Center for Creative Retirement

Courses

• American Mah Jongg
• Annie Oakley: Past into Present
• Bird Watching
• Celebrating 200 Years of the Erie Canal
• Gourmet Lunch Prepared by Culinary Program
• History of Crown Point
• Knickerbocker Family Mansion: Ghosts, Tour and Lunch
• National Museum of Racing & Hall of Fame
• Norman Rockwell Presentation
• Senior Exercise Class
• Shakers & Their Adopted Children
• The Best of Oakwood
• The Iroquois Journey
• The Saugerties Lighthouse
• Tour Troy's Private Washington Park with a Light Lunch

American Mah Jongg

Whether you are a beginner or looking for a refresher, join us in learning American Mahjong. This class includes basic instruction and the opportunity to play with people of varying skill levels. Let’s play, learn to conquer the card, and delve into strategies. If you have a Mahjong set, please bring it with you. Course fee includes a $30 materials fee.

No class 3/18 & 4/22

Course will be held in  Daycare Center, Room B06 

Criss Macaione, Instructor

American Mah Jongg

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Tuesdays, 2/25 - 5/13 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm	ZSPI-276 600	0 seats left	$114	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

Annie Oakley: Past into Present

Come enjoy a morning with re-enactor Denise Wright as she portrays the American sharpshooter and folk heroine who starred in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.  After the first-person interpretation, Wright will discuss the use of historical interpretation and interactive dramatizations as methods to bring history to life. There will be an opportunity for participants to try their hand at developing a character from the past into a present-day historical experience. 

Course will be held in WIL, Room 113 

Denise Wright, Instructor

Annie Oakley: Past into Present

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Monday, 5/5 9:30 am - 11:30 am	ZCCR-808 600	0 seats left	$15	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

Bird Watching

Join a Saratoga Spa State Park environmental educator on a guided walk through Gray’s Crossing, at the southern end of the park, to spot and identify songbirds during their spring migration. The walking route is a level, one-mile loop trail that covers multiple habitats. Bring your own binoculars and feel free to use mobile devices to help identify birdsongs. Possible bird sightings include several species of warblers, sparrows and waterfowl. The program will be conducted rain or shine, so be prepared for any weather conditions. Wear sturdy shoes as the path may be wet and muddy. Bug spray will be provided. There are no restroom facilities at Gray’s Crossing.

Course will meet at Gray’s Crossing, 87 Northline Rd, Ballston Spa 

Lea Darling, Coordinator

Bird Watching

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Thursday, 5/8 9:30 am - 11:30 am	ZCCR-806 600	0 seats left	$15	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

Celebrating 200 Years of the Erie Canal

The program will cover the purpose of the Erie Canal, construction statistics, why it was built in New York State, and its effect on New York, the nation, and American engineering in general. We will also discuss the completion celebration in 1825, centennial celebration in 1925, and the planned bicentennial celebration in 2025. Course includes $10 materials fee.

Course will be held in WIL, Room 113

Tom Ragosta, Watervliet City Historian, Instructor

Celebrating 200 Years of the Erie Canal

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Tuesday, 4/29 9:30 am - 11:30 am	ZCCR-810 600	0 seats left	$25	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

Gourmet Lunch Prepared by Culinary Program

Come enjoy a wonderful meal of contemporary cuisine in the Van Curler Dining Room on SUNY Schenectady’s campus. The meal is fully created and served by hardworking culinary students at SUNY Schenectady. Arrive ahead of time to shop at the meat shop, Boucherie, and Pane e Dolci, the bakery shop, before your lunch; both are open from 11:30 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. We will take attendance at 11:45 a.m. outside the Van Curler Dining Room, lunch will end when you are finished dining. Course fee includes $26 materials fee.

Course will meet at the Van Curler Dining Room, 78 Washington Ave, Schenectady, NY.  Parking is available in the student parking lot.

Lea Darling, Coordinator

Gourmet Lunch Prepared by Culinary Program

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Wednesday, 4/23 11:30 am - 2:30 pm	ZCCR-763 600	2 seats left	$41	Add to Cart

History of Crown Point

Captured! Ticonderoga, Crown Point and Lake Champlain and the Beginning of the American Revolution, 1775-1776

New York’s Champlain Valley became a major theater of the war at the outset of the American Revolution.  The captures of Ticonderoga and Crown Point occurred within weeks of Lexington and Concord and provided the fledgling revolution with much-needed artillery, as well as control over most of Lake Champlain. This presentation provides an in-depth look at the captures of Fort Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and Lake Champlain by Revolutionary forces, and examines the events and circumstances leading up to the beginning of the American Revolution in the Champlain Valley and beyond. The presentation also highlights the historic significance of the captures of the critical fortified posts of Ticonderoga and Crown Point and how those captures set the stage for the next phase of the American Revolution.   

