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Update from the Executive Director
Happy New Year! Thank goodness for clear blue skies and sunshine on this cold Minnesota morning. We are a hearty bunch, but do take good care when venturing outdoors. Brrrrr! It's cold!
As the calendar turns a page, Mill City Commons enters its 10th Anniversary year. You will be reading more about this in the days and weeks to come, but for now please mark your calendars for the 10th Anniversary celebration at Surly Brewery on Monday, May 7, 2018. You won't want to miss it!
Our membership continues to grow. 43 new members in 2017 and an annual retention rate of 94% speaks volumes about our wonderful organization and the value you place on building community within or neighborhood.
With growth comes exciting opportunities: new people, new talents and skills, new friendships, new synergies and ideas. Our hallmark programming continues to break attendance records; with our burgeoning membership, registering early for programs is a good idea!
Thank you to each of you for your commitment, your participation, and for your championing of the Village Concept. I look forward to all that lies ahead for us in this new year!
MILL CITY COMMONS: We learn. We share. We engage. We give.
~ Joan Wright
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Rendezvous Readers' Book Chat
Wednesday, January 3, 9:30 - 10:30 am
Abiitan's Porter Cafe, 428 S 2nd St
 Join us to discuss
The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck, a story of three women, and their children, who take refuge in the ruins of a Bavarian castle at the end of World War II. The women are war widows whose husbands paid with their lives for the July 1944 plot against Adolf Hitler. Soon this makeshift family discovers that secrets and dark passions from the past threaten to tear them apart. Eventually, all three women must come to terms with the choices that have defined their lives before, during and after the war-each with their own unique share of challenges.
If you'd like to read ahead, February's book is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Have a book suggestion for the Book Chat? Email [email protected].
MCC members and guests. No registration required. |
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Our Turn: A Conversation for Women
Thursday, January 4, 1:30 - 3:00 pm (note the new time)
Mill City Quarter Club Room, 322 2nd St S 
MCC women, you are invited to attend Our Turn: A Conversation for Women. This week, Cathi Griffioen hosts on the topic of "Making, Keeping and Breaking New Year's Resolutions." Only 8% of people actually keep their New Year's resolutions, those wonderful promises we make to ourselves at this time of year. Any stories of resolutions made and kept, or made and broken, that you'd like to share? Lessons learned from the experience? Any advice for those of us who are hell bent on keeping a New Year's resolution? If you care to share any you've made for 2018, maybe we can help!
Our Turn meets every other Thursday, alternating between morning and afternoon times. Hosts and topics change each time.
MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC. |
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MCC Sing-Along
Thursday, January 4, 4:30 - 6:00 pm
Stone Arch Lofts, 600 2nd St S, #303
 Come together with other MCC members for an informal sing-along at the Carrier's Stone Arch loft. With Margee Bracken on piano, we'll be refreshing our memories with tunes that are all very familiar. Song sheets will be provided, and refreshments will be served. Come, sing and join the fun!
MCC members sign up here. |
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Exploring Meditation
Tuesday, January 9, 9:30 - 10:30 am 
Mill City Quarter, 322 2nd St S
Mill City Commons members are invited to join in a five-week winter meditation series that offers the opportunity to explore a regular meditation practice. The meditation will focus on inner peace and self-awareness. Facilitators Carole Baker, Linda Dolan and Lois Libby Juster will explore the importance of breath, visualization and the role of music in relieving stress and enhancing meditation. The group will meet on Tuesdays, January 9, 16, 23 and February 6 and 13 from 9:30-10:30 am at Mill City Quarter. Cost to participate is $50, whether or not you can attend all five sessions.
MCC members sign up here.
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Technology Help Desk
Tuesday, January 9, 1:00 - 2:30 pm
MCC Office, 125 Main St SE, Ste 339
 Schedule time with a tech support guru and have your nagging technology questions answered during our complimentary Help Desk. Support for both Apple products and PCs is available. After you register, MCC will confirm the time of your 20-minute one-on-one session. Reminder: Installing or upgrading software and creating accounts cannot be included in the Help Desk session, as they exceed the allotted appointment time.
