Upcoming OLLI Travel Opportunities

April 8, 2024: Experience the Solar Eclipse at the Winery

Solar Eclipse Viewing and Wine Tasting

Monday, April 8, 2024

8:00 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Fox Creek Vineyards and Winery, Olney, IL

OLLI Bus Trip. Cost: $40.00 + $5.00 ($60 + $5 for guests) suggested cash for bus driver tip and wine tasting

Limited to 104 people (two buses).

Don’t miss the upcoming total solar eclipse! Join OLLI members on a trip to Olney, IL – a town located in the path of the total solar eclipse – to view the eclipse. During the day, members also will have an opportunity to take part in a tour of the vineyards and winery and sample the wines produced at Fox Creek Vineyards and Winery.

Schedule:   

8:00 a.m.                          Leave M2 building. Andrew Jones will deliver a lecture on solar eclipses on the trip down. (There will be a brief stop halfway for him to change buses.)

10:30 a.m.                       Arrive at Fox Creek Vineyards and Winery

10:45 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.    Tour Vineyards and Winery, View Eclipse, Wine Tasting

3:15 p.m.                         Depart Fox Creek

5:45 p.m.                         Arrive back at M2 building

(All times are approximate, except for the 8:00 a.m. departure time. Please be aware that the ETA back in Champaign assumes no delays. As you likely know, traffic jams were common following the solar eclipse of 2017. After discussing potential scenarios with Dave Leake, we’ve decided to leave our viewing site approximately 15 minutes before the end of the eclipse in an attempt to avoid a similar experience on our return trip.)

Please note: Fox Creek Vineyards and Winery is a local business eager to welcome OLLI members for this special day. They plan to provide live music during times before and after totality and will have a taco stand serving handmade tacos from the Blind Pig caterers. They recommend that you bring your own picnic lunch as well. (Fox Creek does not serve food, and the vineyard is not within walking distance of any local eateries.) You may not bring alcohol onto their grounds. When we arrive at the vineyard, they will meet us at the buses, hand out tasting tickets for wine, and give any last-minute instructions. They will also have commemorative event items, such as T-shirts and large insulated cups, available for sale as souvenirs. OLLI members will need to provide their own food for the day’s excursion. OLLI will provide some basic snacks and water for the bus trip and during the wine tasting.

There are picnic tables at the vineyard, but you might prefer to bring your own chair or blanket for viewing the eclipse. You will also need to provide your own solar eclipse glasses.

Cancel by March 18, 2024: a full refund will be given.
Cancel after March 18, 2024: no refund will be given. Please let OLLI know if you must cancel after March 18, 2024.

April 10-12, 2024: OLLI Spring Break with Caravaggio

OLLI is organizing its first overnight trip since the pandemic. The main event for this spring trip (April 10-12, 2024) is the exhibition at the Toledo Museum of Art. If this museum is new to you, a rave New York Times review of the opening of its Glass Pavilion noted, “Its understated elegance recalls a time when investment in the public realm was still driven by civic pride rather than a lust for tourist dollars. The Glass Pavilion is part of a loosely knit complex that includes the Beaux-Arts-style art museum here and the University of Toledo’s Center for the Visual Arts, designed by Frank Gehry.” And a former New York museum director recently called The Crowning of Saint Catherine “the best Rubens in America,” going on to discuss a couple of Rembrandts hanging nearby and then singling out the strengths of its American collection. All well worth a visit!

You’ll see from the flyer below that we will also tour the Fort Wayne Art Museum on our way to Toledo and the Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library in Indianapolis on our way home!