Happy OLLIdays Spelling Bee Brunch -- December 7, 2011

More than two dozen OLLI members were in attendance to participate in and cheer on spellers at our inaugural spelling bee brunch at Kickapoo Creek Winery.

After enjoying a brunch with mimosas and bloody marys, the spellers competed for over an hour, tackling words such as leviathan, orthographize, lugubrious, aborigine, and elucidate.

Mary Barthel spelled stalactite correctly to win the championship. Joanne Haupt was runner-up, and Pam Anderson was the third place winner (50 years to the day after winning her ninth grade spelling bee!)

OLLI thanks all of the participants and spectators for making this first-ever event a success. Happy holidays to everyone!

Festival of Lights -- November 22, 2011

Just days before the East Peoria Festival of Lights parade, OLLI had the chance to see the “Folepi Construction Company” and some of its “employees:” a merry band of volunteers who design and build the floats.

We met volunteers who work year-round designing, welding, and maintaining the floats (and their 500,000 lights) and learned how the floats evolve from concept to actuality. OLLI thanks Rick Swan of the Chamber of Commerce and Ralph Dalton, volunteer, for hosting our gang!

For more information about the Festival of Lights, visit www.cityofeastpeoria.com.

Historic Galena -- November 10, 2011

Bernie Drake, frequent OLLI instructor and Ulysses S. Grant expert, was our guide as we visited the historic town of Galena.

The day included a step-on tour of the town, a private tour of the Grant home, lunch and tour of the new Galena Brewing Company, free time to explore the town’s historic Main Street, and a visit to the Galena History Museum.

182nd Airlift Wing, Illinois Air National Guard -- November 16, 2011

OLLI traveled to the 182nd Airlift Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard in mid-November for a tour of the base. During our visit, Colonel William Robertson (’83), the Wing Commander, led our group as we learned about the Wing’s mission of maintenance, flying operations, and air support to the Army, Security Forces, and much more.

Thanks to COL Robertson for an intriguing look at our citizen soldiers and their worldwide missions.

For more information about the 182nd, please visit www.182aw.ang.af.mil.

Illinois State Museum -- November 17, 2011

Dr. Michael Wiant, Director of Dickson Mounds Museum and frequent OLLI instructor, was our host as we visited two Springfield sites dedicated to historical preservation: the Illinois State Museum and the Illinois State Research and Collections Center.

Dr. Wiant and Dr. Bonnie Styles, Director of the Illinois State Museum, provided a glimpse of the state’s collections, which ranges from hundreds of dragonflies to a dozen mastodons, with archaeology, geology, and decorative arts in between.

OLLI thanks Drs. Wiant and Styles for an amazing day of learning and adventure! For more information about the museum, please visit www.museum.state.il.us.