Center for Creative Retirement

Courses

• Gravestone Restoration Workshop
• Jazz Diplomacy: Cold War, Civil Rights and American Culture
• Knickerbocker Family Mansion: Ghosts, Tour and Lunch
• The Mansion to Mansion Tour
• The Saugerties Lighthouse
• Tour "The Joe" in Rensselaer County
• Understanding the Middle East
• Walking Tour of Saratoga Spa State Park
• World War I

Gravestone Restoration Workshop

Do you like old cemeteries and find gravestones interesting? Have you ever wondered how to properly clean them and make simple repairs? Back by popular demand, this hands-on gravestone restoration workshop will teach you how to clean stones and use appropriate mortars and epoxy to make repairs. You will learn best practices that will do no harm to gravestones that are more than a century old. All cleaning and repair materials and tools will be provided. You will need to bring a rinse bucket or dishpan. Gloves and garden seat are optional. Refreshments and bottled water will be provided. Join us in Historic St. Agnes Cemetery, 48 Cemetery Avenue, Menands for a fun, informative and relaxing workshop!

Course will be held at The Living Room Art Gallery, Historic St. Agnes Cemetery, 48 Cemetery Ave, Menands.

Kelly Grimaldi, Instructor

Gravestone Restoration Workshop

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Thursday, 5/9 10:00 am - 1:00 pm	ZCCR-488 600	0 seats left	$52	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

Jazz Diplomacy: Cold War, Civil Rights and American Culture

This course looks at the use of one of America’s great cultural creations - jazz - as a diplomatic tool. Starting in the 1950s, jazz was used as a way to counter Soviet propaganda, highlighting the contribution of great musicians like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie. But how did those musicians reconcile their status as global ambassadors of American culture with the challenges of the Civil Rights movement at home? The answer is manifested in the music they played, the compositions they created in response to encountering new cultures, and the musicians they inspired around the world. The course also looks at cultural diplomacy today and the continued effectiveness of American “soft power.”

Course will be held in Williams Hall, Room 113

James Ketterer, Instructor

Jazz Diplomacy: Cold War, Civil Rights and American Culture

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Tuesday, 6/11 9:30 am - 11:30 am	ZCCR-751 700	30 seats left	$19	Opens 5/15

Knickerbocker Family Mansion: Ghosts, Tour and Lunch

The Knickerbocker Historical Society will be our hosts as they tell us about the history and ghosts of the Knickerbocker Mansion, which dates from about 1770. They will arrange for historical ‘ghosts’ to give moving firsthand accounts of their lives and experiences, and they will explain the renovations – the not-for-profit Society rescued the mansion from certain demolition and has continued to restore it. Our visit concludes with a chance to tour the mansion and to a colonial lunch cooked with authentic recipes, a delicious side to the history of the mansion. Course fee includes $30 materials fee.

Paula Johannessen, Coordinator

Directions: Take Route 40 north to Schaghticoke. At the red light as you approach the village, turn left on Route 67, travel west toward Mechanicville. Drive 3 miles west, turn right onto Knickerbocker Road. The Mansion is the first building on the right.

Knickerbocker Family Mansion: Ghosts, Tour and Lunch

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Wednesday, 5/8 10:30 am - 1:30 pm	ZCCR-137 600	0 seats left	$40	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

The Mansion to Mansion Tour

This Saratoga Springs walking tour starts inside the Batcheller Mansion (first floor only). Hear the story of George, Catharine and Kate Batcheller; learn what their lives were like when they built this beautiful home in 1874 and the details of events of the following years. Hear about their friendship with President Grant and how they spent years in France, Portugal and Egypt, to name just a few places. The tour will then move outside as we walk down Circular Street, learning about the stories of the Batchellers’ neighbors, such as the then-Vice President, who lived across the street, and the acting first lady, who lived a few more houses away. Our last stop on the tour is to go inside the mansion known as “Union Gables,” built in 1901 for a local merchant and manufacturer. Wear comfortable shoes!  Course fee includes $25 materials fee.  

Course will meet at the Batcheller Mansion, 20 Circular St., Saratoga Springs, NY

Dr. Hollis Palmer, Instructor

The Mansion to Mansion Tour

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Monday, 5/6 11:30 am - 1:30 pm	ZCCR-641 600	0 seats left	$37	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

The Saugerties Lighthouse

Join us at the Saugerties Lighthouse, an 1869 landmark on the Hudson River that now stands proudly as a living museum and a renowned bed and breakfast. The Saugerties Lighthouse Conservancy maintains the lighthouse and adjacent lands for the enjoyment of the public. The restored red-brick lighthouse offers overnight bed and breakfast accommodations, public tours and special events. Furnished as it may have looked in the early 20th century, the lighthouse contains a small museum, gift shop, parlor, kitchen, keepers’ quarters, and two guest bedrooms. The operational light tower offers a panoramic view of the Hudson River Valley and Catskill Mountains. Because of its location on the river, tours must be scheduled with tide schedules in mind. The lighthouse can be reached via a half-mile nature trail of dirt and rock paths with wooden bridges and boardwalks and sandy trails. It is at the end of Lighthouse Drive in the village of Saugerties, New York. Suitable, comfortable shoes are recommended. Course fee includes a $8 materials fee.

