Brown Bag Lunch Series Begins Second Season

By Nancy Davis

On Wednesday, October 1, WMSC begins their second season of the Brown Bag Lunch Series, following the series’ successful debut last April. Again, the program will be held from 12:15-1:30 at the Bethel Inn, and participants are invited to bring a lunch to enjoy over good discussion. Coffee and tea will be provided.

This session will be facilitated by Bonnie Pooley, whose topic is "The Resilient Community in the 21st Century: How can elders shape the legacy we leave our children and grandchildren?”  She will pose many questions for us to consider; here are a few: What are the values we cherish as we grow older? Why have we chosen to live in a small rural town? Why do so many young people leave Bethel, and what can we learn from this?   What can a small community like Bethel do to take care of all who live here? What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a small town far from population centers? How can we continue to provide fresh water for our residents? What can we do about the fact that our population is aging, and our schools are shrinking? What roles can elders play in a community? What can we do to make a positive difference in our community?

 

The discussion promises to be stimulating, and you are invited to take part, whether you’re a WMSC member or not. The session is free, but we’d like to know how many people to expect. For more information or to indicate your intention to attend: Nancy Davis (nancydavis@megalink.net or 207-381-1110). Please RSVP to Nancy by Friday, September 26. The session is Wednesday, October 1, 12:15-1:30 at the Bethel Inn; hope to see you there!

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

Introducing WMSC's New Board Members

At the recent WMSC Annual Meeting we recognized retiring Board member Marcia Foster-Austin. Marcia served on the WMSC Board for the past six years, as co-chair of the Board, and more recently as co-chair of the Program Committee.

We then voted in our new Board members Jim Bebko, Irene Kuchta and Diane McMahon.

Jim came to Bethel in 2011 to set up a base camp from which to climb toward new challenges in his senior years. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering, a New York State Professional Engineering license, a pilot’s license, an EMT license, and certification as a Challenge Course facilitator. He enjoys hiking in the summer and downhill skiing in the winter. He and his wife, Ruth, enjoy partaking in the area’s classical music performances, art museums, and occasional travel outside the area. Jim hopes that WMSC will afford him opportunities to share some of his energies and experience for the betterment of the community he now calls home.

Irene says that she and her husband, Jack started skiing at Sunday River in 1989. They liked it so much that they bought a timeshare at the Summit in 1992. They found they liked that so much they bought an old dump in Hanover in 2001. They spent the next twelve years skiing, kayaking and trying to make the house livable. Last year Irene retired from her job as an academic librarian (and local union president) and moved to Hanover full time. Now she and Jack ski, kayak and do yardwork!

Diane lived in Peabody and Danvers, Massachusetts before moving to Maine. She taught math in Peabody for thirty-four years, mostly at the middle school level. She and her husband, Tim, became weekend residents of Bethel in 1985, and it became their permanent home three years ago when they both retired. Diane enjoys cooking, kayaking, snowshoeing, spending time with her children and four granddaughters, and taking advantage of the many courses and programs that WMSC has to offer.

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

Senior College Players Rehearsals Start September 8

By Rosabelle Tifft
 
Veteran players and newcomers alike are invited to join the fun as the Senior College Players course resumes this fall. Anyone with an interest in theater is invited to join. There will be three plays in this fall’s production, and you may accept a role as an actor, stage crew member or director. All that’s required is a desire to become involved and enjoy working with others to produce a fun and memorable night of local theater.

Lorrie Hoeh, co-class facilitator with Ross Timberlake, will have a Senior College Players’ table set up at the WMSC Annual Meeting on September 3 at the West Parish Congregational Church, from 5:00 to 5:30 pm. She will be available to take your course registration and answer any questions. Current and new WMSC members interested in learning more about the Players are encouraged to see Lorrie to discuss the program.

If you are interested in joining the troupe but unable to attend the Annual Meeting, you may mail your registration form or take it to the Adult Ed Office at Telstar. This form and complete information is enclosed in the WMSC Fall Course Bulletin, which you should have received in your mailbox.

