Masthead
August 12, 2014
Executive Director Update
 
The Mill City Commons Board of Directors meets tomorrow afternoon for its monthly board meeting. I encourage you to get to know the board and let them know your ideas, thoughts and opinions for making Mill City Commons the best it can be. Members are welcome and encouraged to join us at 4:00pm Wednesday for an Open Forum. For details including times and location, click here.
The September calendar has just been published thanks to a busy Program Committee! You'll find a PDF of the calendar with details under MCC Upcoming Events. I hope to see you at one of them soon!  -- Linnea
Men's Coffee and Conversation 
Thursday, August 14, 7:30 - 8:30 am
Elsie's Restaurant, 729 Marshall St NE

Coffee and camaraderie for the male members of MCC! This group meets every other Thursday and is hosted by various members who get the conversation going.  This week's conversation leader is Bill Davnie who would like to hear about others' experiences as grandfathers.  Have you moved to be closer, or encouraged adult children to move closer?  Have you connected with grandchildren as they have grown?

 

Men MCC Members sign up here; Guests email MCC.

Sunday Salad Soiree
Sunday, August 17, 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Carlyle Community Room, 100 3rd Ave S
Join your friends and neighbors for the MCC Sunday Salad Soiree hosted by Bill and Charlotte Davnie.  Each member can contribute to the potluck by bringing an appetizer, hearty salad, bread, or dessert, and your own beverage. As you register, let us know what you will bring by responding to the "Question."  

MCC members sign up here.
Nosy Neighbor Tour:  Union Depot
Tuesday, August 19, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Union Depot, 214 Fourth St E, St. Paul
Join us for an 11:00 am Nosy Neighbor Tour of St. Paul's historic Union Depot. Members can choose to catch a 10:00 am train on Metro Transit's Green Line to the end of the line or take your own transportation.  We will learn about the building's use over time, how crews restored the structure to its original splendor, and how a commitment to sustainability and green building practices led to Union Depot's certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). You will be on your feet for the whole 60 minutes. Tour is the equivalent of walking approximately 4 blocks. Union Depot does not provide wheelchairs, but you may bring your own.

 

MCC members sign up here.

Movie and Discussion: Alive Inside 
Tuesday, August 19, Movie 4:45-6:00pm; Discussion 6:30-8:00pm   
Movie: Edina Cinema Landmark Theater, 3911 West 50th Street, Edina
Discussion: Karla Ekdahl and Peter Hutchinson's home, 1621 Mount Curve
Attend a screening of Alive Inside, an award-winning documentary film, and join neighbors for a conversation after the film.  The film focuses on Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization "Music and Memory," who discovered that for people with memory loss, favorite songs are intact in a part of the brain that is still alive when all other communication and awareness seem irretrievably lost.  Watch as music makes blank faces and somber visages erupt into joy.  Meet for cheese, wine, and discussion after the film at the home of MCC members Karla Ekdahl and Peter Hutchinson.  MSP Film Society's Executive Director will kick off the discussion. 
 
MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.

Social Bridge

Wednesday, August 20, 3:00 - 5:00 pm

Stone Arch Lofts Community Room, 600 S 2nd St

Join advanced or intermediate bridge players for a round of social bridge.  You are expected to come with a partner at your level.  (Advanced players play all major conventions comfortably).  If you need help finding a partner, contact Carol Jordan at 612-817-0466 or caroljordan@millcitycommons.org and she will assist you.  Play beings immediately at 3:00 pm.

 

Members sign up here; Guests email MCC. 

Our Turn:  A Conversation for Women 
Thursday, August 21, 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Lourdes Square, 174 Bank St SE
MCC women, you are invited to attend Our Turn:  A Conversation for Women.

Hosts Beverly Fitzgerald and Sonia Cairns have invited Ann Manning, Women's Congress for Future Generations, to lead the discussion this week.  Do recent headlines about the environment concern you?  Do you sometimes think there is nothing we can do about climate change, toxic chemicals in our water, soil and air - and then, in our food, in our bodies? Do you worry about the bees, the butterflies and the birds? The risks to our water from mining, fracking, pipelines and trains? What kind of world are we leaving to future generations?  Join us for this critical conversation.  


Women MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
Nosy Neighbor Tour:  MN Opera Center
Tuesday, August 26, 3:30 - 4:45 pm
Minnesota Opera Center, 620 N First St
In 1990, the Minnesota Opera Center renovated three warehouse buildings, totaling 50,000 square feet. Come see the scenic shop, costume shop, rehearsal hall, coaching rooms, administrative offices, and the storage facilities for scenery and costumes.  The expanded space has enabled the Opera to build a majority of its own productions, as well as build productions for other opera companies across the United States.  We hope to catch a rehearsal while we're touring the building!

Members sign up here.
Last Tuesday Happy Hour
Tuesday, August 26, 5:00-6:00 pm
Join us for the Last Tuesday Happy Hour. Catch up with friends and neighbors over drinks and small bites. Dutch treat - no reservations required!  Anne and Tom Carrier host at Jax Cafe.  If you'd like to stay for dinner after Happy Hour, make a reservation directly with Jax Cafe by calling (612) 789-7297.

 

Members and guests welcome.  No reservations required!

