Veteran member

D-Day 75th Anniversary with Tom Banfield

Garlands member Tom Banfield’s presentation will include material from his presentation for the 70th anniversary of D-Day, augmented by information from a recent book, D-Day Through German Eyes, by Holger Eckhertz. This book published writings by a German reporter who had interviewed German soldiers and officers stationed in Normandy before and after the landings and offers a perspective of D-Day heretofore missing from the records of the largest seaborne invasion in history. Continue Reading D-Day 75th Anniversary with Tom Banfield

Trivia Game Night for the Silver Generation!

The Garlands and BACOA are teaming up to host a game night. Clues and answers will be pulled from the 50 years between 1940 and 1990. Categories: Music, Movies, TV & Radio, News Reels, Jingles & Advertising, and Miscellaneous. A Master of Ceremonies will keep the event moving along. Gift baskets will be raffled off, and the winners will take home
prizes. Refreshments like soft drinks, coffee, popcorn, and chocolate-dipped pretzels will be served. Continue Reading Trivia Game Night for the Silver Generation!

Buffalo Grove Singers ENCORE! Present “Back to the Theater”

“Back to the Theater,” a tribute to 21st Century Broadway honors both new musicals and revivals of successful musicals from the past decade. Songs include selections from recent Broadway shows including Jersey Boys, Motown, Ragtime, and Beautiful, along with numbers from Guys and Dolls, Hair, and Kiss Me Kate. This fine arts adult choir performs all over Chicagoland and has come in first in a national choir competition. It’s a must-see show! Continue Reading Buffalo Grove Singers ENCORE! Present “Back to the Theater”

An Intimate Afternoon with Emily Dickinson

Although she permitted fewer than a dozen of her 1,800 poems to be published during her lifetime, today Emily Dickinson is considered one of America’s greatest poets and has remained continuously in print since 1890. For this performance, the year is 1880. You are Emily’s special guest at her home in Amherst, Massachusetts. Let’s hear what this brilliant, reclusive woman has to say. Adapted and performed by Betsey Means, Artistic Director of Womanlore. Betsey recently brought us Juliette Gordon Low (Girl Scouts), Mother Jones, and A Holocaust Memoir. Continue Reading An Intimate Afternoon with Emily Dickinson

Crockpot/Instant Pot Cooking Demo with Ann Wayne

Come join the fun as we kick off summer cooking with fresh produce from our garden or farmer’s market! We will be making heart-healthy zucchini “Zoodles” in delicious marinara sauce and sweet corn salad. Learn the latest craze of “spiralizing” your favorite vegetables and how to use the Instant Pot, the electric pressure cooker. Bring your appetite because we will be enjoying all our tasty creations! Continue Reading Crockpot/Instant Pot Cooking Demo with Ann Wayne

Yellowstone geyser

Harper College: Environmental Issues, What We are Learning from Yellowstone National Park

Americans can take pride in the initiation of the national park concept. Since it’s legal beginnings with the introduction of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, Americans have had to deal with issues that have become a national concern and triggered an ongoing political conversation with regards to wildlife management. Conservation and recreation have often come into conflict. We will discuss the history and current state of key issues the Parks are working through and learn about in our nation’s first national park. Continue Reading Harper College: Environmental Issues, What We are Learning from Yellowstone National Park

Operation Freedom – The Berlin Airlift

It was perhaps one of the greatest adventures in American military history: the Berlin airlift of 1948/49! When Soviet troops closed all access routes to West- Berlin by land, sea and rail, they threatened the lives of 2.5 million people and provoked the first major international crisis of the Cold War. American General Lucius D. Clay did not hesitate and proceeded to build a bold and fantastic bridge across the sky, involving 700 planes and 250,000 flights over a period of 14 months. Join German Historian Anette Isaacs for a fascinating discussion of this exciting time in her country’s postwar history. Continue Reading Operation Freedom – The Berlin Airlift

