Photo by Elliot J. Sutherland/The Ottawa Herald

Doug Watson portrays cowboy humorist and social commentator Will Rogers during the Kansas-Nebraska Chautauqua — “Bright Dreams, Hard Times: America in the Thirties.” The Chautauqua included a series of historical and cultural events Thursday through Sunday in Ottawa. Each day ended with a performance from 1930s historical figures who included Rogers, Fred Krebs as Louisiana Sen. Huey Long, Patrick McGinnis as President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Tonia M. Compton as evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson and Carmaletta Williams as Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston, in a tent at City Park, Fifth and Main streets. To see a video of the Chautauqua, go to "Local Video"