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Gold LEAF Institute Course Catalogue



Our Classes

Membership Fall/Winter 2025-2026

$15
Calendar Oct 1, 2025

This membership entitles anyone 50 years or older to enroll in any class or activity during the Fall/Winter term only. 

There are 3 GLI terms: Summer (June-October), Fall/Winter (October-February), and Spring (February-June).

Membership in GLI or another Maine Senior College is required for registration in any Gold LEAF program offering. 

If you are 90 years old or older, you are entitled to free membership, although still responsible for any class fees. To take advantage of this benefit, do NOT register for membership through this online catalog; simply let the office know that you're entitled to free membership at goldleaf@maine.edu

 

Will run

Conversations, Coffee & Crafts, Fall/Winter Term

Free

with Heidi Wilde

Calendar Oct 1, 2025 at 10 am

Online

Please join us for a monthly Zoom get-together for coffee, conversation, and crafts.  Settle in with your favorite craft, bring your coffee, tea, or beverage, and visit with Gold LEAF friends.  Crafts are not essential, and guys are welcome! The goal is to get together and spend an hour or more talking with friends.

NOTE: The Fall/Winter term begins on October 1, 2025.  Please register if you wish to continue or are new to the class.

2nd Monday of the month

October 13

November 10th

December 8th

January 12th

February 9th

10 am-11:30 am

 

 

Will run

Dining Out, Fall/Winter Term

Free

with Patricia Overall

Calendar Oct 1, 2025 at 11:30 am

In-person

Participants will meet once a month for lunch at various restaurants in the Farmington area. Reservations need to be firm one week before the date. Participants will order from the standard menu and receive separate checks.

First Thursday of the month

October 2, 2025

November 6, 2025

December 4, 2025

January 1, 2026

February 5, 2026

11:30 am.

Location: TBD

Patricia Overall has been a member of GLI for several years.  She is a retired high school mathematics teacher who later worked in hotel management.

Other occupations included working for NACA, now NASA, and bartending. She has lived in 18 states and obviously enjoys eating out.

Will run

Winter Ramblings

$14

with Eileen Kreutz

Calendar Oct 23, 2025

In-Person

Each session will be a walk or snowshoe in various meadows, woodlands, or mountains in the vicinity of Farmington. The travel time to the trailhead will generally be between 30 and 45 minutes, and participants should plan to be on the trail for 1 to 2 hours. Efforts will be made to avoid difficult terrain, and a makeup date will be scheduled in the event of cancellation.

Approximately one week before each session, participants will receive an email detailing the travel plan, providing information about the destination, and offering suggestions on what to bring.

October 23 or 24, 2025, at 10:00 am, weather dependent, will be led by Barb Toner with forester Jon Dody. Jon will take us on a walk through the woods, sharing what he looks for from a forest management perspective, taking into account the landowners' objectives.

November 20, 2025, at 1:00 pm, led by Eileen Kreutz

December 18, 2025, at 1:00 pm, led by Eileen Kreutz

January 28, 2026, at 10:00 am, led by Barb Toner

Barb Toner and Eileen Kreutz have conducted many similar outings in past sessions.

Will run

Views On The News - Fall/Winter Term

Free

with Paul Mullin

Calendar Nov 7, 2025 at 10 am

In-Person and Hybrid

This is a discussion group held on the first and third Fridays of each month covering local, national, and world news. The discussion provides an opportunity to share observations and opinions on the news and to learn from other participants.

Articles of interest are distributed among the group by email in the week before each meeting, and topics to discuss are selected by the group at the beginning of each meeting.

October 17, 2025

November 7 and 21, 2025

December 5 and 19, 2025

January 2 and 16, 2026

February 6 and 20, 2026

10:00 am - 11:30 am

Paul Mullin is the facilitator for this discussion group.

Will run

Book Discussion Group, Fall/Winter Term

$12

with Cathy Wimett

Calendar Nov 11, 2025 at 10 am

Online 

The Book Discussion Group continues a long Gold LEAF tradition and will meet three times during the Fall/Winter Term to discuss works of fiction and non-fiction. Our sessions are open and casual, but also stimulating and informative - we learn from each other. This term, each book has been chosen and will be facilitated by a member of the group.

The group meets on the second Tuesday of each month except December.

November 11: The Book Binder: A Novel by Pip Williams

January 13: The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes

February 10: Table for Two: Fictions by Amor Towles

10:00 am - 11:30 am

Each of the facilitators has participated in this book group previously. Both newcomers and past participants are encouraged to join us for this Fall/Winter Term.

A Force More Powerful: Non Violent Resistance to Oppression

$8

with Doug Rawlings

Calendar Dec 16, 2025 at 10 am

In-Person

This is a 72-minute film that features documentary footage of Gandhi's famous Salt March, the 1960 Nashville Students' desegregation of lunch counters, and the Danish resistance to the Nazis.  We will have a few minutes during and after the film for discussion.

Date: December 16, 2025

10 am-12 pm

Location: North Dining, A

This film was used in Rawlings's UMF course on Peace Studies.  Rawlings taught at UMF for 27 years.  He is a co-founder of Veterans For Peace.

Will run

Tour of Osher Map Library

$8

with Staff At Location

Calendar Jan 7, 2026 at 10 am

In-Person

The Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at the University of Southern Maine provides opportunities for all to engage with five centuries of cartographic materials. With half a million items dating back to 1475, our place-based collection invites you to stay curious!

In the OML's Cohen classroom, you will receive a brief history of the collection and an introduction to the different digital resources available after your visit. In our Reading Room, you’ll have a chance to look at our permanent globe display and a selection of “Gems from the Collection.”  There will also be time to visit our gallery space, which has rotating exhibitions throughout the year. OML staff members will be on hand to answer questions about the various items on display.

January 7, 2026

Snow date: January 14, 2026

Location: USM Osher Map Library, 314 Forest Avenue, Portland, Maine, 04101

Kelsey Riordan arranges tours and events at Osher. Other library staff may lead the tour.

Will run





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