Fridays   

Beginning Swing Dance, II
DAN-06 (in-person)
Session II: Mar. 20, 27, Apr. 3, 10
Fridays 12:15 - 1:30 pm
*This course meets at the Pioneer Park Dance Hall! 2300 Airport Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709.
*Part II builds on concepts learned in Part I, the instructor recommends you take both if you can.
Swing comes in many different forms. In this class we will focus on Single Count and East Coast Swing. Our focus is on having fun regardless of abilities. If you miss class, don't worry - you will do fine. If you already know some swing please come - great to have some experience in group (and we include variations to challenge the better student). No partner necessary as we change partners frequently. Please bring clean, non-marking shoes!
Instructors Stan Justice and Barb Lorz took dance lessons for many years from many different instructors. Thus their teaching style uses what they found that works. For the last few years they have enjoyed teaching dance at OLLI.
 

FF-07 (in-person)
Session II Add-On: Apr. 17
Friday 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Learn how to make this delicious, healthy and flavorful fermented tea. You've seen it in stores, and on tap in restaurants, and at farmers markets. You’ve probably paid good money to try different brands and flavors from the store. You're hooked! Now learn how to brew your own at home. Kombucha is easy and fun to make and the endless flavor combinations will yield a continuous, delicious supply of your own homemade kombucha. Materials fee $25; pay instructor at first meeting. Enrollment limited to 10.
Instructor Danielle St. Laurent brewed her first batch of kombucha shortly after retiring from the Alaska Air National Guard five years ago. After an epic fail with her first batch (MOLDY SCOBY!), she figured out the problem and has been brewing and flavoring the very best kombucha ever since!
 

Session II: Mar. 20, 27, Apr. 3, 10
Fridays 2:00 - 3:15 pm 
*If you have taken this course before, please allow someone new to attend!
Dry wool felting is an easy, fun, and versatile art form that anyone can do. Participants will learn techniques to make a two-dimensional picture and three-dimensional object out of wool. Materials fee $10; pay instructor at first meeting. Enrollment limited to 12.
Instructor Laurel Devaney enjoys volunteering with bird research projects in the summer and traveling to warm places and exploring various art forms in the winter months.
 

HIS-04 (in-person)
Session II: Mar. 20, 27, Apr. 3, 10
Fridays 10:30 - 11:45 am
*This course is free to attend and does not require OLLI membership.
*Participants can buy their own Great Decisions 2025 Briefing Book from the Foreign Policy Association website for $35. https://fpa.org
Global and Domestic challenges affect all our lives. Get info you need to figure out what's happening and discuss it with others. This program was developed by the Foreign Policy Association. Read the briefing book at home, watch expert video analysis in class, then participate in group discussion.
Topics for 2026 Session II:
Ukraine and the Future of European Security
Multilateral Institutions in a Changing World Order
U.S. Engagement of Africa
The Future of Human Rights and International Law 
Facilitator: Shirley Liss (see REC-03)

EX-05b (in-person)
Session II: Mar. 19, 26, Apr. 2, 9, 16
Thursdays 12:30 - 1:30 pm (5 weeks)
Taoist Tai Chi offers a pleasant form of exercise which incorporates stretching and relaxation. It is a mind/body activity which, when practiced diligently, is capable of improving balance, strength, range of motion, and overall well-being.
Instructors Kate Hedstrom and Rob Cermak teach Tai Chi with the local chapter of the Taoist Tai Chi Society. They both have well over a decade of experience of learning and instructing the form, and have found many benefits from the practice.

Session II: Mar. 20, 27, Apr. 3, 10, 17
Fridays 12:15 - 1:30 pm (5 weeks)
A deeper dive from the initial offering of "Tragic or Comic, It’s All Economics", this partner course builds off the vocabulary introduced in the prior class and focuses on the economic philosophies, policies and current applications to our nation during these turbulent times.
Instructor Patrick Romans (see SOC-02) 
 

FLM-04 (in-person)

Session II: Mar. 20, 27, Apr. 3, 10, 17
Fridays 2:00 - 4:30 (5 weeks)
Humor for these topsy-turvy times? Have we been here before? From Pope Leo XIV, Sci-fi, parodies, from Attu and the Interior; we’ll see and discuss what takes us away (or back) to today.
Session II Films:
The Meaning of Life (DVD 15967, British, 1983, 107 minutes, Monty Python)
Wag the Dog (DVD 10247, 98 minutes, 1997)
Big Year (NW, 100 minutes, 2011)
Raising Arizona (DVD 4603, 1987, 94 minutes, Coen brothers)

HL-04 (in-person)
Session II: Mar. 20, 27, Apr. 3, 10
Fridays 3:45 - 5:00 pm
*Part II builds on concepts learned in Part I, the instructor recommends you take both if you can.
Learn techniques to take control of your subconscious mind to enhance skills and let go of outdated beliefs and patterns. Learn about hypnosis, the subconscious mind, effective self hypnosis techniques, and how to craft effective auto suggestions for yourself. Experience group hypnosis and take from this course powerful tools that you can use to change your life in positive ways.
Instructor James Conner, PHD, CCHT, is certified with the non-profit American Council of Hypnotist Examiners as a clinical hypnotherapist and master hypnotist. He also maintains a private practice in Fairbanks.

