Topics include prairie chickens, quilts, biotech, railroads, resistance, democracy

Winchester Academy’s Winter/Spring 2017 Series will consist of a schedule of eight diverse programs.

• Feb. 6: Peggy Farrell, of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, will present “The Drummer of Love: A Look at Wisconsin’s Greater Prairie Chicken Population.”

• Feb. 20: Nina McVeigh, a master quilter and educator, will present “A Quilt Trunk Show.”

• March 6: Theresa Kaminski, a UW-Stevens Point professor, will present “Angels of the Underground: The American Women Who Resisted the Japanese in the Philippines in World War II.”

• March 20: Tom Zinnen, a UW-Madison biotechnology specialist, will present “Biotechnology & Food: Personal choices & Public Policies.”

• March 27: Ruth Oppedahl, executive director of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, will present “I Heart Wisconsin River Trip.”

• April 10: Sarah Traynor, a paleoanthropologist, will present “Moving forward: The Unique Science and Research Behind the Discovery of Homo Naledi.”

• April 24: Dr. Brett Barker, an associate professor of history at UW-Marathon County, will present “Nothing Like It in the World: The Epic Saga of the Transcontinental Railroad.”

• May 1: Matt Rothschild, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, will present “Making Democracy Work in Wisconsin.”

Winchester Academy is a nonprofit organization administered by a volunteer board of trustees.

Through financial support from individual donors, Winchester brings engaging, informative and educational programs to the community on a wide range of topics from art to zoology, recognizing the love of learning continues throughout life and outside of school walls.

It also gives scholars and other specialists a forum for sharing their knowledge, enthusiasm and expertise.

Free and open to the public, Winchester Academy programs are held on Monday evenings in the downstairs meeting rooms at the Waupaca Area Public Library.

The doors open at 6 p.m., with coffee and cookies served until the program begins at 6:30 p.m.

Programs last about an hour, with opportunities for questions and discussion.

The site is handicap accessible.