In-Person

We Gold LEAFers love sharing our stories and eating, so why not combine the two?

We will gather at the picnic tables in the pavilion at Walton's Mill Park in  West Farmington to discuss (OF COURSE) our most memorable food stories. At the same time, we will enjoy our brown bag lunches and a lovely view of the water flowing by.

At the park, there are bathroom facilities and drinking water, but no vending machines or other sources of food, so this is a BRING YOUR OWN event.

Date: June 23, 2026

Time: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Location: Walton's Mill Park, 208 Temple Rd, West Farmington, ME

Eileen remembers leading other similar topics (such as most memorable job disasters) in very fun discussion sessions.  Hopefully, this gathering will include no food disasters.

In Person

We will walk a loop in the Woodland preserve, focusing on trees, birds, and the two small ponds.

Date: June 30, 2026

Rain Date: July 7, 2026

Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Location: Peter Miller Woodland Loop Trail, Anderson Rd, Vienna, ME 04360

Carpooling TBD

Deb is a regular GLI member and nature presenter. She graduated from the Maine Master Naturalist Program in 2020.

In-person

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

Dates:

July 2, 2026

August 6, 2026

September 3, 2026

October 1, 2026

Time: 11:30 am.

Location: TBD

Patricia Overall has been a member of GLI for many years.  She is a retired high school mathematics teacher who later worked in hotel management, bartending, and other occupations, including NACA (now NASA). She has lived in 18 states and obviously enjoys eating out.

In-person

Join us for an introduction to the concepts inherent to fly fishing: similarities and differences of spin fishing with lures, basic casting and fishing techniques, aquatic insects and their emergence times, and more. This class will be hands-on: a blend of lecture, demonstration, and coaching.

Date: July 10, 2026

Time: 10:00 am-12:00 pm

Location: Ed Ctr, 112

John Bell, an English teacher at Mountain Valley High School, is also an avid outdoorsman who enjoys sharing his knowledge of fly fishing with anyone willing to give it a try. He came to Maine via Camp Kawanhee in Weld and still works there in the summer, encouraging campers in several activities, including fishing.

Online

Please join us for a monthly Zoom get-together for coffee, conversation, and crafts.  Settle in with your favorite craft and 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 summer term begins June 1, 2026. Please register if you wish to continue or are new to the class.

Dates: 

July 13

August 10

September 14

October 12

Time: 10:00 am-11:30 am 

In-person

This trip will include touring two historical sites.

The Frances Perkins National Monument consists of the historic 1837 Perkins Homestead on 57 acres of farmland and forest with a 1.5-mile loop trail to the Damariscotta River. We will learn about the life and legacy of Frances Perkins in the Welcome Center inside the beautifully restored ell and barn of the Perkins Homestead. There is a self-guided exhibit. We will spend about 1.5-2 hours viewing the exhibit and walking the trail. 

We will then take the 10-minute drive to Whaleback Shell Midden. This is an 11-acre property owned by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands and co-managed with Coastal Rivers. There, we can enjoy a picnic lunch or snacks before exploring.

The site once contained a massive oyster shell heap, or midden, formed over a period of more than 1,000 years by prehistoric people. The shells were processed for chicken feed in the late 1800’s, leaving behind just a fraction of the original mounds. Interpretive storyboards relate the history of the middens, their accumulation and destruction, and also share stories of the Upper Damariscotta River.

The swinging bench by the shore offers an ideal view of one of the largest intact middens on the East Coast, the Glidden Midden, just across the river. This trail is rated accessible by Forest Service standards: 8′ wide, gently graded, and surfaced with firm crushed stone dust. Handicap parking is available at both the Whaleback and Round Top Farm trailheads.

Frances Perkins Center: https://francesperkinscenter.org/

Whaleback Shell Midden Historic Site: https://tinyurl.com/mskhsn8a

Maine.gov Whalebakc Shell Midden: https://tinyurl.com/4nm5akm5

Carpooling: Meet in the Park 'n Ride lot next to the Farmington Walgreens. We will leave Farmington at 8:30 am for the 1.5-hour trip to the Frances Perkins National Monument, with an expected arrival time of 10 am.

Dates: July 22, 2026   Rain Date: July 24, 2026

Time: 10:00 am - midafternoon

Location: Frances Perkins National Monument, 478 River Rd, Newcastle, ME

Nadine is interested in history and exploring historical sites. She will be coordinating this trip, including carpooling.

In-person

Learn to play Mahjong or fine-tune your skills. Mahjong is a popular Chinese tile game played by four or fewer people. It is a relaxed and enjoyable game, so players can socialize with their friends while playing. Playing mahjong keeps the mind sharp and active because it involves skills and strategies.

The first class will focus on the basics of the game and strategy. The second class will help beginners continue learning the game and teach scoring to more experienced players.

Dates: July 29 & August 5, 2026

Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am 

Location: Ed Ctr, 114

Carole Lee is a retired UMF professor. Eddie Yuen is a retired math teacher. Both presenters have been playing mahjong since they were young children.

In-person

Protected by Georges River Land Trust since 2017, the Langlais Art Preserve is a 90-acre nature preserve in Cushing, Maine, with a 10-acre art environment at its heart.

The Langlais Art Preserve encompasses the former homestead of Maine-born artist Bernard Langlais and his wife, Helen Friend Langlais. Dotting the landscape are more than a dozen of Langlais’s large-scale wooden sculptures, remnants of the expansive outdoor art environment he created here from 1966 to 1977.

Today, a 1/4-mile ADA-accessible path provides a route through the art environment, and the 2 1/2-mile Woodland Trail traverses the forest beyond. Cushing is approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes from Farmington.

Car pooling will be coordinated shortly before the trip. We will start the tour at 10:30 with staff introductions and information, then we will have time for our group to explore & enjoy the preserve. We will also have the opportunity to take a tour of Langlais's workshop, which has been carefully preserved, watch a 15- minute film created in 1977 at the height of Langlais's career in Cushing, view additional Langlais works, and try our hand at a Langlais-inspired craft.

You are encouraged to bring a lunch to eat on the lawn or at the picnic tables. A porta-potty is available. The preserve is a nonprofit running on limited resources. Each member of the group is asked to donate $10 to help offset staffing costs and support the Preserve’s operations and programs. Website: https://www.langlaisartpreserve.org 

Address: 576 River Rd, Cushing, ME

July 30, 2026.   Rain date: August 13, 2026

Caitlin Kelty-Huber is the Langlais Art Preserve Program Assistant.