Join Chesapeake Forum this fall for two important classes designed to enhance your physical health and help you maintain an active and fulfilling life in the face of challenges. Classes begin on September 9th.  Registration opens August 20th @ https://chesapeakeforum.org.

Fall classes begin with Remaining Healthy, Active and Mobile at Any Age on Tues., Sept. 9th from 1:30-3 PM at Cianci Chiropractic in Easton. Learn from Drs. Chris and Julia Cianci and Dr. Jeffery Billauer how to limit the effects of arthritis on your life and how strong legs can prevent shoulder problems. Discover a natural approach to pain relief, enhancing immune. function, and improving quality of sleep. Get clinical tips and practical know to help you thrive. 

Unfortunately, even if you are aging well, someone you know may not be. In Getting to Know Dementia, on Weds., Sept. 10th from 10 AM – Noon, Beth Hobson provides a clear explanation of what happens to the brain when someone is diagnosed with dementia. Understand what is lost but also what is retained, find out how to provide “just right” support, learn to become an advocate for yourself or others and know when to take a pause.

Remaining Healthy, Active and Mobile at Any Age is one (1) session, Tuesday, Sept. 9th from 1:30-3 PM. In person at Cianci Chiropractic 8737 Brooks Dr., #201, Easton. $30. To register, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org. 

Getting to Know Dementia Workshop is one (1) session, Weds., Sept. 10th from 10 AM – Noon or Thursday, Nov. 13th from 1 – 2 PM in person at the Easton Family YMCA. $30. To register, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.

Chesapeake Forum, a part of the YMCA of the Chesapeake, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore. To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].

Join Chesapeake Forum favorite, pilot, and raconteur, Hunter Harris on Saturday, April 26th for an experience that will have you flying by the seat of your pants – the Maryland Science Center IMAX premier of Maryland by Air!

Maryland Public Television (MPTV), host of  Maryland by Air, has invited Chesapeake Forum to a very special premier of this thrilling film, shot in part from Hunter’s plane, Silver Queen. Glide across herds of wild Assateague ponies, skim the Calvert Cliffs, be swept up by Baltimore’s regal Mount Vernon Square and heartbroken by the history of Antietam Battlefield.  Maryland by Air is a breathtaking look at one of the nation’s most historically important states. 

The entire aerial tour of Maryland will feel as if you are a passenger in the Hunter’s plane, Silver Queen, with a seat of the pants view that may have you gripping your arm rests.  After flying over the entire State of Maryland, the tour ends with a (virtual) landing at the Easton Airport. Seats for Maryland by Air! must be reserved by Monday, April 21st.

Participants will travel to the Maryland Science Center by executive coach. On the way, Hunter will share stories from the IMAX production. On the return trip, Aloft Biplane Rides and Tidewater Times will hold a raffle for a free 20 minute aerial tour in Hunter’s beautiful Boeing Stearman, Silver Queen! Everyone who attends the premier will also receive a one-year complimentary membership to MPTV and access to all of its wonderful programming. 

Maryland by Air is a one-time-only event. Seats must be reserved by Monday, April 21st. In person at the Easton Firehouse. Register at https://chesapeakeforum.org. $55.

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities to residents of the Eastern Shore. Chesapeake Forum is part of the YMCA of the Chesapeake.  To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected]

There is still time to sign up for two Chesapeake Forum classes this week, both of which will get you outside and on the move.  On Thursday, April 10th, Mark Mulligan wheels out of the starting gate with Smart Cycling, a two-part class on tips for bike riding safely wherever your wheels take you.  The first session is on Thursday, April 10 from 9 a.m. – 12 PM and covers important strategies like being visible on the road, communicating with drivers, being predictable and controlling your bike.  In part two, on Sunday, April 13th from 2 – 5:30 PM, participants will bring their bikes to the Easton Y parking lot where they will  practice what they’ve learned before a short bike ride through Easton. 

Smart Cycling is two sessions, Thursday, April 10th from 9 a.m. – 12 PM in person at the Easton Family YMCA and Sunday, April 13th from 2-5:30 PM in person at the Easton Family YMCA. $40. To register, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org

Also on Thursday, April 10th popular birding instructor Wayne Bell, Ph.D launches part 2 of his birding on the Eastern Shore series with Oh Wow! Warblers! In two classroom sessions and five field trips, Wayne unveils the wonder of Warblers. Despite their colorful nature, these active little birds are a challenge to identify as they forage among the leaves. We will do our best to see as many species as possible as we visit some of the regional hotspots at times when they are most likely to be present and in song. Warblers are a universal challenge; both beginners and seasoned birders are welcome to join this quest. Incidentally, we will not neglect any other songbirds we might happen to see. 

