May 31, 2016
Update From the Executive Director

Thursday is National Gun Violence Awareness Day. A walk to raise awareness is scheduled for Thursday, June 2, 8 pm at the Stone Arch Bridge. To learn more about it, please read and click on the links provided below in News Around Town.

Activist and author Ashton Applewhite is coming to Minneapolis! Arrangements have been made for a private presentation to MCC members. You don't want to miss this funny and fierce talk on the aging journey. More information and details 

MCC was featured last week in a WCCO TV story looking at why empty nesters are flocking to downtown Minneapolis. It is an affirming look as to why so many of us enjoy living in the neighborhood. Take a look!

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

~ Joan Wright
Rendezvous Readers' Book Chat
Wednesday, June 1, 9:30 - 10:30 am 
Guthrie Theater Level 5 Express, 818 S 2nd St 
Join us to discuss The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan. From manbookerprize.com: This book is a love story unfolding over half a century between a doctor and his uncle's wife. Taking its title from one of the most famous books in Japanese literature, Flanagan's novel has at its heart one of the most infamous episodes of Japanese history, the construction of the Thailand-Burma Death Railway in WW II. In the despair of a Japanese POW camp on the Death Railway, surgeon Dorrigo Evans is haunted by his love affair with his uncle's young wife two years earlier. Struggling to save the men under his command from starvation, from cholera, from beatings, he receives a letter that will change his life forever.
  
If you'd like to read ahead, July's book is The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully by Joan Chittister. Have a book suggestion for the Book Chat? Email Barbara Goldner.

MCC members and guests. No reservations required. 
Golf with MCC
Wednesday, June 1, 10:30 - 3:00 pm
Gross National Golf Course, 2201 St. Anthony Blvd
Join us for a round of golf at Gross National Golf Course, built in 1924 and considered to be the city's best (and always in good condition!). Men and women golfers are welcome. If we have enough players, we'll schedule five or so more rounds during the summer. Cost to play, including a cart, is $44 (walkers pay less). If you have questions, you may contact member Bill Casey: (612) 803-9246 or crnnoda@live.com. We'll meet at the clubhouse; click here for directions to the course.

MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC.
Men's Coffee and Conversation 
Thursday, June 2, 7:30 - 8:30 am 
Elsie's Restaurant, 729 Marshall St NE 
It's 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 Frank Wilkinson hosts this week. Frank, who has been involved with Conservation Minnesota for several years, has invited Executive Director Paul Austin to join him in talking about the work of the organization.

MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC.
Sunday Soiree
Sunday, June 5, 5:00 - 7:00 pm
The Landings, 512 River St
Join your friends and neighbors for the MCC Sunday Soiree, hosted by Mike and Toni Rosen. Please contribute to the potluck by bringing a hearty hors d'oeuvre or dessert. As you register, let us know what you'll bring by answering the "Question" that will appear on the screen. You are welcome to bring your own wine or beer to share.

MCC members sign up here.
Social Bridge
Wednesday, June 8, 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Washburn Lofts, 700 2nd St S
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 caroljordan@millcitycommons.org or (612) 817-0466 and she will assist you.

MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC.
Is Change Possible in Iran?
Wednesday, June 8, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Stone Arch Lofts, 600 2nd St S, #701
For four decades, Gail Shore has traveled to some of the most fascinating places on the planet. Her self-funded, solo treks take her to countries-often remote-whose cultures are influenced by their unique traditions. Through her photography, Gail wants to tell stories about places that most people will never visit. Her efforts have resulted in the formation of Cultural Jambalaya, a nonprofit that uses cultural photography in the classroom to broaden world views of students. Gail believes the more we know about each other's history, culture and religion, the more understanding we can become of our similarities, as well as our differences, which is the first step to breaking down cultural barriers.

MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC.
Our Turn: A Conversation for Women
Thursday, June 9, 3:30 - 5:00 pm 
Lourdes Square, 192 Bank St SE
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. This week, Scotty Gillette will lead a discussion on "What is happiness, and how can we achieve it?" The discussion will be based on the book The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky.

MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC.
This Chair Rocks: How Ageism Warps Our View of Long Life
Wednesday, June 15, 1:30 - 3:00 pm
Washburn Lofts Common Room, 700 2nd St S
Author and activist Ashton Applewhite will tell us why the more you know about old age, the better it looks. Applewhite debunks myth after myth about late life and exposes the ageism that underlies all the hand-wringing. The talk is as funny as it is fierce, and it will change the way you envision the rest of your life. Applewhite has been recognized by the New York Times, National Public Radio and the American Society on Aging as an expert on ageism.

MCC member sign up here; guests email MCC. 
MCC Program Calendar

Look ahead! View the June calendar here.
News from Members

Please join MCC member Laura Crosby at her opening reception for "It's About Time," an exhibit featuring photographs that depict the passage of time. The reception will be June 3 from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art Gallery, 250 N 3rd Ave. You can learn more here.

MCC member Peggy Lucas encourages members to save the date of June 11 for Northern Spark, an all-night festival. The 2016 theme will address the effects of global climate change with an incredible night of art focusing on the earth's changing environment.
Around Town

National Gun Violence Awareness Day
June 2, 8 p.m., Mill City Ruins Park
Gun safety advocates will be wearing orange and joining in a march across the Stone Arch Bridge Thursday night to recognize National Gun Violence Awareness Day and encourage people to talk about gun use in situations such as domestic violence and suicide. Find more information here and here.

Sixth Avenue SE Greenway Planting Day
June 4, 10:00 am-3:00 pm, corner of 2nd St SE and 6th Ave SE
Join your neighbors to help beautify Sixth Ave SE! In case of rain, planting will take place on June 5. Sign up here.

Preserve Minneapolis Walking Tours
June 5-September 25, various locations
More than saving old buildings, historic preservation champions and protects places that tell the stories of our past. There are over 20 unique tours scheduled throughout the summer that provide an opportunity to get to know Minneapolis' diverse neighborhoods and historic resources. These tours often fill up, so register now here.

Engineering the Falls Tour 
June 12, 1:00-2:30 pm, Mill City Museum, 704 S 2nd St
Take a walking tour of St. Anthony Falls led by costumed History Player William de la Barre, the Austrian engineer who spent half a century developing Minneapolis flour milling and waterpower. Visit the Minneapolis riverfront, the west-side milling district and the Stone Arch Bridge and hear about the many ways the falls have changed over the years. Register here.

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, volunteer opportunities and more.  
 
Volunteer Opportunities 
 
Click here for community volunteer opportunities on the MCC website!  
 

 Mill City Commons

Ongoing Fitness Opportunities


SBS Class

                      Thursdays

2:00-3:00 pm
501F1T,
501 Washington Ave
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,

7:30-8:30 am

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,

8:00-9:15 am

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.

 
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 Narrow Road to the Deep North
by Richard Flanagan

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.
 
 
Ongoing Member-Led Activities

MCC Caregiver Support Group
2nd and 4th Wednesdays, May through August,
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
 June 9 & 23
 This casual, dutch treat lunch alternates weeks with Men's Coffee and Conversation. No reservations required! Questions? Contact  Allan Burdick.
 
Mill City Commons | 219 Main St SE, Suite 401, Minneapolis, MN 55414
www.millcitycommons.org | info@millcitycommons.org  
(612) 455-3329