Special Events   

Can you believe there is an alpaca farm right in the middle of a subdivision right here in Spartanburg? Come for a visit and get up close and personal with these unique animals. Karen and Juergen will take you on a tour of the farm and offer fun facts and history of alpacas. You will have a chance to hand-feed some alpacas, put your hands in their "oh so soft" fleece, and learn about what happens with the fleece after shearing. Please wear comfortable, closed-toed shoes to walk in the fields.

 

Following authorization by Congress of September 16, 1919, Spartanburg Post No. 28 with County Court Judge Bobo Burnett as Commander and the late John D. Hamer, Adjutant, was organized October 1, 1919 and received its charter June 29, 1921. There were 184 charter members, a majority having served as either non-com or commissioned officers. Membership rose to about 1200 immediately following the end of WWII. With the completion of the Legion Home in Duncan Park in 1937, meetings have been held there since. The Museum section of the Post opened in 2007 and holds donated memorabilia from The War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish/American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Visit with General Ed Hall and friends and hear stories about various wars and the soldiers who have served our country well. Your registration fee will be donated to the Museum. 

Bring a friend, spouse, or neighbor who has not joined Lifelong Learning yet to meet new and old friends to celebrate the start of another fantastic year of learning. We will gather in the beautiful Milliken Science Center Great Hall on Wofford's campus. Many of our Lifelong Learning instructors will be in attendance so you can learn firsthand what is being taught by whom! Enjoy delicious heavy appetizers and cold beverages. Keith Troutman and his guitar will provide music. It's Back to School time, we can't wait! 

 

We all love books and being together! So please join fellow Lifelong Learners for this morning's social gathering to enjoy hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and biscuits while learning more about Pages on Pine, a bookstore operated by the Friends of the Spartanburg County Public Library which sells gently used books.

With Halloween right around the corner from this social event, we thought it would be fun to watch a scary ghoulish movie that wasn't too scary or too ghoulish. Tim Burton's Beetlejuice is the choice. Rotten Tomatoes gives this movie an 86% and summarizes the flick: "After Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die in a car accident, they find themselves stuck haunting their country residence, unable to leave the house. When the unbearable Deetzes (Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones) and teen daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder) buy the home, the Maitlands attempt to scare them away without success. Their efforts attract Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), a rambunctious spirit whose "help" quickly becomes dangerous for the Maitlands and innocent Lydia." Join Ray Merlock as he discusses the film before and after the movie with insights and tidbits to make your movie watching even more enjoyable. We will be serving pizza and water/beer/wine after and for dessert? You guessed it! Halloween candy! We will be trying out a new venue on campus (oh, you are gonna love this theater!) while the college students are on Fall Break. Join us! 

Using French words or the word 'French' to describe something lends a certain cachet of specialness in English even when the items aren't French at all. We'll take a short quiz in class to see if you know whether certain 'French' items really are French, then we'll look into the life of Julia Child, the woman who introduced French cooking to America.

 

This event will focus on growing up in the small textile mill village of Lockhart, SC in the 1940s and 1950s. While similar to growing up in a mill village in Spartanburg, there were distinct differences. The search for black relatives is an interesting story that finally solves long-held family secrets. The man who became the first black person to work in the process areas of the mill, who later became the Mayor of an all-white community, will share some of his stories about the integration of the plant.

 

Three American women are famous as 'lady killers,' women who murdered (or may have murdered!) husbands, parents, and children. Why did these notorious women commit their crimes, and how did the public reaction to their bloody deeds reflect the issues and anxieties of their times? Join historian, Sherlockian, and true crime junkie Dr. Tracy Revels as she tells the stories of Bathsheba Spooner, Lizzie Borden, and Belle Gunness, placing them in historical context.

 

Tired of the political rhetoric of the 2024 campaign? Frustrated with a relative who does not see the issues the same way as you? Are family gatherings more contentious than in the past? Do you want to escape the frustrations you feel? If so, you need a laugh. Laughter can improve your emotional and mental health. Larry Candler, who is a jokester at heart, will share funny stories as well as jokes that he will apply to his own family members.

 

Baseball Is Back In the Burg! Tyson Jeffers, General Manager of the Hub City Spartanburgers, will speak about professional baseball coming back to Spartanburg. His lecture will include details on building Fifth Third Park, starting the newest Minor League Baseball team from scratch and what to expect from the organization and the facility in 2025 & beyond!

Wofford and the Northside: Bill Barnet, businessman, philanthropist, and past Spartanburg Mayor will share with us the lessons learned from the growing relationship between the Wofford campus and its neighbors across Church Street in the Northside Community as it has developed over the last 10 years. 

Mistakes People Make in Medicare and How to Avoid Them:  Scott Cochran, President of Spartanburg Methodist College and Wofford graduate, will share information about one of the three biggest expenses facing retirees, Healthcare. (FYI, housing and transportation are the other two.) This lecture will look at five common Medicare mistakes that people make and how to avoid them.

