Our free programs are on Mondays beginning at 6:30 PM.
If cancellation is required, an announcement will be made on
Lakes 92.7FM, WILW 96.3FM and Facebook.
OUR MISSION
Winchester Academy’s mission is to enrich the community by providing free, intellectually stimulating, informative, and engaging programs.
The name "Winchester Academy" implies a building and physical structure, but there is none. The Academy is a voluntary organization with a Board of Trustees comprised of area citizens that fosters lifelong learning based on ideas originating in Scandinavian folk academies. The Academy offers, on average, twenty-five programs annually. There is no membership required for attendance at programs. All are FREE of charge and open to the general public. Programs are usually held at the Waupaca Area Public Library on Monday evenings at 6:30. Other venues and days of the week are occasionally used for special seminars and musical programs (e.g., churches, or other sites that can accommodate larger crowds). Some programs might include controversial subject matter, but the Academy takes no position and seeks to provide balanced and reliable information.​
Summer 2025
Program Information
June 23, 2025
6:30 pm
Waupaca Area Public Library Meeting Rooms
Are you Lonesome Tonight?
Unraveling the Mystery and Menace of loneliness
Speaker: Thomas Aldworth, Retired Pastor, Author, counselor, and a current adjunct instructor in philosophy
Thomas Aldworth is a retired pastor, an award-winning author, a licensed counselor, and a current adjunct instructor in philosophy. We’re in the midst of what has been termed “An Epidemic of Loneliness” according to the U.S. Surgeon General. But what exactly is loneliness? Do we know it when we see it or when we experience it? In this presentation, Thomas examines loneliness from both a psychological and a philosophical perspective. What does loneliness want to teach us? Aldworth will also explore a few self-defense tactics for when this perennial stalker, loneliness, comes knocking at our door!
This program is sponsored by Rich and Florence Dittle.
July 14, 2025
6:30 pm
Waupaca Area Public Library Meeting Rooms
Hearing Advice
to Make you
(and your ears) Smile!
Speaker: Dr. Juliëtte Sterkens, Audiologist
Hearing loss is a common issue of aging that is usually associated with increasing difficulties with understanding speech in the presence of background noise. Hearing aids have significantly improved in recent decades, but they have limits, especially in public facilities where background noise and distance can interfere with speech clarity. This informative program takes a deep dive into hearing, hearing loss, hearing aids, why hearing in noise is challenging, and explains how the Americans with Disabilities Act can help. Learn about Best Practices in hearing care and the types of technologies available to help overcome hearing aid limitations. Become an informed consumer to get the hearing care and technology that fits your needs and budget.
This program is sponsored by Susan Martin.
July 21, 2025
6:30 pm
Waupaca Area Public Library Meeting Rooms
Wisconsin for Kennedy:
How the Wisconsin Primary changed the election Trajectory
Speaker: B.J. Hollars, Professor and Author
​
Hollars is a prolific author and a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. When John F. Kennedy ran for president in 1960, he did something no candidate had done before: he leveraged the power of state primaries to win his party’s nomination. Kennedy’s first battleground state? Wisconsin—a state that would prove more arduous, more exhausting, and more crucial to winning the presidency than any other. Hollars brings to life the stories behind JFK’s history-making 1960 Wisconsin primary campaign and how Kennedy’s team managed to outmaneuver his politically seasoned opponent, Hubert Humphrey. He chronicles JFK’s nail-biting Wisconsin win by drawing on rarely cited oral histories from the eclectic team of people who worked together to make it happen.
This program is sponsored by Denny and Cindy Wandtke.
