3 powerful lectures kick-off season
Emily Grotta
Once again LifeLong Learning at PebbleCreek has an exciting array of lectures, classes, trips and special events planned for the coming season—-lots to keep your mind active, educated and entertained from October to April.
The season begins at 7:00 p.m. Friday, October 16 with Haley Ercanbrack as our first Premier Lecture of the season. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, her story certainly will: she is the Scottsdale woman who survived the massive earthquake and avalanche on Mount Everest in April. The owner of beauty salons, Haley now devotes much of her time to raising funds to help the people of Nepal, which was devastated in the earthquake.
Just three days later, on Monday, October 19, an expert from the FBI will be the first Monday Morning lecturer when the talk will be about what it is like to work undercover in the Phoenix area. Last year when FBI agents spoke at a lecture, every seat was filled and many disappointed PebbleCreek residents were turned away.
The following Monday LifeLong Learning lecture will address the study of life itself when Alyssa Adams of the Beyond Center at ASU explores artificial intelligence and the properties that distinguish life from nonlife. The Beyond Center is a think tank for scientists from all disciplines to address the most provocative questions in science.
All Monday Morning Lectures begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Renaissance Theatre and admission is $3 at the door. Premier Lectures begin at 7:00 p.m. in the theater and the $15 tickets may be purchased in advance beginning October 1.
Full details on this year’s exciting program will be available the end of September at www.lifelonglearningatpc.org and in the SCHEDULE distributed in the clubhouse lobbies and the Activity Center. The best way to stay informed is through the LLL weekly email. To subscribe send your name to [email protected].
Trips highlight Phoenix area attractions
Interested in exploring the Phoenix area but don’t want to do it alone? LifeLong Learning at PebbleCreek makes it easy with trips to many of the best sights and sounds in the area.
Thirteen trips are planned for the 2015-2016 season, including several repeats to popular locations that were visited in past years. As trips fill quickly, you won’t want to delay in registering.
This year for the first time registration will be online beginning October 1: Registrations will also be taken by mail and at the Kiosk. Details on the trips will be available online at www.lifelonglearningatpc.org the last week of September. Subscribers to the LifeLong Learning enewsletter will be the first to know, so send an email with your name to [email protected] to subscribe.
November 4: Tour the Arizona State Capitol Building and Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza; tour the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen. Lunch at China Chile.
November 18: Tour the Waste Management Recycling Center in Surprise and the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Lunch at the stadium.
December 3: Tour the Palo Verde Nuclear Energy Education Center and ABRAZO (West Valley Hospital). Lunch at Tempo Bistro in Verrado.
December 16: An evening trip including a self-paid dinner and show at the Organ Stop Pizza, the Christmas Light Show and seasonal concert at the Mormon Temple in Mesa.
January 22: Annual trip to The Phoenix Symphony. Tito Muñoz conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Poulenc’s Gloria, performed by the Phoenix Choir. Lunch at Giuseppe’s, owned by former Phoenix Symphony’s first cellist, Richard Bock.
January 27: Visit the renowned Heard Museum for a tour of the major permanent exhibits and the current special exhibit. Special box lunch at the museum.
February 7: Carmen by Bizet, performed by the Arizona Opera Company at the Phoenix Symphony Hall. Typical Spanish dinner at Tapas Papa Frita with Cuban entertainment.
February 17: Behind the scenes look at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show and lunch at Brio Tuscan Grill.
March 2: We’ll travel to Yuma and tour the Yuma Territorial Prison and the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds. Lunch at Julianna’s Patio Cafe.
March 16: Visit the David Wright House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his son in 1952. Have lunch and cooking demo at North, Arcadia.
March 24: Join us for a tour of the newest Phoenix area museum, Western Spirit, Scottsdale’s Museum of the West and lunch at Cafe Forte.
April 7: Behind the scenes tour of the Amazon Distribution Center and Goodyear’s state-of-the-art 911 Dispatch and Emergency Call Center. Lunch at Saddle Mountain Brewery, Goodyear.
April 19: We return to Wickenburg for the Cowgirl Up exhibit at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum. Lunch at Rancho de los Caballeros.
Judy Cowan, Lisa Greenhoot, Judy Hanford, Barbara Macfarlane, Phyllis Minsuk, Priscilla Naworski, Betty O’Con, Rosalie Pyle and Hermine Sulzberg are the creative team that plan and escort all LifeLong Learning trips. Contact Lisa Greenhoot or Judy Cowan with any questions.