BY LORI WILLIAMS

Special to The Pilot

Community education at Sandhills Community College seeks to facilitate the learning and participation of adults in the region to improve their lives through community enrichment and Center for Creative Retirement courses and programs.

There are 28 new course offerings slated for fall in community education.

Get into the beat in the introduction to ballroom dancing and also Introduction to salsa and merengue dancing on Wednesday evenings beginning Sept. 21 for only $60.

For only $35, advance your piano knowledge with beginning and intermediate piano courses beginning Sept. 8. Both challenging and rewarding is learning a new language. Explore Mandarin Chinese in the beginning conversation course for only $35 plus textbook, Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. beginning Sept. 20.

For those who are interested in the opera, enroll in “An Opera Adventure” for only $30 plus textbook costs beginning Oct. 31 on Mondays from 2 to 5 p.m. Each class starts with a discussion before viewing the opera highlights.

If cooking is more your hobby, don’t miss out on the Chinese culinary offerings on Mondays from 4 to 6:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 12. Several different cooking styles are offered, from Northern Chinese to Sichuan to Cantonese. All classes are $50.

A new fiction writing workshop for only $35 may be your forte. This workshop begins on Sept. 21 and will be held on Wednesdays from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

If you enjoy crafts or if you are interested in a particular hobby, there are two new offerings this fall, including “Creative Sewing: The Basics” and “Creative Sewing: Make a Simple Skirt” where ­students learn basic stitches on their own sewing machines. These classes meet on Tuesdays beginning Oct. 4 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The course fee is only $30.

Holiday floral arranging is another new offering beginning Oct. 3, on Mondays from 6 to 9 p.m. A small fee of $35 will make sure you are decoration-ready for the holidays.

A new class in home wiring basics is designed to teach the homeowner how to make basic electrical repairs, install receptacles and light switches with proper wiring techniques and how to safely work on electrical installations. It meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 6-22 from 1 to 4 p.m. The course fee is $35.

Register at least one week prior to the starting date. Classes may fill and prohibit further enrollment or may be cancelled if enrollment is low.

Walk-in registration is at the Continuing Education office located on the first floor of Van Dusen Hall during the college’s scheduled hours of operation. Phone-in registration to (910) 695-3980, requires payment with Visa, MasterCard, or Discover.

There is no fee waiver for Community Enrichment classes. If textbooks are required, they are available in the Logan Bookstore located in the Dempsey Student Center. Fees are waived for Creative Retirement courses for those 65 and older.

View the diverse Community Education offerings, course durations and the entire fall semester schedule at www.sandhills.edu/coned.

Lori Williams is the director of Community Education and Outreach at Sandhills Community College.