DNA

Harper College: Bioethics Topics, Conflicts and Controversies

This lecture takes us into the world of medical controversies. Even with early screening and testing, occasionally a rare medical issue will challenge parents and modern medicine. Hospital policies, doctors’ medical opinions, and parental love can be set in a conflict in such cases. Who decides the final course of action? We will discuss controversial cases of conjoined
twins and other rare conditions that challenge the best skilled medical professionals and our notion of a quality of life. Continue Reading Harper College: Bioethics Topics, Conflicts and Controversies

skyscraper

Chicago Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Author (The Hidden Places of World War II) and certified Chicago tour guide, Jerome M. O’Connor, returns to The Garlands to bring us the first of his new three-part series on Chicago. Accompanied by dynamic visuals, Jerome starts in Chicago’s oldest neighborhoods (Fulton Market); moves through time to today and her newest (the dazzling new Riverwalk); and then looks ahead to tomorrow’s megadevelopments (Lake Shore Drive). You’re with the best possible tour guide on this trip! Continue Reading Chicago Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

A Beginners Guide to the Golden Age of Radio

This presentation looks at some of the biggest shows and stars to emerge from the early years of radio, including Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Amos & Andy, and The Shadow, with sound clips and stories about how radio became America’s first mass medium, transforming the United States of America from 48 states into a national listening community. Presenter Steve Darnall is the host of Those Were the Days*, a weekly radio show on WDCB-FM (90.9) and wdcb.org, dedicated to the “Golden Age” of radio. Continue Reading A Beginners Guide to the Golden Age of Radio

The Real Story of Mae West with Martina Mathisen

Mae West shattered box office records and public sensibilities. She rocketed from Broadway to become the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. Her oneliners scandalized the censors yet made her an icon. She rescued studios from bankruptcy and created stars like Cary Grant. Think you know Mae West? Martina (Wives of Henry VIII, True Chicago Stories) brings us the woman behind the wit and the story behind the story. Continue Reading The Real Story of Mae West with Martina Mathisen

Guitar players

Knight Music Academy Annual Spring Student Recital

Performances begin every hour on the hour. Students ages five through adult will perform a variety of solo and ensemble selections from various genres. Instruments featured include violin, viola, cello, classical guitar, voice, drums, and piano. Come any time, however, if you hear a performance underway, please wait until the student has finished before opening the Performing Arts Center doors. Continue Reading Knight Music Academy Annual Spring Student Recital

Train station

Harper College: History of the Seven Suburbs

This talk covers the fascinating history of the seven sister suburbs of the Barrington area. It is a social history with rich anecdotes, ranging from heartfelt to humorous, with a few scandalous stories along the way. Author Dr. Sharon Kissane has conducted extensive research on the area, including over 400 interviews of Barrington-area residents and the reading of hundreds of articles and all available books relevant to the subject matter.
Continue Reading Harper College: History of the Seven Suburbs

Peter Oprisko

Dinner and a Show Worthy of an Oscar! Silver Screen Gold featuring Peter Oprisko and his Pop/Jazz Ensemble

Peter Oprisko’s smooth baritone voice perfectly fits his amazing repertoire of Academy-award winning songs from the magical era for his latest show, Silver Screen Gold. Pay tribute to the good ol’ days of Hollywood with classic tunes like “Moon River,” “Over the Rainbow,” and “The Way You Look Tonight.” Don’t miss this wonderful singer (whom famed jazz pianist Ramsey
Lewis calls “the Rolls Royce of singers today”), accompanied by keyboard, bass, drums, and tenor saxophone. As befits the occasion, Peter and his band will be in black tie; so please feel
free to dress to the nines!
Continue Reading Dinner and a Show Worthy of an Oscar! Silver Screen Gold featuring Peter Oprisko and his Pop/Jazz Ensemble

Atom

Harper College: Artificial Intelligence: Changing Our World

IBM’s computer “Watson” made headlines when it defeated two human champions at a game of Jeopardy! Now Watson is applying its powers to help doctors treat cancer. From Siri and Alexa to self-driving vehicles, artificial intelligence is enriching our lives, but at the same time may be rendering certain jobs obsolete. Peggy Eastwood explores this rapidly growing field and its
implications. Continue Reading Harper College: Artificial Intelligence: Changing Our World