Adventures in Learning
Lifelong Learning at Colby-Sawyer College
Community Spotlight Series
Community Spotlight Series came about to honor AIL's 25th Anniversary. It aims to highlight community connections, AIL partnerships, and the experience of lifelong learning.
Each session is free and open to the public, though space is limited, and registration is required. Times and venues vary; please see details below.
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Please join us to learn more about AIL and each other!
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Community Spotlight Photos, Courtesy of Joan Eaton
2025-26 Community Spotlight Presentations
March 16, 2026
Food for Thought: How Local Farming and Land Conservation Contribute to a Regional Vision
Led by Hans Carlson, Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust
Clements Hall, Ivey Science Center, Colby-Sawyer College, 3:00 PM
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A dramatic shift has taken place in New England’s agricultural landscape and its role in the regional economy. A century ago, farming was still a significant part of New England’s economic sector. Today, just five percent of the region — about two million acres — remains in active farmland, producing only a fraction of the food we consume.
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As development pressures drive up land costs, farmers are increasingly priced out.
The same fertile, well-located land that sustains agriculture is also prime for building — putting the future of local farming at risk.
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This panel will examine the realities facing New England farmers and explore how land conservation can help sustain them — while imagining a future in which the region produces far more of its own food.
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August 20, 2025
From Dogs to Drones: An Inside Look at Search & Rescue in New Hampshire
Presented by Colonel Kevin Jordan, NH Fish and Game
Clements Hall, Ivey Science Center, Colby-Sawyer College, 4:00 PM
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Join us for a behind-the-scenes-look at New Hampshire’s search and rescue missions. Learn how specialty teams are engaged, how missions are initiated and managed, and get a first-hand account of some of our region’s most interesting rescues, as Colonel Kevin Jordan of NH Fish and Game shares stories from his 35-year career.
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March 27, 2025
Henry Phipps Returns to New London
Presented by Bruce Cronin
Lethbridge Lodge, Colby-Sawyer College, 3:00 PM
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From their first performance together at the Follansbee Inn, Bruce Cronin and Babe Sargent gained a reputation entertaining many local audiences. Though Bruce moved out of the area to attend college, he returned in the early seventies, equipped to write, produce and direct films. He enlisted the help of his friend, Babe, and together they created several short, comedic films with local backdrops, crew members and actors. Henry Phipps was their final masterpiece, and it gained national and international attention.
Join us for a screening of Henry Phipps Goes Skiing, the story of a poor soul factory worker who wins a free ski weekend at a “swinging” ski resort, followed by an opportunity to hear from Bruce about the fun and travails experienced in the making of the film.​​​