 

Crown Point and the Battle for Control  of Lake Champlain, 1776-1777

In the summer of 1776, the commanding officers of the Northern Department of the Continental Army, Philip Schuyler and Horatio Gates, held a council of war at Crown Point to determine the best location to defend against a looming British assault down Lake Champlain from Canada. To the disappointment of some New England officers, the commanding officers decided to withdraw from Crown Point and planned to defend New York’s northern frontier from a position south of Crown Point, across from Ticonderoga on a peninsula named Mount Independence. This presentation details the arguments for and against the decision to abandon Crown Point, and how this decision played into the final battles for control of Lake Champlain in the lead up to the Battles at Saratoga, the historic turning point of the American Revolution.

Course will be held in WILL, Room 113 

Sam Huntington, Instructor

History of Crown Point

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Friday, 4/25 9:30 am - 11:30 am	ZCCR-782 600	0 seats left	$19	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

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 a colonial lunch cooked with authentic recipes, a delicious side to the history of the mansion. Course fee includes $30 materials fee.

Course will meet at Knickerbocker Family Mansion, 132 Knickerbocker Rd., Schaghticoke, NY

Michele Doodian, Coordinator

Knickerbocker Family Mansion: Ghosts, Tour and Lunch

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Wednesday, 5/14 10:30 am - 1:30 pm	ZCCR-137 600	0 seats left	$45	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

National Museum of Racing & Hall of Fame

Come visit the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame! Enjoy a docent-led tour that will teach you all about American thoroughbred racing and its rich history in our country. The galleries are filled with paintings, trophies, historical artifacts, and much more that celebrate America’s first national sport. The tour will conclude with an 18-minute screening of our Hall of Fame signature film, “What It Takes: Journey to the Hall of Fame.”  Course includes $22 materials fee.

Course will meet at 191 Union Ave, Saratoga Springs

Lea Darling, Coordinator

National Museum of Racing & Hall of Fame

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Friday, 5/9 10:00 am - 12:00 pm	ZCCR-816 600	12 seats left	$37	Add to Cart

Norman Rockwell Presentation

Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to learn about Norman Rockwell‘s life, art and character. The presentation includes the historical background of the artist, his family, his schooling, his teachers, mentors and illustrators, his painting approaches, and his most iconic works. We will also hear about his personal life and the way his work ties into American culture, and hear about the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. 

Course will be held in WIL, Room 113 

Dan Carubia, Instructor

Norman Rockwell Presentation

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Wednesday, 4/9 9:30 am - 11:30 am	ZCCR-684 600	12 seats left	$15	Add to Cart

Senior Exercise Class

Over the course of an hour, students in this class for seniors will work on 18 exercises grouped in three modalities in ascending order of difficulty. Students will be provided with a sheet listing the exercises to use at home as part of a daily routine and will need to bring their own mat and one- or two-pound hand weights to class.

Course does not meet on 4/22.

Course will be held in  Brahan Hall, Room 114 

Ihor Evanick, Instructor

Senior Exercise Class

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Tuesdays, 4/1 - 5/13 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm	ZREC-133 600	1 seats left	$25	Add to Cart

Shakers & Their Adopted Children

When the first Shakers settled on land that is now part of the Albany Airport, it was 1784 and there were no organized orphanages or social services of any kind in the area. The indigent had to depend upon help from neighbors and local churches, which were the only doors open for food and shelter. This presentation will open up the world of the Shakers through the eyes of four children who were either brought to the Shakers to be educated and raised or came along with their indigent mother. All four of them wrote detailed accounts of their life with the Shakers, which the class will cover, along with period photographs (converted into slides) of the children interacting with the Shakers.

Course will be held in WILL, Room 113 

Marilyn Sassi, Instructor

Shakers & Their Adopted Children

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Thursday, 5/1 10:00 am - 12:00 pm	ZCCR-804 600	0 seats left	$22	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

The Best of Oakwood

Walking Tour of Victorian-Era Oakwood Cemetery

If you’ve been on our Oakwood walking tour before, you might just want to come back for this one! We’ll be taking an exciting new route this year. Opened in 1850, Troy’s Oakwood Cemetery in Troy was one of the first rural cemeteries in the country, with serpentine roads, beautifully sculpted monuments, and lovely landscaping, including thousands of spring daffodils.

