In Person

Come enjoy a tour of a beautiful apple orchard nestled in the Western Foothills of Farmington, Maine.  We will take you on an informational tour of our 15+ apple varieties and share with you what it takes to cultivate and care for apples in a successful apple orchard.  During the tour, we will stop and talk about our apple cider production and how we produce cider "just like your grandfather used to".  Afterward, you can sample our 8 varieties of hard cider that we produce (If you are over 21 of course).

Tour 2

October 9,  1pm - 2 pm

A Central meeting place will be determined.

Morrison Hill Apple Orchard has been growing apples since 1944. The Simpson/Hollingsworth family, now in our 3rd generation of apple growers, has been running the orchard since 1986. We began producing fresh cider in 2019 and hard cider in 2020. Jodi (Simpson) Hollingsworth and Chris Hollingsworth have been running the orchard since 2018. Chris & Jodi have worked to build the orchard into a sustainable business, which is not always an easy venture when it comes to farming.

In-Person

The first part of this event will take place on the UMF campus and will include a PowerPoint presentation on Mercer history and architecture.  On the second date, participants will tour the Mercer Museum

October 12, 2023, 10:00 am-11:30 am

North Dining Hall Middle Section B  

October 20th at 1:30 PM.  Mercer Museum Tour,  77 Main Street, Mercer, Maine

Butch Tracy is a local historian and genealogist, President of the Mercer Historical Society, and a member of several historical, genealogical societies, and veteran organizations.  Research projects include Quakers in Franklin County, Indians in the Sandy River Valley, Black Pioneers in Maine, and histories of Brighton, Mayfield, and Osborn, Maine.

In-person

This group will meet once a month on the third Monday for about 2-3 hours to play various board and/or word games. The group will meet in members' homes with snacks provided by the host and each member bringing their drink/s of choice. Members may bring games they own and would like to play, and the host may provide games if available. Game choices will be made by those present. Members are not required to have a game day in their own home in order to participate in this activity. Come join the fun!

The group will meet on the Third Monday of the month at 1:30 p.m.

October 16

November 20

December 18

January 15

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

Online

Do you want to write a story, start your memoir, work on a novel, publish an essay, or just play around with words and see what happens? If so, this workshop is for you. In this supportive writing group, we’ll explore strategies for generating ideas, getting words on paper, revising, and polishing them.

Wednesdays with 9 sessions

October 18

November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

December 6, 13, 20

10 am - 11:30 am

Michelle Navarre Cleary led her first writing workshop in 1994. Since then, she has worked primarily with adults who returned to school to complete their bachelor’s degrees. Her own writing includes academic articles, essays, and opinion pieces.

In-person

2 sessions

Note: The Gold LEAF Institute does not endorse candidates for office or take positions on citizen initiatives or referenda. However, GLI members do strive to be informed voters. The two sessions listed below, by speakers with differing views on Question 3, will present information about the positive and negative implications of the vote.

In November, voters will decide Question 3, “An Act to Create the Pine Tree Power Company, a Nonprofit, Customer-owned Utility.” This is a citizen’s initiative that would create a nonprofit corporation to take over Maine’s investor-owned electric utilities, CMP and Versant. The accounting, operation, and regulation of an electric utility is astonishingly complicated and most people have very little background in the subject. These presentations will explain what Question 3 is about and answer your questions before election day.

Session 1

Tina Riley

October 19, 2023

10 am-11:30 am

Location:  Education Ctr, room 112

“Pine Tree Power Company” with Tina Riley 

Tina Riley served two terms in the Maine House of Representatives where she served on the Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee. She also serves on the Public Advocate's Electric Ratepayers Advisory Council (ERAC) as the representative for CMP customers. Her work on this issue is in no way connected to ERAC.

Session 2

Seth Berry

October 24, 2023

10 am-11:30 am

Location:  Education Ctr, room 112

Seth Berry is a Maine-based business, education, and policy leader. A proud progressive, Seth ran seven times for state legislature – winning each time in a district that also voted twice for both Trump and LePage. During his service, Seth was elected House Majority Leader by his peers, won numerous awards, and chaired several top legislative committees. In 2020, Seth co-founded Our Power, a Maine-based movement to replace the state’s two large investor-owned electric utilities with a not-for-profit, consumer-owned utility that will focus on the state’s climate goals, cutting costs, and improving reliability. Seth holds a BA from Brown and an MA from Columbia University. 

In-Person

This trip will include a tour of the 1814 Belgrade Town Meeting House, one of the oldest in Maine, which, from 2019-2023, underwent extensive renovations to restore its interior to what it looked like 1814-1832. It now houses an amazing collection of artifacts related to Belgrade's history as a farming, mills, and ice harvesting town and since 1874, a summer resort for family camps, youth camps, inns, and hotels from the modest to the most expensive, as well as boat building shops and health spas. We will start at the Belgrade Historical Society's History Room for a half-hour presentation, then spend about 1.5 hours in the old Town House for curated talks on the diverse exhibits. There will be an optional group lunch for all who would like to do this.

October 23, 2023

10:30 am - 1 pm

Belgrade Town Meeting House

990 Augusta Rd, Belgrade, ME

Eric Hooglund has been a Gold Leaf member since 2014 and a presenter of several Gold Leaf classes since 2014. He is a retired college professor and still an active editor of the scholarly journal MIDDLE EAST CRITIQUE and the Belgrade Historical Society Newsletter.

In-Person

This is an introduction to residential solar energy.

October 25th 

1:00 pm

Location: Education Center, room 110

John is a retired High School and Community College teacher.

In-person

As most of us know, Western Maine has a lot to offer outdoor enthusiasts in all four seasons. This Gold LEAF opportunity joins paddling trips, light hikes, walks and snowshoes into one package geared to take advantage of local resources and seasonal conditions. For this term, we will focus on beginner/moderate trails to walk, hike, or snowshoe in Western Maine. Participants should have comfortable walking shoes or hiking boots, ice cleats, and snowshoes. A trekking pole or pole is recommended but not necessary. We will be keeping a close eye on the weather before each event and keep participants posted about changes and “Plane-B’s” Our goal is to be safe, have fun, and get outside!

October 26

November 16

December 14 

January 25

10 a.m., locations to be determined.

Barb Toner, with the help of outdoor adventurers Sarah Carlson, Sam Horine, and Ray Stillman, has been organizing the Out and About Group for Gold LEAF for a little while.  She enjoys exploring Western Maine and sharing it with others.