OLLI Observer
September 15, 2019    
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In This Issue
Fall Theme Term on Appalachia
Special Programs

We have planned special programs to supplement the theme term on Appalachia: Tradition and Change. All presentations are scheduled for the Reuter Center Manheimer Room.  Events are free and open to everyone, and seating is first-come, first served.

COMING THIS WEEK!
Wednesday, September 18, 7 p.m.: Filmmaker David Weintraub will present and discuss his documentary "Guardians of Our Troubled Waters."
If you are unable to attend, you can watch David Weintraub at OLLI Live by clicking this link at 7 p.m. on date of event. 

Wednesday, October 9, 7 p.m.: Ethnobotanist David Cozzo will discuss the revitalization of traditional Cherokee artisan resources, particularly river cane.

Wednesday, October 16, 7 p.m.: Affrilachian writer Crystal Wilkinson will discuss her work.

Friday, October 25, 7 p.m.: Kentucky writer and activist Silas House will discuss his work

Monday, October 28, 6 p.m.: As part of our Fall Member Social, Rodney Sutton will call a square dance, with live music from the Stoney Creek Boys.

Thursday, November  7, 9-11 a.m. OLLI Community Conversation on the theme term.
Whether you took classes, taught one or participated in other Appalachia programs of OLLI, come and share your experience.

Please mark your calendars to attend these wonderful programs. All programs are free and open to everyone and are funded by our Osher Foundation Endowment.
Parking Decal Pick-Up
9 a.m.-4 p.m. 
Monday through Friday
More extensive help available 2:30-4 p.m. Monday through Friday

We sent a message earlier today to clarify information about parking.  University police will not be ticketing right around the Reuter Center during this first week of classes, so there is no need to panic if you do not yet have a decal.

When people have not been able to walk themselves through the process (and we recognize it's complicated) it can be a time-consuming task for us to walk them through.  It only takes about 10 minutes total even for the most complex cases, but with an unpredictable number of people showing up and with a limited number of staff members, lines form pretty quickly.

So next week, between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. we can fulfill your decal order (hand you a decal) or have you pay for your decal if (and only if) you have paid for the first decal through the OLLI online registration system, registered all cars through the UNC Asheville online permit system and completed the process for all vehicles. 

We are happy to offer more extensive help, but with all the other demands on our time during the first week of classes, we can only do so after 2:30 p.m. when most of our classes are already underway for the day. As always, if it takes more than 10 minutes to get through the process or if you are frustrated, please stop and make plans to come to the Reuter Center for help.


We know this is a complex system, but we worked with our campus transportation office to make the best use of all of our time.

By distributing decals here at OLLI, rather than having the entire process managed through the online system, we hope to be able to offer support to our members in a familiar location and to relieve our colleagues in the university police and transportation office from adding this support task to their many duties. 

By taking on payment for decals through our system, OLLI is using revenue reserves to subsidize OLLI decals so that the cost is as low as we can make it. Parking decals for non-resident students cost $200 this year and are even more for many faculty and staff members. We cannot sustain this kind of subsidy forever, but we feel the current system meets our university's need to pay for parking lots, shuttles and security and OLLI members' needs to have access to parking near the Reuter Center.

If you break down the cost, parking under the current system costs $12.50 per month. If OLLI had to pay for the many services paid for by our university (security, housekeeping, utilities, IT and accounting support), our costs would much likely be much higher, so we feel this is a reasonable subsidy.

Remember that your $25 OLLI membership allows you to obtain a OneCard photo ID and a Passport sticker from our campus police that allows you to use Asheville transit at no cost. If you don't bring a car to campus, the costs for attendance are relatively low.
Volunteers Needed for
 Walk to End Alzheimer's
Volunteers Needed for
  • The Asheville Walk to End Alzheimer's - Saturday, September 21 at Pack Square Park
  • The Henderson County Walk to End Alzheimer's, Saturday, September 28 at Mills River Park
The Alzheimer's Association needs volunteers! Know anyone who might be interested in helping us on the day of the event?  
Volunteers are needed to help with set-up, clean-up, registration, water stops, promise garden, the T-shirt tent and so much more. 

All interested volunteers should contact: Kelly Stoner at 828.398.5780 or ksstoner@alz.org for more information or to register to volunteer. 

