Institute Summer Program:This is What We Know So Far

UPDATED: 11:19 pm, 6/4/20

"The vast majority of our concert audiences are from communities outside the Institute, and we have welcomed them with open arms," said one interviewed this week. 

"One of the questions of concern is about welcoming large numbers of persons from outside the Institute during the days of the carona virus pandemic," said another interviewed for this article. This is an issue which caused Chautauqua Institute to close its summer programs last month.

The final decisions about the Silver Lake Institute summer program are still scheduled for Saturday's agenda for action by the Board of Trustees. There are, however, NY State standards that must be met should the Trustees vote a full or even partial go-head on the program. 

For example, food made by others and placed on a common table is not permitted by NYS pandemic regulations. Therefore, should the full Worship schedule be adopted, there will still be no after Service refreshments including no hot dog fellowships this summer. The Celebration of Life (Memorial Service) is being postponed until next Summer. The decision is being encouraged since those to whom we would be ministering have said they would not be attending in the midst of the current pandemic. 

There will most likely be no Saturday morning breakfasts--at least not in any of our usual ways of doing it. Dessert on the Dock, if adopted, will be individuals and individual families bringing their own desert which will be eaten by the same individual or same family unit that brought it. It cannot be shared with anyone else, and the family units will locate themselves at a socially acceptable distance from each other along the Green near the Dock.

More details or changes will be known following the Trustees meeting on Saturday. Only members of the Trustees will be permitted since there is a need to keep the number of persons gathered at a minimum.