Earth being held

Harper College: Onward and Upward

In the third of her five-part series “Why I’m Optimistic”, Myra Loris looks at the many ways in which science, technology, and protection of the environment have accelerated as priorities in contemporary America, often in the face of opposition and deregulation. She will discuss advances in space and medicine, the fight against climate change and much more!

Tiny Footprint Tango Tour

This is an argentine tango concert by the billboard top 10 musicians of Cuarteto Tanguero. Bandoneon player Ben Bogart and pianist Winnie Cheung explore an expressive range of tango music. “When we take the stage, our job is to transport you to a different place: wherever ‘tango’ is for you,” Winnie explains. The duo performs pieces from tango’s formative years in Argentina in the 1920s and the later “Big Tango” sound of the Golden Age, as well as the European and American dance repertoire influenced by pre-war tango dance craze. For all that history, tango is also a contemporary world art, so the duo is just as likely to play pieces composed last year.

Couple holding sold sign in front of home

Moving Made Easy!

Don’t let the act of moving stand in the way of living your best life! The Garlands relocation experts will help you sell your current home – without the stress and with outstanding results. Plus leave the packing, moving and unpacking to us! Find out how to get a jump on the Spring real estate market at our “Moving Made Easy” seminar.

Couple holding sold sign in front of home

Moving Made Easy!

Don’t let the act of moving stand in the way of living your best life! The Garlands relocation experts will help you sell your current home – without the stress and with outstanding results. Plus leave the packing, moving and unpacking to us! Find out how to get a jump on the Spring real estate market at our “Moving Made Easy” seminar.

Harper College: A Child Shall Lead Them with Myra Loris

In the second of her five-part series “Why I’m Optimistic,” Myra Loris takes a look at the prominence of young people as agents of social change and expanded equality both past and present. Topics include the Children’s March of 1903, the Children’s Crusade of 1963, the “Never Again” March of 2018, and much more. She breaks down trends and events in contemporary American life that encourage optimism;in short, why we have reasons to be optimistic.

The Amazing Adventure of Bertha Benz (and the history of the German automobile)

Porsche, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes Benz have millions of fans all over the world and are synonymous with the quality and success of German engineering. Hardly anyone knows, however, that the history of the automobile’s origin is, to a great extent, due to Bertha Benz, a young mother of five, who, in a secret attempt to visit her mother, became the first human being to drive an automobile over a long distance. Join German historian Anette Isaacs, M.A., as she introduces you to Bertha Benz who was born 170 years ago and who truly changed the world with her history-making adventure!

Crockpot

Winter Crockpot Cooking Demo and Tasting

Ann Wayne, an instructor at One Life Kitchen in Barrington and recently of the Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge, will demonstrate two easy and delicious crockpot recipes, one for a soup and one for a stew. These recipes can also be made in standard stove-top pots. Delicious tasting at the end.

Evening Concert with Chris Colletti

Singer Entertainer Chris Colletti keeps the music of the Big Band Era alive as he takes you on a journey back to a sweeter, simpler time … when a song and its lyrics really meant something. They touched us…many times so deeply that we will forever hold them close to our hearts. Chris’s energy and enthusiasm, style, lyrical interpretation, and powerful vocal styling
make his date here a don’t miss an hour of enjoyment.

coffee mugs

Pop-Up Shop: Valentine Hugs and Mugs

GiGi’s Playhouse runs free therapeutic, educational, and career-oriented programs for children and adults with developmental
disabilities. Their mission is to change the way the world views Down Syndrome. This Pop-Up Shop will feature the personalized
gifts sold in their retail shop. GiGi’s looks forward to spreading some love here at The Garlands.

Tea and cookies

The Garlands Holiday Tea

The holiday tradition continues with an assortment of tasty teas, a selection of tea sandwiches, sweet mini-pastries, and, of course, scones and lemon curd. The Nutcracker dancers will dazzle and Snow Queens and Sugar Plums while guests sip, nibble and savor the season.

Holiday singers

Silver Bells and THE DIAMONDS

It’s A Doo-Wop Holiday! The Diamonds’ newly revamped holiday show, Silver Bells and Diamonds, will have you out of your seat with high-energy favorites. Then the foursome sing a Christmas medley and then classic tunes from the 50’s and early 60’s, including their biggest hit, Little Darlin’, all featuring their signature harmony-filled vocals and always-entertaining stage presence. Last summer the Diamonds performed here to rave reviews.

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor- A Day of Infamy

December 7, 1941: the event that propelled the United States into the Second World War. Battlefield expert and author Robert Mueller reviews why and how the Japanese almost wiped out the American Pacific Fleet in one fell swoop. Using the individual stories of men who responded to the attack, Mr Mueller presents the tactics and consequences of the most treacherous assault ever launched upon American soil. The program ends with a review of surviving relics and, appropriately, a visit to National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Margret Thatcher

The Mystery of Living – Packing for Syria with Agatha Christie

You are in the room with prolific British “Queen of Crime” author, Agatha Christie, creator of such famous detectives as Hercule Poirot, the eccentric Belgian, and English spinster Miss Jane Marple. Ms. Christie will enjoy a career spanning more than 50 years, and her work will sell into the billions. But today the year is 1949, and you have come to keep her company at her home in Devon. Agatha Christie is going away, and she has some things to tell you. Betsey Means, who recently brought us children’s advocate Mother Jones, animates the Queen of Crime.

Why It Matters: Infrastructure

Harper College instructor Myra Loris explores the current state of US infrastructure and when, historically, we have successfully mastered the infrastructure challenges that an expanding nation required. She will examine the Transcontinental Railroad, the Erie Canal, the WPA, the Federal Highway Program and more.

Piano player

Roderick Demmings Jr.

A child prodigy, Rod began playing the songs he heard at church on his parents’ piano … while he was in preschool! By age 12 he performed at Carnegie Hall, and before his 20th birthday he performed for Pope Francis in the Vatican. Rod will perform a varied program—from Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald to Nat King Cole and American Songbook classics—for Garlands guests.

liquor bottles

Prohibition

From 1920 to 1933 the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution prohibited the public sale or consumption of alcohol. During those fourteen years our country struggled to manage the largest social engineering experiment we ever attempted. We had good intentions but experienced many unintended negative consequences: we limited government income and supported a system that promoted the rise of organized crime. Join Professor Gary Midkiff for an examination of the intense national lobbying effort launched by the Anti Saloon League, the gallant effort of the Untouchables, and the political careers affected by support for the “Wets” or the “Drys”. You’ll also learn where the phrase “There is no such thing as a free lunch” started.

Painting of bearded man

Claude Monet: His Influencers and Influences

We’ll look at those who influenced Oscar-Claude Monet, his work, and the influence his work had on successive generations of artists. Instructor Debra Levie of Art Alive Programming will also examine the impact of impressionism on neo-impressionism, postimpressionism, fauvism, cubism, and The Blue Rider.