IN PERSON at APL and ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM if desired.

A mosque made out of chain link fencing. A gasoline pump that morphs into a man committing suicide. A jet fighter emerging threateningly from the ceiling of a beautiful mosque. Works like these demonstrate the wonderful creativity of Saudi conceptual artists and reveal fascinating insights into a country known primarily for its fundamentalist form of Islam and its oppression of women.

Loring Danforth is a retired professor of anthropology at Bates College. In 2012 he spent a month in Saudi Arabia with a group of Bates students, an experience chronicled in his book Crossing the Kingdom: Portraits of Saudi Arabia. In 2016 he co-curated an exhibition of contemporary Saudi art at the Bates College Museum of Art.

IN-PERSON at L-A Metro Chamber of Commerce (415 Lisbon Street, Suite 100, Lewiston, ME)

When we think of plants and botany, many of us think first of flowers, but there is a whole world of non-flowering plants out there. These include lichens, liverworts, mosses, clubmosses, horsetails, ferns and conifers. This course will cover the basic structures, functions, ecological relationships, and taxonomy of this diverse group of organisms, including an introduction to the specialized vocabulary used to study them. The course is primarily taught with PowerPoint but will include live and preserved specimens from each group. An optional field trip on a weekend day will be scheduled near the end of the course.

Jeff Pengel was trained as a geologist and botanist and holds degrees in Natural Science and Secondary Education. He is a Certified Interpretive Guide, a Maine Master Naturalist instructor, and an Appalachian Mountain Club volunteer naturalist. Jeff has worked as geologist, high school science teacher, outdoor educator, and park ranger but has spent most of his career in IT and project management.

IN PERSON at APL

Students will learn the basics of making greeting cards. I will discuss materials, tools, and measurements. Each student will make at least two cards. (Each student who wishes to make cards should bring a ruler, scissors and a double-sided tape runner, or a liquid glue appropriate for paper, such as Tombow liquid glue.)

Jo has always enjoyed crafting, and for the past 20 years or so, she’s been into paper crafting, mainly ornaments. That has led her to card making, selling the cards at craft fairs and donating them to charities. She looks forward to helping others make their own cards. Jo is semi-retired and looking forward to full retirement soon.

IN PERSON at APL and ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM if desired.

The Bills will present photos and commentary of their 2024 trip to Vietnam. Bill Phillips will present photos and commentary about his additional trip to Cambodia.

Bill Frayer is a long-time Senior College instructor who taught for over thirty years at CMCC. Bill Phillips is a retired Cardiologist from CMHVI, who has been lucky to travel quite extensively in his life.

IN-PERSON at AUBURN LEWISTON AIRPORT

A look at a few pieces of popular music from the era now described as Classic Rock.  But this is not so much about the music as it is about the lyrics.  There was some powerful poetry during this time, as found in the music of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Youngbloods, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Simon and Garfunkle, Elton John, Bob Dylan, and many others.  We will listen to and then examine what these poets had to say that resonates still today. Join us for a course that will be lots of fun, and will help us to keep learning from these masters.

For his 13th birthday (1967) Stephen Carnahan received a transistor radio. His parents didn't allow any of that "devil music" to be played in the house, so he lay at night, under the blankets, with his ear piece in, listening to WCAO in Baltimore as they played the hits of the day from The Doors lighting his fire, to Aretha Franklin demanding respect. He found that the music enhanced, rather than detracted from his spirituality. He has served for nearly 40 years as a pastor in the Congregational Church (United Church of Christ), and that music still feeds his soul. Songs from Paul Simon, The Rolling Stones and Percy Sledge have all found their way into his sermons. That little radio unleashed a stream of truth that still has meaning for today.

IN PERSON at APL and ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM if desired.

A vastly over-simplified way to describe the two cuisines is to deem Creole cuisine "city food" and Cajun cuisine "country food." While many of the ingredients in Cajun and Creole dishes are similar, the real difference between the two styles is the people behind these famous cuisines. Cajun and Creole are two distinct cultures, and while over the years they continue to blend, there is still a vast distinction. When it comes to cooking dishes packed full of spices and flavor, there are no two better styles of cooking than Cajun and Creole. Oftentimes, these two types of food get mixed up due to their similar origins and flavors. But they are actually both quite unique. So to ensure you know what you’re getting when you order a new dish, let’s explore a few key differences between Cajun and Creole food. As a bonus, we’ll explore the roots and traditions of ‘soul food’, too.

Chef Larry P. Canepa, is a Certified Culinary Educator with over 50 years of experience, including management and operation of free-standing restaurants, hotels and resorts. For over 30 years, Chef Larry Canepa has operated Dinner at Eight, specializing in community and private cooking classes, food and beverage demonstrations, and Food Studies seminars. Chef Canepa brings a passion for food and beverage through his ‘food-tainment’ lectures, demonstrations and engaging presentations and provides comprehensive, engaging and culinary education workshops and cooking demonstrations at public libraries, universities, workshops, local, county, state and national venues and farmers' markets throughout the United States.

IN PERSON at APL and ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM if desired.

In this class students learn the basics of bird watching. Topics include useful equipment (binoculars, guidebooks, cell phone apps), desirable skills (identification by visual field marks or by songs and calls), accounts of some of the common birds in the area and major categories of birds, productive locations and seasons for birding in Maine, and finally a discussion of the joys and satisfactions of watching birds.

Loring Danforth is a retired professor who taught at Bates College for many years. He has been an active birder for 40 years and has birded extensively in Maine and in other areas around the world.

IN PERSON at APL and ZOOM

Everyone who registers will receive a link to ZOOM in their email on the morning of the class, and may attend either in-person or by ZOOM if desired.

Astronomers are the 'canaries in the coalmine' and leaders in addressing a number of new and major environmental issues. Light pollution, space crowding and space debris, and climate change are all connected with our disciplines. As individuals and communities, we can make a difference - but only if we know what the issues are and how to address them. The documentary film, Defending the Dark, tells the story of our work combatting light pollution and protecting the dark skies of northern Maine, with lessons that can be applied anywhere. Our workshop and presentation will discuss these and other environmental issues that we can, and must, address.

Douglas Arion, PhD is the director of Mountains of Stars, a public science outreach and education program that engages the public with 'environmental awareness from a cosmic perspective,’ is Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy and Donald D. Hedberg Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Entrepreneurial Studies at Carthage College, and has been a leader in many astronomy educational programs. Arion led the effort to create the AMC Maine Woods International Dark Sky Park, which protects over 100,000 acres in Maine – the last substantial dark sky region in the eastern 2/3 of the US. He produced Defending the Dark, a documentary on dark skies in Maine that has been shown on PBS across the US and at several major film festivals. Among his many awards and honors is Dark Sky Defender Award from the International Dark Sky Association.