OLLI Fall 2019 Registration 
Continues through the Second Class Meeting

Although many classes are filled, add/drop continues through the second meeting of most classes.  Please remember to drop a class if you find it is not what you wanted or you are unable to attend. 

If you are on the waitlist for a course you will receive an email or can check your account to see whether you have been added to a course. 

Remember that the last date to request a full refund is Friday, September 13, 3 p.m.

Click here for access to an online PDF of the Fall 2019 catalog.   You may come to the Reuter Center to pick up a print copy.


Important Dates for College for Seniors (CFS)

Fall 2019
  • Fall term dates: September 16 - November 8, 2019
Winter 2020
  • Winter catalog available: November 1, 2019
  • Winter registration: November 6 -13, 2019
  • Winter term dates: January 13 - February 24, 2020
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  The Forum
Special Interest Group (SIG)
Friday, September 20, 1 - 3 p.m.
Earth Fare (please note alternate location)
Topic: Current Events

The weekly Forum encourages a free-flowing dialogue designed to enrich and expand participants' thinking on a wide variety of topics; the group frequently focuses on current events. All OLLI members are welcome to attend.
  • September 27 :Voter Suppression and How We Stop It
  • October 4:   Is There a New Cold War Beginning?
  • October 11: Current Events and Selection of Topics
SIG Contact: Beth Johnson johnson1ea@earthlink.net
Better Angels Debate
Saturday, September 28, 10 a.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

A message from Better Angels organizer Del Kimbler: 

For those who enjoyed the Better Angels debate in July (and those who missed it) here comes another chance. We are planning a debate on Saturday, September 28, 2019 on the general topic of gun control. While all are welcome at the debate, we especially welcome people who help us define the resolution. This is done using a Google poll, and you can participate in this at https://forms.gle/NQR2xnCNtqHix7aT8

I encourage ALL participants in the debate to help us via this Google poll. We use this polling method to choose the specific debate resolution that has the most adherents on both sides of the issue. You help us do this by completing the poll, where you will record, for each resolution, how strongly you feel about it and which side of the issue you are on.

After the polling is done, you will get a link (by email) to the Eventbrite registration website for the debate. Please use this link to register your participation, so we can make adequate arrangements for the number of people who will be there. I am looking forward to another great debate in Asheville.

Del Kimbler
Better Angels Debate Chair



Smoky Blue 
Literary and Arts Magazine

About six years ago, OLLI members, including College for Seniors writing instructor John Himmelheber, started the Smoky Blue Literary and Arts Magazine.  The publication is still going strong.  

Leadership Asheville Forum
Critical Issues Forums Schedule
Meet the New Symphony Music Director
  Darko Butorac
Wednesday, September 18, 
11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Country Club of Asheville, 170 Windsor Road

Leadership Asheville Forum (LAF) encourages its members to become active in the network of community leaders by offering a neutral and focused discussion of important local issues, and by promoting camaraderie and networking among the its members.

The Forum's Critical Issues Luncheons take place 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.   (food service begins at 11:45; program begins at 12:15) at  The  Country Club of Asheville .

The cost is $25 for LAF members, $30 for all others, payable at the door.  Check or cash only.


Please RSVP to Nancy Williams, 828-250-2353
or events@leadershipashevilleforum.com (email preferred), and specify which event you will be attending.

Additional 2019 Critical Issues Events
October 23 Dogwood Health Trust
Janice Brumit, Lakesha McDay

November 20 Meet the New County Manager
Avril Pender
 
December 4 Annual Gala Holiday Party
Biltmore Lake Clubhouse
Meditation Special Interest Group
Monday, September 23, 4:15 - 5:45 pm
Reuter Center, Room 120

The Meditation SIG meets on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month, 4:15-5:45 p.m. starting Monday, September 23.  

September 23:  Jacquie Wollins, Functional Meditation

October 14:  Steve Stevens, T'ai Chi Chih

October 28: Peggy Moore, Meditation and Universal Energy

All OLLI members are welcome and one does not need to have previous meditation experience to enjoy and benefit from these programs.

