Travelogues are vehicle to world travel
Written by Judy Pfaffenberger | | jpfaffenberger@toledofreepress.comTravelogues are certainly not the most popular form of entertainment, but they can be valuable to a certain segment of the population. For those who can’t afford to travel, they are an inexpensive vehicle to see our country and the world. For those who like to travel, they can suggest new destinations and impart much practical information. For those whose traveling days might be over, they can bring back many wonderful memories.
For the next three months Toledoans will be blessed with just such an opportunity and it’s all free. Metroparks of Toledo Area and Hostelling International (HI) are sponsoring the Travel Circle series. If you are familiar with HI, you know it especially promotes hiking, biking and staying in hostels. Although some of the programs might feature some of those activities, they are generally more wide-ranging. They take place at several Metroparks (listed below) on Saturdays at 2:15 p.m. Refreshments are even free. If you are more ambitious, you can arrive at 1 p.m. and walk a few miles (or maybe cross country ski if snow) with a group, but that certainly is not required.
Jan. 8: Westward Ho! Western Canyons and Beautiful Vistas — Tim Kreps (Wildwood, Metroparks Hall)
Jan. 15: Alaska by Land and Sea — Jan and Gary Samples (Secor Room)
Jan. 22: African Affirmation in Namibia — Laura Schetter (Wildwood, Metroparks Hall)
Jan. 29: Bicycle Tour of Four National Parks in Utah — Larry Lindsay (Oak Openings Lodge)
Feb. 5: New Year’s in Switzerland — Jack McBride (Wildwood Metroparks Hall)
Feb. 12: Europe A (Azores) to Z (Zeebruges) — Judy Pfaffenberger (Secor Metropark)
Feb. 19: Egypt, Land of the Pharaohs — Bill Potvin (Wildwood, Metroparks Hall)
Feb. 26: Rome, Journey to the Eternal City — Connie Bauer (Oak Openings Lodge)
March 5: Zambian Habitat for Humanity: Adventure, Victoria Falls and Botswana Safari — Al Thompson (Side Cut, Lamb Center)
March 12: Community Organizing in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary —Dave Beckwith (Secor Metropark)
March 19: Vibrant Vietnam — Judy Pfaffenberger (Wildwood Metroparks Hall)
March 26: West Coast on a Bike from Vancouver to San Diego — Dick Hayes (Oak Openings Lodge)
The Maumee Library, the Way Public Library in Perrysburg and the Sylvania Branch library also present travel and cultural programs from time to time.
It is sad that this is all Toledo has to offer in terms of regularly scheduled travelogues. I grew up on programs of this nature and that is probably one reason that I have always loved to travel. When I outgrew “The Howdy Doody Show,” we switched to the “George Pierrot World Adventure Series on Detroit’s Channel 4.” It was on for an hour Monday through Friday at 5 p.m. We could travel the world every weekday evening as we ate our supper. (Except that my dad had to spend the first part of most shows trying to turn the antenna to get decent reception. I grew up thinking that many places had much more snowfall than they really did.)
For several years when I was in grade school, I went with my mother to the Meeting House Series at First Congregational Church to see some of the professionals that we knew from the “World Adventure Series” like my favorites Stan Midgley and Don Cooper. Then for a few years there was a Sunday afternoon travel series at the Commodore Perry Hotel. The last regular series of professional travelogues was sponsored by the West Toledo Kiwanis clubsand held at the University of Toledo Adult Education Center.
The only professional travelogues currently presented in our area are sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Tecumseh and held at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts, 400 N. Maumee St. in Tecumseh. The cost is $5 and they begin at 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 11: Texas Highways and Byways — Dale Johnson.
Feb. 8: Wales: Land of Song —Montie Brown.
March 8: Barbados: Island in the Sun — Steve Gonser.
April 12: Yellowstone’s Trails and Tales – Sandy Mortimer.
E-mail travel columnist Judy Pfaffenberger at letters@toledofreepress.com.