Michele Doodian, Coordinator

Directions: Southbound on NYS Thruway/I-87 to the RT-32 exit-(Exit 20) - toward Saugerties/Woodstock. Turn left onto NY-32, turn left onto NY-212/NY-32, which becomes Ulster Ave. Continue on Ulster Ave. for 1.0 mile, bear right at Market St., go 1 block turn left at Main St., go 1 block stay straight to US-9W/Main St. Go 0.4 miles where 9W curves to the left, turn right onto Mynderse St., go 0.3 miles turn slight left onto Lighthouse Dr. Go 0.4 miles turn right into the lighthouse parking lot after the US Coast Guard station. Follow the lighthouse trail. Go 0.5 miles.  Please wear comfortable shoes.

The Saugerties Lighthouse

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Thursday, 5/9 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm	ZCCR-337 600	0 seats left	$22	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

Tour "The Joe" in Rensselaer County

The ValleyCats are an independent professional baseball team, set to begin their third year as members of the Frontier League. They play home games at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, or “The Joe” as some fans call it. The stadium is located on our very own Hudson Valley Community College campus. There isn’t a bad seat in the house at The Joe! The stadium holds 4,500 people and includes 10 high-end luxury suites and four picnic areas for group outings. They play 48 home games at The Joe from May through September. Get ready to celebrate the 2024 season by touring The Joe. Take a look at their great facilities, hear what’s new for the coming year and get a look at the batting cage and locker room.

Jean Chenette, Coordinator

Directions: The Joe Bruno Stadium is located on the Hudson Valley Community College’s Campus.  The meeting spot will be at the ValleyCats box office.

Tour "The Joe" in Rensselaer County

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Tuesday, 6/4 10:00 am - 11:30 am	ZCCR-317 700	25 seats left	$12	Opens 5/15

Understanding the Middle East

This course explores various aspects of the recent history, culture, and religions of the Middle East, seeking to put these factors into a broader context and undo many of the stereotypes and myths that pervade American views of the region. The course offers an overview of the modern Middle East and reviews populations, languages, religions, key historical events over the last several decades, and where things stand now.  Course instructor James Ketterer has lived and worked across the region and recently returned from Egypt, where he held an academic appointment at the American University in Cairo.

Course will be held in Williams Hall, Room 113

James Ketterer, Instructor

Understanding the Middle East

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Tuesday, 6/18 9:30 am - 11:30 am	ZCCR-752 700	30 seats left	$19	Opens 5/15

Walking Tour of Saratoga Spa State Park

Have you ever attended an event at SPAC, explored the Roosevelt Baths and Museum of Dance buildings, strolled through the paths of Gideon Putnam Hotel, played golf, swam in the Peerless Pool, tasted the many mineral springs, watched the water spout spouting, or taken your child/grandchildren to stock the stream with trout? Join us for a ranger-led walking history tour of Saratoga Spa State Park and learn how this gem of a park came to be. Hear the story of the men who realized what a treasure this area was and decided to save it from commercialism and urbanization for eternity for the enjoyment of the common folk. We will see how, over more than 100 years, things have changed in this oasis of peace, and how the initial idea evolved into what we see today. This stroll will cover up to two miles in an hour and a half to two hours on level ground with stone and dirt paths. Dress for the weather, rain or shine. 

Course will meet at the Creekside Classroom on the Picnic Loop Road, Geyser Loop Road. Saratoga Springs, NY

Lea Darling, Coordinator

Walking Tour of Saratoga Spa State Park

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Tuesday, 5/7 10:00 am - 12:00 pm	ZCCR-741 600	0 seats left	$12	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

World War I

This class provides a military overview and analysis of the strategies and methods of the way WWI was fought, as well as an analysis of major battles and decisions on both sides that ultimately determined the Allied victory and the shaping of our world today.

Course will be held in Williams Hall, Room 113

Thad Gaebelein, Instructor

World War I

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Monday, 6/17 9:30 am - 11:30 am	ZCCR-770 700	30 seats left	$19	Opens 5/15