For $25 a year, Woodlands-area residents 50 and older can take classes in everything from genealogy to culinary arts through Lone Star College's Academy for Lifelong Learning, and the program's next open house at the LSC-University Park campus is Wednesday, August 12.

The open house runs from 10 a.m. to noon in the EMI Building, second floor, at 11521 Compaq Center West Drive. Prospective students can register in person that day or online at any time through LSC's continuing-education portal.

No prerequisites are required.

The program, founded at LSC-Montgomery in 2000, now spans seven campuses. A single $25 annual membership covers all of them: University Park, Cy-Fair, Tomball, Kingwood, Houston North, Montgomery and North Harris. Classes are taught by volunteer instructors.

More than 23 course categories are available, according to LSC's program page, including health and nutrition, computer and technology, history, financial and legal planning, gardening, languages, and world religions. Art, history and culinary courses draw the most students, according to Community Impact, which profiled the program Friday, July 24.

Enrollment across all seven campuses has rebounded past pre-pandemic levels. The program recorded 8,739 students in fall 2024, up from a COVID-era low of 5,010 in spring 2022 and surpassing the spring 2021 figure of 8,111.

Amy Duval, coordinator of the Academy for Lifelong Learning at the Cy-Fair campus, told Community Impact in its July 24 profile that early registration helps secure a spot.

"Once you're retired, a lot of people just don't know what else to do," Duval said. "They don't know where to go to hang out, or they lose contact with some of their friends who are still working. So our goal is to keep them active and help them make new friends and keep them engaged with other people who have similar interests."

Fall semester classes at LSC-University Park begin Monday, August 24. Residents can contact the University Park program at [email protected] or 346-395-3215.