Drugs, politics and Bigfoot: Tri-Cities Community Lecture Series has it all

The 22nd annual Tri-Cities Community Lecture Series is off and running, offering a dozen opportunities to learn about everything from the opioid epidemic to Richland history to using science to scrutinize Sasquatch data.

The series is sponsored by Columbia Basin College, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Mid-Columbia Libraries, the Richland Public Library, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Battelle Memorial Institute.

The series launched in September. All lectures are free and open to the public.

Oct. 19

Understanding the Addiction Epidemic

Michele S. Gerber, PhD. will address the current state of public health and what participants can do. 7 p.m., Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive.

Nov. 16

Crazy Politics: Populism, Conspiracy Theories and Paranoia in America

Political Science Professor Cornell Clayton will explore how American politics has become an arena for suspicious and angry minds. 7 p.m., Mid-Columbia Libraries Kennewick branch, 1620 S. Union Ave.

Dec. 21

Dupus Boomer’s PREFABulous Richland

Terry Andre and Connie Estep enlist the 1940s comic figure Dupus Boomer to explore how Richland formed to aid the secret World War II Manhattan Project. 7 p.m., Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive.

Jan. 19

Cycling through Cuban History

Scott Woodward travels the backroads of Cuba, with stops in villages and colonial cities. 7 p.m., Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive.

Feb. 15

The Good Game: On the Moral Value of Sports

Philosopher Mike VanQuickenborne explores the philosophical implications of sports, what they say about our culture and ways in which they can reveal our humanity. 7 p.m., Mid-Columbia Libraries Kennewick branch, 1620 S. Union St.

March 1

The Truth and I: Reading Betty MacDonald in the Age of Memoir

Paula Becker, a journalist and Betty MacDonald biographer, ponders the relationship between nonfiction and memoir. 7 p.m., E. Benton County Historical Society and Museum, 205 Keewaydin Drive, Kennewick.

March 15

Diamonds in the Ether: Tuning In to Northwest Public Radio

Radio historian and broadcaster Feliks Banel revisits the history of radio in Washington using a mix of vintage audio, historic images and storytelling. 7 p.m., Franklin County Historical Society & Museum, 305 N. Fourth, Pasco.

April 19

FIRST IN: US Green Berets in Vietnam, 1957.

Hank Cramer, son of Capt. Harry Cramer, who led the first team of Special Forces advisors to Vietnam, shares the story of the mission and its once-secret details. The elder Cramer was killed in Vietnam in October 1957, becoming the first U.S. Army soldier to die in the war. 7 p.m., Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive.

May 17

Coming Home: How the Humanities Help Soldiers Find Meaning After War

Jeb Wyman leads a talk that shares how men and women who served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan incorporate their experiences and insights from famous writers and philosophers. 7 p.m., Franklin County Historical Society & Museum, 305 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco.

June 21

Sasquatch: Man-Ape or Myth?

Author David George Gordon explores how citizen scientists can use the rules of science to substantiate the Sasquatch’s status. 7 p.m., Mid-Columbia Libraries Kennewick branch, 1620 S. Union St.

For more information, visit columbiabasin.edu/artscenter or call 509-542-5531

This story was originally published September 30, 2017 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Drugs, politics and Bigfoot: Tri-Cities Community Lecture Series has it all."