Our tour will begin in the magnificent Gardner Earl Memorial Chapel, a National Historic Landmark filled with Victorian splendor. From there we will walk up the main road, stopping along the way to hear interesting and sometimes shocking stories about some of Oakwood’s “residents.” When we get to the well-known Your Monument, we will leave the main road and continue on an unpaved dirt road (wear appropriate shoes). We’ll have several stops to hear more accounts of heroics, tragic deaths, gravestone symbolism and more until we arrive at the grave of Uncle Sam. We’ll pause to see the panoramic overlook of Lansingburgh and the Hudson River Valley, passing a waterfall and the double ponds before returning to the main road for the conclusion of our tour. This slow-paced walk is a 1.5-mile loop on mainly level, paved roads with one dirt road and one or two slight inclines. A restroom at the chapel will be available before and after the walk. Dress appropriately for the weather and wear good walking shoes. You might want to bring bottled water as well. Course includes $20 materials fee.

Course will meet at Oakwood Cemetery. Oakwood Cemetery is located off Route 7 East (Hoosick Street) in Troy. Take Oakwood Avenue (aka Route 40) north from Hoosick Street for about 1/2 mile. You will see the entrance gates on your left. Park near the flagpole. NOTE: If you are using a GPS or Google Maps, use 186 Oakwood Avenue Troy. Do not use 50 - 101^st Street.

Led by Heidi Norton Klinowski

Paula Johannessen, Coordinator

The Best of Oakwood

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Monday, 4/28 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm	ZCCR-600 600	0 seats left	$35	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

The Iroquois Journey

The Iroquois Journey will present a very detailed study of the Iroquois, whose true name is Haudenosaunee, meaning “people of the longhouse.” We will explore Iroquois history and culture, from the past to today, including a full explanation and illustration of traditional villages, homes, material culture, religion, and matrilineal society. We’ll discuss the fur trade, which brought many Europeans from France, England and the Netherlands once Henry Hudson sailed into Albany in 1609, and how, despite a very profitable trading post and strong relations between Iroquois and Europeans, contact would ravage their culture, society and ultimately, their very way of life. Struggles continue today, but positive change and improvements are being made to reservation life.

Course will be held in WILL, Room 113

Marilyn Sassi, Instructor

The Iroquois Journey

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Thursday, 4/24 10:00 am - 12:00 pm	ZCCR-783 600	0 seats left	$22	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. Step back in time more than a hundred years to experience the charm and rustic simplicity of life in the middle of the river. 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 as it is a short walk to the lighthouse. Course fee includes $10 materials fee

Course will meet at the 168 Lighthouse Road, Saugerties, NY

Saugerties Lighthouse Staff, Coordinator

The Saugerties Lighthouse

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Thursday, 5/1 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm	ZCCR-337 600	0 seats left	$25	Section Full Call to be added to wait list

Tour Troy's Private Washington Park with a Light Lunch

Enjoy taking a step back in time to the mid-1800’s to see and experience the genteel living of the nouveau rich of Troy’s Washington Park, surrounding neighborhoods, and St. John’s Episcopal Church. You will be able to see firsthand the loving care taken to rehabilitate and update many of these one-of-a-kind homes of the emerging millionaires of the 19th century, and visit their own private park. You will see many different types of architecture, including Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate and Queen Anne. You may even see a restoration in progress at one of the area homes. We will begin our walk at St. John’s Episcopal Church, where you will discover the many hidden Tiffany treasures, including stained glass windows, intricate floor tile mosaics, and the painted Baptismal alcove, and enjoy the Memorial Garden, which has been on the Troy Hidden Garden Tour. A moderate lunch will be held in the last home we visit on the tour. There will be lots of walking on mostly uneven surfaces: sidewalks, grass, roads, and some home interiors with multiple flights of stairs. Be mindful of your capabilities to keep up with the group, as we have a tight schedule to adhere to for the two-hour tour. Wear comfortable walking shoes, as you will be on your feet for all of the tour. Dress for the outdoors, rain or shine this time of year. Course includes $25 materials fee.

Course will meet at 146 1st Street, Troy, in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church where the tour begins. Parking lot directly across from the church.

Lea Darling, Coordinator

Tour Troy's Private Washington Park with a Light Lunch

Schedule	Section	Seats Left	Cost	Register
Friday, 4/25 9:30 am - 12:30 pm	ZCCR-329 600	0 seats left	$40	Section Full Call to be added to wait list