EX-07 (in-person)

Session II: Mar. 20, 27, Apr. 3, 10
Fridays 3:45 - 5:00 pm
*Meets at the Fairbanks Senior Center; 1424 Moore St, Fairbanks, AK 99701.
*This course is free to attend and OLLI membership is not required.
*Two sections of the same course; you may take either one or both.
*Students must bring their own yoga mat! 
Vinyasa yoga for all levels, from beginner on up. Must be able to get up and down from the floor. Practice will include warm-up, pranayama (breathwork), yoga philosophy, vinyasa flow (movement with breath), some core strengthening work, and stretching with final rest. We will “workshop” a pose or two each time, focusing on points of precision. Modifications for poses will be offered. Enrollment is limited to 15.
Instructor Melanie Engram has been a yoga student for 20+ years in Fairbanks, recently earning her 200-hour teacher certification from Fairbanks Yoga, registered as RYT-200 with Yoga Alliance, Spring 2025. Melanie enjoys teaching the practice to achieve a peaceful mind and strong body through Vinyasa yoga.

Session II: Mar. 20, 27, Apr. 3, 10
Fridays 2:00 - 3:15 pm
Weather drives wildfire behavior in Alaska and across the world. Learn about Alaska's classic weather patterns during the wildfire season and how every season has its own personality. Historic Alaskan wildfires will be investigated, with emphasis also given to impactful fires burning outside Alaska such as the August 2023 wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii and the January 2025 wildfire in Los Angeles, California.
Instructor Eric Stevens worked as a meteorologist in Alaska for over 30 years, with time at the National Weather Service, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Alaska Fire Service.
 

Session II: Mar. 20, 27, Apr. 3, 10
Fridays 10:30 - 11:45 am
*Meets at the Noel Wien Public Library, 1215 Cowles Street, Fairbanks, AK 99701.
Join this in-person course at the newly renovated Noel Wien Public Library for a library tour, and information about how to use our catalog, online resources, and variety of digital materials from books to streaming video.
FNSB Noel Wien Public Library Reference and Adult Services Staff will lead this four week course.
 

SOC-09 (in-person)
Session II Add-On: April 16, 17
Thursday and Friday 10:30 - 11:45 am (2 consecutive meetings)

*OLLI membership is not required.

Title: Guide to Retirement

Presenter: Jordan Hendry, Financial Advisor, MBA, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ®

Date: Thursday, April 16

Course Description:

 

SOC-09-Z (distance-delivered)
Session II Add-On: April 16, 17
Thursday and Friday 10:30 - 11:45 am (2 consecutive meetings)

*OLLI membership is not required.

Title: Guide to Retirement

Presenter: Jordan Hendry, Financial Advisor, MBA, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ®

Date: Thursday, April 16

Course Description:

Session I: Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar. 6
Fridays 12:15 - 1:30 pm
*This course meets at the Pioneer Park Dance Hall! 2300 Airport Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709.
*This is Part I of a two-part course. The instructors recommend you take both for the full experience.
Swing comes in many different forms. In this class we will focus on Single Count and East Coast Swing. Our focus is on having fun regardless of abilities. If you miss class, don't worry - you will do fine. If you already know some swing please come - great to have some experience in group (and we include variations to challenge the better student). No partner necessary as we change partners frequently. Please bring clean, non-marking shoes!
Instructors Stan Justice and Barb Lorz took dance lessons for many years from many different instructors. Thus their teaching style uses what they found that works. For the last few years they have enjoyed teaching dance at OLLI.

Session I: Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar. 6
Fridays 2:00 - 4:30 pm
You will learn how to plan, draft, and paint a 2x2 foot barn quilt, creating a unique piece of art to display. A materials fee of $10 (collected at the first class) will cover the cost of primer and paint. Before the first class session you will receive instructions on how to choose, purchase and prepare your board for painting. Enrollment limited to 10.
Instructor Sandy Lachman took the Barn Quilt class last semester and has since helped others to create their own pieces. Robin Benjamin and Betsy Sturm are experienced quilters whose assistance will be invaluable throughout the class.
 

