Kickoff Party

Location: The Knolls of Oxford, Auditorium
Date/time: Monday, September 18 (date in printed catalog is incorrect)
Cost: $16 Member | $19 Non-Member

Reunite with your ILR friends and make some new ones too as we kick off another year of engaging, enriching, and enlightening our community! A catered lunch will be followed by our featured speaker, Vaskar Raychoudhury, Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Miami University, who will present his timely lecture, Artificial Intelligence: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Bus Trip | Highlights of the Kentucky Highlands

Location: Ft. Thomas, Barleycorn’s, Vent Haven Museum
Date: Tuesday, September 26
Cost: $72 Member | $90 Non-Member

General George Henry Thomas ranks among the top Union Generals of the Civil War along with Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan. In 1887, General Sheridan was tasked to survey a beautiful hilltop site overlooking the Ohio River with the thought of making it a U. S. Army Post. Standing atop a bluff, he selected 111 acres and declared this “Highlands” area to be the “West Point of the West.” Not only did General Sheridan approve of the location, but he also named it after his Civil War companion, General George H. Thomas, the “Rock of Chicamauga.”

After touring the Ft. Thomas History Museum, we’ll head outdoors for a walking tour past the fort’s remaining structures—tower, canons, armory, mess hall, and more—now enclosed in a park, as well as stroll the grounds to view the impressive homes that once housed its officers. All of these homes have been extensively renovated on the inside while a covenant with the city keeps the exteriors in their original condition.

We’ll lunch at Barleycorn’s, located in a historic building from the 1800s whose walls could tell its storied and infamous past as a toll house, prohibition speakeasy, gambling den, and mafia meeting site.

Ventriloquism is a cornerstone of entertainment history, and only one place in the world, Vent Haven Museum, is dedicated to this centuries-old performance art. Its founder, W. S. Berger, spent more than 40 years amassing a personal collection of everything related to ventriloquism: dummies, puppets, photos, scripts, memorabilia, playbills, posters, recordings, and on and on! In 1973, his massive collection was officially opened to the public and has since more than doubled in size as its name and reputation have spread worldwide.​

Housing more than 1,100 dummies used by ventriloquists from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, Vent Haven’s uniqueness draws tourists from around the world. Every figure has a past, and this unique museum gives each of the dummies a voice that tells the story of its place in history.

NOTE: This event includes stairs as well as periods of walking and standing. The Ft. Thomas Military Museum has steep, narrow stairs between the first and second floors. The outdoor walking tour will cover approximately 1 mile at a leisurely pace. Barleycorn’s has one flight of stairs to the second floor where we’ll be seated.

Schedule

• 8:00 a.m. - Assemble at SE corner of Ditmer parking lot for first pickup
• 8:15 a.m. - Depart Oxford
• 8:45 a.m. - Assemble at VOALC in West Chester for second pickup
• 9:00 a.m. - Depart VOALC
• 9:30 a.m. - Ft. Thomas
• 1:00 p.m. - Lunch at Barleycorn’s
• 2:30 p.m. - Vent Haven
• 4:45 p.m. - Return to VOALC
• 5:45 p.m. - Return to Oxford

Lunch (choose one)

• Chicken Salad and Fruit Plate
• Veggie Wrap w/fruit
• Fried Grouper Sandwich w/mac and cheese
• Chicken Club Sandwich w/fries
• All-American Burger w/fries

An Introduction to Carbon Hybrid Materials

Carbon Hybrid Materials (CHM) are a combination of carbon nanotube (CNT) fabric and conventional fabric. CNT fabric has properties different from any other fabric. CNT fabric is pliable, soft, lightweight, chemical resistant, and has good electrical and thermal conductivity. CNT fabric is composited or combined with other fabric to produce CHM with properties and cost that can be customized for a specific application. This lecture will discuss manufacturing CNT and CHM fabrics and their properties. The goal of the presentation is to give non-experts the background to understand CHM so they can invent some new uses or commercialize CHM.

Instructor: Mark Schulz is Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at UC and Co-Director with Dr. Vesselin Shanov of the Nanoworld Laboratories.

