Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences -- February 24, 2011

The Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences features exhibition galleries, a planetarium, the Illinois Folk Art Gallery, a Discovery Center, and educational programming for all ages.

The heart of the museum is its permanent collection, and its legacy is how that collection inspires visitors. In this private tour with Kristan H. McKinsey, VP of Collections and Exhibitions, we found out what goes into building a museum collection and specifically what comprises the Lakeview Museum art and science collections. Kristan discussed how the Museum purchases art and explained how the Museum cares for and uses its collections. Participants also had an opportunity to see renderings of the new Peoria Riverfront Museum, which is scheduled to open in 2012.

For more information about Lakeview, please visit its website.

Conversational Spanish Lunch -- February 17, 2011

In Spain, dinner is usually served between 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. (and sometimes as late as midnight), leaving significant time between work and dinner. As such, Spaniards often eat tapas – or appetizers – in the hours between finishing work and having dinner. We experienced this Spanish dining tradition when we met at Noir Tapas in Peoria Heights for OLLI’s first-ever conversational lunch, which also served as a preview for Dottie Strickler’s Study Group Journey in Spanish: Conversational Spanish and Travel.

For more information about Noir Tapas, please visit the restaurant's website.

Energy Knowledge Cafe -- February 16, 2011

Dr. Bob Podlasek and OLLI Past President Kenny Carrigan coordinated and organized an informative and engaging Energy Knowledge Cafe on Wednesday, February 16, 2011.

Dr. John Engdahl, Bradley University Fites Chair of Engineering and Technology, presented a program titled "The Future of Nuclear Power." Twenty OLLI members, 65 Bradley University undergraduate students, and several faculty members attended the presentation.

The Energy Knowledge Cafe meets monthly to discuss emerging issues related to energy use, production, and conservation.

The next intergenerational gathering of the Energy Knowledge Cafe will be on May 18 and feature Dr. David Zietlow, who will lead a discussion on the comparison of high-hybrid and electric vehicles.

For additional information about the Energy Knowledge Cafe, please contact Suzy Thompson of the Bradley University College of Engineering and Technology at 309-677-3541.

To read more about this presentation, please read Lydia's Blog.

Peoria Public Library -- February 16, 2011

The Peoria Public Library is in the midst of a $28 million construction overhaul with renovations at the Main Library, an addition to the Lincoln Branch, and the development of a new North Branch near Allen Road.

On this trip, we visited the construction site at the Main Library, located in downtown Peoria at the corner of Main and Monroe streets, and saw how the library is operating at a limited capacity while a new elevator tower is built and four of the five floors are renovated.

We saw the beginnings of a new lounge area, created from the old entrance area, where patrons can relax with a drink or snack, as well as new gallery space for exhibits and a local history and genealogy room. We also learned how the auditorium is being refurbished to offer the large space so many Peorians depend on for meetings and programs.

For more information about the library, please visit its website.

ICC Culinary Arts Institute -- February 15, 2011

One year after a total renovation of the kitchen at Illinois Central College North, the school’s Culinary Arts Institute is back open for business – in fact, enrollment in the program has tripled since 2009.

During our tour, we met with Chef Charles Robertson and learned how the former kitchen and cafeteria of Zeller Mental Health Center, circa 1949, has been transformed into two industrial-sized kitchens and a bake shoppe that daily serves 150 students in three classes.

We also toured classrooms, saw equipment, and talked with instructors about how the school’s culinary arts certificate is preparing students for careers in the foodservice industry by providing the skills necessary for entry-level positions.

For more information about the ICC Culinary Arts Institute, please visit the school's website.

Quest Charter Academy -- February 10, 2011

The seeds of Peoria’s first charter school were planted in 2006 by research conducted by members of Bradley’s Institute for Learning in Retirement (OLLI’s original name).

During this tour, we found out how that research, which included exploration of best practices, evaluation of models, and development of a set of recommendations, evolved into the Quest Charter Academy. We toured the building, visited classrooms (all of which are named after universities in order to promote the goal of college graduation), and talked with Engin Blackstone, principal, about how the school’s math, science, and technology-based curriculum is providing new educational opportunities for Peoria’s fifth, sixth, and seventh grade students.

For more information about Quest, please visit the school's website.

Peoria City Hall -- February 4, 2011

Peoria City Hall, constructed 112 years ago on the site of an outdoor produce market at the corner of Madison and Fulton, has been celebrated recently with a 52-page booklet about its priceless art and architecture.

The author of that booklet, local historian Dr. Peter J. Couri, was our guide as we took a private tour and learned about all the planning, politics, and Peorians involved in constructing the Flemish Renaissance-style building.

During our visit, we saw the Italian marble wainscoting, copper cupola bell tower, ornamented stepped gables, and the open atrium rotunda with a stained glass skylight, as well as the historic murals, lithographs, ironwork, sculptures, and paintings by renowned artists Triebel, Peaco, and Roberts.

For more information about Peoria City Hall, please visit the city's website.

Toraason Glass -- January 20, 2011

A learning trip to Toraason Glass is always in demand. During this visit, Hiram led a tour of his gallery and demonstrated the techniques of working with 2,000-degree molten glass to create a one-of-a-kind work of art.

After our tour, Hiram led our group to Methodist Medical Center, where he spoke about his wall sculpture of 240 pieces of hand-blown glass in the new Hamilton Boulevard entrance.

For more information about Toraason Glass, visit the studio's website.

Winter Classes Gathering -- January 11 - 14, 2011

It was our largest Winter ever -- 186 members gathered for classes on the campus at Bradley University from January 11 through 14.

Our classes are gatherings of OLLI members who enjoy learning with peers and who prefer a non-credit, no-stress, no-test environment. This season's topics varied across a broad range including the practical and the theoretical as well as the playful and the serious. Each of the four consecutive days began at 8:30 a.m. and concluded at 3:30 p.m. with classes changing every hour. Between classes, participants enjoyed camaraderie and conversation in the Michel Student Center atrium.

For more information about OLLI, please visit our website or call 309.677.2523.

Ice Age Hike -- January 10, 2011

Nearly 20,000 years ago, the landscape of Central Illinois was under sheets of ice. Large lakes were being formed where moraines dammed the water from melting glaciers, and storms were depositing thick layers of dust over the area.

During a two-hour private hike at Forest Park Nature Center with Ed Stermer, geology expert and earth science instructor at Illinois Central College, OLLI members learned how Central Illinois was sculpted by these Ice Age glaciers. Stermer, who has led two previous OLLI geology hikes in the warmer months, guided our group through the geologic evidence of the glaciers (including changes in rocks and fauna), explained how plate tectonics and changes in the earth’s orbit affected the glaciations of the Peoria area, and discussed the reasons for past and possible future ice ages.

OLLI thanks Ed for providing yet another fascinating adventure for our group.

For more information about Forest Park Nature Center, please visit www.peoriaparks.com

Renaissance Coliseum -- January 6, 2011

Our first learning trip of 2011 was a private tour of the new Renaissance Coliseum at Bradley University.

Dr. Michael Cross, BU Athletic Director, and student-athletes from the BU women's basketball team personally guided us through the $50 million, 165,000 square-foot facility. Highlights of our visit included the Burkland Family Heritage Hall (home to the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame), athletic training rooms, player suites and coaches offices, practice court balcony, Braves Club Room, conference and hospitality rooms, and administrative offices for the Athletics Department.

OLLI thanks Dr. Cross and the women's basketball team for providing such an informative tour of the new facility.

For more information about the Renaissance Coliseum, please visit www.bradleybraves.com.