The daffodils in Southern Maine popped up during the recent unseasonably warm weather, but the return to chillier temps this week doesn't seem to have fazed them. Like the daffodils, events and new spring Maine Senior College courses are popping up all around the state, and this issue of your newsletter is full of information about them. Downeast Senior College, Senior College at Bridgton, and Lewiston/Auburn Senior College provide information about upcoming courses and events, and Gold LEAF Institute and OLLI at USM share wrap-ups about recent events. Instructor Duane Prugh brings a glimpse into his classes on Maine's lighthouses and waterfalls, and the Maine Genealogical Society announces an exciting April workshop with a nationally known expert on vintage photos. 

Kali Lightfoot

Executive Director

Maine Senior College Network    

 

Downeast Senior College (DSC)  is pleased to introduce its new logo (at left)  to the Maine Senior College Network. The DSC board and members hope the logo will become a recognized symbol for learning and stimulating activities and events in Downeast Maine.

Upcoming events at Downeast Senior College include the Village to Village concert to be held in Ellsworth on April 29 and a week-long Healthy Aging Series to include events, speeches, and seminars which will start on April 24. Follow this link for more information about both of these offerings.

For information on these or any other  Downeast Senior College class or activity, visit the website, or call the office at 667-3897 or 1-800-696-2540. You may also send an email to Cynthia Perkins, DSC President.

Senior College at Bridgton is taking registrations for its spring session which begins April 16 and ends May 11. The four-week program offers the following classes:

Monday: History of the English Language, with Margaret Reimer

Tuesday: The U.S. Constitution: A Plan for All Reasons with Dee Miller

Thursday: The American Civil War, with Stan Cohen

Friday: An American Gothic, focusing on Stephen King's novel, The Shining, with Ken Gibbs

Additional details about these courses and how to register for them are available at this link.

- submitted by Dee Miller for Senior College at Bridgton

Rosy Hayden

Just in time for the start of gardening season, Master Gardener Rosy Hayden will be this month's presenter at the USM Lewiston/Auburn Senior College "Food for Thought" 11:30 luncheon on Friday, April 13.

Her topic, "Shade Gardening in Zone 4" will include discussions on soil requirements, determining degree of shade, starting new gardens, revising existing beds and varieties of shade perennial plants and shrubs. Read more . . .

- submitted by Rachel Morin for Lewiston-Auburn Senior College

In addition to the regular program, guest speaker Patti Foden, Program Director for ENCore Leadership Corps, addressed the group. She spoke in detail about this new Maine volunteer and learning organization. Read more . . .

OLLI at USM members were treated to a unique and magical learning experience in March, a three-day seminar, "Wrinkle in Time: The White City: Chicago World's Fair of 1893."

To set the scene, prior to the seminar participants read "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson, a novel set at the 1893 World's Fair, and during the program a wide variety of lectures and presentations pertaining to the book and to Chicago in the 1890s filled each day. Volunteers planned the event over 18 months, with a goal of re-creating the ambiance and feeling of the culture and time in which the Chicago World's Fair, also known as the Columbian Exposition, had taken place.
Read more . . .

- submitted by Joan Aldrich for the OLLI at University of Southern Maine

Houston Brook Falls, near Bingham, ME

In the spring of 2012, Senior College students will be visiting over 50 well known and lesser known Maine waterfalls, starting in Wells and traveling north as far as the Greenville area. The course started on Wednesday, March 7th and continues for 9 weeks. So far, students from Augusta, Farmington, and Midcoast Senior Colleges have shown interest in the experience. Some hiking and bushwhacking will be required to some of the more remote sites, but if a student is not up to the more strenuous hikes, one may sit in the car for that period. It is an exciting experience! Read more . . .

- submitted by Duane Prugh, Augusta Senior College

The Maine Genealogical Society is sponsoring its day-long Annual Spring Workshop on Saturday, April 21, at the Augusta Civic Center. This year's workshop is with nationally recognized speaker Maureen A. Taylor, The Photo Detective. The Wall Street Journal referred to her as the "nation's foremost historical photo detective." The Genealogical  Society has a full day planned, packed with information and tips from one of the leading national experts on old and historical photographs. Come learn some great suggestions from Maureen for analyzing, identifying, preserving, and sharing your treasured and precious family photos. Read more for additional information about this workshop, including how to register.

 
- by Sue Shaw, Belfast Senior College

Now you can "like" Maine Senior College Network on Facebook. We've created an MSCN page on Facebook, so please visit it to share experiences, ideas, photos, and information about upcoming Maine Senior College happenings. We'll also post links to articles about lifelong learning and other topics relevant to senior college members.