chautauqua’s great oral traditions of convergence, along the lines of sustainablity with some of our region's great thinkers on the subject. Saturday evening brings a taping of the nationally syndicated radio show, etown, live from the Chautauqua Auditorium. This is a rare opportunity to help launch a new chapter in the already remarkable life of an American Treasure. Join us in conversation and in celebration. Join us for the inaugural Grand Convergence. .