An afternoon with Megan Marino—music for OLLI members on Nov. 14

OLLI is hosting its first Creators’ Fair on Tuesday, November 28 in Room 102. If you are a writer or an artist in any media, we hope you will participate in the fair to share and sell your creations. We can host up to 30 creators. You can reserve a table for the day at $10 by registering below.

Also, please mark your calendars for the fair itself, which will open to OLLI members at 9AM on November 28. The Community Committee is sponsoring this event.

Get into the holiday spirit by joining OLLI’s day trip to the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden’s “Gardens Aglow” event. On Sunday, Dec. 17, we will take a bus leaving from the Wishcamper Center at 2:o0 PM to Boothbay and arrive at 4PM to enjoy the sight of the shadowy garden shifting from striking silhouettes to magical lights. We will have a few hours in the gardens and will return around 8:30 PM. No need to travel in the dark—let us take care of transport and join friends for a night of joy and delight. The cost of the trip (transport and ticket) is $70 per person. Space is limited, so register early for no-refundable tickets.

Science Club

Learning, Growing, and Thriving

In the October issue of Scientific American, which the Science Club discussed at its last meeting, was a one-page column, Mind Matters. The title was “Stay Sharp as You Age” by Rachel Wu and Jessica A. Church. They report that “Older people show significant cognitive benefits from learning new skills” and “…[S]ocieties could provide resources and paths toward lifelong learning—particularly for older adults who are underserved or disadvantaged—to ensure that everyone can benefit.” They end with “Let’s shift the conversation about adults from staving off loss and decline, or merely maintaining what people have, to learning, growing, and thriving.” 

OLLI does a great job keeping us “learning, growing, and thriving.”

Our Special Interest Group meets the third Wednesday of each month to discuss the current issue of Scientific American.

—Elizabeth Housewright

OLLI on the Road!

OLLI folks staffed a booth at three recent senior fair events in South Portland, Augusta, and Freeport.

The South Portland Community Center Senior Programs Resource Fair was held on Friday, September 22, 2023, at the South Portland Community Center. OLLI volunteers Pat Thatcher and Marcia Weston, along with OLLI’s Administrative Specialist Kali Pawless staffed the booth from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Nearly 100 seniors came through the fair and visited the OLLI booth. Forty seniors registered to receive OLLI information and several past members requested to renew their membership.

OLLI was represented at the Central Maine Successful Aging Expo in Augusta on October 20, 2023, at the Maine Senior College booth with Anne Cardale. Star Pelsue represented OLLI at the booth and at the accompanying workshop.

The Southern Maine Successful Aging Expo and Successful Aging Forum in Freeport was held on October 4, 2023, and included an OLLI booth. Linda Werner and Marcia Weston staffed the booth from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nearly 100 area seniors attended. Seniors, many of whom were not familiar with OLLI, had the opportunity to learn about all of OLLI’s offerings and were very grateful for the chocolate! Several seniors who go south for the winter were pleased to hear that OLLI’s winter programs are available via Zoom. Over 30 prospective members registered to receive information.



Reminder: Interested in joining the next Trivia Po-Up? You can sign up on the OLLI website under Special Events.

If you are intrigued and perhaps amused by the items below, consider joining us by signing up for a Trivia Night on the OLLI website at the OLLI Registration section under Popups.

1. Which not-yet American state was the first to abolish slavery in its 1777 constitution?

Answer: Vermont was independent and not yet a state in 1777. It was the first sovereign entity in North America to abolish slavery. Slaves were not directly freed under the law, but their owners were required to remove them from Vermont. Did you know that Thomas Paine was an early advocate for abolishing slavery and freeing slaves (as documented by his 1775 article, African Slavery in America)?

2. What is the third most common gas in earth’s atmosphere, behind nitrogen and oxygen?

Answer: Argon. Dry air is approximately 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and 0.1% other gases. Air also contains non-gas components, including varying amounts of water vapor (averaging 1%) and solid or liquid aerosols, e.g., dust, spores, pollen, salt, ash.

3. Which U.S. state is closest to Africa?

Answer: Maine. Quoddy Head State Park/Quoddy Head Light in Lubec, Maine, is the closest U.S. point to Africa, specifically El Beddouza, Morocco. In 1807 the lighthouse built there became the easternmost lighthouse in the US. Little did I know when I visited the “new” Quoddy Head Light (1858) with its striking red stripes, I was only 3,154 miles from Africa!

4. What was Eleanor Roosevelt’s contribution to the 1932 Olympics?

Answer: Anna Eleanor Roosevelt helped open the third Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY, by donning a leather helmet and completing a bobsled run with the American team’s best driver. Franklin Roosevelt was still Governor of New York, and they had traveled to the Adirondacks for the opening of the games.

According to the New York Times, "The sled passed through the 'zigzag,' a double series of curves, and a few moments later was visible streaking down the mountainside into the final curve. It shot up the wall of ice and down again and then raced under the finish bridge and up the slope to a standstill."

5. What is the only fish with a prehensile tail?

Answer: The seahorse (genus Hippocampus, from the Greek “hippos,” meaning horse and “kampos,” meaning sea monster). Did you know that the male seahorse carries the fertilized eggs? The female places the eggs into a brood pouch located at the base of the male’s tail, where the eggs are fertilized. A photo of a pregnant male sea horse is shown above.

Learn more at https://www.britannica.com/animal/sea-horse

6. What does ICE mean when found in a cell phone’s contact information?

Answer: In case of emergency. ICE is an acronym conceived and first promoted by British paramedic Bob Botchie in 2005. It refers to having a mobile phone address book listing of “ICE” with contact information for next of kin or someone to contact in an emergency. The contact can provide vital medical history and information to first responders or hospital staff. There may also be an option to add ICE information to a phone’s lock screen.