PELLA — Central RED Society offers an impressive schedule of programs for this fall that are open to the public. Details about each event are available at central.edu/red.
The fall classes begin on Tuesday, Aug. 26, with Ella Paulson presenting “Life in the Arctic Circle: Nature, Culture and Climate.” Paulson is a Green Iowa Americorps member with Mahaska County Conservation. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. and program at 6 p.m., in the Dave and Ardie Sutphen Common Room, Graham Annex. Cost: $25, includes meal.
Matthew Harvey, board of directors’ president for the Fort Des Moines Museum and Education Center, will give a program Tuesday, Sept. 9, on the history of Fort Des Moines. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. and program at 6 p.m., in the Annex. Cost: $25, includes meal.
Friday, Sept. 26, Allison Van Wyngarden will present “The Story of Grace Therapeutic Riding.” Van Wyngarden is the founder, executive director and an instructor at Grace Therapeutic Riding. Her program begins at 1:30 p.m. at Grace Therapeutic Riding, 804 195th Avenue, Pella, and includes a tour of the facility. No cost and no meal.
Russ Benedict, Central professor of biology, will give a two-part program about “The Vanished Landscape: The Prairies of the Midwest.” The program will be Thursday, Oct. 2, with a dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. and program at 6 p.m., in the Dave and Ardie Sutphen Common Room, Graham Annex. Cost: $25, includes meal. At 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, participants are invited to visit the Carlson-Kuyper Field Station, 1739 Jesup Drive, Knoxville. This is Central’s 62-acre nature preserve and outdoor laboratory. Located about 12 miles from campus, it is adjacent to extensive wildlife areas around Lake Red Rock, Iowa’s largest lake.
Thursday, Nov. 6, Central Red welcomes Jim Hoflen, cybersecurity advisor, with Cyber & Infrastructure Security Agency, a government agency that coordinates critical infrastructure security alerts. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. and program at 6 p.m., in Annex. Cost: $25, includes meal.
The final program of the semester will feature Greg Higgenbotham, canine handler and secretary of the board for Crisis Canines of the Midlands. Its mission is to facilitate a Crisis Response K9 Team, with a certified therapy dog handled by a first responder trained in critical incident stress management. His program will be Thursday, Dec. 4, with dinner at 5:30 p.m. and program at 6 p.m., in the Annex. Cost: $25, includes meal.
The Central RED (Ready to Engage and Discover) Society is a private 501c3 volunteer-supported organization open to all persons who seek opportunities for lifelong learning. Central RED Society fosters creativity, intellectual curiosity and engagement with the Pella community and the surrounding communities.
Members pay a $20 per person annual membership fee to be a part of Central RED. Memberships run from June 1 through May 31 each year. New members are welcome throughout the year; membership fee is not prorated. Five to eight classes or events will be held every fall and spring. When the class or event includes a meal, a fee is charged for the meal.
If you have any questions, please contact centralredsociety@gmail.com. If you would like to become a member of Central RED and attend some of the programs, please send your mailing address to: centralredsociety@gmail.com and you will be mailed a sign-up form to complete and return with a check to Central RED Society, P.O. Box 152, Pella, IA 50219.
