I love unique opportunities. At Smith Mountain Lake those kinds of opportunities arise regularly it seems. Perhaps wherever you go creative people are doing creative things for the public, but I have certainly never noticed it any more than at Smith Mountain Lake. One of the more interesting things I have encountered recently is the existence of a program called “Elderhostel”.
The W. E. Skelton 4-H Educational Conference Center at Smith Mountain Lake has been hosting Elderhostel courses since 1989 and to date, they have organized and led over 60 diverse educational experiences utilizing the Center’s modern lodging and conference facilities. Elderhostel is America’s first and largest, education/travel organization dedicated to serving people 55 and older. At the core of their programs is an academic component designed to stimulate thinking and increase knowledge. The real value, however, which keeps participants coming back year after year – is the opportunity to share these academic, field trips and social experiences with other like-minded individuals.
The 4-H Center offers two varied Elderhostel programs – the “regular length” program – six days and five nights – and a “short course” version which covers four days and three nights. Students have come from across the country – from California to Florida – to enjoy and participate in courses such as the following: Great Trials of the 20th Century, Thundering Rails: The History of Railroads in America, Trails Across America, Ghost Stories of Virginia, Comedy in Film and Lewis and Clark. Lake area residents are welcome to attend Elderhostel courses as “commuters” and several have done so in the last few years.
We welcome inquiries concerning our adult education programs and we would be happy to assist you in deciding which courses would match your educational needs and interests. For more information about our Elderhostel courses or Center classes for area residents, please contact Dennis Crowley, Adult Program Coordinator at (540)721-2759 ext. 264 or email dcrowley@vt.edu.
For more info. contact the W.E. Skelton 4-H Educational Center.