Masthead
March 31, 2015
Executive Director Update
        
Mill City Commons and the Cynthia Froid Group are sponsoring two special private film screenings of documentaries for friends and neighbors during the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF). The first documentary, Zemene, will be shown on Tuesday, April 14th @ 1:00pm. The filmmaker will join us for a discussion immediately after the screening at the Aster Cafe River Room -- details below in this newsletter. The second special screening is of Capturing Grace the following Tuesday, April 21 @ 1:00. Again the filmmaker will be joining us after the screening. Tickets must be reserved by April 10th through the Cynthia Froid Group. Tickets and light refreshments at Aster Cafe are complementary -- we hope you'll join us! Click here for an invitation to share with a friend.

Tonight, join us at The Depot for Last Tuesday Happy Hour hosted by MCC members Katie and Ken Searl. See you there!  -- Linnea 
Last Tuesday Happy Hour
Tuesday, March 31, 5:00 - 6:00 pm
The Depot, 225 3rd Ave S
Join us for the Last Tuesday Happy Hour hosted by Katie and Ken Searl.  Catch up with friends and neighbors over drinks and small bites. Dutch treat - no reservations required!  If you'd like to stay for dinner, please make reservations directly with Charley's by calling (612) 758-7826. 

MCC members and guests.  No reservations required.
Rendezvous Readers' Book Chat
Wednesday, April 1, 9:30 - 10:30 am
Guthrie Theater Level 5 Express, 818 S 2nd St

Join us to discuss All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.  This beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel is about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as they both try to survive the devastation of World War II.  The author illuminates the ways people try to be good to one another, against all odds.

 

Get started now:  May's book will be Middlemarch by George Eliot. 

 

MCC members and guests.  No reservations required.
Social Bridge
Wednesday, April 1, 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 the 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 begins immediately at 3:00 pm.

MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
Our Turn: A Conversation for Women
Thursday, April 2, 10:00 - 11:30 am (please note the new time!)
Stone Arch Lofts, 600 S 2nd St, #306 
MCC women and guests, you are invited to attend Our Turn: A Conversation for Women.  This group meets every other Thursday alternating between morning and afternoon times.  Joan Patterson and Lois Libby Juster host on the topic of "Women as Philanthropists, Volunteers and Change Agents."  The word "philanthropy" comes from the Greeks and means "a love for humanity."  Modern definitions include the concept of voluntary giving by an individual or group to promote the common good and improve the quality of life. Broadly defined, giving includes not only dollars, but also time, skills, and talents.   As we have come to know the incredible women in MCC, their desire to promote the common good and improve humanity is apparent in many diverse ways.  This gathering will provide an opportunity for us to share the ways we have found to express our "love for humanity," and perhaps stimulate new ideas and venues for us to be change agents in promoting the common good.  Sometimes, our good intentions encounter challenges and roadblocks, and that is "grist for the mill" in this discussion also.

Women MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
Men's Coffee and Conversation
Thursday, April 9, 7:30 - 8:30 am
Elsie's Restaurant, 729 Marshall St NE 
Caffeine and camaraderie for the male members of MCC and guests!  This groups meets every other Thursday and is hosted by various members who get the conversation going.  Please register by the Monday prior to  Men's Coffee and Conversation.  This week MCC member Ken Searl has invited Matt Halley to tell us about the "Cookie Cart," an inspiring non-profit bakery in the heart of North Minneapolis.

 

Men MCC members sign up here.

Nosy Neighbor Tour:  Cuckoo Clock Museum
Thursday, April 9, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
126 N 1st St (corner of N 1st St and 2nd Ave N)
Explore a museum unlike any other, this one hidden in a North Loop warehouse.  Jim Fiorentino has collected hundreds of cuckoo clocks, as well as other treasures including a 17 foot band organ, World War I era swords, original Edison Victrolas, and more.  Jim Fiorentino will provide a tour of his museum, where he'll highlight the lost art of ornate woodcarvings of cuckoo clocks.  You may become as enthralled with the beauty, skill, talent, and real artisanship of the cuckoo clock as Jim is.    
 
MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
Great Decisions:  Brazil's Metamorphosis
Monday, April 13, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Winslow House Party Room, 100 2nd St SE
After economic troubles in the 1990s, Brazil has risen to new global prominence - it's drawing in more investment, working on global issues ranging from climate change to peacekeeping, and even hosting the 2016 Olympics. But some of Brazil's trickiest problems have held it back.  Guest GD speaker Dick Virden will lead the discussion.  Dick retired from the Senior Foreign Service of the Department of State in 2004 with the rank of Minister-Counselor.  He was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. embassy in Brazil from 2002 to 2004.  Bud and Carol Hayden host at the Winslow House Party Room.  
Sorry, not open to guests; to join the MCC Great Decisions Discussion Group, email the MCC office at info@millcitycommons.org. Registration on the MCC website is required for Great Decisions members.

MCC Great Decisions members sign up here.
MSP International Film Festival Screening: Zemene
Tuesday, April 14, 1:00 - 3:30 pm
St. Anthony Main Theatre, Theatre #5, 115 Main St SE 

Cynthia Froid hosts a special screening of the documentary, Zemene.  Ten-year-old Zemene is a spirited but hunchbacked child, afflicted with a severe curvature of the spine.  A chance encounter with an American doctor specializing in disfiguring spinal cases changes her life forever.   Dr. Rick Hodes embarks on a journey to save Zemene's life and aid other afflicted families.  The doctor's resulting humanitarian work in bridging cultural gaps also comes to light.  Zemene is a reminder of our universal humanity, and how one person's faith-based compassion can transform not only individual lives, but communities as well.  Watch the trailer here.  A reception with the filmmaker will follow the film in the River Room at the Aster Cafe. 

