Registration is underway for East Mississippi Community College’s Learning in Our Neighborhood, or LION program, which provides adult residents the opportunity to take noncredit courses on a wide range of topics.

The classes run from Oct. 7 to Nov. 15.

Most of the classes meet once a week for six weeks at various locations throughout Columbus. Enrollees pay a nominal $35 fee to cover registration costs, which entitles them to take up to three classes per term. Additional classes cost $10 each.

“A lot of people who took some of the classes last semester said they had a really positive experience and they are happy that EMCC is offering this program,” said EMCC English instructor Marilyn Ford, who is heading up the program.

The classes run the gamut from Medicinal Herbs, in which participants will learn about natural medicines, to Yoga and iPhone Pointers.

New this semester are three classes in which participants will only meet once during the semester. These include Christmas Ornament Painting class taught by EMCC art instructor Cindy Buob ($10); a Medicare Seminar that consists of a complete overview of Medicare Health Insurance ($10); and Grassroots Candles, in which participants will learn how to make their own holiday candle. The cost of the latter class is $10, plus $25 for candle making materials.

One special class that will be offered this semester is titled “The Columbus Bicentennial and the History of the Upper Tombigbee Valley,” which will be taught by Rufus Ward, along with Carolyn Kaye and Gary Lancaster. The class that will explore the beginnings of Columbus will take place at the Stephen D. Lee Home & Historical Society Museum in Columbus and is being co-hosted by the Lee Foundation and the Columbus and Lowndes County Historical Society.

The class will be limited to 25 participants and registrants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

The classes are taught by volunteers who are knowledgeable in their respective fields.

“The classes are a great way for people to keep their minds and bodies active and stay connected to the community,” Ford said. “One of our main purposes of the program is to provide residents an opportunity to be lifelong learners.”

Email learninginourneighborhood@eastms.edu for more information or to sign up for classes.

Below is a list of available classes, meeting times, locations and the names of the instructors. (Note: All classes are in Columbus.)

• History of Christmas Carols; Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, Mondays at 10 a.m., EMCC Lion Hills Center, 2331 Military Road, instructor Glenn Lautzenhiser

• Yoga, Mondays at 2 p.m., Bliss Yoga Studio, 425 Main Street, instructor Laura Vernon

• iPhone Pointers, Tuesdays at 11 a.m., Golden Triangle Development Center (Bingo Hall), 1522 Gardner Blvd., instructor Kelvin Young

• “The Tempest,” A Renaissance Drama, Tuesdays at 2 p.m., EMCC Lion Hills Center, 2331 Military Road, instructor Marilyn Ford

• The Columbus Bicentennial and the History of the Upper Tombigbee Valley, Tuesdays at 4 p.m., Stephen D. Lee Home & Historical Society Museum, 316 7th Street North, instructor Rufus Ward

• Medicinal Herbs, Tuesdays at 6 p.m., EMCC Lion Hills Center, 2331 Military Road, instructor Robert White

• Your Great Transformation, life habits for healthy living, Wednesdays at 11 a.m., EMCC Lion Hills Center, 2331 Military Road, instructor Diane Malone

• Knitting, Thursdays at 9 a.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in the Parish Hall at 318 College St., instructor Patty Keffer

• Stretch, Breathe, Relax, Thursdays at 11 a.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in the Parish Hall at 318 College St., instructor Patty Keffer

• Adult Ballet, Thursdays at 11 a.m., Ballet Columbus studio, Covenant Presbyterian Church, 515 Lehmberg Road, instructor Laura Beth Berry

• Wine Appreciation, Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. for four nights, EMCC Lion Hills Center, 2331 Military Road, instructor Daniel Harrell. Must be 21 to register. (Note: There is a $50 fee to enroll in this class to cover the cost of the wine, cheeses and hors d’oeuvres.)

• Journalism and Radio Broadcast, Fridays at 3 p.m., meets in the EMCC radio station, classroom T1-A on EMCC’s Golden Triangle campus, 8731 S. Frontage Road, instructor Don Rodney Vaughan.

Here are classes that will be offered once:

• Medicare Seminar, Oct. 3 at 9 a.m. to noon and again at 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Both classes are the same so participants only need register for one session. EMCC Student Union Building, room 507 on the college’s Golden Triangle campus.

• Christmas Ornament Painting, Nov. 10 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Open to all ages. Meets in the EMCC Humanities and Fine Arts Building on the college’s Golden Triangle campus with arts instructor Cindy Buob.

• Grassroots Candles, Nov. 21, at 6:30 p.m., Grassroots Candles, 127 N. 5th St.