April 28, 2015
Executive Director Update

Today is Last Tuesday Happy Hour! MCC members Kathy and Bill Fox are hosting at Sapor Cafe and Bar -- see details below.  Please join us and bring a neighbor -- guests are welcome.  Hope to see you there!  -- Linnea    
Technology Workshop
Tuesday, April 28, 3:00 - 4:30 pm
American Academy of Neurology, 201 Chicago Ave, Training Room A 
Online video streaming technology has given us a plethora of new ways to watch TV. Unfortunately, the options, while exciting, can be a bit confusing and overwhelming. But it would be even more unfortunate to get "left in the dust" with a clunky cable package that's expensive and not well suited to your watching preferences.  Come learn about Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Slingbox, and more.  Brian Roemen from Backpack Tactics will lead this informative workshop.  

Registration is now closed.  
Last Tuesday Happy Hour
Tuesday, April 28, 5:00 - 6:00 pm
Sapor Cafe and Bar, 428 Washington Ave N

Join us for the Last Tuesday Happy Hour at Sapor Cafe and Bar hosted by Bill and Kathy Fox.  Catch up with friends and neighbors over drinks and small bites.  Dutch treat - no reservations required!  There is complimentary parking in a lot across 5th Ave N.  If you'd like to stay for dinner, make reservations by calling (612) 375-1971 or online at www.saporcafe.com. 

 

 

MCC members and guests.  No reservations required!
Social Bridge
Wednesday, April 29, 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 30, 10:00 - 11:30 am (note the new time)
Fifth Avenue Lofts, 401 N 2nd St, #414 
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. Carol Jordan hosts and will facilitate a discussion around the following diverse questions: When you were a child, what job did you most want to have when you grew up? What fear would you most want to be rid of forever? What would be the ideal way for you to spend a hot Saturday  afternoon in the middle of July?

Women MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
Birding Walk I
Tuesday, May 5, 7:00 - 8:30 am
Meet at the east end of the Stone Arch bridge 
Celebrate spring with the first walk in a series of four bird watching walks along the river!  We hope to see migrating warblers and other songbirds.  Jamie McBride, Lead Naturalist with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation board, will lead the walks. This week we will leave from the east end of the Stone Arch Bridge at 7:00 am. Each week the starting location will be based on where birds have been spotted.  

MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
Rendezvous Readers' Book Chat
Wednesday, May 6, 9;30 - 10:30 am
Guthrie Theater Level 5 Express, 818 S 2nd St
Join us to discuss Middlemarch by George Eliot.  Middlemarch is a complex tale of idealism, disillusion, profligacy, loyalty and frustrated love. This penetrating analysis of the life of an English provincial town during the time of social unrest prior to the Reform Bill of 1832 is told through the lives of Dorothea Brooke and Dr. Tertius Lydgate who illuminate the condition of English life in the mid-nineteenth century.

 

Get started now:  June's book will be The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (subject to change).  Have a book suggestion for the Book Chat?  Email Barbara Goldner.  

 

MCC members and guests.  No reservations required!

Nosy Neighbor Tour:  New St. Paul Saints Ballpark
Wednesday, May 6, 3:30 - 5:00 pm
CHS Field, 360 N Broad St, St. Paul
Join architect Julie Snow for a behind-the-scenes tour of the St. Paul Saints new stadium.  Julie is known for her exceptional design of condos and museums and was thrilled at the opportunity to do a ballpark.  Snow's stadium design includes many upgrades while maintaining old traditions with an emphasis on the fan experience.   Learn about the sustainability features that are hidden within the design, including permeable paving on the concourse and storm water retention below the field.  We'll meet at the CHS Field ticket windows at Broadway and Fifth.  Worried about rush hour traffic?  Take the green line and/or stay for dinner after the tour!  Please note:  space is limited.

MCC members sign up here.
Men's Coffee and Conversation
Thursday, May 7, 7:30 - 8:30 am
Elsie's Restaurant, 729 Marshall St NE 
Caffeine and camaraderie for the male members of MCC and guests!  This group 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.  MCC member Doug Baker will lead a conversation on "humor while traveling."  Doug will share a few funny things that have happened while traveling with his wife, and members will have a chance to share their own humorous stories.

 

Men MCC members sign up here.

Great Decisions:  U.S. Policy Toward Africa
Monday, May 11, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Winslow House Party Room, 100 2nd St SE

Africa is home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world, and it's become a draw for foreign investors from across the globe.  The U.S. has promised to promote "strong institutions, not strong men," and to favor good governance and healthy economies over profit.  How can U.S. policy live up to its promise and values while securing its interests in the region?  Our guest speaker is Thomas O'Toole, Professor Emeritus at St. Cloud State University.  As a scholar and teacher, he is the recipient of four Fulbright awards, a Wenner-Gren, and a Danforth.  He has written widely on democracy, the environment from a global perspective, and Africa.  He holds a doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University and an MA from the University of Minnesota.  Hosted by Ellie Hands 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.
Birding Walk II
Tuesday, May 12, 8:00 - 9:30 am
TBD
Celebrate spring with the second of four bird watching walks along the river!  We hope to see migrating warblers and other songbirds.  Jamie McBride, Lead Naturalist with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation board, will lead the walks. The starting location will be announced the week before, based on where birds have been spotted.  

MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
U of M Tour: New Architecture Along the Scholars Walk
Tuesday, May 12, 1:30 - 3:00 pm
University of Minnesota, STSS Building, 222 Pleasant St SE
A wide pathway featuring elegant oak trees and lighted monuments, the Scholars Walk celebrates the research and classroom accomplishments of the U's award-winning faculty and students.  Join us for a springtime walk and be "in the know" about the enhancements, additions and new construction on the buildings adjacent to the walk. Starting from the Science Teaching & Student Services building across from the Weisman Art Museum, we'll proceed to the Historic Mall, pass the Tate Lab of Physics, through Lind Hall, tour the 1st floor labs of the new Physics and Nanotechnology Building and more. The students will still be on campus so we'll get the full campus experience.  Click here for the tour map.

MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
News from Members

MCC member Patty Canney recommends members save the date for NEMAA's 20th Annual Art-A-Whirl!  The open studio tour in Northeast Minneapolis is May 15-17 and is a great opportunity to connect with local artists.  For more information, click here.

MCC members Peggy Lucas and Ellie Hands are recruiting Athlete Registration volunteers for the National Senior Games on July 3-16.  This opportunity will be a great way to meet other MCC members while serving as an ambassador for our city! For more information, click here.
Around Town

 

Stories from Students Abroad: Student Project for Amity Among Nations

May 7, 10:00-11:00 am, Van Cleve Park, 901 15th Ave SE

The Student Project for Amity Among Nations (SPAN) is a program open to students from all Minnesota colleges and universities.  The program enables students to do independent research on topics of their own choosing while they live and work in another country.  Come hear the stories from students who studied last summer in Russia or in Cuba/Puerto Rico, including their insights on the culture they visited.  To register for this free event, click here or call 612-668-1100.

 

Beetnik Cafe

May 8, 6:00-8:00 pm, Weisman Art Museum, 333 East River Rd

Step into Weisman Art Museum's cafe, inspired by the 1950s Beatnik movement, and enjoy jazz, improv, charades, and beets!  Don't forget your turtlenecks and stripes.  Featuring MinnProv.  

 

EQ: Christy NaMee Eriksen

May 9, 8:00 pm, The Loft, 1011 Washington Ave S

The Loft's spoken word series, Equilibrium, continues with award-winning Korean Adoptee spoken word artist, activist, and educator Christy NaMee Eriksen.  Christy is the co-founder and President of a community arts organization that hosts monthly open mics and poetry slams and her work is grounded in social justice and community engagement.  For more information, click here.

 

Mill City Times and River Hub

Mill City Times is 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.  You can also check out River Hub, a comprehensive listing of events related to the Minneapolis Riverfront.

MCC Upcoming Events  
 
View the April Calendar here
View the May Calendar here

 

April 28:  Technology Workshop: New Ways to Watch TV.  Members click here.

April 28:  Last Tuesday Happy Hour.  No reservations required!

April 29:  Rendezvous on 5.  No reservations required.

April 29:  Social Bridge.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

April 30:  Our Turn:  A Conversation for Women.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

May 5:  Birding Walk I.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

May 5:  Program Committee Meeting.

May 6:  Rendezvous Readers' Book Chat.  No reservations required!

May 6:  Nosy Neighbor Tour: New St. Paul Saints Ballpark.  Members click here.

May 7:  Men's Coffee and Conversation.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

May 11: Great Decisions: US Policy Toward Africa.  GD Members click here.

May 12:  Birding Walk II.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

May 12:  U of M Tour: New Architecture Along the Scholars Walk.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

May 13:  Rendezvous on 5.  No reservations needed.

May 13:  Social Bridge.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

May 13:  Annual and Monthly BOD Meeting.  Members click here.

May 14:  Our Turn:  A Conversation for Women.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.

May 14:  Technology Helpdesk.  Members click here.

May 17:  Salad Soiree and Send-Off for Linnea Tweed.  Members click here.

May 19:  Birding Walk III.  Members click here; Guests email MCC.
 

MCC Ongoing Social Opportunities

 

Rendezvous

Readers' Book Chat
1st Wednesday of the month
Guthrie Theater Level 5 Express
   No reservations required.
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 30 & May 14
This casual, dutch treat lunch alternates weeks with Men's Coffee and Conversation. No reservations required! Questions? Contact  Allan Burdick
 

 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