 

MCC members and guests are welcome.  To RSVP, email Cynthia Froid.

News from Members

MCC members Bob Callahan and Carol Jordan invite members to Genealogy: 20th Century Military Records co-sponsored by Friends of the Minneapolis Central Library on April 4 from 10:30 am - Noon in the Doty Board Room.  For details and to register, click here.

MCC member Carol Jordan invites members to Global Conversations: Privacy in the Digital Age at the Minneapolis Central Library on April 8 at 5:30 pm.  For more information and to register for this free event, click here.

MCC member Judy Healey invites members to her home for "Letterpress Bookmaking Meets the Digital Age," sponsored by The College of Saint Benedict Literary Arts Institute (LAI).  The program will be April 30 at 5 pm; space is limited so sign up now!  For more information, click here.  To RSVP, email Sharon or call 320-363-5750.
Around Town

MovementWise
Wednesdays, April 1-June 3, 6:30-8:00 pm, Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Ave 
MovementWise is an invigorating, community-oriented dance class providing low-impact moves and easy-to-follow pacing for adults 55+ who love a healthy, active lifestyle.  $75 for the series or $10 to drop-in.  For more information, click here. To register, email Jessi Fett.

MSP International Film Festival
April 9-25, various times, St. Anthony Main Theatre, 115 Main St SE
Join the MSP Film Society for the largest film event in the region.  The Film Festival presents 200+ feature length and short narrative and documentary films from over 60 countries.  For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

American Craft Council St. Paul Show Preview Party
April 9, 6:00-9:00 pm, St. Paul RiverCentre, 175 W Kellogg Blvd
Join the American Craft Council to celebrate the art and cultural community in the Twin Cities.  The event will include pre-show shopping, hors d'oeurves, live music, Scotch whisky tastings and an on-site craft beer taproom.  Tickets are $75 ($25 is tax-deductible) and include complimentary passes to return to the show to shop from April 10-12.  To purchase tickets, click here.

The Dinkytown Uprising
April 12 at 6:00 pm&April 20 at 2:00 pm, St. Anthony Main Theatre, 115 Main St SE

See the World Premiere of "The Dinkytown Uprising" during the MSP International Film Festival. This documentary by filmaker Al Milgrom chronicles the 1970 40-day, 40-night continuous Dinkytown "Occupation" by protesters to prevent construction of an unwanted hamburger joint in the neighborhood. Click here for tickets. 

 

RiverHub

Neighbors Dave Tinjum and Kim Eslinger launched Mill City Times five years ago. This week they launched another website, River Hub, that provides a comprehensive listing of events related to the Minneapolis Riverfront. Their goal with River Hub is to serve the larger community of people passionate about the Riverfront by helping us stay up-to-date on the many events impacting the river and to help those planning events to avoid scheduling conflicts. River Hub includes an activities list and a page for readers to submit events. Check it out at www.riverhub.org. Many thanks Dave and Kim!

 

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 March Calendar here
View the April Calendar here

 

March 31:  Last Tuesday Happy Hour.  No reservations required!

April 1:  Rendezvous Readers' Book Chat.  No reservations required!

April 1:  Social Bridge.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

April 2:  Our Turn: A Conversation for Women.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

April 7:  Program Committee Meeting.

April 8:  Rendezvous on 5.  No reservations required.

April 8:  MCC Board of Directors Meeting.  Members click here.

April 9:  Men's Coffee and Conversation.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

April 9:  NNT:  Cuckoo Clock Museum.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

April 13:  Great Decisions: Brazil's Metamorphosis.  GD Members click here.

April 14:  MSP International Film Festival Screening: Zemene.  Members and guests email Cynthia Froid.

April 15:  Rendezvous on 5.  No reservations required.

April 15:  Social Bridge.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

April 16:  Our Turn: A Conversation for Women.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

April 19:  Sunday Soiree.  Members click here.

April 21:  MSP International Film Festival Screening: Capturing Grace.  Members and guests email Cynthia Froid.
 
Please Welcome MCC's Newest Members!

Judy Hoffman

Jennifer Martin

Diane Radack

Nancy Reed

Nancy Verdier
 

MCC Ongoing Social Opportunities

 

Rendezvous

Readers' Book Chat
1st Wednesday of the month
Guthrie Theater Level 5 Express
   No reservations required.
All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr

May's Book:  Middlemarch
by George Eliot

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.

 

 
Ongoing Member-Led Activities

 

Men's B&BS Lunch
Elsie's Restaurant,
729 Marshall St NE
Alternating Thursdays at 11:30 am
 April 2 & 16
This casual, dutch treat lunch alternates weeks with Men's Coffee and Conversation. No reservations required! Questions? Contact  Allan Burdick
 

  Looking for a healthy fitness program? Enjoy exercising with friends at one of

 

Mill City Commons

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 of 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.

 
Volunteer Opportunities 
 
 Click here for community volunteer opportunities on the MCC Website!  
 
Mill City Commons | 219 Main Street SE, Suite 401, Minneapolis, MN 55414
www.millcitycommons.org | info@millcitycommons.org  
612-455-3329