Meditation SIG contact:  Sally Ekaireb


Aging in Place/Thriving in Community 
Special Interest Group (SIG) Meeting

Thursday, September 26  4:15-5:30 p.m. 
Reuter Center Room 206

    
Do you, like most people, hope to remain in your own home as long as possible but worry that declining health or inability to drive might force you to leave?  If so, get tips and learn about resources to help you age in your community and home at the Aging in Place SIG's monthly meetings, which mix formal presentations with informal discussions about the topics that the members find important.

Originally the group developed out of an OLLI course, Aging in Community. In past years the group has addressed housing alternatives, transportation, social isolation, and ways to make Asheville more "aging friendly."  To better highlight its focus on aging in place , the SIG has changed its name and, in response to the interests of members, will expand in 2020. While continuing to develop networks of volunteers and paid providers to bring services to where we live, we hope to do more advocacy for affordable, accessible transportation, the primary reason people have to leave their homes.

We are seeking new members with new ideas and eagerness to work on finding better choices about how and where to live as we age.

 Everyone is welcome. Come help us shape our own futures. Questions: Meridith Miller mlmiller1020@gmail.com.


It's Showtime
New OLLI Special Interest Group (SIG)
Friday, September 27, 11:30 a.m.
Reuter Center 120
Calling all writers, poets, singers, musicians, dancers, actors for the new SIG in town: It's Showtime!
 
Here is your opportunity to create, perform and have fun with other fun-loving OLLI members. Do you love to write but are too shy to perform? No problem. Plenty of show-offs will love to hog the limelight. The topic of this year's show is aging. We'll make 'em laugh. We'll make 'em cry.
 
If you play an instrument, we want you!
 
This new SIG starts with an organizational meeting, Friday, September 27, 11:30 a.m. in Room 120. Can't make that time but want to be included? Not a problem. We can arrange other times and places after the initial meeting.  
 
SIG contact: Lindsay Leghorn 773-332-3327 ljleghorn@gmail.com

History Book Lovers SIG 
Friday, September 27*, 1 p.m.
Reuter Center, Room 120

The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court
By Jeffrey Toobin
 
Join fellow history lovers in a discussion of The Nine. Acclaimed journalist Jeffrey Toobin takes us into the chambers of the most important-and secret-legal body in our country, the Supreme Court. Based on exclusive interviews with the justices and with a keen sense of the Court's history and the trajectory of its future, Toobin creates a riveting story of one of the most important forces in American life today.

History Book Lovers is an OLLI Special Interest Group (SIG) open to all OLLI members. Members of the group share beloved books, engage in discussion, and connect with other people who love history. 

(*Please note date change)

OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Energy Savers
Help Homeowners Reduce Energy Losses

The KEY to Ending Homelessness

Literacy Council ESOL Program
Empowering lives through literacy

VOLUNTEER NOW...
Make A Difference!

The Autumn Players  Readers Theatre
Tom Griffin's
Einstein  and the Polar Bear
Sunday, September 29, 2:30 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

A renowned writer has it all, fortune, fame, women, and adoration, when one excruciating miscalculation causes him to lose everything. As penance he hides away in a small New England town where he runs a bookstore in a shambling farmhouse. Then comes a knock on his door. Can the lost be found? Can the sinner gain redemption?

The Autumn Players (affiliated with Asheville Community Theatre) is a troupe of seasoned actors dedicated to taking the theatre experience into the community. Their words jump from the page with conviction and emotion, and stories come to life.

Dear OLLI Members,
We appreciate your patience as we work our way through the challenges of our parking system. We sent a detailed email earlier today, but we want to remind you that between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. we will fulfill permits for folks who have completed payment for their first vehicle through the OLLI online registration system and registered all vehicles for which they need permits through the university's online permit system ( www.permitsales.net/UNCA).

 If you have had trouble logging in or using either system, the process to help you takes more time.  To avoid long lines on days during the first week of classes when we are very busy, we will only be able to help people with payment, log-in and vehicle registration from 2:30 to 5 p.m.  through this Friday. University police will not be ticketing in the areas right around the Reuter Center during the first week of classes.

We know the system is complex, but we have worked to find ways to meet the needs of our colleagues in the UNC Asheville transportation office and the ability of our staff to offer support and help to our members.  OLLI is also using reserve funds to supplement the cost of the decals, and this two-part system makes that supplement possible. 

