Lancaster Region

Leading Men: Historic Lancaster, PA, is a six-session series. Dr. Robert Frick, historian and presenter, will share the lives and times of 22 Historic Downtown Lancastrians. Grouped into six categories - Initiators, Pennsylvania’s Only U.S. President, Ministers, Proponents, Merchants, and Artists and Inventors - the brief biographies will demonstrate the critical roles these figures played in making Lancaster great. Participants should prepare for lively presentations filled with interesting facts and peppered with humor. Dr. Frick’s goal is education with a smile.

Come learn how to make a pair of delightful “snow people” from socks. After forming the body, we will have the added fun of dressing them in hats and sweaters to make each snowperson unique. No crafting experience is necessary. This handcrafted item makes an excellent gift for the person who has everything.

In 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) polled over 1,500 artists and film industry leaders to gather their votes for the top 100 American films of all time. These “arbiters of excellence” chose from a list of 400 nominated films. The criteria included critical recognition, major awards won, popularity over time, historical significance, and cultural impact. Controversy ensued as often happens with any list of excellence. The AFI produced a revised list in 2007, and films were dropped, others added, some moved up, and others dropped down. This 2007 list will serve as the basis for the course. In Part 1 we will count down from #100 to #51. For each film, we will examine the historical and cultural context, the impact of each film on the art of feature narrative films, and discuss why this film found its way onto this exalted list. Clips will be shown for each film. Part 2 will be offered in Spring 2022.

In 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) polled over 1500 artists and film industry leaders to gather their votes for the top 100 American films of all time. These “arbiters of excellence” chose from a list of 400 nominated films. The criteria included critical recognition, major awards won, popularity over time, historical significance, and cultural impact. Controversy ensued as often happens with any list of excellence. The AFI produced a revised list in 2007, and films were dropped, others added, some moved up, and others dropped down. This 2007 list will serve as the basis for the course. In Part 1 we will count down from #100 to #51. For each film, we will examine the historical and cultural context, the impact of each film on the art of feature narrative films and discuss why this film found its way onto this exalted list. Clips will be shown for each film. Part 2 will be offered in Spring 2022.

Do you receive lots of scam calls? How about robocalls? Are you afraid of having your identity stolen? Do you receive solicitations in the mail for charity contributions or information about lotteries or sweepstakes? Attend this session and learn about the latest scams and how to protect yourself. Become informed while entertained!

Sacred calligraphy… oriental carpets… the glittering domes of the Taj Mahal… the lively details of Persian court painting – all show the beauty and diversity of Islamic art and architecture. Our own eyes are accustomed to Western artistic traditions: portraits, landscapes, historical drama, religious allegory. The anonymous craftsmen of the Islamic world offer a different perspective on the form and function of art. Come with an open mind, and you’ll gain a new appreciation for the achievements of this brilliant, thousand-year tradition.

Between the War for Independence and the Civil War, the young United States forged a distinct cultural profile. In that same period, the human body came increasingly under scrutiny: science, social practice, political contests, and theatrical representations all grappled with the body’s forms, meaning, and expressivity. This research investigates the intricate braiding of political, scientific, and danced representations of the body, focusing particularly on blackface minstrelsy and on ballet in antebellum Philadelphia, a city both representative of national trends and also distinct in its cultural, historic, and geographic position.

Humanity's challenge in the 21st century is global - to eradicate poverty and achieve prosperity for all within the means of the planet’s limited natural resources. Economist Kate Raworth presents a visual framework – shaped like a doughnut. This model brings planetary boundaries (such as healthy climate, biodiversity, limited land, and freshwater) together with social boundaries (such as necessary levels of food and water availability, adequate jobs and income, health, and education) to create a safe and just space in which humanity can thrive and the planet survive. To move into this space demands far greater fairness – within and between countries – in the use of natural resources, and far greater efficiency to transform those limited resources to meet human needs than at present.

A troubling gap has opened in the social and political fabric of the United States, and people of faith and spirituality now find themselves on one side or the other—often alienated from family, friends, and brothers and sisters in the community and the church. In this course, we'll try to understand what caused the great divide and think together about how we can communicate in love despite our differences. We'll focus our conversation around Arlie Russell Hochschild's 2016 book, Strangers In Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right.

Sherwood Lingenfelter, a Ph.D. author and retired professor, will interview a different interesting individual each week. You will learn about lives and work of: 1) Peter Teague, President Emeritus, Lancaster Bible College (October 29) 2) John Maietta, Retired Army Officer, Pathways Institute Faculty Member (November 5) 3) Jack Crowley, President, Water Street Mission (November 12) 4) Connie Bender, CEO, Show Ease Inc., Ephrata, PA (November 19)