My great-grandfather, an Alabama preacher and storekeeper during the Civil War, was not a rebel. After the war, as a Republican, he was postmaster. Another postal worker, General Andrew Spurling of the 2nd Maine Cavalry, won the Medal of Honor the day before he stole 700 pounds of chewing tobacco and 18 barrels of flour from my ancestor. Who would think it?

Presenter: Tom Feagin

Place, Politics, and a Prognosis

Learn about Maine's new, battled-over National Monument which, like Baxter Park and Acadia, sprang full-blown from private philanthropy, a term meaning "love of humankind in general."

​Presenter: Ken Olson

Nova Scotia contains two National Parks, five World Heritage Sites, beautiful Cape Breton Island, and the vibrant capital of Halifax. Come explore the geography and history of this Canadian maritime province.

​Presenter: Elizabeth Reinsborough

We'll take you to 2 culturally rich ancient cities in Uzbekistan: Samarkand and Bukhara. Samarkand dates from about the 7th century BCE and Bukhara from the 6th century BCE.

Presenters: Marty & David Thornton

In a day and age of cynicism and hyper partisanship, the story of Hubert Humphrey can teach us a great deal about what is possible. How to stand for principle and reach across the aisle, regardless of party.

Presenter: Mike Bell

There are 176 documented species of bees in Maine. Bees are keystone species meaning that without their role in pollination ecosystems would not resemble those that occur in Maine today. Native bees in Maine also are important to the economic production of some of Maine's fruit and vegetable crops. Eighty percent are pollinators of plants and feed their young on pollen and nectar while 20% are parasitic, stealing food resources that other bees collect. Bees exhibit a variety of nesting behaviors and social life styles. Bees are under threat of extinction throughout the world. Are the bees experiencing similar declines in Maine? This question will be discussed and how citizens, businesses and governments can make a difference.

Presenter: Frank Drummond

This will be a tour of Mayan ruins in the Yucatan region and an overview of the Mayan people then and now.

Presenters: Molly & Steve Saunders

Finding Maine's Early Frontier Women

Scots-Irish women were the driving force behind the building of churches, incorporation of towns and in a few instances, frontier military peace policy. This talk will examine the sometimes not-so-subtle power frontier women in Maine and New Hampshire through court records, local legends and litigation telling stories of resistance to authority, economic diversification and indigenous cooperation that created peace zones around one frontier town.

Presenter: ​Rebecca Graham