You must have a parking decal to park in any lot on campus. Remember to park only in white-lined spaces marked non-resident student. Particularly during this first week, parking right around the Reuter Center may be full. 

You may park in lot P01 at the bottom of Campus Drive (the lot is newly paved), cross the street, and take the purple shuttle to the Reuter Center to avoid the traffic and the hassle of finding a spot. This lot is almost never full. The shuttle is on a 12-15 minute loop, and the ride up to the Reuter Center takes only a few minutes (much better than wasting time and energy sitting in a car line). Arriving early and lining up for spots right at the door (as people vacate during class changes) results in delays for the shuttle that can't get through when the driveways and entrances to the Reuter Center are blocked. 

As an OLLI member you may go to the Highsmith University Union and obtain a OneCard (which also can function as a library card for Ramsey University Library) and go to the university police office in Weizenblatt Hall to obtain a Passport sticker which allows you to ride Asheville Transit at no cost.  The bus lets you off on University Heights near the bulldog statue and there you may get the purple shuttle and take a 10-12 minute ride to the Reuter Center.

We may be focused on logistics, but the heart of OLLI remains learning and community. We hope you will make time to attend the first of our special programs connected to the College for Seniors Theme Term on "Appalachia: Tradition and Change." This week David Weintraub will present "Guardians of Our Troubled Waters," and we will be streaming the program through the link provided in this newsletter if you are unable to attend in person.

Don't forget the many wonderful events on offer through UNC Asheville. In addition to athletic events and dining facilities, please take advantage of lectures like David Isay's discussion of his book "Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work" and the Farm-to-Table dinner (this newsletter includes a link to purchase tickets).  

We are so grateful to everyone who makes this program a success.  As we met this week with our SIG leaders and heard from volunteers at New Member Welcome, I was reminded of just how much our community contributes to the lives of the members who participate. I am optimistic that challenges of parking or registration wlll not overshadow all that makes this organization an asset and an unparalleled community of teachers and learners.
Catherine Frank
Executive Director


Calendar Reminders

UNCA Bulldog
UNC Asheville Bulldog Athletics
TODAY: Sunday, September 15, 2 p.m., Greenwood Soccer Field
Women's Soccer:  UNC Asheville vs. Davidson

Wednesday, September 18, 3:30 p.m., Greenwood Soccer Field
Women's Soccer:  UNC Asheville vs. Western Carolina University

Wednesday, September 18, 6 p.m., Greenwood Soccer Field
Men's Soccer:  UNC Asheville vs. UNC-Greensboro

Saturday, September 21, noon, Buncombe County Schools Aquatic Center
Women's Swimming  Intersquad & Alumni Meet

Saturday, September 21, 6 p.m., Greenwood Soccer Field
Men's Soccer: UNC Asheville vs. Wofford

Bernard Osher
OLLI Network...Strength in Numbers
By David Langdon

As a member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of North Carolina Asheville, you are one of over 170,000  members nationwide who attend one of 124 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, located in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  That fact gives an idea of the scope of the Osher Network, supported by the philanthropy of the Bernard Osher Foundation and the Osher National Resource Center.  Each OLLI, connected to a college or university, has as its goal providing lifelong learning opportunities for seniors 50 or over in their "second half of life."  

Your Chance to Help with OLLI Members' 
New Online Community,  OLLIChat
OLLIChat, the replacement online community for OLLITalk, is starting to invite OLLI Asheville members to join over the coming weeks.

The volunteer leaders for the project are looking for a few more volunteers. If you are a friendly, computer-savvy user, please email  OLLIChatAVL@gmail.com .

Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society
"The Mysteries of Chimney Swifts"
Tuesday, September 17, 7:30 - 9 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

As one of the great urban bird spectacles, Chimney Swifts entering their fall roosts capture our imagination in unique ways. Seeing the swifts swirling in the sky on fall nights is one of nature's most amazing sights. Curtis Smalling will share some fascinating insights about Chimney Swifts at this presentation by the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society. His presentation will cover the biology of swifts and answer some questions that people have long pondered about swifts. 

