SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Springfield Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) is pleased to announce its fall programs. The first program, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, will highlight the wonderful art collection of Lyman Orton depicting Vermont scenes, and the 20th-century artists showing a true love of Vermont.
Registration is now open, and you can register online by going to the website learn.uvm.edu/olli/springfield. There is an early bird special discount if you register by Sept. 3.
Sponsored by the University of Vermont, OLLI is run by local volunteer members, and is geared mainly towards seniors who are 50 years of age and over who enjoy learning for the fun of it. Anyone who would be interested in this type of program, regardless of their age, is welcome.
The programs are held Tuesday afternoons, at 2 p.m., and last about an hour and a half. The meeting location is the Nolin Murray Center on Pleasant Street, next to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, in Springfield, Vt.
Following is the listing of programs for the fall 2024 semester.
On Sept. 17, “Saving the Lost Paintings of Vermont,” with Anita Rafael, author of “For the Love of Vermont: The Lyman Orton Collection.” We’ll hear the story of the magnificent art collection of Lyman Orton, proprietor of The Vermont Country Store, and how he went about collecting this artwork for nearly half a century to ensure that these treasures stayed in their home state of Vermont.
On Oct. 1, “The Long World War II,” with Andrew Buchanan, senior lecturer on global, environmental, and military history at the University of Vermont. We’ll hear about the long-term global effect that World War II had upon the world order of today. What happened more than 80 years ago in creating the postwar order is still crucially important in current politics. This will help us understand why that order is unwinding at an accelerating pace today.
On Wednesday, Oct. 16, “A Closer Look at Vermonters and the Underground Railroad in the Pre-Civil War Era,” with Michelle Arnosky Sherburne, author, Vermont historian, and newspaper publisher. Building upon last year’s tremendous interest in Vermont’s role in the Underground Railroad, Sherburne will return for a closer look at its local history. We’ll zoom in on networking examples from four compass points in Vermont: Burlington, Springfield, Thetford, and Ferrisburg.
On Oct. 29, “Vermont’s Supernatural Side: Chronicling Our State’s Ghost Stories and Unexplained Phenomena,” with Joseph A. Citro, writer, folklorist, and native Vermonter from Chester. Join us for a special Halloween program with Vermont’s expert in all things strange, and consider the evidence. Ghosts? Are they real? His books will be available for purchase and signing.
On Nov. 12, “Poetry of Vermont Landscape,” with Sydney Lea, author and Vermont’s poet laureate from 2011-2015. We’ll begin with a look at our iconic Vermont poet, Robert Frost, who is very much a poet of landscape. With discussion and readings of Frost and other poet’s work, including Lea’s own, we’ll hear illustrations of how the language of poetry can express the environment around us.
On Dec. 3, “In the Land of Shadow and Light: The Science, Beauty, and Nature of Eclipses,” with Mark Breen, senior meteorologist and planetarium director at the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, returning for his 13th annual presentation to our Springfield OLLI Group. Of all the astronomical events that we can witness, none has brought the same range of fear and excitement, superstition and science, hysteria and history, as that of eclipses. Breen will weave elements of science, history, and imagery to change the mysterious to the marvelous.
Come join this exciting educational OLLI group to learn about interesting details on a variety of topics. Thanks go out to our local benefactor, Barbara Sanderson.
There is a membership fee. Nonmembers are welcome and encouraged to attend individual programs for an individual program fee. There is an early bird special membership rate if you register by Sept. 3.
Preregistration can easily be done online with a credit card by going to learn.uvm.edu/olli/springfield. You may also register over the phone by calling the UVM Non-Credit Registration Office at 802-656-8407 during regular business hours, or email noncredit@uvm.edu. We can no longer take any payments onsite at the door.
If you prefer to register by mail, send your contact information (name, address, phone number, and email address) indicating full series membership, or which specific program(s) you wish the attend. Mail this information and your check, made out to University of Vermont – OLLI, to UVM Non-Credit Registration Office, 85 South Prospect Street, Box 34, Burlington, VT 05405.
If mailing in the registration, please allow 10-14 days from date of mailing check to receipt and processing.
The latest brochures have been printed, and have been mailed to those on the local OLLI mailing list and throughout the area to public locations such as local libraries, town halls, and community and senior centers. Requests for a brochure can be made by calling 802-885-3094. The complete program listing and registration form can be viewed on the internet at learn.uvm.edu/olli/springfield. For weather-related changes to the schedule, you may check the above-mentioned website.