Most of the teaching will be done in the field, bird-by-bird, species-by-species found. There will be five field trips, two morning outings to local destinations and three essentially all-day excursions to hot spots farther afield. 

Oh Wow! Warblers includes two classroom sessions April 10th from 2:30 – 4  PM and June 5 from 2:00- 4:30 PM.  HYBRID (In person at the Easton Family YMCA, via ZOOM or recording) . Plus five (5) field trips April 14, 22, May 19, 27 and June 2 (In person at various locations around Talbot County). $80.  To register, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit dedicated to providing opportunities for lifelong learning  to residents of the Eastern Shore. Chesapeake Forum is a part of the YMCA of the Chesapeake. To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].

 

Join Chesapeake Forum for its Spring 2025 Preview Party at the Academy Art Museum on Thursday, April 2nd, at 3:30 PM, to see what’s coming up. Enjoy light refreshments, meet other Forum supporters, get a chance to chat with presenters and Board members before enjoying short videos about each upcoming course. The event is free but requires registration at https://chesapeakeforum.org.

Classes start Thursday, April 10th with Smart Cycling  – tips on road cycling safety from the experts. Two (2) sessions, Thurs., April 10th from 9 AM – Noon  AND Sun., April 13th from 2 – 5:30 PM.  In person at the Easton YMCA. $40.  Also on Thursday, Wayne Bell is back with his popular birding class, this time focused on spring songbirds.  Oh Wow! Warblers is seven (7) sessions, Thurs., April 10 and June 5th 2:30 – 4 PM, plus five (5) Field Trips.  $80. HYBRID and in person at Field Trip locations. 

The following week it’s Not Your Granddaddy’s Crop Duster.  Get up close to a crop duster and learn about the role aerial applicators play in protecting the Bay and helping local farmers.  Not Your Granddaddy’s Crop Duster is one (1) session, Mon., April 14th from 10:30 AM – Noon.  $30.  In person at the Easton Airport.. 

On Tues., April 15th, Learn about the Effects of Alcohol and Nutrition. Three (3) sessions, Tues., April 15, 22, 29 from 10:30 AM – noon. $50. In person at Easton Family YMCA.  Later the same day, Savoring Shakespeare: The Winter’s Tale.  Five (5) sessions, Tues., April 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13 from 1:30 – 3 PM. $60. In person at the Easton Family YMCA. 

Take a trip to Churchill, British Columbia, home to one of the world’s  largest concentrations of polar bears, on Weds. April 16th.  Polar Bears of Churchill: A Photographic Adventure is one (1) session from 10:30 AM – Noon.  $30.  HYBRID.  Also on Wednesday, enjoy another armchair travel adventure with Egypt: An Intimate Portrait.  One (1) session from 1:30 – 3:00 PM. $30. HYBRID. 

---

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities to residents of the Eastern Shore.   To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected]. 

Chesapeake Forum is a part of the YMCA of the Chesapeake. All Chesapeake Forum classes are held at the Easton Family YMCA, online through ZOOM or at off-site locations. Recordings may be available. 

On Monday, February, 17th, Chesapeake Forum leads an excursion to Washington D.C’s Museums of the Mall.  Kick back, relax and enjoy an executive bus ride to some of the world’s most extraordinary museums, including the Air & Spaces Museum, African American Museum (both of which require passes) or the National Museum of Art, to name a few.  

The bus will leave from the Easton Fire House at 9 a.m. sharp.  Come earlier to get your seat. There will be three pickup/drop off points along Museum Mall. The last pick up will begin at 3 PM.

There is Indoor/outdoor cafe dining available at most of the museums in a first-come-first-serve basis.  Please note that the African American Museum and the Air and Space Museum require free passes or tickets (https://www.si.edu/visit/tips).

Field Trip to the Museums of the Mall is one (1) session, Monday, Feb. 17th from 9 AM – 5 PM. $80. In person at Easton Fire House 315 Leonard Road, Easton.  To register, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.

