The Academy of Lifelong Learning will be teaming up with community partners to put together several events for February.
Marita Metzke, the project coordinator for the Academy, said the purpose of the events is to provide learning opportunities for adults in the community.
Two events, “The Race Across America” and a presentation on fracking will take place at the Charleston Carnegie Library.
The Race Across America presentation will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 10 and will host two guest speakers, Keith and Ellen Wolcott.
According to the Academy’s program, the Wolcotts completed a 3,000-mile non-stop bicycle race from coast to coast.
The Wolcotts traveled at least 250 miles a day in June 2014.
They will talk about the challenges that they faced and overcame, including the recovery after the race.
Metzke said they will discuss their overall experience, how they prepared for the race, and why they did it.
The fracking presentation will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 17.
According to the BBC, fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth and injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals at a high pressure in order to release the gas inside.
“I’m super excited about the fracking presentation because it’s a political issue that affects people’s livelihoods,” Metzke said.
According to the Academy’s program guide the class will explore both sides of the process in hopes of helping people come to their own, educated decision.
“It’s fascinating and it’s being addressed from so many angles,” Metzke said. There will be two presenters discussing the pros and cons of the fracking industry.
Both events are free and open to the public.
Along with the presentations, Academy members and community members can attend the Bird Club meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Douglas-Hart Nature Center and a presentation called “Talking about the generations: From ‘A little dab’ll do you!’ to ‘Just do it!” from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 25.
According to the program, the “Talking about the generations” presentation will increase knowledge and understanding and improve relationships between the different generations.
At the presentation, participants will learn more about each generation, how generational differences affect relationships and how to recognize and appreciate the commonalities among various age groups.
Although the Bird Club is free and open to the public, but the “Talking about the generations,” talk is a nominal fee of $3 for Academy members or $5 for non-members.
If anyone wants to attend any event they must call and register before the deadline.
“It’s for planning purposes,” Metzke said. “We just want to make sure we have a seat for everyone who attends.”
Analicia Haynes can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]
