Midcoast Senior College is celebrating 25 years of bringing seniors in Midcoast Maine opportunities for educational courses, lectures, and excursions. The following free lecture series in January and February 2025 includes a range of topics and speakers.

We open with a musical themed event at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Brunswick from 1-2:15 p.m. After that, each presentation will be held at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick on Wednesdays from 1-2:15 p.m. Further details may be found at the website: midcoastseniorcollege.org. The series is sponsored by The Highlands, a Grace Management Community.

Below are the dates, topics, and speakers. Come in from the cold and enjoy Midcoast Senior College’s impressive array of lecture topics! 

Jan. 8: Sean Fleming and Red Hot Peppers Band. Exploration of Development of Early Jazz This concert and lecture explores the musical genres of ragtime, blues, gospel, and marches, and their influence on early jazz providing insight into the development of this unique expression of American music. At UUCB  

Jan. 15: Apollo 11 Space Artifacts from Deep Beneath the Bermuda Triangle with Vince Capone. This presentation delves into the search and recovery of the Saturn V F-1 rocket motors from three miles beneath the infamous Bermuda Triangle. Without the technical marvel of this vehicle, a moon landing might still be a distant dream. At CML Morrell Meeting Room, Brunswick. 

Jan. 22: Building Wyoming: The World’s Longest Wooden Vessel with Christopher Timm. Launched from Bath’s Percy & Small Shipyard in 1909, this coal schooner was the longest wooden vessel ever built. This talk explores the technical innovations that made this behemoth possible and the bold and bombastic characters behind her construction. At CML Morrell Meeting Room, Brunswick. 

Jan. 29: Marine Mammal Health in the Gulf of Maine with Lynda Daughty. Marine Mammals of Maine is a non-profit dedicated to supporting a thriving marine mammal population in the Gulf of Maine and beyond through response, triage, research, and community education. This illustrated presentation dives deeper into its work, the species they respond to, and marine mammal health. At CML Morrell Meeting Room, Brunswick.  

Feb. 5: Ralph Brewster, Brunswick, and the Klan with Gary Lawless. This presentation looks at the 1920s in Maine with Ralph Brewster running for Governor with the express help of the Ku Klux Klan, and explores Klan activities in the Brunswick area at that time. At CML Morrell Meeting Room, Brunswick.  

Feb. 12: The Zany Majestic Bard with David Greenham. This work was commissioned and created in 2016 through a partnership between the Maine State Library and the Maine Humanities Council in honor of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death based on the premise that Shakespeare was written for everyone and can be clear, fun, and inspirational. At CML Morrell Meeting Room, Brunswick.  

Feb. 19: Longfellow Days - Two Grandmothers Loved Two Different Maine Poets. And Why, with James McKenna At CML Morrell Meeting Room, Brunswick.  

February 26: Snow Make-up Day