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- Description is exactly "<b>Press Release Text: <br /><br /></b>The Learning in Retirement program at Nicolet College will offer nearly 50 different courses this winter through spring that cover a broad range of topics that include natural resources, the arts, travel, film, history, current events, local tours, and many others. “In addition to long-time favorites such as Ced’s Nature Series, we’ll also have dozens of new classes that cover a broad range of topics,” said Brenda Peltier, Learning in Retirement (LIR) coordinator. “There really is something for everyone. And the best part is there are no grades or tests in any of the classes. It’s just getting together with like-minded people and learning purely for the fun of it.” Some classes will meet only once for a couple of hours while others will be part of a series that meet once a week over several weeks. Currently about 300 members from throughout the Northwoods belong to LIR. Annual membership is $45 and runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. Members can join at anytime during the year and take as many or as few classes as they desire. Winter/Spring classes will be held across the Northwoods in Rhinelander, Eagle River, Minocqua, and Arbor Vitae. Classes run Jan. 27 through May 15. A sampling of upcoming offerings include: Northern Waters Distillery Tour with owner Peter Nomm, 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 12 or 19 (choose one), 3560 Hwy. 51 N, Arbor Vitae. Founded in 2013, the distillery produces handcrafted spirits including whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, and a variety of flavored products and liqueurs. Each batch, each barrel, and each bottle has uniquely independent characteristics that can only be appreciated a sip at a time. Learn about the process, smell the mash, see the raw spirits flowing from the still, and complete the experience by savoring the finished product. TED Talks, 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 11, 18, 25, Eagle River First Congregational Church of Christ, Fellowship Hall, 105 N. 1st St. Eagle River. TED Talks (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) continue to add to its collection of fascinating talks. A wide variety of topics are available from the cosmos to medical advances and from locating archeological sites from space to creating hope through music. Typically four 20-minute talks are selected per session and loosely connected by themes. Members view a presentation and then have a chance to offer thoughts of their own before moving on to another of the selected talks. Ced’s Nature Series, 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays, April 8, 15, 22, 29; May 6, 13, 20 Pine Lake Town Hall, 4197 River Rd. Rhinelander. Ced’s Nature Series continues its tradition of honoring Ced Vig (1912 - 2010), local naturalist, educator, writer, and founder of this series. Since one of Ced Vig’s monikers was A Writer for all Seasons, a reference to his long-running newspaper column Wisconsin Woodsmoke – Four Seasons of the Northwoods, it is only fitting that with the promise of spring, we again offer a series of presentations on all things natural in the Northwoods. Topics are varied, but focus on requests of attendees in previous years, often common animals and plants in Wisconsin. Some more general ecology topics may be included. The speakers are mostly professional natural resources practitioners and educators in our state, but some may even be from nearby states or universities. Tanning, A Forgotten History with John Bates, 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 19, Pine Lake Town Hall, 4197 River Rd. Rhinelander. Milwaukee led the world in tanning leather in the early 1900s, although tanneries were in operation throughout all of Wisconsin from the mid-1800s to the early 1920s. Most used hemlock bark for tanning the leather, thus hemlock trees were cut down by the tens of millions to supply the tanneries. The tanbark industry was an important part of early Wisconsin’s economy, and thousands of people were employed around the state in the art of bark tanning. Come learn more about this lost story from John Bates, author of Our Living Ancestors: The History and Ecology of Old Growth Forests in Wisconsin. Civil Discourse with Jane Banning, 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 17, Pine Lake Town Hall, 4197 River Rd., Rhinelander. This non-partisan, non-political class is about ways to connect, understand, and have civil conversations when it seems there are no paths through the thickets. Pick up some fundamental skills in how to converse with people with whom you disagree. Learn a bit about how our brains work (stories vs. facts and data), how to ask a great question, plus a couple of strategies for keeping cool. Is a Happy Mushroom a Fun Guy? With Anne Small, 9:30 a.m., Monday, May 11, Pine Lake Town Hall, 4197 River Rd. Rhinelander. Did you ever wish you knew more about those mysterious mushrooms of all shapes and sizes that pop up in our yards and forests? Anne Small, club coordinator of the Northstate Mycological Club, will give you information on fungi and mushroom biology and explain their place in the Northwoods. Decreasing Pain and Increasing Mobility and Strength as We Age with Kurt Klemm, 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 28, Pine Lake Town Hall, 4197 River Rd., Rhinelander. Learn of the growth of the physical therapy profession from bachelor to doctoral programs over the last three decades and how modern therapy can help us with our aches and pains. Kurt Klemm, physical therapist, will cover some basic anatomy and physiology along with many of the problems we all encounter as we age. There will also be a question and answer session. Other upcoming offerings include Emerson, Thoreau, and the Transcendentalist Movement, ArtStart Spring Exhibit, Fifty Years of the Nicolet Players, The Best of YouTube, Wisconsin English, Great Masters of Western Painting, Genealogy and DNA Primer, Strength, Endurance, and Agility Assessment for Seniors, and many others. More information about the LIR and the upcoming Winter/Spring session is available at nicoletcollege.edu/lir. For answers to questions, or to receive a printed schedule, contact the Nicolet College Learning in Retirement Office at (715) 365-4491 or 1-800-544-3039, ext. 4491: TTY 711 or 1-800-947-3529. Photo cutline: Nicolet College Learning in Retirement Coordinator Brenda Peltier, right, converses with other LIR members during a recent presentation on Native American culture. Currently the organization has about 300 members."
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