LITTER: Environmental and Personal Liabilities and Actions to Offset Them: Joyce Harrison will discuss the litter problem impacting South Carolina from the mountains to our coasts. Our South Carolina Aquarium, located on the banks of the Charleston Harbor, has been tracking litter data since 2016. In 2019 they realized that much of the litter on our coasts was emanating from inland sources via our statewide watersheds. This presentation will identify litter problems, impacts, and solutions. We’ll explore actions we can all take to improve outcomes for our health and the health of our planet.

Spartanburg City (Back In The Day before Urban Renewal): Dr. Brenda Lee Pryce has been a champion of the Southside since she was born there in a boarding house on South Liberty Street. She has worked and sought ways to make life better "South of Main" (the title of her book) from serving at the state level as the first elected black woman from Spartanburg to spearheading campaigns for funds for education, memorials, parades and historic sites. She will address life for families and the community during 1960-1970 before Urban renewal.

Everything You Need to Know About America You Can Learn From a Comic Book. Dr. Dwain C Pruitt, Chief Equity Officer and Vice President for Community Initiatives, Office for Civil Rights, Compliance, and Community Initiatives.  Comic books and comic book characters are silly and don't have any value, right? This talk suggests that is not the case. As one scholar argues, comic books and their heroes offer a "funhouse mirror" reflection of American life and values as communicated to children. Therefore, the history of the superhero from Superman to the present has much to tell us about how Americans have understood themselves and the world.

"The heyday of a woman's life is the shady side of fifty"--or Is it? Twentieth Century Women and the Experience of Aging. Based on an extensive study of women's personal writings about growing older, Dr. Melissa Walker will explore suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton's contention that the years after 50 are the best in a woman's life. Dr. Walker will focus on three Southern women from the generations before the Baby Boom.

How the Spartanburg City Police Department integrates technology to address crime trends and quality of life issues. Captain Timothy Metz, Commander of the Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), will share how the Spartanburg Police Department integrates cutting-edge technology to detect and deter crime. Explore the ways the Spartanburg Police Department has partnered with community stakeholders, housing managers, and private businesses to expand the capabilities of the Real Time Crime Center.

The U.S. has the most expensive healthcare system in the world, with outcomes far worse than those of most developed countries. One major factor is the high cost of pharmaceuticals (which often sell in the U.S. at 2-3 times the price as outside the U.S.). Many multi-billion dollar lawsuits have allowed the public to see how these firms market and sell tens of billions of dollars of overpriced, useless, and even harmful drugs every year. We will use the book sharing the title of this class as a basis for discussing these issues. It is recommended that you purchase the book but it is not necessary to do so. We’ll discuss the high and low points of the book. This event is three hours long.

 

The event will consist of a tasting of locally-made whiskey and a distillery tour at Sugar Tit Moonshine Distillery. The tasting will include your choice of 6, 1/2 oz.—tastings of our 12 products. We will talk about the history of the town of Reidville and the process of making whiskey. We will discuss a bit of history from the Civil War and the beginning of higher education in the upstate of SC. The price of the tasting and transportation to and from the distillery are included in the registration fee. 

The Sanctuary at Red Bell Run is a 501c3 non-profit organization providing a forever home to over 130 special needs equines; those with medical or behavioral issues that make them unadoptable. This trip will consist of a hayride tour of the Sanctuary, with multiple spots to get off and interact with the various equines and learn more about their rescue stories and what it takes to care for them from the Sanctuary staff. Golf carts are available in lieu of the hay trailer for guests with accessibility concerns or hay allergies. Tour lasts about an hour and a half. A portion of the fee for this event will be donated to the Sanctuary.  Each participant will be required to sign a liability waiver upon arrival to the event.  After the tour at Red Bell Run, jump in your cars for a 4-mile scenic drive to Looking Glass Creamery and cool down with some homemade ice cream or a gooey, grilled cheese sandwich. The Creamery is located on a small dairy farm that was established in 1947. They operate a small cheese-centric restaurant serving up grilled cheese sandwiches, custom charcuterie boards and ice cream! They also have a lovely store showcasing all the cheese, preserves, and hard cider they make on the farm along with a selection of great specialty foods. 

 

BLUE MOON BODEGA: There is no better way to visit cool spots throughout town than a happy hour with new and old friends. Join us for one of our favorite hang-out spots, Blue Moon Bodega. Enjoy fresh chilled wine and sample their charcuterie on their lovely side porch. You'll have time to linger in their specialty grocery store that includes prepared frozen dishes, extensive wine and beer offerings, and lots of local arts and nibbles to share with friends and family. It is always happy hour with Lifelong Learning and our Blue Moon Bodega friends. Note: Registration will cover one glass of wine and some nibbles. If you'd like to try other wines or beverages be sure to bring a few more dollars.