Curtis Smalling is Director of Conservation for Audubon North Carolina where his work includes overseeing the Working Lands, Coastal Sanctuaries, and Bird Friendly Communities programs. Curtis is also an integral member of bird conservation working groups including the International Wood Thrush Conservation Alliance and the International Golden-Winged Warbler Working Group. 

All EMAS programs are free and open to everyone.

The mission of the Elisha Mitchell chapter of the National Audubon Society is to protect birds and their habitats and to promote an awareness and appreciation of nature.  EMAS schedules educational programs on the third Tuesday of the month.  To learn more about EMAS, click here to visit their website.
Talk by  StoryCorps Founder Dave Isay
Thursday, September 19, 7:30 - 9 p.m.
UNC Asheville Campus, Lipinsky Auditorium

Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps and author of five books, will give a free public talk on Thursday, September 19, in Lipinsky Auditorium. 
Isay's most recent book based on StoryCorps interviews, Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work, is summer reading for first-year UNC Asheville students. 

Isay, a radio producer, began what grew into StoryCorps in 2003 with a story recording booth in New York City. StoryCorps, with a mission "to preserve and share humanity's stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world," now has story booths in different cities, and mobile story booths that travel the country.

Fab Friday
"The Opioid Crisis in Older Adults"  with Blake Fagan
Friday, September 20, 11:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

This presentation includes an overview of the opioid crisis on both a national and local level, paying special attention to why and how the crisis has had an impact on older adults. We will also address how to safely treat acute and chronic pain and substance use disorders. 

Blake Fagan is the chief education officer and a family physician at the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville. He is also a clinical consultant for the opioid crisis at the CDC Foundation in North Carolina. This lecture is part of the Health Education Series.

OLLI offers Fab Fridays every Friday from 11:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m. in the Reuter Center Manheimer Room, during our fall, winter, and spring terms. Members and guests are invited to socialize and then listen to presentations and question and answer sessions.  Purchase lunch in our reuter Cafe, or bring your own brown bag. These programs are free and open to everyone.

 

STEM Lecture
" Science vs. Science Denial"  by Howard Jaslow
Monday, September 23, 4:30 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

This is the first in a series of lectures on "Science vs. Science Denial". This series is especially  important today in light of the current state of science denial, which is having a detrimental  effect on health, the environment and the progress of science.  Covered in this lecture will be the sciences denied, denial factors, and the organizations  denying science and their denial strategy. Then, those advocating for science and their  approaches will be presented. Finally, for the sciences and technologies that are accepted as  valid, there will be a discussion on science constraints with respect to long term concerns,
ethics and dangerous consequences if pursued.

Subsequent lectures will go into more detail on the value and importance of science, climate  change, vaccination, evolution, and ethics.

 
UNC Asheville Farm-to-Table Dinner on the Quad
"Home Sweet Home"
Monday, September 23, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
UNC Asheville Main Quad

UNC Asheville's fifth annual Farm-to-Table Dinner will be guest-hosted by MkoMosé (Andrew Judge), with the theme of "Home Sweet Home," and a menu featuring wild and indigenous foods, complemented by our annual array of campus-grown produce and locally produced delicacies. The dinner takes place at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 23 on the UNC Asheville Quad. MkoMose will also offer the keynote lecture for Greenfest on Tuesday, September 24. Click here for more information about the Farm-to-Table Dinner, including information about how to purchase tickets. The cost for OLLI members is $28.

The theme for the 2019 dinner and Fall Greenfest is HOME SWEET HOME. How do we come to understand what "home" is to each of us? Who belongs and who doesn't? What would it look it to re-inhabit the places we live in ways that connect us to each other, this land, and the living world that surrounds and includes us?

MkoMosé is a professor and coordinator of Indigenous Studies at Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Ontario, Canada. He specializes in traditional indigenous knowledge and works with Elders across North America to support "the conscious awakening of his students and himself." Judge is an initiated Mayan day-count keeper and regularly participates in the ancient ceremonial practices of his Anishinaabe ancestors.
He is currently developing programming in Indigenous land-based practices and invites his students to work with traditional medicines and foods to learn the ways of the ancestors. 

Presented by UNC Asheville's Office of Sustainability and the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program, the Farm-to-Table Dinner is part of Fall Greenfest, the university's semi-annual celebration of environment and sustainability. 