SCI-05 (in-person)
Session I: Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar. 6
Fridays 10:30 - 11:30 am
This course introduces the essential epidemiology you need to make sense of health research and news. We’ll explore how studies measure disease and risk, how to tell correlation from causation, and how different study designs shape the strength of evidence. You’ll learn practical tools for interpreting headlines, evaluating health claims, and understanding what research can-and can’t- tell us. No background in science is required. 
Instructor Andrea Bersamin is a professor with UAF’s Department of Biology and Wildlife and a very well-regarded mentor!
 

Session I: Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar. 6
Fridays 12:00 - 3:00 pm
Four dissimilar Alaskan themed films will be watched in this course. The first is “North to Alaska” with John Wayne 1960. The next is “Ice Palace”, a fictionalized version of Alaska covering statehood and partly filmed in Fairbanks, 1960. The third, also filmed around Fairbanks and featuring some local talent is “Spirit of the Wind”, the story of dog musher George Attla, 1979. Lastly is “Frozen Ground” 2013. This movie is the true but very dark story of an Anchorage serial killer and an Alaska State Trooper’s investigation which led to his arrest. Because of his friendship with the investigating trooper, the instructor has some insight into that investigation and the subsequent making of the movie!
Instructor Stephen Heckman is a retired Alaska State Trooper and history teacher.
 

HIS-03 (in-person)
Session I: Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar. 6
Fridays 10:30 - 11:45 am
Great Decisions 2026, II
*This course is free to attend and does not require OLLI membership.
*Participants can buy their own Great Decisions 2025 Briefing Book from the Foreign Policy Association website for $35. https://fpa.org
Global and Domestic challenges affect all our lives. Get info you need to figure out what's happening and discuss it with others. This program was developed by the Foreign Policy Association. Read the briefing book at home, watch expert video analysis in class, then participate in group discussion.
Topics for 2026 Session I:
America and the World: Trump 2.0 Foreign Policy
Trump Tariffs and the Future of the World Economy
U.S.-China Relations
Ruptured Alliances and the Risk of Nuclear Proliferation
Facilitator: Shirley Liss (see REC-03)

EX-05a (in-person)
Session I: Feb. 12, 19, 26, Mar. 5, 12
Thursdays 12:30 - 1:30 pm (5 weeks)
**This course is free to attend and OLLI membership is not required.
Taoist Tai Chi offers a pleasant form of exercise which incorporates stretching and relaxation. It is a mind/body activity which, when practiced diligently, is capable of improving balance, strength, range of motion, and overall well-being.
Instructors Kate Hedstrom and Rob Cermak teach Tai Chi with the local chapter of the Taoist Tai Chi Society. They both have well over a decade of experience of learning and instructing the form, and have found many benefits from the practice.

EX-07 (in-person)

Session I: Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar. 6
Fridays 3:45 - 5:00 pm
*Meets at the Fairbanks Senior Center; 1424 Moore St, Fairbanks, AK 99701.
*This course is free to attend and OLLI membership is not required.

*Students must bring their own yoga mat!
*Two sections of the same course; you may take either one or both.
Vinyasa yoga for all levels, from beginner on up. Must be able to get up and down from the floor. Practice will include warm-up, pranayama (breathwork), yoga philosophy, vinyasa flow (movement with breath), some core strengthening work, and stretching with final rest. We will “workshop” a pose or two each time, focusing on points of precision. Modifications for poses will be offered. Enrollment is limited to 15.
Instructor Melanie Engram has been a yoga student for 20+ years in Fairbanks, recently earning her 200-hour teacher certification from Fairbanks Yoga, registered as RYT-200 with Yoga Alliance, Spring 2025. Melanie enjoys teaching the practice to achieve a peaceful mind and strong body through Vinyasa yoga.

 

HL-03 (in-person)
Session I: Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar. 6
Fridays 3:45 - 5:00 pm
*Part II builds on concepts learned in Part I, the instructor recommends you take both if you can.
Learn techniques to take control of your subconscious mind to enhance skills and let go of outdated beliefs and patterns. Learn about hypnosis, the subconscious mind, effective self hypnosis techniques, and how to craft effective auto suggestions for yourself. Experience group hypnosis and take from this course powerful tools that you can use to change your life in positive ways.
Instructor James Conner, PHD, CCHT, is certified with the non-profit American Council of Hypnotist Examiners as a clinical hypnotherapist and master hypnotist. He also maintains a private practice in Fairbanks.
 

Tragic or Comic, It's All Economics
SOC-02 (in-person)
Session I: Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar. 6, 12*
Thursdays 12:15 - 1:30 pm (5 weeks)
*Mar. 12 is an optional Thursday meeting to wrap the course up.
This apolitical survey opportunity will look at the four main questions and the four main answers that shape economics, relative scarcity, supply and demand and current influences on local and global issues.
Instructor Patrick Romans has taught high school and college economics for over three decades. As a lover of behavioral economics and a true believer that incentives matter, Patrick loves to examine how economics factors into the everyday decisions and routines of people, places or global predicaments.