December 29, 2015
Update From the Executive Director

Life along the river moves more slowly, today. Winter's wallop has caused a slower pace in all modes of transportation. The pristine snow-cover is, for now, a welcomed sight. Enjoy the beauty and navigate safely!

As 2015 draws to a close, a few fun activities to round out the year, remain. This evening's Dinner and a Movie should be great fun and while Spoonriver has been given a final tally for MCC's New Year's Eve Dinner, last minute additions can be made. Both activities are listed, below and open to members and non-members, alike. Whether you are interested in socializing with old friends or meeting some of MCC's fabulous folk, please consider attending one of these events. I guarantee you will be welcomed heartily!

This is the final Musings of the year, and it contains a good deal of information to consider. I hope you will take the time to look it over, mark your calendars for those events which hold interest for you and please, give me a call if you're curious and have questions about membership. I invite you to be my guest for any one of the MCC events listed, below, or on our January calendar here.

Mill City Commons: We learn. We share. We engage. We give.

Happy New Year!
~ Joan Wright
Dinner and a Movie
Tuesday, December 29, 4:35 - 8:00 pm
Edina Cinema, 3911 W 50th St (50th and France)
Join MCC members for a Dutch-treat mid-week movie and dinner! We will see "Youth," a movie about a retired orchestra conductor who receives an invitation from Queen Elizabeth to perform at Prince Philip's birthday party while he's on holiday with his daughter and his best friend. Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz and Paul Dano star. The movie begins at 4:35 p.m., followed by dinner at Arezzo Ristorante, 5057 France Ave S. Members and guests are welcome to join us for the movie, dinner or both. When you register, answer the questions that appear about carpooling and dinner plans.

MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
Men's Coffee and Conversation
Thursday, December 31, 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 Charlie Kuivinen hosts on the topic of "Ethnomusicology." Charlie and his son, a noted Musicologist, will lead a fascinating session on "Tatar" music. 

Men MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
New Year's Eve Dinner
Thursday, December 31, 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Spoonriver, 750 S 2nd St
Brenda Langton and her team at Spoonriver invite you to celebrate building community this New Year's Eve. She has developed an a la carte menu for the occasion, including a free appetizer. Brenda is committed to cooking with health and longevity top-of-mind. Join your neighbors and celebrate a year well lived. Registrations will be accepted through Tuesday, December 29.

MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC. 
Rendezvous Readers' Book Chat
Wednesday, January 6, 9:30 - 10:30 am
Guthrie Theater Level 5 Express, 818 S 2nd St 
Join us to discuss The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fanny Flagg. Fannie Flagg is at her hilarious and superb best in this new comic mystery novel about two women who are forced to reimagine who they are. Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband. The only thing left to contend with is her mother, the formidable Lenore Simmons Krackenberry. Lenore may be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter. Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a secret about her mother's past that knocks her for a loop and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family and her future. Come for the chat whether you've read the book or not.
 
Get started now: February's book will be The Road to Character by David Brooks. Have a book suggestion for the Book Chat? Email Barbara Goldner.

MCC members and guests. No reservations required.
Social Bridge
Wednesday, January 6, 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Washburn Lofts Community Room, 700 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. 

MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
Our Turn: A Conversation for Women
Thursday, January 7, 3:30 - 5:00 pm
The Landings, 510 River St
MCC women, you are invited to attend Our Turn: A Conversation for Women. This group meets every other Thursday alternating between morning and afternoon times. Locations and topics will change each time. With German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently named Time Magazine's Person of the Year, the topic of Women and Politics, hosted by Sylvia Kaplan, is especially timely. Sylvia will lead a discussion on how gender is affecting style and substance in politics. How has Merkel's femaleness been a factor in her rise to prominence?

MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
MN Public Policy: Closing the Achievement Gap with R.T. Rybak
Thursday, January 7, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
La Rive Party Room, 110 Bank St SE
R.T. Rybak, former mayor of Minneapolis and executive director of Generation Next, will address the ways this first-of-its-kind organization is working to accelerate educational achievement of all children, from early childhood through early career. Join us to learn more about the organization's innovative work and how you can help. Guests are welcome!
 
MCC members sign up here; Guests email MCC.
Sunday Brunch Soiree
Sunday, January 10, 12:00 - 2:00 pm
The Carlyle Party Room, 100 3rd Ave S
MCC members, join your friends and neighbors for the MCC Sunday Brunch Soiree, hosted by Bill & Charlotte Davnie and Patty Connelly at The Carlyle. Please contribute to the potluck by bringing an egg dish, fruit, salad, sausage or bacon, breakfast bread or muffins or other brunch fare. You are welcome to bring your own wine or beer to share. When you register, let us know what you'll bring by answering the "Question" that will appear on the screen.

