Photo: Jason Boudreau-Landis
SoWashCo Schools Community Education offers curated itineraries to encourage lifelong learning and social engagement.
After just finishing a holiday lights tour, a bus full of travelers participating in a South Washington County (SoWashCo) Schools Community Education program burst into song, wishing one of the participants a happy birthday. The moment sparked laughter, joy and connection.
The group was part of SoWashCo Schools Community Education’s Adults 50+ Trips and Tours program, an effort designed to explore the Metro area and beyond. The curated trips offer an opportunity for participants to experience lifelong learning and social engagement in a supportive, community-based setting. “From single-day outings to multiday trips, we offer a wide variety of experiences that enrich people’s lives,” says Angel Schak, adult education coordinator. “Whether it’s a cultural attraction, a behind-the-scenes experience or a quick getaway, the goal is to make each trip memorable and easy to enjoy.”
The effort allows adults to participate in excursions without the stress of planning or navigating unfamiliar areas of a city. The program started several years ago with a few trips per year but has become so popular that it now offers monthly outings and two overnight trips each year. Schak notes partnerships help make a variety of outings possible. The organization works closely with Rob Halberg, Hastings Community Education coordinator, to plan joint trips.
Guys and Dolls is a grand spectacle of music and comedy to delight audiences of all ages—including Trips and Tours attendees. Photo: Dan Norman Photography
“By sharing a luxury coach bus, both programs can offer monthly day trips and seasonal overnight trips, keeping travel affordable and expanding opportunities to explore new destinations,” Schak says. “We take turns serving as trip leaders, and for especially popular events, like the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, we each run our own bus. Together, we offer a balanced mix of tried-and-true favorites and new experiences each year, including theaters, concerts, outdoor activities, boat and train rides, and sporting events, giving participants plenty of variety to choose from.”
While there is a lot of planning behind the scenes, the effort pays off the moment participants take their seats on the bus. “These trips help older adults stay social, curious and enriched through fun experiences shared with others,” Schak says. “Day bus trips give participants a chance to get out, engage with others and enjoy activities together, often leading to new relationships that extend beyond the trip.”
Elmer, a Trips and Tours participant, says the effort has helped him become more social and make friends. “The tours are wonderful because you don’t have to make reservations or plan an itinerary,” he says. “You meet a lot of interesting people and get to talk to them, hear their life stories and you can share your experiences with them, build friendships and make more friends. [The trips] give you an opportunity to meet people you wouldn’t originally meet.”
Break the Ice
This year’s lineup for SoWashCo Schools Community Education’s Adults 50+ Trips and Tours program includes various activities ranging from day trips and lunches to overnight tours. Adult education coordinator Angel Schak encourages anyone thinking of going on a trip to give it a try. “Let the trip leader know you are new and don’t know anyone, and they will be happy to introduce you to some people to break the ice,” she says.
The next excursion takes participants to Minneapolis for Nobody’s Perfect with a buffet lunch at the Scottish Rite Temple Auditorium on June 11. This performance, written by Simon Williams, follows single dad and aspiring novelist Leonard Loftus on his journey to getting his book published—under a female pen name instead. Learn more at sowashco.ce.eleyo.com.
SoWashCo Schools Community Education
Facebook: South Washington County Schools Community Education
