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- Chair Yoga - Fall 2026
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Fee: $30.00
Item Number: FA26COU17431
Dates: 10/6/2026 - 10/27/2026
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 4
Building: ZOOM
Room:
Instructor: Ines Rojas
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
Chair Yoga is a gentle practice in which yoga poses are done with the help of a chair or seated. For standing poses, the chair helps with balance. Chair yoga is great for beginners and for people with physical disabilities or who have a hard time getting up and down from the floor. The practice increases flexibility, strength, and awareness. Additionally, we will be using breathing techniques and meditation to promote relaxation and mental clarity.
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- FIRST LADIES: Past, Present, & Future
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Fee: $45.00
Item Number: FA26COU17441
Dates: 10/6/2026 - 10/27/2026
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: M Tu
Sessions: 4
Building: Harkin Institute
Room: Auditorium
Instructor: Stacy Cordery
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
THIS CLASS HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
First Ladies have always been much more than the power behind the throne. Their influence is global. Their authority is unchecked. They operate without a job description. Many have wrought positive, lasting change, while some we barely remember. Recent First Ladies have surprisingly and profoundly reshaped the position. This course will explore the evolution of the role, its traditions, contradictions, controversies, influence, and future, while focusing on important first ladies from 1776 to today.
Tuesdays, October 6, 13, 27: 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Monday, October 19: 12–1:30 p.m.
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- FIRST LADIES: Past, Present, & Future ZOOM
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Fee: $45.00
Item Number: FA26COU17442
Dates: 10/6/2026 - 10/27/2026
Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: M Tu
Sessions: 4
Building: ZOOM
Room:
Instructor: Stacy Cordery
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
THIS CLASS HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
First Ladies have always been much more than the power behind the throne. Their influence is global. Their authority is unchecked. They operate without a job description. Many have wrought positive, lasting change, while some we barely remember. Recent First Ladies have surprisingly and profoundly reshaped the position. This course will explore the evolution of the role, its traditions, contradictions, controversies, influence, and future, while focusing on important first ladies from 1776 to today.
Tuesdays, October 6, 13, 27: 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Monday, October 19: 12–1:30 p.m.
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- Saratoga and the Wars in the North
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Fee: $45.00
Item Number: FA26COU17461
Dates: 10/8/2026 - 10/29/2026
Times: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Days: Th
Sessions: 4
Building: ZOOM
Room:
Instructor: Buck Beasom
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
This course traces the road to the American Revolution from the French & Indian War to the American Victory at Saratoga, with all that the victory meant in terms of the geopolitics of the late 18th century. We look at the early campaigns on the frontier between the Colonies and Canada, the troubled politics on both sides of the Atlantic and the 10 different engagements, over five months, that culminated with the British surrender.
This class is offered in conjunction with Osher at William and Mary.
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- Beginning Mah Jongg - Fall 2026
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Fee: $45.00
Item Number: FA26COU17481
Dates: 10/9/2026 - 10/30/2026
Times: 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Days: F
Sessions: 4
Building: Harkin Institute
Room: Boardroom
Instructor: Margie Davidson
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
Want to challenge and exercise your brain by learning a new game? Mah Jongg is a fascinating rummy-like game played with tiles rather than cards. It is a game of skill, strategy and calculation and it involves a certain degree of chance. The four-player table version should not be confused with the tile matching computer game version, which is a recent invention and completely different from the table game. This class will follow the rules of the National Mah Jongg League, using an annually updated card that outlines the standard hands. Learners will work with experienced players during each class session as they learn rules, strategies, and all the challenging aspects of this game.
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- Still We Move: Migration, Memory, and the Making of Black Iowa
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Fee: $45.00
Item Number: FA26COU17501
Dates: 10/12/2026 - 10/26/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Days: M
Sessions: 3
Building: Harkin Institute
Room: Auditorium
Instructor: Abena Sankofa Imhotep
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
This course traces Black movement to Iowa, from early migrations like Buxton and the Great Migration to the ongoing pursuit of justice, stability, and belonging. Across three sessions, we examine how Black Iowans have navigated the Midwest’s contradictions, built community in unlikely spaces, and continuously redefined what it means to call Iowa home, not just in survival, but in resistance, creativity, and vision.
