Calendar
June
Tuesday, June 21, 1 pm - Climate Change and the Legacy We Leave
- Presenter: Rick Baird Coordinator, Office of Environmental Sustainability for Mankato. He works to create a central hub for environmental sustainability initiatives, which include community education, resource conservation and regulation enforcement.
Wednesday, June 22, 1pm - BookEnds
Thursday, June 23, 2-4pm - Impact of Original Native American Food Loss
From the intentional slaughter of the buffalo to force the Dakota peoples onto reservation, to the impact of commodity food from boarding schools, to the pollution of wild rice beds in Minnesota today, tribes throughout the United States are fighting daily battles to protect their original foods. We will take a look at these historic food losses and how the result is both cultural (as food is tied to stories/ceremony) and physical illness.
- Presenter: Amy Magnus, Professor of Literature and Film, SCC
Saturday, June 25, 2pm - State of the World
Tom Hanson is a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer who currently serves as the Alworth Institute Diplomat in Residence at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. He formerly worked with the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and as a Director for NATO and European Affairs at the Atlantic Council of the United States.
- Tom frequently speaks at international events including the annual "State of the World" event at the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota.
- Tom will focus on the State of the World and U.S. Foreign Relations.
- Question & Answer to follow presentation.
- Presenter: Tom Hanson, Retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer who currently serves as the Alworth Institute Diplomat in Residence at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
Tuesday, June 28, 2 - 4 pm - Current Drug Trends
- Presenter: Lieutenant Jeff Wersal, MN River Valley Drug Task Force
Wednesday, July 13, 2pm - Great Decisions
Thursday, July 14, 2-4 pm - Astronomy: Extragalactic Discoveries
Paul will expand our minds with vivid imagery and engrossing current research that he has garnered from his special interest in extragalactic astronomy. His absorbing presentation on galaxies, other than our own Milky Way, will help us appreciate and further understand the formation, history, and evolution of this fascinating field of astronomy.
- Presenter: Dr. Paul Estridge, Ph.D, Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Minnesota State University has been Professor of Astronomy in Mankato for 20 years. His rich background and experience in astronomy, in addition to research, teaching, and lecturing, includes 3 years as an Astrophysicist for the Harvard-Smithsonian Center.
Friday, July 15, 10-11:30am - Coffee & Current Events
Thusday, July 21, 2-3:30 pm - Brain Injury Basics
Participants will learn about brain injury basics, its relevance to the older population, where to get support, resources, and living with a head injury.
- Presenter: Ntianu Carter, MSW, Education and Community Outreach Coordinator with the Minnesota Brain Injury and Minnesota Stroke Association
Thusday, July 21, 2pm - Coffee/Tea Group Gathering
Tuesday, July 26, 1-3 pm - Stories from Antarctica
Antarctica is sometimes called "the last great wilderness." Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are home to iconic megafauna like whales, penguins and seals; this cold and majestic ecosystem also plays a vital role in regulating climate and driving ocean currents that affect weather patterns around the world. Julia Battern, a science teacher at Mankato East High School, recently traveled to Antarctica on a trip led by the 2041 foundation. Join us to hear Julia's story, and engage in conversation to better understand how Antarctica is a part of your story as well.
- Presenter: Julia Battern is a life science teacher at Mankato East High School and has been teaching for 11 years. In March of 2022 she was sponsored by Onward Energy to travel to Antarctica with the 2041 Foundation to learn about the continent and how we can preserve it in the future. Julia is a Marshall MN native, attended Gustavus Adolphus College ('10), and lives in Mankato with her husband Ky and three-year-old daughter Ella. Her goal for the summer is to spend as much time as possible exploring Minnesota lakes and rivers with her family and friends!
Wednesday, July 27, 1pm - BookEnds
Thursday, August 4, 2-4pm - Perspectives of a Black Man
Manu, who received an Award by the United States Attorney’s office for Excellence in the Pursuit of Justice by reducing gun violence in Minneapolis, will address issues from the perspective of a black man who had engaged in felony behavior at a point in his lifetime: He will address: Root causes of felony behavior and what rehab means for a former felon; A Black man’s insight into what constitutes equality; What caused the George Floyd situation; Raising Black children in a White society.
