SCAMS AND CRIMES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM

Tuesday, April 2
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18169

Fee: $3

Presenters: Lieutenant Martina Jacober, Guilford Police Department and Sergeant Bill Roy, Madison Police Department

Sgt. Roy has been a member of the Madison Police Department for 17 years, 11 as a Sergeant. He is a member of the South-Central Regional Swat Team and serves as one of the snipers. He is the Town Captain for Connecticut Special Olympics for Madison. Lt. Jacober has been a member of the Guilford Police Department since 2003 and according to Deputy Police Chief Sal Nesci  “has made it her mission to transform the Guilford Police Department into the premier community policing agency in Connecticut”.  She runs the Crime Prevention Unit, GPD’s social media, and works in the Patrol Division. 

The officers will talk about new scams and recent crime trends in our area. Learn how to protect yourself from being a victim. 

WHAT DOES IT MATTER? PUBLIC ART AND COMMUNITY

Thursday, April 4
10:00 a.m. at Scranton Library, Madison.
Program #18259

Fee: $3

Presenter: Laura Clarke, Executive Director, Site Projects New Haven

Laura Clarke holds an MA in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MA in architecture from UCLA. She was Executive Director and Editor of the magazine, Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, and is the Executive Director and founder of Site Projects New Haven. SPNH is a non-profit organization that commissions world-class pubic art work, programming, and events in partnership with local agencies and organizations that enhance New Haven’s cultural heritage and diversity.

What is public art and how does it enhance a community’s cultural heritage? The presenter will discuss how installations, murals and performances enliven the public sphere and engage broad audiences.

MAKING CONNECTIONS: HOW THE RISE OF GILBERT & SULLIVAN AFFECTED “NOUVELLE CUISINE”

Monday, April 8
11:00 a.m. at GFL
Program #18240

Fee: $3

Presenter: Alan Mann, Artistic Director, Opera Theater of Connecticut.

Alan Mann’s work in professional theater and opera has taken him around the world.  His directing assignments span traditional opera, contemporary opera, comic opera, musical theater, and classic and modern theater. He is also a renowned guest speaker, known for his opera talks.

Alan Mann will discuss the unknown legacy of Gilbert and Sullivan and how their financial success led to the development of an amazing hotel chain, the re-design of the professional kitchen, and the creation of some of the delectables we still enjoy today.

RE-IMAGINING REGIONAL THEATER

Tuesday, April 9
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18241

Fee: $3

Presenter: Jacob Padrón, Artistic Director, Long Wharf Theater 

Jacob G. Padrón was recently honored as Person of the Year by the National Theater Conference. He joins the ranks of previous honorees, including August Wilson (2010), Lynn Nottage (2013), and Joseph Papp (1969). Learn how Long Wharf is successfully bringing theater directly into our communities with performances in libraries, community centers, high school auditoriums, and most recently, a boat house.  Click here to watch the PBS Newshour feature on Regional Theater, including a conversation with Jacob Padrón and Kit Ingui, Long Wharf Managing Director.

TRIP: TEA IS BRAIN FOOD, SAVVY TEA, MADISON  –  Drive Yourself

Wednesday, April 10
1:30 – 3:30 p.m..
Program #18242

Fee: $23

Judy and Phil Parda opened Savvy Tea Gourmet in October 2008. Phil teaches weekly tea tastings  at the store and is also an instructor for International Tea Masters, certifying tea sommeliers and tea masters in the industry. Judy is a certified tea specialist through the Specialty Institute in NYC and has studied as an herbalist.  Both are Master Gardeners. They will conduct a two-hour class on the health benefits of specific teas, where they are from, how they are processed, and how to steep each tea (amount, water temperature, color, etc.). Tastings include six to seven teas that are paired with this topic.

Limit: 20 people

BOOK DISCUSSION: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Part 2) Chapters 31 to conclusion. 

Thursday, April 11
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18243

Fee: See March 28

Facilitator: Hedda Kopf, Associate Professor Emerita

WALKING THE THORNVELD IN SOUTH AFRICA

Monday, April 15
10:00 a.m. Zoom
Program #18244

Fee: Free

Presenter: Mark Hopkins

Mark Hopkins is an award-winning photographer and writer. Mark explains: “My work in photography focuses mainly on capturing unexpected, compelling images of the natural world”. Mark is a volunteer photographer with Earthwatch. He is a frequent and popular speaker at SSILL.

Join Mark for a photographic visit to the savannahs of South Africa where the continent’s best known large mammals depend on careful management to ensure their future. Learn how Earthwatch works with local scientists to perform a biennial herbivore census in one of Africa’s most beautiful federal game reserves. Follow along as Mark hikes sixty miles over two weeks through scenic thornveld landscapes, accompanied by an armed Zulu ranger, counting wild rhinos, giraffes, buffaloes, and a dozen other large mammal species, then returning to the campsite for close-up photographic visits with lions, leopards, hippos, and crocodiles. Hear how a face-to-face encounter with one of Africa’s most dangerous creatures enlivened the adventure.

STRESS-FREE DOWNSIZING

Tuesdays, April 16
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18245

Fee: $3

Presenter: Kristin Vander Wiede, Professional Organizer

How do I downsize when I love everything in my house?

Kristen founded Livable Solutions Professional Organizing in 2004. In addition to 1:1 consulting, she created Life’s Lists in 2014 which is an online shop providing printable and digitally editable organizing templates, workbooks, and activities. Learn tips and strategies to gain control of the objects creating physical and mental clutter in your life.

TRIP: ATHLETIC BREWING COMPANY, MILFORD, CT

Wednesday, April 17
12:45 p.m. at SGC
Program #18246

Fee: $10

Tour the state-of-the-art non-alcoholic brewery with brewmaster and co-founder, John Walker, and learn the amazing story of how John and Bill Shufelt first began making craft beers. Click here to view their story on YouTube and learn how this daring partnership began.

Limit: 20

GREAT DECISIONS

Thursdays, April 18, April 25, May 2, May 9
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18247

Class Fee: $5.00 for all four sessions plus $35.00 for the cost of the book.

Facilitator: Shirley Benjamin 

Great Decisions is a four-part program produced by the Foreign Policy Association. Topics this semester are Mideast Realignment (April 18),  Climate Technology (April 25), Science Across Borders (May 2), U.S.- China Trade Rivalry (May 9).

Required 2024 Briefing Book Purchase: $35.00. This book covers eight topics for Spring and Fall semesters. 

Great Decisions

Thursday, April 25
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18247

Please refer to April 18 for Program details.

CONCERT: U.S. COAST GUARD

Friday, April 26
10:00 a.m. at SGCH
Program #18248

Fee:  Free

Presenters: Members of the USCG Clarinet Quartet

The quartet is comprised of members of the clarinet section of the U.S. Coast Guard Band. They have performed recitals and master classes for audiences across the nation. Their musical style includes light classical and jazz.

EARLY GUILFORD RE-IMAGINED

Tuesday, April 30
10:00 a.m. at GCC
Program #18249

Fee: $3

Presenter: Michael B. Bracken, M.D.

Dr. Bracken is a retired professor of epidemiology at Yale University. He has published numerous articles and books and has lectured around the world. Dr. Bracken has a long-time interest in Guilford history where he has lived for 51 years.  He has a passion for collecting very old maps of the American northeast and has sailed along the entire coastline. This will be the focus of his presentation.

What did Guilford look like in 1639? Who were Guilford’s indigenous people and what happened to them? Using Guilford’s original founding documents, early life in Guilford will be revealed.