News from CALL February 2020

Photo by Paul Fesko, member of the CALL Digital Photography Interest Group

FEBRUARY EVENTS

Square Dancing

You have a date for a dance!
Thursday, February 13
7:30 - 9:00pm
Haysboro Community Hall
1204-89 Avenue SW

Barrie McCombs will lead us in a square dance session complete with calling and instruction. No experience or partner needed, just put your dancing boots on and enjoy this evening of fun with Barrie and some of his square dancing friends. Please click a link above or go to to the main page of the CALL website and click anywhere on that red square Dance icon to register.

Please register by February 11. CALL members only.

New: Hong Kong Mah Jong

Fridays beginning February 7, 3:15 - 6:00 @ cSpace, Room 310. Watch for registration online, starting February 3.

Styles of Mah Jong differ in rules for game scoring. Hong Kong Mah Jong is easy to learn and is popular with Cantonese speakers and those who have lived in Hong Kong. It's a game for all ages and often played on cruise ships.

Music@Noon

Our partners at Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW, invite CALL members to join them for these Music@Noon concerts at the church:

• Friday, February 28 12:00 - 3:00: Trinity Winds Trio (flute, clarinet, bassoon)
• Friday March 27, 12:00 - 3:00: Perfect Cadence Wind Quintet
• Friday, April 24, 12:00 - 3:00: Claire Butler - Pianist

Concerts are free. Donations are accepted.

You are invited to join them for a hot lunch following the concert. Lunch is $7.00; you can reserve your spot at the table by one of the following methods:
Email music.at.noon@vapc.ca with your name and number in your party or
Call the office at 403-288-054

LUNCH AND LEARN

Theatre Calgary - Saturday, March 14
Watch for registration and information - to be posted in March.

CONFERENCE: FAKE NEWS AND THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY.
Saturday, May 9.

CALL BUS TRIP ROSEBUD THEATRE

June 13
Rosebud Dinner Theatre Presents Chariots of Fire Two young men vie for the title of "fastest man alive." This is the story of how they prevailed in the face of overwhelming odds. A thrilling and emotionally captivating story of two men chasing dreams of glory while remaining true to their beliefs.

Watch for information on the website.

Tickets will go on sale February 3 at 8:00 am for CALL members only. Non-members will be able to purchase on February 17 at 8:00 am. Waitlist will be available. Non-refundable tickets, transferable to other members. Ticket Price is $110.00 per person which includes Bus, Lunch Buffet and Play.

Timeline: pick-up 8:30am, return 6:00pm - at a location to be determined.

The following Speaker Series are free for CALL members. For some there is a $5 charge at the door for non-members. See the website for details. Guests are welcome. No registration is required.

CALL Café

Plastic Scourge
Monday, February 10
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
4612 Varsity Drive NW

Presenters: Guest panel: Recycling Council of Alberta, the Calgary Co-op Grocery Board, and a young local activist.

Learn more about the impact of single-use plastic and how we can be part of the solution.

All Members and Guests welcome. No fee or registration.

Science and Environment

Woodland Caribou Research and Management in Canada
Tuesday, February 4
7:30 - 9:00 pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
4612 Varsity Drive NW

Speaker: Bob Stewart, MSc., P.Biol, CWB, has been working as a biologist and forest management specialist in western Canada and Nicaragua for more than 45 years. His work has focused mainly on how to involve all stakeholders in natural resource management decision-making. Bob will be speaking about threatened mountain woodland caribou, the deficiencies he sees in the current plan to manage that species, and the importance of engaging the public in creating more effective wildlife management solutions.

Building Calgary Communities

The Czech Community of Calgary
Friday, February 7
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Room 310, cSpace
1721 - 29 Avenue SW

Speaker: Lubos K. Pesta immigrated to Canada with his parents after the Russian occupation of the former Czechoslovakia in 1968. His talk and media presentation will focus on his personal immigration story which mirrors that of many other immigrants.

Treks and Travels

Treks and Travels South

Tanzanian Safari
Tuesday, February 11
7:30 - 9:00 pm
Haysboro Community Hall
1204 - 89th Avenue SW

Presenters: Vicki Barnett and Bob Blakey will speak about their Tanzanian safari.

Treks and Travels North

A Photo Workshop in Patagonia
Wednesday, February 19
7:30 - 9:00 pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
4612 Varsity Drive NW

Presenter: Michael Perkins attended a Photo workshop in the Chilean and Argentinian portions of Patagonia. They worked from pre-dawn to late night in challenging conditions to capture the spectacular landscapes in many light conditions.

Arts and Humanities

Busting the Myths of the Romance Novel
Friday, February 14
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Room 310, cSpace
1721 - 29th Avenue SW

Speaker: Diana Cranstoun, vice-president of the Alberta Romance Writers' Association.

The Romance Novel is a billion dollar industry. One half of all mass market paperbacks sold in the US are romance novels. Diana will give a bit of history, outline the requirements of the genre and address the many misconceptions of this much maligned genre.

TED Talks

Deep Space Astronomy
Friday, February 21
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Room 310, cSpace
1721 - 29th Avenue SW

The universe is a much stranger place than earth bound senses could possibly show. We will look at startling new discoveries made by astronomers and astrophysicists probing the cosmos with amazing tools.

Note: Limit: 25. Registration is limited due to space limitations at cSpace. You should register early, but if your plans change please be kind enough to let us know ASAP. It is unfair to those on the wait list if there are no-shows.