Weekly rehearsals will take place on Mondays from September 8 to November 10, l:00 to 4:00 pm, at the Congregational Church. Dress rehearsals take place the following week on November 18 and 19 at the Gould Academy McLaughlin Hall Trustees Auditorium. Performances are scheduled for Friday, November 21 and Saturday, November 22, at 7 pm, also in the Trustees Auditorium.

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

Mahoosuc Land Trust 25th Anniversary Photo/Art/Writing Celebration

The Mahoosuc Land Trust is looking for those special photographs, original art works or written works that express the natural beauty of the Mahoosuc Region. Please share your work with the Mahoosuc Land Trust Community to celebrate our 25th Anniversary! We will be displaying all entries and having a Grand Showing on Saturday, September 27th from 11am – 5 pm at the Land Trust Office as part of the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend.

There will be prizes for photographs, original art, and written works in three age categories (12 and under, 13-18 and 19+). There is a $10 donation entry fee for the oldest age group.

Entry details: Photos should be matted, at a minimum, and may be framed. Original art should be exhibit-ready. Stories should be one typed page (max) and attached to a stiff backing. Entries should be dropped off at the Mahoosuc Land Trust Office by Wednesday, September 17th. Mail entries are also accepted. Any or all submissions may be eligible for inclusion in the 25th Mahoosuc Land Trust Anniversary Book. Information and pre-orders for the book will follow. Entrants are welcomed to sell their submissions at the show. More details on www.mahoosuc.org 

The Mahoosuc Land Trust is an accredited community land trust encouraging public interest in conservation in central Oxford County, Maine, and eastern Coos County, NH, supporting a balance between growth and conservation and emphasizing sustainable and traditional land uses. For more information visit www.mahoosuc.org or call 207-824-3806. 

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

WMSC Visits Bates Art Museum

by Wendy Hutchins

What a lovely way to spend a rainy summer day! Under the direction of Kathleen DeVore, several members of WMSC, along with a few guests, ventured to the Bates College Museum of Art. While there, the docent guided us through the two current exhibits: Convergence: Jazz, Films, and the Visual Arts, and Encountering Maine. Both collections were inspirational, to say the very least.

 

The Convergence show offers the viewer many different media which include sculpture, wood cuts, silk screen prints, multi-media collages and more, all depicting the African influence on our music, films and visual art. 

Encountering Maine, while containing a similar variety of art forms, features works by Maine artists or artists with a relationship to Maine, or works that includes part of Maine as a subject. For most of us, the highlight of the exhibit was the stunning, original watercolor of Andrew Wyeth, “Master Bedroom,” which is on long-term loan to the museum through the generosity of Wyeth’s granddaughter, who is a graduate of Bates.

After a wonderful few hours of steeping in the arts, the group put the finishing touch to a grand day by having a fabulous lunch at Davinci’s in the old Bates Mill complex! How appropriate!

Both exhibits will be running throughout the summer, so if you find yourself in Lewiston be sure to check them out. (Bates Museum of Art 207-786-6158)

Anthony, our docent, explains Faith Ringgold's Jazz Stories: Mama Can Sing, Papa Can Blow #4, 2004   photo Denise Hurd

Sonié Joi Ruffin-Thompson, Strange Fruit, 2010   photo Denise Hurd

Close-up of Strange Fruit   photo Denise Hurd

Andrew Wyeth, Master Bedroom, 1965   photo Google Images

 

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

 

Senior College Players Gearing up for Fall

by Rosabelle Tifft
 
Have you always wanted to act but were not sure if you could? Or wondered about memorizing a script, or performing in front of an audience, let alone talk? If so, Senior College Players is the place to be. And don’t worry about memorizing three acts of Shakespeare because you can always carry a script. (Though it might make a sword fight a tad awkward!) We do require you have the time of your life taking on the persona of someone else and having fun becoming that character in a play – that’s a MUST!

We are in the process of selecting plays for our annual fall class and performance, “The Senior Fa(o)llies.” You can get complete details at the class registration on September 3, to be held in conjunction with the WMSC Annual Meeting. We truly hope to see you there.

