Springfield OLLI in-person programs are back

SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Springfield’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is pleased to announce that in-person programs are back. During this fall 2021 semester, we will be celebrating our 300th program as well!

Sponsored by the University of Vermont, OLLI is run by local volunteers and is geared mainly towards seniors who are 50 years of age and older who enjoy learning for the fun of it! Anyone interested in these programs, regardless of their age, is welcome. The programs are held Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Nolin Murray Center on Pleasant Street in Springfield.

Participation is by a membership fee. Non-members are welcome and encouraged to attend individual programs for a single program fee.

We are no longer taking any payments at the door. All attendees must pre-register for each program. Registration can be done online by going to www.learn.uvm.edu/olli/springfield.

If you prefer to register by mail, registration can be sent to OLLI at UVM, 460 South Prospect St., Burlington, VT 05401. Please include your name, address, phone number, email address, and whether you’re registering for a full series membership or specific programs you wish to attend. Please make checks out to University of Vermont-OLLI. Please allow 10-14 days from date of mailing check for processing. For registration assistance, please call 802-656-5817.

Individuals who had a membership in the spring of 2020 have a credit to use towards this semester. Those individuals have been notified by email and have been registered, and they do not need to do anything additional to register for the upcoming semester.

The latest brochures will be distributed at local libraries, town halls, community and senior centers, and Chamber of Commerce offices. Requests for a brochure can be made by calling 802-885-3094. The complete program listing can be viewed online at www.learn.uvm.edu/olli/springfield.

Weather-related changes can also be found on the website, or by calling SAPA TV 802-885-6248, or 802-885-3094.

Per the University of Vermont, unvaccinated individuals for are required to wear masks in order to attend; fully vaccinated individuals are not required to wear masks but may do so if they prefer. If guidelines change by the time of the program, further updates will be advised and followed.

OLLI’s online Distinguished Speakers Series is also available by Zoom. Information is at www.learn.uvm.edu/olli.

Thank you to our local benefactor, Barbara Sanderson.

Following is the listing of programs for the fall 2021 semester:

Sept. 21, “Why Vermont is What America Wants to Be,” with Chris Graff, Vermont historian, journalist, and analyst. Why is it that Vermont leaders touch a nerve with America? Jim Jeffords’ declaration of independence and the presidential campaigns of Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders show that Vermont leaders have an outsized appeal in the country. Hear Chris Graff explain why Vermont is what America wants to be.

Oct. 5, “Bessie’s Story: Watching the Lights Go Out,” with Tom Farmen, retired educator, author, outdoor enthusiast, and dog lover. Hear the inspiring story about Bessie, a charming, brave, chocolate lab who gradually loses her eyesight. Witness how Bessie unwittingly becomes an expert mentor and teacher for the highwire act of growing older with grace and optimism.

Oct. 19, “Why Women Marched: Then and Now,” with Cyndy Bittinger, historian, author, Community College of Vermont faculty. When women worked to free the enslaved in America, they came to the reality that one reason they lacked power to do that was because they lacked the right to vote. Learn about the long march to obtain the vote, which is a chapter of American history with many twists and turns.

Nov. 2, “From the Parlor to the Polling Place: Stories and Songs from the Suffragists,” with Linda Radtke, soprano, and Cameron Steinmetz, accompanist. Join Linda Radtke in period garb to celebrate the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment. Radtke’s engaging presentation, accompanied by Steinmetz, highlights Vermonters’ efforts from 1840-1921, as they lobbied in churches, at parlor meetings, at town halls, and at the State House for total enfranchisement.

Nov. 16, “Your Fake News is My Absolute Truth: Tribal Politics,” with Jon Margolis, author and freelance journalist. We’ll get a journalist’s offbeat look at tribal politics and the coverage thereof. An overlook will include a pandemic and a global heat wave that some think do not exist, election results still disputed, a racial dialogue both overdue and resisted, politics in America – and even in Vermont – so tribalized that the public can not agree on facts, much less on policy. Presentation will be an examination from neither tribe.

Nov. 30, “A Mighty Wind: The Hows and Whys of Hurricanes,” with Mark Breen, planetarium director and senior meteorologist at Fairbanks Museum. Hurricanes have always maintained a reputation of fury and destruction, and in recent years have been viewed through the lens of climate change. These tropical denizens are amazingly powerful, yet uncharacteristically fragile. Breen shares a look into a hurricane’s formation, development, and lifecycle.

Back To Top