will arrive next week

The Glimmerglass Creative Learning Center held an open house Friday evening to kick off its first season of classes, which started this week.

The open house was designed to allow members of the public to meet the teachers of the classes and sign up for whichever interests them, said Jillian Bos, one of the six members on the board of directors for the learning center.

Bos said she has been planning for the learning center for nearly two years and has had the idea for much longer.

"This is a great opportunity for the public," Bos said.

The first session of classes, which runs from Oct. 2 through Nov. 22, includes cooking, sewing, writing, jewelry making, flower pressing, knitting, musical instruction, quilting, drawing, pet care, and even dental hygiene classes.

"This is a first for the community," said Scottie Baker, another board member from the center. "We try to keep this very, very affordable. A portion of the proceeds go right back into the learning center."

Baker said some of the profits are used to pay the teachers.

Teacher Theresa Hensley teaches the "Holiday Pressed Flowers" class.

"It is a beginners' class," Hensley said. "But we will focus on making unusual pressed flower projects.

Hensley, who has pressed flowers for years and even presented lectures on them, said pressing has been a hobby of hers since she joined a flower club in Hershey, Pa., where she previously lived. She even grows many of the flowers that she presses.

Karin Svahn's beginners' knitting class was so popular that the class size had to be expanded by two more people. Svahn knits in the traditional European style — she carries the yarn in the left hand instead of the right.

Svahn, who said she has been knitting since she was four, knits for her grandchildren and other family members all the time. Some of her other hobbies include quilting and sewing.

In addition to classes, the learning center will also offer a cyber cafe, featuring two computers with high-speed internet access, a printer, and a scanner. The computers and supplies were donated by Mark and Mikal Sky-Shrewsberry and by Edison Computers in Oneonta. Bos said the cafe was designed for any member of the public who wants to use it. There is no cost to use the cafe, but Bos said donations are accepted. Food and non-alcoholic drinks are also available. The cafe is open now and internet access is expected to be available Oct. 15.

Bos, who also teaches a sewing and cooking class, said she hopes interest in the center will become large enough to allow for some expansion in the future.

"If we see there is more need," Bos said. "We will accommodate. This is a place for the whole family. We even have a piano here for the people to use and it has just been fully-tuned."

Sundays at the cafe will feature a new event each week, starting in November. Events will include a poetry open mike, book discussions, food demonstrations, and musical jam sessions.

The open house was held in the learning center's quaint upstairs Main Street location. Musical entertainment was provided by Angus Mackie, Tom Blatz, and Sandra Peevers.

The learning center, a non-profit organization, has been made possible by private donations, community volunteers, and grant money. The Eggleston Foundation granted the center $2,500 Friday. Baker said the money will be used to pay for operating expenses and materials for the entire center.

In addition, Bos donates all the profits from her catering business, Jilli's Gourmet Road Show, to the center. Bos's catering company also provides the food and drinks for the cafe.

The learning center's office was rented last spring and was fully renovated by volunteers. Materials for the 97-day renovation were donated by local businesses.

Baker said there is still room in most of the classes and people are invited to sign up.

For more information, call (607) 547-9988.