Summer Trips 2008 With OLLI
(101) Michigan Shakespeare Festival & Ella Sharp Museum
Established in 1995, this festival was designated "The Official Shakespeare Festival of the State of Michigan" by the governor and senate in 2003. It is housed on the campus of Jackson Community College and its high-quality performances feature local and professional actors, including Equity performers. We will enjoy a 2 p.m. matinee performance of the romantic comedy All's Well Than Ends Well. This play offers captivating themes of male versus female, society's view of merit and rank, and the value of honor and integrity. Prior to the show, we will visit the Ella Sharp Museum of Art & History which expanded to five galleries in 2006, including the 1,000 square foot Andrews Gallery of Wildlife Art. There are also historic buildings, galleries and a gift shop. Our lunch will be catered by the museum's restaurant, Ella's Granary which features soups, salads and sandwiches. This trip includes deluxe motorcoach transportation from SVSU; the play; admission to the museum and guided tour of Ella Sharp's house, lunch, and snacks on bus.
Saturday: July 19 from 7:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Price: $79 Members; $99 Non-members
Click here for easy online registration
(002) Stargazing Gourmet Dinner & Cruise on the Appledore
Our menu will be the "Marine Marche" which includes hors d'oeuvres (assorted canapes and wraps); a pasta table with two sauces and assorted garnishes; chicken and seafood entrees; a carving station with filet of beef; side salad and assorted breads; a dessert table; and a variety of tea and fresh brewed coffee. (Fill free to bring your own adult beverages.) The boat will leave from downtown Bay City. Please note that the trip will be held rain or shine, as the boat does have an awning. Also, the boat does have a restroom down below, but the "ladder-like" stairs may be difficult to navigate if you don't consider yourself sure footed.
Monday: July 28 from 8 p.m. - midnight
Price: $89 Members; $109 Non-members
Click here for easy online registration
(003) Charity Island Dinner Cruise
Back by popular demand, we are offering another trip to Charity Island! Located approximately ten miles offshore in the middle of the Saginaw Bay, Charity Island consists of almost 300 acres of forest and three miles of shoreline. Many rare and protected species grow on the Island and it is home to a very unique arachaeological site. This trip will include deluxe motorcoach transportation from SVSU; the cruise to the island on the 50 foot passenger ferryboat the Northstar; a tour of the marina and the Lightkeeper's house; a lecture about the history of the island; dinner on the deck of the house (your choice of lightly breaded lake perch or sirloin tips); and dessert on the return trip to AuGres. Our return trip will coincide with the sunset. Complimentary soft drinks and bottled water are provided (bring your own beer and wine). Please note that once on the island, there is a quarter mile walk up to the lighthouse.
Monday: August 11 from 2-10 p.m.
Price: $105 Members; $125 Non-Members
Click here for easy online registration
(004) Western Comedy at the Purple Rose Theatre
Hard on the heels of Escanaba in Love, Jeff Daniels introduces his first western, Panhandle Slim & the Oklahoma Kid. This winsome comedy tells the fateful tale of a prairie showdown between a vagrant outlaw and a singing cowboy. This World Premiere features original songs, as well as scoundrels, a six-guns, and a horse named Buttermilk. Prior to the 3 p.m. show, we will tour the Chelsea Milling Company, which has been producing Jiffy Baking Mixes since 1930. The company is considered a "complete manufacturer" as they store the wheat, mill the wheat into flour, uset that flour in the mixes, and even make their own boxes. Aftr the factory tour, we will enjoy lunch at the Common Grill. (Should you prefer to shop rather than tour the Jiffy plant, the motorcoach can drop you off downtown.) The trip includes round trip deluxe motorcoach transportation from SVSU; the play; the factory tour; lunch at the Common Grill; and snacks on the bus.
Wednesday: August 20 from 8:30 - 7 p.m.
Price: $85 Members; $105 Non-Members
Click here for easy online registration
Click here to enlarge Purple Rose Theatre trip poster
Greece: Athens & Beyond May 16 - 26, 2008.
OLLI offered an international excursion lead by Dr. Thomas Renna, a professor of European History at SVSU. This 11-day trip Greece adventure included three evenings in Athens at the beginning of the trip and an additional two evenings in Athens at the end. In between, we spent two days in Olympia and two days in Nafplio. We saw a variety of archaeological sites and learned about the fascinating history of this area from professor Renna who teaches classes at SVSU on the Middle Ages, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece and the Italian Renaissance. Click here for more details of this trip: Greece: Athens & Beyond
Click here to see photos from Greece Trip |
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For More Information
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Saginaw Valley State University
7400 Bay Road
University Center, MI 48710
Telephone: (989) 964-4475
Email: olli(at)svsu.edu