Conference To Tell Seniors To Keep Learning

Spokane Community College is sponsoring a daylong conference to help seniors explore new interests in retirement.

The conference is scheduled for March 27 in the Lair at SCC from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone 55 years old or older is invited.

Most of the workshops, exhibits and demonstrations are free along with health exhibits and screenings.

“The idea is to encourage seniors to remember learning is a lifelong process,” said Pat Freeman, seniors program manager for the two community colleges.

Freeman said there are about 60,000 seniors living in the Spokane region, but only a fraction of those participate in college classes.

Just because a person retires does not mean they have to be inactive, she said, adding a lot seniors are among the most active people in the community.

Participants in the conference can listen to romance authors Mary Pat Kanaley and Joan Overfield talk about their skills.

The Spokane Brass Works is scheduled to play ragtime music from old movies.

Other sessions involve poetry reading, tips for raising grandchildren, geology, painting, fitness and a world travelogue.

A $10 luncheon is being planned with entertainment by the Arnie Carruthers Trio.