FARMINGTON — The Gold LEAF Institute Senior College at the University of Maine at Farmington will hold a kick off event to announce the summer term classes from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, in the UMF Olsen Student Center on South Street. Anyone age 50 or older who is interested in lifelong learning is welcome to attend this free event. Light refreshments will be served.

Those wishing to join Gold LEAF (an acronym for Lifelong Education at Farmington) and register for classes are urged to do so as soon as possible, prior to the kick off, because classes tend to fill up quickly. Annual membership dues are $30, and each class has either a nominal fee or is free.

Gold LEAF is a member-run organization devoted to lifelong learning in the Franklin County area, for anyone age 50 or older (and spouse/partner, regardless of age) that offers courses that require no educational prequalifications; learning without stress, without tests or credits; intellectually stimulating classes and activities reflecting the interests of its members; socializing with people with a similar interest in enhancing their knowledge of the world around them.

Classroom sessions range from several how-to classes, such as polyhedron origami, using a home video camera, care and repair of books, and Maine tree identification, to book discussion groups and a computer session about Facebook. Other classes will explore the topics of nonviolent movements from around the world, demystifying death and dying, and hospice training. A registered nurse will talk about how staying active and eating well may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

During the summer term, Gold LEAF plans more trips and outdoor activities. These include a tour of the Maine Maritime Museum and Bath Iron Works, with an optional cruise and visit to Burnt Island lighthouse; visits to area farms on Maine Farm Day; a boat tour with Friends of Wilson Lake; a trip to the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine in Augusta; a trip to learn about the Benedict Arnold Trail of 1775; a tour of the Scatterseed Project site; and a visit to the Franklin County Animal Shelter. Members can sign up to go as a group to Skye Theatre in October to enjoy an evening of music with Scotland’s Emily Smith. A continuation of the popular Wabanaki Ways studies will take a class to the grave of Father Sebastian Rale in Madison to learn about an important event in the history of the Wabanaki.

For more information, visit www.goldleaf.wikispaces.com, send an email to goldleaf@maine.edu or call 778-7063.