Visit an opulent 16th century Tudor mansion shipped from Lancashire England brick-by-brick in the 1920s; shop for an orchid at a nursery specializing in their care; get up close to a statue of Meriwether Lewis (of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and private secretary to President Thomas Jefferson); see Arthur Ashe’s tennis racquet and wrist band; and taste some of the best Texas barbecue around. Travel Specialist Barbara Paulson explores less-familiar sites in this Mid-Atlantic gem.

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurological condition said to impact more than 1M people in the U.S. Join Dr. Justin Martello for an overview of the disease and how the Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area helps people slow its progression.

Sadly, we recently lost the great stage and screen actress Angela Lansbury in 2022.  An amazingly versatile actress, her career stretched over 80 years. Julie Kurzava revisits her stage work and the writers and composers she inspired.  She earned 6 Tony Awards in the process, including Stephen Sondheim (Sweeney Todd and more), Noel Coward (Blithe Spirit), and Jerry Herman (Mame).

To the Romans and the Greeks, the Celts were exotic barbarians, but the artifacts they left behind tell a different story. The Celts produced sophisticated metalwork and traded with other peoples throughout the Mediterranean and even into central Asia. In this lecture, learn about a culture that dominated most of Europe before the Roman conquests through the beautiful and fascinating objects they left behind. (For related classes about the Celts and the Roman World, see #174 and 215.)

Sadly, we recently lost the great stage and screen actress Angela Lansbury in 2022.  An amazingly versatile actress, her career stretched over 80 years. Julie Kurzava revisits her stage work and the writers and composers she inspired.  She earned 6 Tony Awards in the process, including Stephen Sondheim (Sweeney Todd and more), Noel Coward (Blithe Spirit), and Jerry Herman (Mame).

To the Romans and the Greeks, the Celts were exotic barbarians, but the artifacts they left behind tell a different story. The Celts produced sophisticated metalwork and traded with other peoples throughout the Mediterranean and even into central Asia. In this lecture, learn about a culture that dominated most of Europe before the Roman conquests through the beautiful and fascinating objects they left behind. (For related classes about the Celts and the Roman World, see #174 and 215.)

Alfred Hitchcock is probably the most famous film director who ever lived. For five decades, first in England, then in Hollywood, he made fifty-four films, including classics such as The Thirty-Nine Steps, Rebecca, Notorious, Rear Window, North by Northwest, Vertigo, and Psycho. Few filmmakers have been as popular, critically celebrated, and as influential, not only as a director but also as a multi-media showman through his tv series, magazines, book anthologies, evenextending to board games and record albums. This presentation looks at his achievements as “the master of suspense,” and through dozens of film clips, examines his extraordinary creativity as one of the 20th century’s greatest filmmakers.

Montgomery County Sheriff Maxwell Uy will share an inside look at the vital work of the Sheriff’s Office — serving court documents, providing courthouse security, transporting prisoners, and supporting victims of domestic violence. He will also highlight community outreach efforts, resources for older adults, and ways residents can connect with the Sheriff’s team for assistance. This program is generously supported by the Frederick H. Bowis Community Fund.

Maryland’s new governor Westley Watende Omari Moore's short life has been eventful enough that he has two memoirs.  You can choose which memoir to read and we'll examine both to understand more about this man who has big plans for Maryland.   In The Other Wes Moore, he writes, "The other Wes Moore is a drug dealer, a robber, a murderer. I am a Rhodes scholar, a White House Fellow, and a former Army officer. Yet our situations could easily have been reversed."  Following his stint at the White House, Moore worked as an investment banker; started a television production company and a Baltimore-based radio talk show; and ran two non-profit organizations.   In The Work:  Searching for a Life That Matters, Moore shares the lessons he learned from people he met along his life's journey--from the brave Afghan translator who taught him to find his fight, to the resilient young students in Katrina-ravaged Mississippi who showed him the true meaning of grit, to his late grandfather, who taught him to find grace in service. Moore also tells the stories of other twenty-first-century change-makers who've inspired him in his search.  Please read either book so you can participate in our structured, facilitated, Zoom discussion. (Note: Please join the meeting at 3:00 pm if you would like some assistance using the features of Zoom. Otherwise, join us at 3:15 pm for the start of our discussion.)  Author:  Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore, 2010 OR Wes Moore, The Work:  Searching for a Life That Matters, 2014. (For other book discussions, see classes #162, 194, 234)

We are trying something new for the new year - reading short fiction.  Are you a Gabriel García Márquez aficionado?  We’re starting out our Oasis semester with short fiction from the 1992 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.  We will discuss three of his best works:  "No One Writes to the Colonel," “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, and “The Autumn of the Patriarch."  Reading joy awaits you! We will send you links to each of the stories; please read them so you can participate in our structured, facilitated, Zoom discussion. (Note: Please join the meeting at 3 pm if you would like some assistance using the features of Zoom.  Otherwise, join us at 3:15 pm for the start of our discussion.) (For other book discussions, see classes #)

Discover the top 10 traits that happy people share and learn why these qualities make such a big difference in how we feel every day. We’ll explore simple ways to build positive habits and follow through to boost personal well-being. Together, we’ll talk, share ideas, and create your own Personal Happiness Plan that’s easy to weave into everyday life. This program is generously supported by the Frederick H. Bowis Community Fund.

We’re kicking off a new book discussion series this semester! With our new Classic Favorites series, we will discuss past best-sellers. Book lovers might well have read these “way back when”; whether or not you have, with our mature life experiences discussing these “big impact” works now and thinking about those impacts then and now make these choices even more interesting for book discussions. Ken Kesey’s best-selling 1962 novel, set in a psychiatric hospital inpatient ward, spoke to contemporaneous approaches to mental health care including therapies like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and policies like institutionalization; medical authority and decision-making; and patients’ rights in terms of general civil rights. On some of these approaches the pendulum has swung in more than one direction since 1962. The novel was adapted into a 1963 Broadway play, and then a 1965 movie that won five Academy awards, six BAFTA awards, and six Golden Globe awards. Please read the book so you can participate in our structured, facilitated, Zoom discussion. (Note: Please join the meeting at 3 pm if you would like some assistance using the features of Zoom. Otherwise, join us at 3:15 pm for the start of our discussion.)

Did the bard know he would inspire some great Broadway musicals? From Kiss Me Kate and West Side Story to the recent "Something's Rotten" the plays found a way to be reinvented with song.

By way of an interview-style format, Philippino journalist Christian Esguerra will talk with foreign correspondent Lewis Simons about Simons' Pulitzer-prize winning story that led to the toppling of the Marcos regime, followed by a discussion of the recent return to power of the Marcos family.