L.I.F.E. (Learning Is ForEver) is an organization dedicated to providing high-quality, low-cost, and enjoyable adult-education experiences. The Macomb L.I.F.E. program is affiliated with the national organization, Road Scholar: Elderhostel Institute Network (EIN). It is independently administered by area residents who develop the courses, select the teachers, establish the fees, and promote the curriculum.
Visit www.wiu.edu/sao/ outreach/adult_learning_op/ LIFEmacomb.php Mark your calenders for the Fall Fling! Tuesday, October 14 from 4 - 6 p.m. in the Brattain Lounge, 1st floor WIU Union. Appetizers served. Cash bar.
RSVP - es-roberts@wiu. edu or call 309.298.1911 Radon: What’s the Big Deal?
We will discuss what radon is and how it might affect you and your family. We will discuss how it enters your home, how it is detected, ways to mitigate it and solutions if an invasion occurs. You will also receive a home radon kit if you attend the class.
Instructor: Jonathan Chu, a sanitarian at the McDonough County Health Department, works in the food, water, sewage, solid waste, vector control and radon programs.
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 7 from 1 – 2 p.m.
Place: McDonough County Health Department, 505 E. Jackson St.
Parking: At the site Maximum Enrollment:15 Cost: $12 Good Bugs that Get a Bad Name Get ready for an enlightening session with Illinois Extension horticulture educator Chris Enroth on the misunderstood beneficial insects in our landscapes. While bees, butterflies, and lady beetles are celebrated, other insects like wasps and flies are frequently vilified. In this class, you’ll learn about the important roles these insects play in maintaining a healthy and balanced ecosystem.
Instructor: Chris Enroth is a horticulture educator with University of Illinois Extension serving Henderson, Knox, McDonough, and Warren Counties.
Date: Thursday, October 9 from 10 - 11 a.m.
Place: Sandburg Lounge in the basement of the WIU Union. A no-ticket request will be made for this class so you can park in the parking lots on either side of the Union. If you use a metered space, you are not eligible for the no-ticket request.
Maximum Enrollment: 25 Cost: $5 Introduction to Drones This course will introduce students to drone technology. It will include applications in photography, emergency management, law enforcement, and mapping. Students will be able to fly a drone if they choose. No prior experience is necessary.
Instructor: Chad Sperry is the director of the WIU GIS Center. His bachelor’s degree is from WIU and his master’s degree from Purdue University.
Date: Friday, Oct. 10 and Tuesday, Oct. 14 and rain date Thursday, Oct. 16 from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Place: Spoon River College Community Outreach Center, 2500 E. Jackson St.
Parking: At the site Maximum Enrollment: 20 Cost: $5 Tour of Malpass Library at WIU One public facility of major usefulness, especially for the residents of western Illinois, is Malpass Library at Western Illinois University. It has a million volumes, extensive periodicals on shelves, a wide selection of electronic resources, and hundreds of thousands of public records and historical photographs - as well as staff members who can assist with research efforts. But the building itself is also engaging, with its Asian-inspired, pinwheel-shaped structure, designed by noted architect Gyo Obata, which features a six-story atrium topped with a skylight, as well as an extensive garden lounge with exotic plants.
The building has many exhibits, on several floors, that have artistic, cultural, and regional historical interest, and those will be featured in the tour as well. For example, the sixth floor has exhibits related to the sixteen western Illinois counties, the career
of famous actor and singer Burl Ives (an Illinois native who owned property near Macomb), noted women associated with the university, antique WIU furniture, and regional art works.
Instructor: The tour will be led by Illinois author and regional historian John Hallwas, who was the Director of Regional Collections for 25 years in the WIU Library.
Class session: Friday, Oct. 10 from 3 - 4:30 p.m.
Place: WIU Malpass Library, 851 N. Western Ave. Meet at the Welcome Area on the library’s main floor Parking: Available in the lot west of the library, across Western Avenue. A no-ticket request will be made for this class so you can park in this lot without being ticketed. If you decide to use a metered space, you are not eligible for the no-ticket request.
Maximum Enrollment: 25 Cost: $5 Quilt Block Painting
On fences, sheds and walls at home, quilt blocks add a splash of color to our surroundings. Painting this art form is fun and relaxing, and the result is personally satisfying to display. We will paint a basic design in your color choices on a 12 or 15 inch square board for interior or exterior use.
Instructor: As a former home economics teacher, Debbie loves timeless pieces of home décor and has taught over 300 people to create quilt blocks.
Date: Monday, Oct. 13 from 9 a.m. - noon Place: Colchester Library, 203 Macomb St., Colchester Parking: At the site Maximum Enrollment:12 Cost: $20 Mastering Your Samsung Android Smartphone This is a basic class in understanding the function and operation of your Samsung Android phone. You will learn navigation of the menus, messaging, resetting, browsing the internet, basic Google account info, using the contacts, and basic camera use.
Instructor: Brenda Allison is a retired IT Director for AFSCME who worked in many levels of technology. Teaching classes helps keep her skills current.
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 15 from 9:30 – 11 a.m.
Place: Spoon River College Community Outreach Center, 2500 E. Jackson St.
Parking: At the site Maximum Enrollment: 20 Cost: $5
Lakeview Prairie Labyrinth: A Guided Introduction Course Around the world, labyrinths serve as a tool to help clear the mind, calm worries, deepen self-awareness, and encourage mindfulness. Unlike mazes, which have multiple paths and dead ends, a labyrinth provides a walking meditation experience that follows a single unicursal path leading to the center and back. The Lakeview Prairie Labyrinth, created in 2016 by Quinn and volunteers, has the mission to provide wellness opportunities in our community and beyond.