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- Still We Move: Migration, Memory, and the Making of Black Iowa ZOOM
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Fee: $45.00
Item Number: FA26COU17502
Dates: 10/12/2026 - 10/26/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Days: M
Sessions: 3
Building: ZOOM
Room:
Instructor: Abena Sankofa Imhotep
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
This course traces Black movement to Iowa, from early migrations like Buxton and the Great Migration to the ongoing pursuit of justice, stability, and belonging. Across three sessions, we examine how Black Iowans have navigated the Midwest’s contradictions, built community in unlikely spaces, and continuously redefined what it means to call Iowa home, not just in survival, but in resistance, creativity, and vision.
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- The 2026 Mid-Term Elections: Before and After
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Fee: $30.00
Item Number: FA26COU17521
Dates: 10/13/2026 - 10/20/2026
Times: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 2
Building: Harkin Institute
Room: Auditorium
Instructor: Tom Rice
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
The 2026 mid-term elections are shaping up to be among the most important in our nation’s history. This course meets twice: once before the elections to give students a summary of the major campaign issues and themes, and to provide a handy take-home guide to the bellwether races to watch on election night; and once after the election to analyze the results and what they mean for American politics. US House and Senate races will be covered, as well as state and local races here in Iowa.
Tuesday, October 13, and Friday, November 6: 2–3:30 p.m.
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- The 2026 Mid-Term Elections: Before and After ZOOM
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Fee: $30.00
Item Number: FA26COU17522
Dates: 10/13/2026 - 10/20/2026
Times: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 2
Building: ZOOM
Room:
Instructor: Tom Rice
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
The 2026 mid-term elections are shaping up to be among the most important in our nation’s history. This course meets twice: once before the elections to give students a summary of the major campaign issues and themes, and to provide a handy take-home guide to the bellwether races to watch on election night; and once after the election to analyze the results and what they mean for American politics. US House and Senate races will be covered, as well as state and local races here in Iowa.
Tuesday, October 13, and Friday, November 6: 2–3:30 p.m.
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- Farms as Ecosystems: Hope for a New Future?
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Fee: $45.00
Item Number: FA26COU17541
Dates: 10/14/2026 - 10/28/2026
Times: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Days: W F
Sessions: 3
Building: Harkin Institute
Room: Auditorium
Instructor: Thomas Rosburg
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
Growing up in the 1950s or 1960s meant that there was a good chance you lived on a 160 or 240 acre farm. Farming in those days was modeled after natural ecosystems. This class will discuss the value (and arguably the necessity) of farming systems that acknowledge and respect ecological principles. The future of farming may depend on it.
Wednesdays, October 14, 28 and Friday, October 23: 2–3:30 p.m.
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- Farms as Ecosystems: Hope for a New Future? ZOOM
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Fee: $45.00
Item Number: FA26COU17542
Dates: 10/14/2026 - 10/28/2026
Times: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Days: W F
Sessions: 3
Building: ZOOM
Room:
Instructor: Thomas Rosburg
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS CLOSED. This class is already in session.
Growing up in the 1950s or 1960s meant that there was a good chance you lived on a 160 or 240 acre farm. Farming in those days was modeled after natural ecosystems. This class will discuss the value (and arguably the necessity) of farming systems that acknowledge and respect ecological principles. The future of farming may depend on it.
Wednesdays, October 14, 28 and Friday, October 23: 2–3:30 p.m.
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- Rusty Stars Alpacas
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Fee: $0.00
Item Number: FA26COU17571
Dates: 10/21/2026 - 10/21/2026
Times: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Days: W
Sessions: 1
Building: Rusty Stars Alpacas
Room:
Instructor:
THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
Join us for a short road trip to visit Rusty Stars Alpacas located east of Winterset. You will learn about the history of the farm, and hear an overview of the operation while interacting with the alpacas (food is provided if you choose to feed them). These gentle animals provide wonderful fiber and you may choose to browse the lovely alpaca products available in the farm gift shop.