- Presenter: Manu Lewis, ManUcan Consulting LLC. Coming from a life of felonious behavior, he is now a charismatic speaker who recently served as a facilitator and case manager for the African American Men’s Project (AAMP) at NorthPoint Health & Wellness as well as case manager for participants in the Group Violence Intervention program funded by the Department of Health to prevent gun violence in Minneapolis. Now working for the University of Minnesota, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with a focus is on the African American Community
Wednesday, August 10, 2pm - Great Decisions
Thursday, August 11, 2-4 pm - Fish Guy
Working 10 years for the DNR from the most northern to the most southern parts of the state, Tyler will chronical a tale of what has been learned as it pertains to fish and fisheries. Included are his projects past, present, and the most recent things learned about fish. There will likely to be some fish stories along the way.
- Presenter: Tyler Fellows, Fisheries Specialist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Thursday, August 18, 2pm - Coffee/Tea Group Gathering
Friday, August 19, 10-11:30am - Coffee & Current Events
Wednesday, August 24, 1pm - BookEnds
Tuesday, August 30, 2-4pm - The Real History of Pirates
What Is a Pirate?; Pirate Facts and Fiction
- Great Courses Lecturer Manushag N. Powell of Purdue University exposes you to new ways of thinking about pirates and their role in world history
Tuesday, September 6, 2-4pm - The Real History of Pirates
Buried Treasure and Pirate Economics; Pirates and Enslavement
- Great Courses Lecturer Manushag N. Powell of Purdue University exposes you to new ways of thinking about pirates and their role in world history
Thursday, September 8, 2-4pm - History and Science Book Club
Tuesday, September 13, 2-4:30pm - The Real History of Pirates
The Sea Dogs of Elizabeth I; The Corsairs of the Maghreb; The Buccaneers of America
- Great Courses Lecturer Manushag N. Powell of Purdue University exposes you to new ways of thinking about pirates and their role in world
Wednesday, September 14, 2pm - Great Decisions
Thurday, September 15, 2pm - Coffee/Tea Group Gathering
Friday, September 16, 1-2:30pm - Minnesota’s Wild and Woolly Prohibition Days
Mankato history teacher and historical reenactor Arn Kind will be doing a costumed presentation for us on Minnesota’s Wild and Woolly Prohibition Days. When Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment, supporters believed it would create a better, stronger nation. Instead, it began an era of lawlessness. Meet the drys, wets, gangsters, flappers, lawmen and suffragists of America’s most colorful, complex constitutional hiccup in this lively presentation on Minnesota’s Prohibition era.
- Presenter: Arn Kind, an educator for 45 years. Arn's unique performances are popular in a multitude of venues: from library and classroom seminars at elementary, middle, and high schools to immersive lectures at the university level, as well as summer camps, historical reenactments, and festivals. His goal: get people excited about their past by making history come alive. This is one presentation you will not want to miss! This event is free to members of Mankato Area Lifelong Learners.
Friday, September 16, 10-11:30am - Coffee & Current Events
Tuesday, September 20, 2-4 p.m - The Real History of Pirates
Life on a Pirate Ship; She-Pirates; A Woman as Pirate Commander
- Great Courses Lecturer Manushag N. Powell of Purdue University exposes you to new ways of thinking about pirates and their role in world
Tuesday, September 27, 2-4pm - The Real History of Pirates
Pirate Music and Performances; Pirates in Pop Culture and Beyond
- Great Courses Lecturer Manushag N. Powell of Purdue University exposes you to new ways of thinking about pirates and their role in world
Wednesday, September 28, 1pm - BookEnds
Tuesday, October 4, 1-4pm - The Real History of Pirates
Film: Captain Phillips (2 hr., 14 minutes)
Wednesday, October 12, 2pm - Great Decisions
Friday, October 21, 10-11:30am - Coffee & Current Events
Wednesday, October 26, 1pm - BookEnds
Wednesday, October 26, 2pm - Great Decisions
Wednesday, November 9, 2pm - Great Decisions
Friday, November 18, 10-11:30am - Coffee & Current Events
Wednesday, November 23, 1pm - BookEnds
Friday, December 16, 10-11:30am - Coffee & Current Events
Wednesday, December 28, 1pm - BookEnds
