Central RED Society offers an impressive schedule of programs for this spring that are open to the public. Details about each event are available at central.edu/red.
Local authors Marijka Michmershuizen and Carol Van Klompenberg will discuss their book “There is Blessing in the Battle” on Thursday, Feb. 5, with lunch served at 11:30 a.m. and the program to follow in the Dave ’61 and Ardie Sutphen ’64 Common Room, Central College’s Graham Annex. The cost is $15.
Union Street Players Community Theatre provides a stage for local talent to shine, offering a wide variety of high-quality performances. Tom Vander Well, Union Street Players president, actor, director, producer and playwright, will present the history and an overview of Pella’s community theater group on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. and the program will follow in the Graham Annex. The cost is $15.
Local historian Lisa Jaarsma Zylstra, retired fifth grade teacher and 1991 Central graduate, and Lauryn Venema, Class of 2026 Central student and history club president, researched 44 families (178 individuals) who immigrated to the Pella area after World War II. Zylstra and Venema will discuss the challenges faced by the immigrants and their impact on Pella on Thursday, March 12. Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. and the program will follow at 6 p.m. in the Graham Annex. The cost, which includes the meal, is $20
Walk back in time with Connie Van Bolen, retired Mahaska County treasurer and local historian, who will present the brief history of Iowa’s largest coal mining camp known as “Buxton,” located in Monroe County, Iowa. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 9, and the program will follow in the Graham Annex. The cost is $15.
Randy Rolffs and Winona Van Berkum, Central Class of 2026, will present a program honoring Native American culture, history and archeology, especially Pella’s Big Rock Park, the surrounding area and southeast Iowa. The program will be Tuesday, April 21, with lunch served at 11:30 a.m. and the program will follow in the Graham Annex. The cost is $15.
CSI: Marion County comes to Central RED with the Marion County Medical examiners and medicolegal death investigators on Tuesday, May 19. Shannon Remmington, M.D., Dale Lensing, M.D., Dawn Bender, Tracey Hall, Marv Vander Wiel and Teri Van Kooten will discuss their unique and little-known role in Marion County. Learn as they describe how their work integrates with local and state authorities, as well as the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s office. Dinner at 5:30 p.m. and the program will follow at 6 p.m. in the Graham Annex. The cost, which includes the meal, is $20.
The Central RED (Ready to Engage and Discover) Society is a private 501c3 volunteer-supported organization open to all persons who seek opportunities for lifelong learning. Central RED offers an environment of sharing and fellowship that provides opportunities for intellectual, social, and cultural stimulation and growth.
Members pay a $20 per person annual membership fee to be a part of Central RED. Memberships run from June 1 through May 31 each year. New members are welcome throughout the year; membership fee is not prorated. Five to eight classes or events will be held every fall and spring. When the class or event includes a meal, a fee is charged for the meal.
If you have any questions, please contact centralredsociety@gmail.com. If you would like to become a member of Central RED and attend some of the programs, please send your mailing address to: centralredsociety@gmail.com and you will be mailed a sign-up form to complete and return with a check to Central RED Society, P.O. Box 152, Pella, IA 50219.