MCC members sign up here.
Great Decisions: Climate Change
Monday, January 11, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Winslow House Party Room, 100 2nd St SE 
In the past few years, the American public has become more aware of the damage wrought by climate change. From droughts in the west to extreme weather in the east, a rapidly changing climate has already made its footprint in the United States. Now, it's expected that the presidential election in 2016 will be one of the first ever to place an emphasis on these environmental changes. What can the next president do to stymie this environmental crisis? And is it too late for these efforts to be effective? Great Decisions speaker Tom Hanson is a foreign policy consultant and a former career U.S. Foreign Service Officer. During his career with the U.S. Foreign Service, his postings included East Germany, France, Norway, the Soviet Union, Sweden and the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Dick and Peg Kavaney host at Winslow House.
 
Sorry, not open to guests; to join the MCC Great Decisions Discussion Group, email the MCC office at betsywray@millcitycommons.org. Registration on the MCC website is required for Great Decisions members.

MCC GD 2016 members sign up here.
Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate?
Tuesday, January 12, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
RiverWest Community Room, 401 S 1st St
We all have "stuff," including treasured items that we hope to pass on to others. This highly acclaimed program, "Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate?," explains six factors critical to successful inter-generational transfer of personal property. It's been called "a gem of a guide to passing on personal possessions" by a family business consultant. A workbook that helps guide family members through the process, will be available for $13.50. Shirley Barber, retired University of Minnesota Extension educator and a member of the team that created this program, is presenter. 

MCC members sign up here.
Around Town

New Year's Snowshoe Hike
January 1, 1:00-3:00 pm, North Mississippi Regional Park, 4900 Mississippi Ct
Start 2016 on the right foot - put a snowshoe on it! Hike along the Mississippi River, enjoy hot cocoa while watching birds, squirrels and other wildlife. Cost is $5. To register, click here.

Ann Ledy/Ellen Richman Two-Person Exhibition
January 2, 5:00-8:00 pm, Circa Gallery, 210 1st St N
Join an opening reception to see works by local artists Ann Ledy and Ellen Richman. The exhibit will feature Ann's new steel and aluminum wall reliefs and sculptures and Ellen's series of minimalist oil paintings with color as the subject. On exhibit through February 13. For more information, click here.

Dear World
January 15-17 & 21-24, 7:00 pm, Open Book, 1011 Washington Ave S
Ten Thousand Things presents Dear World, a musical that follows a group of eccentrics and outcasts in Paris who band together to thwart the plans of businessmen plotting to extract oil from the land under the city's streets and cafés. The play celebrates the power of unconventional outlooks that are unburdened by greed. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Mill City Times
Mill City Times is a local 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.  
MCC Upcoming Events  
View the December calendar here
View the January calendar here

 

December 29: Dinner and a Movie. MCC members click here.
December 30: Rendezvous on 5. No reservations required.
December 31: Men's Coffee and Conversation. MCC members click here; Guests email MCC.
December 31: New Year's Eve Dinner. MCC members click here; Guests email MCC.
December 31 & January 1: MCC Office Closed.
January 4: Dutch Treat Coffee Chat. No reservations required.
January 5: Program Committee Meeting.
January 6: Rendezvous Readers' Book Chat. No reservations required.
January 6: Social Bridge. MCC members click here; Guests email MCC.
January 7: Our Turn: A Conversation for Women. MCC members click here; Guests email MCC.
January 7: MN Public Policy: Closing the Achievement Gap with R.T. Rybek. MCC members click here; Guests email MCC.
January 10: Sunday Brunch Soiree. MCC members click here.
January 11: Dutch Treat Coffee Chat. No reservations required.
January 11: Great Decisions: Climate Change. MCC 2016 GD members click here.
January 12: Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate? MCC members click here.
January 13: Rendezvous on 5. No reservations required.
January 13: Caregiver Support Group Launch. MCC members click here; Guests email MCC.
January 13: BOD Meeting. MCC members click here.
January 14: Men's Coffee and Conversation. MCC members click here; Guests email MCC.
January 18: Dutch Treat Coffee Chat. No reservations required.
January 19: A Week's Worth of Recipes for Healthy Eating. MCC members click here.
 
Ongoing Member-Led Activities

MCC Caregiver Support Group
2nd and 4th Wednesdays, January through March
10:30 am-12:00 pm
A way to support members and non-members who are or have been in a  caregiving role. For
more information,   contact Betsy Wray

Men's Dutch Lunch
Guthrie Theater Level 5 Express
Alternating Thursdays at 11:30 am
 January 7 & 21
This casual, Dutch-treat lunch alternates weeks with Men's Coffee and Conversation. No reservations required! Questions? Contact  Allan Burdick
 

MCC Ongoing Social Opportunities

 

Dutch Treat

Coffee Chat

Mondays, 4:00-5:00 pm

Aster Cafe

Drop in for an afternoon coffee or drink and a casual chat. No reservations
 required.

 

Rendezvous

Readers' Book Chat
1st Wednesday of the month, 9:30-10:30 am
Guthrie Theater Level 5 Express
   No reservations required.
The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion
by Fannie Flagg

Rendezvous on 5

Wednesdays, 9-10 am

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 at 7:30 am 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.

 

 

 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 levels of walkers are 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, Ste 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