1 Wednesday: October 4; 10:45 a.m.–noon
Format: Virtual
Location: Online

AARP Smart DriverTEK Workshop

Technology is changing the driving experience. AARP’s Smart DriverTEK Workshop will keep you in the know about the latest high-tech safety features in your current or future car. Learn with your peers about Blind Spot Warnings, Forward Collision Warnings, Smart Headlights, and more.

Instructor: Robert Bass became a volunteer with AARP in 2019 and quickly became involved in their Smart DriverTEK Workshop program (SDTEK). Robert is also serving on the committee responsible for the 2023 SDTEK curriculum refresh, where he enjoys applying his background in software and educational consulting.

1 Thursday: October 19; 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Format: In person
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 100

Senior Health Care Trends Through 2030

Over the next several years there will be major developments in senior healthcare, some good…some not so good. We will cover all the major changes and show you how to take advantage of the beneficial trends and how to mitigate the effects of those developments that will add to the burden of senior health care.

Instructor: For the last 40 years, Roy Franchi’s primary interests have been the aging process, new approaches to retirement, and whole person wellness.

1 Friday: October 6; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 100

Not Just a Pretty Face: Growing and Blending Seasonings

It has been said that some people look upon a field and see only weeds while others see a feast. Learn to create an endless supply of culinary seasoning blends from the flowers, trees, and "weeds" in your own backyard.

Instructor: Michael Clements enjoys the off-grid life, which includes preparing gourmet meals using ingredients that he grows in his garden and forages in the woods.

1 Friday: November 3; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: In person
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 127

FNSFA: Rumpke Recycling Center Tour

Location: 5535 Vine St., Cincinnati
Date/time: Friday, October 6; 9:30 a.m.–noon
Cost: Free | Members Only

During our walking tour we will learn about the technology used at Rumpke’s state-of-the-art facility and see recyclables sorted and separated. The tour also includes an overview of Rumpke’s recycling operations, an explanation of acceptable and unacceptable materials, and an opportunity for questions.

Note: This is an industrial environment. Closed-toed shoes are required. Long pants and long sleeves are recommended. Parking limitations encourage carpooling.

FNSFA: Miami University Equestrian Center Tour

Location: 4950 Oxford Trenton Rd., Oxford (US Rt. 73)
Date/time: Friday, October 13; 10 a.m.–noon
Cost: Free | Members Only

Established in 1958, the stables on Rt. 73 serve as the gateway to Miami University’s Oxford campus. The equestrian center stables 50 horses and is home to a nationally recognized equestrian team. The tour of the equestrian center by trained staff will give us insight into the daily workings of the facility.

FNSFA: AWCI–History of Time Museum Tour

Location: 701 Enterprise Dr., Harrison
Date/time: Friday, October 20; 10 a.m.–noon
Cost: Free | Members Only

The American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute (AWCI) is the premier organization dedicated to the timekeeping, or horology, industry. Join us as we visit the Orville R. Hagans History of Time Museum. This facility chronicles time while showing the evolution of timekeeping for humans, from the Chinese rope clock, to the sundial, to an Apple watch.

FNSFA: Spring Grove Cemetery “Big Top Circus” Tram Tour

Location: 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Cincinnati
Date/time: Friday, October 27; 2–3:30 p.m.
Cost: $5 | Members Only

Ladies and gentlemen, step right up to learn about the history of Spring Grove and turn-of-the-century circuses. Enjoy a tram ride through Spring Grove as you hear about lion tamers, trapeze artists, clowns, elephants, and much, much more. Sit back, relax, and smell the sawdust as we discuss early circuses and the people who made them.

FNSFA: Johnson Family Farm—Beekeeping 101

Location: Oxford Lane Library, Havighurst Meeting Room
Date/time: Friday, November 3; 10 a.m.–noon
Cost: Free | Open to Members and Non-Members

You may have seen Johnson Family Farm offering a variety of fresh produce at the Oxford Farmers Market; but did you know they also offer an award-winning selection of honey? Join us as Larry Johnson, in conjunction with the Butler County Beekeepers Association (BCBA), enlightens us as to what’s involved in the beekeeping venture.