You will learn about different styles of labyrinths and how to design a 7-circuit Cretan Labyrinth, and then we will walk the labyrinth. Wear comfortable shoes. This tallgrass prairie labyrinth is roughly a half mile to the center, and there is a processional exit that can be utilized.
We look forward to seeing you for this relaxing course.
Instructor: Kelley K. Quinn is a community artist specializing in walkable labyrinths, collages, mosaic artwork, and mosaic art tractors that focus on mental health and awareness.
Location: Lakeview Nature Area and Center, 10050 N 1500th Rd.
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 15 and rain date Thursday, Oct. 16 from 4 – 5 p.m.
Parking: At the site Maximum Enrollment: 15 Cost: $5 Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives and Hot Sevens This course will explore the most significant set of recordings made by Louis Armstrong between 1925 and 1928 known as the Hot Five and Hot Sevens. These recordings present the development and growth of one of the first great virtuoso improvisers in the history of jazz. Participants will explore this body of literature through lecture and listening so as to better understand their historical significance.
Instructor: John Cooper, PhD, is the WIU Director of Jazz Studies.
Date: Thursday, Oct. 16 from 6 – 8 p.m.
Place: Spoon River College Community Outreach Center, 2500 E. Jackson St.
Parking: At the site Maximum Enrollment: 30 Cost: $5 The Lightning Thief - The Percy Jackson Musical This musical is based on the popular book series. The first in the series, it follows Percy Jackson, a 12-year-old boy, who discovers he’s a demigod and goes on a quest to find Zeus’s missing lightning bolt before a war occurs between the Greek gods. Meet with the show’s director beforehand as she discusses the production and the show’s themes.
Instructor: Lysa Fox is the Head of Musical Theatre at WIU. She holds an MFA from Cal State Long Beach.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 18 from 1 p.m. Show is from 2 – 4:30 p.m.
Place: WIU Hainline Theatre Lobby, 1101 W. University Drive Parking: Around the theater. No tickets issued on the weekend.
Maximum Enrollment: 30 Cost: $25 All Hazard Approach to Readiness This introduces students to a comprehensive framework for preparing for, responding to, and recovering from all types of emergencies and disasters. A couple of examples are loss of power for an extended period of time (summer or winter) and storm readiness and preparedness. The course emphasizes risk assessment, emergency planning, and coordination across agencies, utilizing national standards such as the Incident Command System (ICS) and the National Response Framework (NRF). Students will gain practical skills to enhance resilience and readiness in communities and organizations.
Instructor: Edgar Rodriguez is aVenezuelan-born veteran, WIU scholar, and ESDA Director blending military, GIS, and emergency management to serve and lead effectively.
Date: Mondays, Oct. 20 and 27 from 10 – 11 a.m.
Place: Sandburg Lounge in the basement of the WIU Union. A no-ticket request will be made for this class so you can park in the parking lots on either side of the Union. If you use a metered space, you are not eligible for the no-ticket request.
Maximum Enrollment: 25 Cost: $5 Mastering Your iPhone This is a basic class in understanding the function and operation of your iPhone. You will learn navigation of the menus, messaging, resetting, iOS mail app, browsing the internet, using the contacts, and using your phone camera.
Instructor: Brenda Allison is a retired IT Director for AFSCME who worked in many levels of technology. Teaching classes helps keep her skills current.
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 22 from 9:30 – 11 a.m.
Place: Spoon River College Community Outreach Center, 2500 E. Jackson St.
Parking: At the site Maximum Enrollment: 20 Cost: $5 Freedom of Speech: What Can I Say?
This class will provide a basic explanation of the freedoms and limits of our right of free speech and expression. The attendees will have the opportunity to interact with examples that illustrate the law.
Instructor: Gayle T. Carper practiced law from 19832005, taught law at WIU’s LEJA Department from 19872012, and is now happily retired twice.
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 22 from 1:30 – 3 p.m.
Place: Spoon River College Community Outreach Center, 2500 E. Jackson St.
Parking: At the site Maximum Enrollment: 25 Cost: $5
Exciting Things Happening in Macomb The mayor and city administrator will describe the many initiatives that the city has planned and are working on to continue the high quality of life we have in Macomb.
Instructors: Mike Inman is a lifelong resident of Macomb and is in his fourth term as mayor of Macomb. Scott Coker has been the city administrator since 2019, and he and his wife Barb have three daughters - Sydney, Hayley, and Macy.
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 28 from 9 – 10:30 a.m.
Place: MacombCity Hall Community Room, 120 E. Calhoun St.
Parking: At the site Maximum Enrollment: 50 Cost: $5 Impact of Fabrics on Global History What do Egyptian mummies, the Silk Road, Viking explorers, England’s industrialization, and American slavery all have in common? They’re all examples of the impact that fabrics have had on global history. Come join us as we explore how humanity’s history has been woven together by fabrics.
Instructor: Dr. Ginny Boynton is a retired WIU History Professor.
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 29 Time: 1 – 2:30 p.m. Place: Spoon River College Community Outreach Center, 2500 E. Jackson St.
Parking: At the site Maximum Enrollment: 35 Cost: $5
Watch upcoming issues of the Community News Brief for additional classes or visit www.wiu.edu/sao/outreach/ adult_learning_op/ LIFEmacomb.php