NEW this semester!  Join Chesapeake Forum for Current Geopolitical Affairs, the first-ever Forum program hosted by the Centreville YMCA.  Take a deep dive into events that are affecting our world, following a format similar to Great Decisions.  

Current Geopolitical Affairs is hosted by Bob DeGour,  a 1973 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who served in the Navy Intel community before transitioning to the private sector.  DeGour is currently the senior advisor to the annual Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference and moderates the Conference’s roundtable on current strategic issues impacting the United States.

One former student described the discussions as “Interesting, eye-opening … Many points of view offered by participants with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds.”

 

Geopolitics provides a framework to help understand the interplay of the world’s economic, military, political, and geographic landscape. Using reputable and objective sources including RANE/Worldview and Geopolitical Futures, the class will tackle contemporary foreign policy challenges, world conflicts, and economic opportunities.

Several days before each weekly session, timely and applicable analyses will be distributed to participants to guide our discussions. 

Current Geopolitical Affairs is eight (8) sessions Thursday, January 30th, February 6, 13, 20, 27 March 6, 13 and 20th from 1-2:30 PM. In person at the Centerville YMCA 210 Vincit Street, Centerville.  Special introductory price:  $35.00.  To register visit https://chesapeakeforum.org

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities to residents of the Eastern Shore. To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].

What better way to chase away the winter blues than with an afternoon spent making art? Join artist Jen Wagner in her downtown Easton studio for a fun, creative afternoon of mosaic making on January 21st from 1:30 – 3 PM.  Wagner is a mosaic artist whose work is in private collections and public commissions around the country.  Locally, her work adorns places like the Chesapeake Multicultural Center and Ava’s Pizzeria in St Michaels to name two. 

Even if you don’t think you have an artistic bone in your body, this workshop will free your creativity and spark joy.  Dig into Jen’s collection of dazzling beads, colorful glass and bits of ceramic to create your own masterpiece.  Jen will provide the tools and instruction.  All you have to do is have fun!

Intuitive Mosaics is one session, Thursday, January 21st from 1:30 – 3 PM.  $60.  In person at Jen’s studio 10 South Talbot Street. To register visit https://chesapeakeforum.org

---

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore.  To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].

Dementia can be a terrifying diagnosis both for the patient and loved ones.  If you been recently diagnosed, are a caregiver for someone with dementia or are just worried about a family history of the disease, Understanding Dementia, will help you develop a basic appreciation for what happens as the brain is changing. Learning about brain function will help you understand not only what is lost but what is retained, in order to provide the right support.

You will discover the value in what remains as the condition progresses, as well as an introduction to supportive responses that work. The goal is to see that the person living with dementia is doing the best they can, rather than assuming that they are simply not trying, or doing something on purpose. 

Finally, you will learn to identify for yourself when it is time to pause your agenda, and seek support for yourself or the person living with dementia.  

“This course offered a lot of useful ways to relate to those suffering from dementia as well as an understanding of how persons suffering from dementia experience their surroundings,” commented one student.

We will conclude by learning how we, as care partners, can become advocates for people, as relationships and tasks of daily living are impacted.

Understanding Dementia is one session either January 21st from 10:30 a.m – 12 PM or March 18th from 1:30 PM – 3 PM.  $10.  In person at the Easton Family YMCA.  To register visit https://chesapeakeforum.org

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore.  To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].

Chesapeake Forum kicks off its Winter 2025 session with Dr. Wayne Bell’s ever popular birding course, Oh Wow! It’s Waterbirds!, starting on January 16th.    If you have ever looked out on the Bay or up in the sky and wondered what was floating on the water or flying overhead, this is your class.   

Dr. Bell combines two classroom sessions with five field trips.  As one former student said:  “The field trips were meticulously planned and executed across a variety of habitats and illustrating the objective in excellent fashion besides affording access to several places with restricted or no public access.”

Oh Wow! It’s Waterbirds consists of two classroom sessions on January 16th and February 20th from 2:30 – 4 PM and five field trips. Classroom sessions are hybrid (in person at the Easton Family YMCA, ZOOM or recording).  Field trips are in person at different locations on the Eastern Shore.  $80.00  Registration for classes begins January 9th.  For more details visit https://chesapeakeforum.org. 

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore. To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].