Characters in a scene from one of last year’s plays, “Who Murdered Who:”  Jim McLean, Rosabelle Tifft, Mark Antell and Lorrie Hoeh. Plans are underway to produce three comedy plays for this fall’s performance.        photo L. Hoeh

 

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

Photos from "Yellowstone in Winter"

The following photos are from Lynne Zimmerman's May 20th Down Home Maine presentation. Lynne and her husband Roger lead cross country skiing trips in Yellowstone National Park.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone with Lower Falls

Hot spring in Geyser Basin

Old Faithful

Appalachian Mountain Club group led by Roger & Lynne

Mammoth Hot Springs

View from Mammoth Hot Springs looking toward hotel

photos by Roger Zimmerman

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

WMSC Has a Facebook Page!

We are on Facebook! We're hoping to let those in our community who are not (yet) members know what we're all about. If you are a Facebook user, please go to our page and “like” us. Then, invite all your Facebook friends who you think should know about the college to like WMSC as well. To get to the WMSC Facebook page click https://www.facebook.com/westernmountainsseniorcollege. It's amazing how fast the word can spread! 

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

Photos from the Spring Drawing and Painting Class

Suzanne Taylor, class facilitator, gives suggestions to Freda Davis and Roma Wilson as they sketch a still life.    photo Lee Smith

Harriet Gilpatrick, Wendy Hutchins, Denise Hurd and Pam Berry concentrate on their work.  Harriet sketches the small toy pig and Wendy the crock of flowers, while  Denise paints an off-camera still life and Pam Berry consults a reference on drawing. Working simultaneously on a variety of projects is typical of our open studio class, which is open to all, from the beginner to the experienced artist.   photo Lee Smith

Diane McMahon draws a small turtle; Kathleen DeVore works on painting folds of fabric.  photo Lee Smith

By special request Pam Berry, a retired middle school art teacher, leads a class on color mixing.  photo Wendy Hutchins

The class follows Pam's instructions for making a color wheel.  photo Wendy Hutchins

Freda and Roma work on their color wheels while Pam looks on.  photo Wendy Hutchins

Denise shows the class her watercolor "The Pussy Willows."   photo Lee Smith

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college

Telstar Teacher Appreciation Luncheon

by Nancy Davis 

Remember the Telstar-Community Partnership mentioned in past blogs? It’s a network of THS staff members and local community resource people working together to provide educational resources to Telstar teachers and students. The planning committee has compiled both a list of needs as identified by Telstar teachers and a directory of local citizens who wish to share their education, experiences, and interests to enhance curricular and co-curricular activities. Well, so far only a handful of you WMSC members have volunteered for the resource list, and we know there are more of you very talented people out there! Won’t you join Al Cressy, Nancy Davis, Jim Bebko, Ruth Bebko, Lee Smith and Steve Smith on the list? (There are, of course, non-WMSC folks on the list as well.)

We will be gearing up during the summer for the fall term, hoping to match up teacher needs and volunteer willingness. In the meantime, the Partnership team sponsored a luncheon on May 1 to thank Telstar High School staff for their dedicated efforts with students. It was a lot of fun, both for teachers and for community members William Andrews, Allen Cressy, Rosemary Laban, Nancy Davis, Mike Broderick, Rick Churchill, Rodney Harrington, Bruce Edwards, and Jim Bebko.

Remember, the ways you might be able to help out are limitless; just a few: giving talks, consulting with teachers on projects, serving as chaperones on educational tours, arranging visits to cultural institutions, tutoring individual students, and offering other kinds of educational support. Community members who wish to help in these endeavors may contact Allen Cressy for more information or to be added to the Resource Directory (ajcressy@megalink.net or 824-0508).

Here are a few photos taken by Rick Churchill at the Telstar Teacher Appreciation Luncheon.

William Andrews giving welcome remarks, with Rodney Harrington in plaid.

Volunteers Al Cressy and Bruce Edwards, with THS teacher John Eliot.

Volunteer Nancy Davis talking with teacher Susan Owens, Mike Broderick and Bruce Edwards in the background.

For more information about Western Mountains Senior College visit our website at http://sad44.maineadulted.org/western_mountains_senior_college