Greater Asheville Science for All Book Club
Inheritors of the Earth: 
How Nature is Thriving in an Age of Extinction and
Kingdom of Rarities

Wednesday, September 25, 6:30 - 9 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 206

The principal selection for the Greater Asheville Science-For-All Bookclub, (GASFAB), for September is Inheritors of the Earth: How Nature is Thriving in An Age of Extinction by Chris D. Thomas. 

The "deeper dive" selection is the Kingdom of Rarities by Eric Dinerstein. Both are available at Malaprops Bookstore and Café at a 10% discount for GASFAB participants.

GASFAB meets every other month and our next gathering is Wednesday, September 18th, 2019, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  Refreshments will we served, and new members are welcome. For more information, visit Facebook, (Greater Asheville Science-For-All), or contact our Acting Coordinator, Rachel Muir at dr.nature@gmail.com.
Asheville Choral Society  Speaker Event
Friday, September 27, 1:30 p.m.
 Reuter Center Manheimer Room

You know that music can make you feel happier.  Did you know it can also make you healthier? Melodie Galloway, professor of music at UNC Asheville and Artistic Director for the Asheville Choral Society (ACS), will explore the psychological, mental, and physical advantages of music, specifically how singing can contribute to overall well-being.  Galloway helps singers improve their technique by concentrating on their posture and breathing, which are essential, especially as we age.  She will be joined by ACS members who will help demonstrate some of these techniques, and the audience will be encouraged to try these exercises that promote well-being.  

See ashevillechoralsociety.org for information about ACS performances.
This event is free and open to everyone.
Travel Special Interest Group
Friday, September 27, 2 - 4 p.m.
Reuter Center 

The aim of this group is to share and solicit information on travel; to share past experiences of travel; to assist individual members' efforts in planning for independent travel, joining a tour group, or using the services of a travel agent. Also, the group hopes to reach out for travel companions; to discuss pros and cons of traveling alone or with a companion.

Two travel possibilities will be explored during the September meeting of the SIG:
Spoleto Festival  USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of America's premier arts festival. Established as a counterpart to the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, the festival fills Charleston's theaters, churches and outdoor spaces with opera, theatre, dance and music. See renowned musicians and emerging artists perform chamber, symphonic, choral and jazz music.

Northern Spain  This amazing region of Europe has deep historical roots and is abundant with a thriving local food culture.  Join us to learn, listen and experience.

SIG contact: Madan Joshi, 302.528.2697,  madanmj1947@gmail.com  
or KathleenGainey, 703.298.8203, 
Kathleen.m.gainey@outlook.com


Law Enforcement Forum
Friday, September 27, 4-6 p.m.
 Reuter Center Manheimer Room, the 

OLLI's Inclusion Committee will host a Law Enforcement Forum with Asheville Police Deputy Chief Wade Woody, UNC Asheville Vice Chancellor for Public Safety Eric Boyce, and Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller. The panel will address the continuing evolution and challenges of policing and the ways that their departments work together to promote public safety throughout our community. The panel will be moderated by members of the OLLI inclusion committee and there will be time for questions from the audience.

OLLI's Inclusion Committee promotes inclusion of people from diverse backgrounds in all OLLI programs and partners with people from diverse backgrounds to offer culturally rich programs, activities and events in hopes of positioning OLLI and its members as allies in supporting local efforts to create a more equitable and inclusive community.

This event is free and open to everyone.

Pan Harmonia's Celtic Corner presents:
The Reel Sisters - Music of the Irish Baroque
Friday, September 27, 7 - 9 pm  
 Revolve at Ramp South Studio
821 Riverside Dr. #179 Asheville, NC

The Reel Sisters return to Pan Harmonia's Celtic Corner Series to present a concert of music for harp, bassoon, Scottish smallpipes and whistle this September. This program will focus on the legendary music of blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan, who was one of Ireland's most famous traveling minstrels and composers. Working around the turn of the 18th century, his songs and compositions blended the spirit and style of the Baroque court with the music of native Ireland.  