News from Members

Are you an aspiring filmmaker?  MCC member Merle Minda suggests you submit an entry into the Mississippi Minute Film Festival.  The idea is to inspire, inform, and energize others in how the river can enliven our city in just 60 seconds!  For details, click here.

Do you have old home movies or photos that you'd like to be able to look at on your computer?  MCC member Peg Kavaney has found a local business, Memories Renewed, who specializes in digitally preserving video and photo memories.  Contact information can be found in our First Stop Guide/Service Providers/Computer Services on the MCC website.
Around Town

 

Out on a Limb Dance Company

August 19 & 20, 7:30 pm, The Lab Theater, 700 First St N

Enjoy a fun and energetic evening of dance from Broadway show-stoppers:  Kinky Boots, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Legally Blonde, and Newsies.  General admission tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door.

 

Two Gardens

August 23, public reception, 6:00-9:00 pm, Exhibit runs from August 21-September 20, Whitney Square Building, 210 N 2nd St, Suite 104

Form+Content Gallery presents an exhibition of new paintings by Joyce Lyon.  The exhibition juxtaposes works inspired by distinctly different gardens.  Two gardens, 2000 years apart, through the eyes of one artist.  The exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public.  

 

Minneapolis Duathlon

August 24, 5:00 am - 12:00 pm, downtown and West River Parkway

Cheer on the Duathlon racers running and biking along the riverfront!  Please note that there are parking restrictions and road closures in effect all day.  Click here for a map of road closures. 

 

Mill City Times

It's a metro website devoted specifically to our neighborhood and a place to go to find out what's happening, whether it's a new restaurant opening, a local event, proposed construction, etc.  Check it out at MillCityTimes.com. 

MCC Upcoming Events 
View the August Calendar here
View the September Calendar here

 

August 13:  Rendezvous on 5.  No reservations required.

August 13:  MCC Board of Directors Meeting.  Members click here.

August 14:  Men's Coffee and Conversation.  Members click here.  Guests email MCC.

August 17:  Sunday Salad Soiree.  Members click here.  

August 19:  Nosy Neighbor Tour:  Union Depot.  Members click here.

August 19:  Alive Inside.  Members click here.  Guests email MCC.

August 20:  Rendezvous on 5.  No reservations required.

August 20:  Social Bridge. Members click here.  Guests email MCC.

August 21:  Our Turn:  A Conversation for Women.  Members click here.  Guests email MCC.

August 26:  Nosy Neighbor Tour:  MN Opera Center.  Members click here.  

August 26:  Last Tuesday Happy Hour.  No reservations required.

August 27:  Rendezvous on 5.  No reservations required.

August 28:  Men's Coffee and Conversation.  Members click here.  Guests email MCC.
Ongoing Member-Led Activities

 

Men's B&B Lunch
Elsie's Restaurant,
729 Marshall St NE
Alternating Thursdays at 11:30 am
This casual, dutch treat lunch alternates weeks with Men's Coffee and Conversation. No reservations required! Questions? Contact  Allan Burdick

MCC Bike Riders 

Meet at Washburn/

Stone Arch  

parking lot 

Tuesday and Friday mornings at 7:00 am

 Several MCC members meet to bike a couple mornings during the summer. The ride covers about 12 miles in a little more than an hour.

For more details and to join the riders, please contact Ellen Breyer.  

 

MCC Ongoing Social Opportunities

 

Rendezvous

Readers' Book Chat
1st Wednesday of the month
Guthrie Theater Level 5 Express
   No reservations required.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Rendezvous on 5

Wednesdays

Guthrie Theater Level 5 Express

Drop in and join your friends and neighbors for fellowship at this neighborhood haunt.  This weekly adventure requires no reservations!

 

Men's Coffee and Conversation  

Elsie's Restaurant,

729 Marshall Street NE

Caffeine and camaraderie for the male members of MCC! This group meets every other Thursday morning and is hosted by various members who get the conversation going.

Our Turn: A Conversation for Women 

Relax and chat with other MCC women. This group meets every other week and alternates between morning and afternoon times. Look for details in the body of this newsletter.

 

 

MCC Ongoing Fitness Opportunities


SBS Class

                            Thursdays

2:00-3:00pm
501FIT,
501 Washington Avenue
Created exclusively for MCC, this class at 501F1T focuses on strength, balance, and stretching. 
First time participants, please contact 501F1T at 612-767-4415 and arrive 20 minutes early to complete paperwork. Cost varies depending on commitment.

  

  River Walkers

Tuesdays and Thursdays,

7:30-8:30am

Stone Arch Lofts Riverside Parking Lot

All level of walkers welcome for this early morning walk along the banks of the Mississippi River. An MCC volunteer leads each walk.

  

Hatha Yoga

Wednesdays and Fridays,

8:00-9:15am

Yoga Center Minneapolis, 212 3rd Ave N., Suite 205

This is an alignment-based class. Purchase a 12-class pass for $132 directly from YCM to use as your schedule allows, or drop in on a class for $12.50. Contact Dena at 612-436-4700 for details.

Drop-ins welcome.

 
Mill City Commons | 219 Main Street SE, Suite 401, Minneapolis, MN 55414
www.millcitycommons.org | info@millcitycommons.org  
612-455-3329