Health and Wellness

Centre for Sleep and Human Performance
Tuesday, February 25
1:00 - 2:30 pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
4612 Varsity Drive NW

Speaker: Dr. Murray Flotre will speak about management of common sleep issues such as insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome.

New Interest Groups

To see details and to register, click on the links.

Winter Weekly Walks in the City of Calgary

This group meets every Tuesday morning to enjoy invigorating winter walks while engaging in conversation with fellow CALL members, discovering new pathways, and observing the flora and fauna within our city.

Medieval History - 1066 and Some of That

This interest group will consider the context and impact of the Norman invasion. The three sessions will address the situation in England, before and after 1066, as well as the defining Battle of Hastings. The group format could be described as 'a lecture with frills' - the facilitator is supplemented by readings, film, music, things to look at, and things to laugh at. Please note, this is not an interest group for CALL members who take their history too seriously!

February 4, 11 and 18. 10:00am - 12:00 pm. cSpace, Room 310

Availability: Minimum 10; maximum 25. ** Facilitator will maintain a wait-list should spots become available. No drop-ins. **

Finding Peace and Joy Within

Many ancient traditions teach that peace and joy come from within. In this newest eight week session we will explore the ideas behind these ancient practices.

Thursdays, 7:00 - 9:00 pm. March 26 - May 14. cSpace, Room 310.
All are welcome. Drop-ins are welcome.

Our Lives, Our Stories. Group 4

Do you want to leave stories about your life for your children and grandchildren? Do you want to write stories to help you make sense of your own life? No experience is necessary.

Meeting: 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month, 9:30 - noon. January 21 - June 16
Rosedale Community Hall, Boardroom 901 - 11 Avenue NW.

Short Reads

If you're too busy for a book club, this is the group for you! Our focus is short stories and novellas.

Meeting Thursdays, 10:00 am - 12:00pm, every two weeks, January 9 - May 28. St. Matthew's United Church, 2-35 - 26A Street SW.

New Members Welcome in the following groups:

Indigenous Literature, Canadian Authors Plus, Reading Non-Fiction

ARE YOU INTERESTED?

These are possible new Interest Groups in the works!
Ideas for new Bookclubs: Foreign Authors Translated; Biography and Memoirs; History.

Consider a Donation to CALL

As I hope you know, CALL is a charity registered with the Canada Revenue Agency, so any donations will provide you with some tax relief.

Our membership fees are kept low so that everyone can afford to belong. While volunteers do all the work of CALL, there are expenses for renting space, insurance, honoraria and providing hospitality. Some these costs are rising sharply.

Anytime, a donation to CALL is always welcome.

We will provide tax receipts for donation $20 and more.

Please send a cheque made out to Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners to:
Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners
#310, 1721 – 29 Avenue SW
Calgary AB T2T 6T7

PARKING AT VARSITY ACRES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: 4612 VARSITY DRIVE NW

Be aware that the parking lot on the west side of the church has two entrances, but they do not link up and if there are no spots, you will have to back up to get out.

There is parking on the street along Varsity Drive as well as in the neighbourhood north of the Church. Turn north on Viscount Drive (the street just east of the Church), and drive past the signs that restrict parking (loading zones or parking by permit only) where you will find parking on the streets further away from Varsity Drive.

Be aware that the parking in the shopping centre across Varsity Drive is reserved for customers during business hours, but could be used in the evening. Varsity Community Centre, further east on Varsity Drive, is also a possibility for evening parking, but it may be required for its own activities.

CALL IS LOOKING FOR MORE VENUES

CALL’s membership is expanding and we are in need of new locations to accommodate the increasing number of activities we would like to offer.

Please look around your own neighbourhoods for potential venues and let the Venues Committee know at facilities@calgarylifelonglearners.ca by using the Potential Venue Referral Form (pdf) This is a fillable form. Download to your desktop, enable editing, fill it in, save and email back as an attachment.

Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

PROBLEMS REGISTERING FOR INTEREST GROUPS?

If you are experiencing a problem, or nothing happens when you click the Register button for an Interest Group it is likely because there is no default email client set on the device (smartphone, desktop, tablet ..) you are using. A quick solution is to switch to a device which has a default email client set or to setup the default email client on the problem device.

FULL INTEREST GROUPS

If you are unable to join an Interest Group because it is full please leave your name at the registration email so CALL is able to judge demand for specific groups.

If you have ideas for Interest Groups you would like to see developed please email program@calgarylifelonglearners.ca with your suggestion along with any potential facilitators or resources you may be aware of.

Volunteers

Volunteers are the backbone of CALL. We sincerely thank all of our dedicated volunteers who have contributed and who continue to contribute in making CALL such a wonderfully diverse and interesting organization! We are truly lucky to have such a rich range of life experience in our membership. Your time and talent is immeasurable. Simply put… without YOU - our volunteers - CALL WOULD NOT EXIST!

As CALL is growing we have need for more people to help maintain the quality of what we offer. Take some time and get involved in CALL… meet new people, develop new friendships while providing valuable help. Please email Volunteer Coordinator.

CALL Interest Groups

CALL presents a growing and ever-changing list of Interest Groups. Members, working with the Program Committee volunteers, plan and organize groups to share interests, perspectives and knowledge.

Is there a topic you would like to explore? Contact the Program Committee program@calgarylifelonglearners.ca to discuss your ideas.

See the full list of current Interest Groups with detailed descriptions and information about signing up. Many continuing groups have space for new members and some groups are starting anew in January and looking for participants. If you are interested, check with the group facilitator. You must be a member of CALL to participate in Interest Groups.