Tickets $20 in advance, $25 day of
Buy tickets online at www.panharmonia.org/shop
    World Affairs Council
Tuesday, October  1, 
7:30 p.m.     
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

"Britain, Brexit, and Beyond"
Speaker: Katherine Grenier

Katherine Grenier, professor of history at The Citadel for more than 25 years, will look at what lies ahead for Britain, currently embroiled in political battle over Brexit. Grenier specializes in British social and cultural history and in modern Scotland.

World Affairs Council (WAC) lectures and discussions aim to advance international awareness and foster Western North Carolina's global ties. Meetings offer a lively line up of topics and compelling presenters. OLLI members receive a discount on WAC annual membership fee. Lectures are free to WAC members and UNC Asheville undergraduate students. All others are $10 at the door. 

For more details about programs, consult the WAC website, www.main.nc.us/wac/

This year's fall series at the Reuter Center includes the following 
Tuesday,  November 5, 7:30 p.m. Consul General Nadia Theodore of Canada's South-Eastern Consulate in Atlanta will speak on "Canada-U.S. Trade Relationship: A 21st Century Partnership"

Tuesday, December 3, 7:30 p.m. UNC Asheville Philosophy Department Chair and Associate Professor Dr. Keya Maitra will speak on  "India: Modi Begins His Second Term"

LAF    
Leadership Asheville Forum Presents
North Carolina Public Higher Education: 
How Could it Be More Effective in Building Our Future?
Wednesday, October 2, 6-7:30 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Are there ways to make higher education more affordable and accessible?
How do we align educational services with the needs of the future economy?
By what means may we fund the growth of our public colleges and universities?
What measures could improve the recruitment and retention of faculty?
Is the governance of our University system effective?
         
How may our community colleges play a larger role in higher education?
Speakers:
  • W. Louis Bissette, Jr. - Past Chair, UNC Board of Governors; Board Chair of Western Carolina Industries; former Mayor of Asheville 
  • Paul Fulton - Former president of Sara Lee Corporation; former Dean of UNC School of Business; former member of UNC Board of Governors
  • Emma Battle - President and CEO of Higher Ed Works
  • Dr. William Sederburg - Former college president; former Interim Chancellor of UNC Wilmington; Senior Scholar for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities
Speakers will take questions following the presentations.

This event is free and open to everyone. Please come early for a seat. 
Astronomy Club of Asheville 
Bernard Arghiere presents
"November 11, 2019's Transit of Mercury"
Thursday, October 3, 7 p.m.
 Reuter Center Manheimer Room

On November 11, 2019, Mercury will transit across the disk of the Sun, providing a great opportunity to view it easily during daylight with a safely, filtered telescope. 

Mr. Arghiere, who teaches at OLLI's College for Seniors, will explain how, when and why planetary transits occur, as well as a brief history of Mercury transit observations, dating back to the year 1631, only 22 years after Galileo pointed a telescope for the first time toward the heavens above. He will also share some other amazing facts about our solar system's innermost and smallest planet, including how Einstein's general relativity theory finally accounted for a long-known peculiarity with Mercury's orbit that Newtonian laws of motion and gravity failed to explain.

Lastly, Mr. Arghiere will share just how, when and where you may safely observe this rare 5½ hour, Mercury transit event in the Asheville area on November 11.

The Astronomy Club of Asheville meets the first Thursday of each month (except January and July) from 7-9 p.m., with an interesting lineup of speakers and topics. OLLI members may attend club meetings and star gazes, with club members on hand to advise and assist them in the basics of astronomy and
the techniques of observing celestial phenomena. For specific information about programs, visit www.astroasheville.org

Sierra Club
Thursday, October 3, 7 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place

Sierra Club presents: Bird Migration of America and Europe with Simon Thompson 

Join Sierra Club of Western North Carolina (WENOCA) and Simon Thompson for a program on bird migration and climate change, and where best to see migration in western North Carolina. 
 C limate change is causing changes in bird patterns of arrival/departure dates and even food availability along the way.   Join local ornithologist and Ventures Birding Tours owner, Simon Thompson, for an insight into bird migration both here in Eastern North America and Europe. We will enjoy learning about some of the birds, such as warblers, vireos, tanagers and hummingbirds that migrate through Western North Carolina twice a year and where best to see migration happening. 
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute | 828-251-6140 | olli@unca.edu | http://www.olliasheville.com
Reuter Center, CPO #5000
UNC Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804