BETHEL — Rick Churchill, a Newry resident and formerly associate editor of People, Places  & Plants, is a naturalist and horticultural/arboricultural consultant. On Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 4 to 6:30 p.m., at Gould Academy, Churchill will present the season’s first Down Home Maine program of the Western Mountains Senior College. He will share slides of his recent trip, “Biking  Sweden – Seeking Pickled Herring, Adventure and the Elusive Magnussons.”

Rick’s month-long bicycle trip through Sweden started in Stockholm and, after a quick ride up to visit Carolus Linnaeus’s garden in Uppsala, continued westward where he tried to find lost relatives – which he did.  The adventure allowed a meeting with a wolf, open camping throughout the country, an introduction to the influence of aquavit and 22 hours of daylight.  

WMSC offers multi-session courses, workshops, outdoor activities, special events and social gatherings to members aged 50 and over. The Down Home Maine series features unique and adventurous people from our own community. Programs are open to the public free of charge; donations are accepted to offset Senior College expenses.