The Gold LEAF Institute Senior College at UMF membership runs by semester. Registration in this class covers the Summer Term, which runs from June 16 through October 12 of 2022. Dues are $12 per semester.

Membership in Gold LEAF or another Maine senior college is required to participate in Gold LEAF classes. Membership in Gold LEAF also allows you to take courses in any other Maine senior college.

As Gold LEAF members, you are cordially invited to attend the OPENING RECEPTION for our upcoming Art Show:  The Art Among Us²

 Opening Reception is Friday, June 17 from 5 - 7 p.m. at the Emery Community Arts Center on Academy Street. Refreshments will be served, outdoors with physical distance provisions, and our senior college members’ artistic creations will be open for viewing just inside the Center. The exhibit will be up through July 29, and it is hoped that our members will bring lots of family and friends to see it over that month and half duration. Gallery hours are typically 10 - 3 weekdays and may be expanded as needed. 

Online Discussion Group

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 your observations and opinions on the news and to learn from the other participants. Articles of interest are distributed among the group by email in the week prior to each meeting, and topics to discuss are selected by the group at the beginning of each meeting.

Paul Mullin is facilitator for this discussion group.

July 1 & 15
August 5 & 19
September 2 & 16
October 7 & 21

In-Person Class

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

First Thursday of the month

July 7 at 5:00pm for dinner

August 4 at 5:00pm for dinner

September 1 at 11:30 for lunch

October 6 at 11:30 for lunch

Patricia is a member of Gold LEAF who moved to Farmington 3 years ago to be near her daughter who is a professor at UMF. She came from Albuquerque, NM, where she had lived for 26 years. She is retired from teaching high school math, working in hotel management and other occupations because of moving a lot {including NACA (now NASA) and tending bar}. She has lived in 18 states and obviously enjoys eating out.

ONLINE CLASS

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.

2nd Monday of the month

• July 11
• August 8
• September 12
• October 10

Online Class

The Book Discussion Group continues a long Gold LEAF tradition and will meet four times during the Summer 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.

The group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month.

July 12:  The Island of Sea Women: A Novel by Lisa See

August 9:  Becoming O'Keeffe: The Early Years by Sarah W. Peters

September 13: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

October 11: Atonement by Ian McEwan

Mary Viruleg is a retired educator and an avid and eclectic reader. She has participated in the GLI book group for over fifteen years and thoroughly enjoys the enthusiastic interplay of ideas and opinions.

In-Person Class

This group will meet once a month on a Saturday evening for about 2-3 hours to play various board and/or word games. The group would meet in members' homes for snacks provided by the host and each member would bring their drink/s of choice. Members may bring games they own and would like play, and host may provide games if available. Choices to be made by those present.

The group will meet on the 2nd Saturday of the month.

August 13
September 10
October 8

Patricia has been a member of GLI for three years. She is a retired HS math teacher and hotel office manager. She moved from Albuquerque, NM, where she chaired several similar groups within different organizations.

In-person and online class

This walk will focus on how the area was formed, how the land was used, and flora and fauna of the area.

Sept 26, 11AM Short Review of Merrymeeting Bay Wildlife Management Area at Wildes Road on ZOOM

Sept 27, 11AM Nature walk with Terry Porter Merrymeeting Bay Wildlife Management Area at Wildes Road, in Bowdoinham. It is an easy walk (1.5 miles roundtrip) through fields, some woods, and right down to the Bay itself. This trip will include time for a picnic lunch so bring something easy to carry and eat by the bay.

For more information go to this website:

Wildes Road Wildlife Management Area | Town of Bowdoinham

Deb Stahler and Terry Porter will co-lead this walk. Deb is a 2020 Maine Master Naturalist Program graduate and lifelong outdoor enthusiast. Terry presented a virtual tour of Merrymeeting Bay during the Spring 2021 Gold LEAF session and is a Maine Master Naturalist.

In-Person Class

Hunter Cove Wildlife Sanctuary offers 1.5 miles of easy, flat trails with an abundance of habitats. This should be a colorful trip for autumn trees. HCWS is a popular birdwatching, snowshoeing, and backcountry skiing property. There is an abundance of habitats for songbirds, wading birds, amphibians; there is also a deer wintering area. Several wet areas have bog bridging. Be prepared to get your feet wet. For more information go to this website:

Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust (rlht.org)

Deb Stahler and Victoria Eleftheriou will lead this walk. Deb is a 2020 Maine Master Naturalist Program graduate and lifelong outdoor enthusiast. Victoria is an environmental engineer and grew up in the Rangely area. She has visited Hunter cove as a child and can give some perspective on how the area has changed [or has not].