This 20-acre farm welcomes visitors to feed and pet their more than 30 alpacas. The farm’s owners, Aron and Kari Shultz, bought their first two alpacas more than a decade ago. Leaving behind their full-time jobs and relocating to Iowa from Colorado, the couple said they decided to start the farm and make it accessible to the public.
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- The Amazing Osage
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Fee: $0.00
Item Number: FA26COU17591
Dates: 10/22/2026 - 10/22/2026
Times: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 1
Building: Brenton Arboretum
Room:
Instructor: Melissa Burdick
THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
You are invited to discover one of North America’s most curious and charismatic trees. Through engaging visuals, stories, and science, this presentation explores the Osage Orange’s unusual fruit, remarkable strength, deep cultural history, and surprising ecological role. Equal parts informative and playful, it reveals how this often-misunderstood tree has shaped landscapes, supported wildlife, and captured human imagination for centuries—proving that even the strangest trees have extraordinary stories to tell.
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- Uncovering Des Moines’ Hidden Histories - Fall 2026
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Fee: $30.00
Item Number: FA26COU17611
Dates: 10/23/2026 - 10/30/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Days: F
Sessions: 2
Building: Harkin Institute
Room: Auditorium
Instructor: Breann Bye
THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
New time for session 1 on October 23. It will now be at 10 a.m., Friday, October 23. Session 2 will be at 12 p.m.. Friday, October 30.
At the River’s Edge: The Southeast Bottoms and Roadside Settlement House: Before levees, highways, and redevelopment reshaped the southeast side of Des Moines, the area known as the Southeast Bottoms was home to working-class families, immigrant communities, riverfront industry, and one of the city’s most important social reform institutions. This course will explore the history of the Roadside Settlement House, its move to the South Bottom near the Des Moines River, and the women reformers who used settlement work to offer education, recreation, social services, and community connection. Along the way, we’ll examine what this low-lying river district reveals about class, labor, immigration, public health, reform, and the neighborhoods that often shaped Des Moines from the margins.
From Amusement Park to Urban Corridor: The Story of Ingersoll Avenue: Long before Ingersoll Avenue became one of Des Moines’ best-known restaurant, retail, and residential corridors, it was tied to streetcars, early suburban development, and an amusement park near 42nd Street that helped draw people west. This course will trace Ingersoll’s evolution from pleasure destination and streetcar corridor to a fashionable residential address, commercial main street, and modern urban corridor shaped by changing transportation, housing, architecture, business, and neighborhood identity. From Ingersoll Park to the Avenues of today, we’ll look at how one street tells a much larger story about how Des Moines grew, entertained itself, reinvented its neighborhoods, and moved west.
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- POLITICS IN AMERICA: Midterms Mayhem
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Fee: $15.00
Item Number: FA26COU17641
Dates: 10/27/2026 - 10/27/2026
Times: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 1
Building: Harkin Institute
Room: Auditorium
Instructor: Tom Henderson, Doug Gross
THIS CLASS IS FULL. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
Join fellow OLLI at Drake members for an in-depth discussion of the upcoming midterm elections with political experts Doug Gross and Tom Henderson. Drawing on their decades of experience in Iowa politics, they will examine the key races, candidates, campaign issues, and political trends shaping the election. Tom and Doug will share their insignts into the key factors affecting these important midterm election races.
Douglas E. Gross received his BA from Iowa Wesleyan College and his JD from Drake. He is a member of BrownWinick law firm. Doug has extensive campaign experience in Iowa, including involvement in numerous successful gubernatorial, congressional, and state legislative campaigns. Among other positions, he served as chief of staff to Governor Terry Branstad and administrative assistant to Governor Robert D. Ray.
Tom Henderson is a public administration and law graduate of Drake University. While at Drake he served as Student Body President. He practices law at Whitfield & Eddy Law Firm in Des Moines. He has specialized in civil trial practice, and has been peer selected to the American College of Trial Lawyers. He serves as the Grimes City Attorney. Through the Iowa State Bar Association, he served as President of the Young Lawyers Division, and is currently co-chair of the bar’s political action committee, LawPAC. In the Democratic Party, he attended the 1996 and 2000 National Conventions as part of the Iowa Delegation, and served for 19 years as Polk County Democratic Chair.
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