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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

If I Knew Then What I Know Now

$10

with Carla McDonnell

Calendar Oct 29, 2025 at 10 am

In-Person

This two-session course will provide a chance to tell your own stories and listen to stories of others, both entertaining and serious. We will provide topics, such as "when I was young and green" and "things I wish I hadn't said." Your suggestions for additional topics will be welcomed as we move forward.

October 29, 2025

November 12, 2025

10:00 am - 11:30 am

Location: The Landing

This class will be co-led by Carla McDonnell and Cathy Wimett. If you remember Laurel and Hardy, you know all you need to know about us. We like hearing stories from Gold LEAFers and are willing to do just about anything for a laugh. Please join us as we share our lifetime of misadventures with each other.

Will run

A Brief History of the Templars

$14

with Charles Parker

Calendar Oct 30, 2025 at 10:30 am, runs for 4 weeks

In-Person and Hybrid

The Templars were created as a military religious order in 1119 and were based in Jerusalem to protect Christian pilgrims. During the next two centuries, the Templars became the most powerful network in the world. They became the bankers of Europe, transferring funds between nations and rulers, and amassed great wealth as an organization.

The accumulated wealth attracted envy, and envy begat rumors of licentiousness and accusations of heresy. Phillip IV of France engineered the destruction of the Order of the Templars in 1307. Fables concerning the Templars will be discussed, and the facts of the Templars, a most remarkable order of knights, will be emphasized.

October 30, 2025 

November 6, 13, 20, 2025

10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Location: Ed Ctr, 107

Chuck earned a master's degree in history, focusing on Islamic ideology and Muslim history. He mentored with Dr. Stephen Harmon and completed a thesis discussing Hamas. This provided the background and interest in the Templars.

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.

Quakers in Franklin County

$8

with Barry Tracy

Calendar Nov 14, 2025 at 1 pm

In-Person and Hybrid

The Religious Society of Friends was strongly represented throughout rural New England.   This class will explain more about the former Quaker communities in early Franklin County. 

November 14, 2025

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Location: Ed Ctr, room 107

Barry is a passionate historian and genealogist with a strong dedication to preserving and interpreting the past. A veteran of both the Navy and the Marines, he brings a unique perspective shaped by service and discipline. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History, is skilled in multiple foreign languages, and is actively engaged as a historical reenactor.

Will run





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