Springfield OLLI

with Hank Kaestner, World-Traveled Spice Buyer and Birdwatcher

Co-Sponsored by the Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society

Join Hank on a journey to remote Easter Island and discover the incredible Polynesian migration throughout the Pacific. Explore the mystery of the large stone-carved heads called moais. Then travel to central Chile, where you’ll experience lakes, mountains and even creemees that will make you feel right at home in Vermont!

with Rik Palieri, Singer; Songwriter; Folk Music Storyteller

Celebrate and reminisce as we journey with Rik through his over fifty years of storytelling and adventures as he sang and traveled his way around the world. Explore the rich tapestry of American folk traditions through the lives and legacies of icons whom he met and sang with like Pete Seeger, Utah Phillips, and Jimmy Driftwood. Discover the powerful role folk music has played in shaping cultural movements, uniting communities, and preserving history. This program invites you to experience the heart and soul of a musical era that continues to inspire. We’ll hear Rik sing and play a variety of instruments in a vibrant tribute to the Legend of Folk Music.

with Michelle Sherburne, Vermont Historian; Author; Publisher of Journal Opinion

Uncover the fascinating—and little-known—story of the St. Albans Raid, a daring Confederate secret mission that both succeeded and failed. Follow twenty-one Confederate soldiers as they infiltrated northern Vermont, just 25 minutes from the Canadian border, blending undercover with locals while gathering reconnaissance. Relive the October 19, 1864 attack as they rob three banks of $200,000, hold townspeople hostage, steal horses, and fire on citizens before making a quick escape. Witness Vermonters’ tenacity as they form two posses, chase the raiders across the Canadian border, and secure their arrest. Join Sherburne as she guides you through the drama, planning, and long-term effects of the raid. Explore the complex connections to the Lincoln Assassination, the Confederate Secret Service, and Jefferson Davis’s “Grand Scheme” to undermine the Lincoln Administration during the War of the Rebellion.

with Michael Clough, Executive Director, Vermont Museum of Natural History

Encounter the wild side of the Northeast in this unforgettable, hands-on exploration of local wildlife. Come face-to-face with live animals and uncover the incredible challenges they navigate to survive in our forests, fields, and wetlands. Touch furs, examine skulls, and investigate unique artifacts that reveal the hidden lives of these remarkable creatures. Guided by expert museum staff, this engaging program will spark your curiosity and deepen your connection to the natural world right outside your door.

with Bobby Farlice-Rubio, Science Educator; Astronomer

Discover how astronomers identified “gravity waves” caused by massive stellar collisions. Examine NASA’s 2021 launch of the most powerful space telescope ever built. Observe how technology now reveals phenomena once thought purely theoretical. View the first image of a Black Hole, captured by radio astronomers just six years ago. Trace the journey from these colossal objects to the tiniest particles smashed in particle accelerators. Test the limits of your imagination as we explore recent discoveries and strive for a new understanding of our increasingly strange universe.

with Mark Breen, Senior Meteorologist and Planetarium Director, Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium

Examine how almanacs predict winter weather months in advance—and how they offer much more. Explore their deep roots in astronomy, which once encompassed astrology, a non-scientific belief system based on celestial influence. Trace how almanacs became rich sources of not only weather and astronomical data, but also medical advice, horoscopes, satire, and entertainment. Join Mark Breen, Senior Meteorologist and Planetarium Director, as he shares his decades-long fascination and celebrates the charm and complexity of these enduring publications.