Registration is now closed. If you'd like to be added to the waiting list, please contact Betsy Wray at [email protected]. |
Men's Coffee and Conversation
Thursday, January 11, 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. This week, MCC member Bill Casey's talk, "Snapshots from the HCL Morgue," will reveal interesting facts from Minneapolis newspapers during the 20th century. Bill has been volunteering in the Hennepin County Library's Special Collections Department for the past year, where he's been sifting through folders as old as 1915, evaluating contents and determining what should be done with each.
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Animal Humane Society Tour
Friday, January 12, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Animal Humane Society, 845 Meadow Lane N, Golden Valley
 Come and learn how the Animal Humane Society (AHS) has evolved in the last 140 years to better serve the people and animals of Minnesota. After a welcome from AHS President and CEO Janelle Dixon, we'll take a behind-the-scenes tour to learn about new programs, medical treatment investments, public policy and how AHS supports people and pets in economically disadvantaged communities. After the tour, participants will have the opportunity to enjoy a dog walking or puppy bathing activity.
MCC members sign up here.
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After Hours Connect: Bowling
Friday, January 12, 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Elsie's Restaurant and Bowling Center, 729 Marshall St NE 
Join other MCC men and women for an evening of bowling at Elsie's. No skill is required for this gathering of fun, camaraderie, social bonding and exercise. Cost for bowling and shoes is approximately $18.50, payable at Elsie's. Dinner can be purchased at Elsie's, if you wish.
MCC members sign up here.
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Sunday Soiree
Sunday, January 14, 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Mill & Main Party Room, 401 Main St SE
 Join your friends and neighbors for the MCC Sunday Soiree, hosted by Bob and Pam Berkwitz. Please contribute to the potluck by bringing a hearty hors d'oeuvre, salad or dessert to serve at least 8. 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. |
Bread Baking with Bob
Tuesday, January 16, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm 
RiverWest Club Room, 401 1st St S, Floor 1
Back by popular demand! If you've attended MCC's Sunday Soirees, you may have tasted member Bob Whitlock's homemade bread. Bob will go through the techniques involved in making the bread and share the recipe with a demonstration class in RiverWest's Club Room. Limited to 10 members!
Registration is now closed. If you'd like to be added to the waiting list, please contact Betsy Wray at [email protected]. |
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Rep. Ilhan Omar: Representing the Underrepresented
Wednesday, January 17, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Minnesota Tech Center, 1100 Washington Ave S
 Join us as State Representative Ilhan Omar (District 60B) talks about her first year in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Omar will share what she's learned, the new (and sometimes unexpected) relationships she's made, and how she's suddenly had to speak for not just her district, but for immigrants and refugees all over the United States. Born in Somalia, Omar and her family fled the country's civil war when she was 8. They spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp before coming to the U.S. in the 1990s.
MCC members sign up here.
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MCC Program Calendar
View the full calendar of MCC's January events
here.
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News from Members
MCC member Claudia Kittock wants members to know that Friends of the Mill District and the Guthrie are co-sponsoring a youth acting program for youth from Youthlink, MacPhail and the Mill District. They would like to provide a meal to the youth during the January 10 and 17 rehearsals. If you would like to help provide one of these meals, contact Claudia at
[email protected].
MCC member Rebecca Bahn invites members to an opening and reception of the Mill Yard at Stonebridge Lofts Art Exhibit (1120 S 2nd St) on January 13 from 2:00-5:00 pm. The work of eight artists will be presented in response to the theme
Nature: In the Eye of the Beholder. For more details, click
here.
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Around Town
Poetry: Classics in English
January 8, 1:30-3:00 pm, Catholic Eldercare Main St Lodge, 909 Main St NE
A classic poem may be thought of as one widely recognized for artistic or historical significance, one that has withstood the test of time. Join Professor Lawrence Moe as he highlights the life and work of the classic poet Walt Whitman, with an emphasis of joyful appreciation. Free. To register, call (612) 362-2450.
Ordinary Lives - Extraordinary Stories: A Memoir Workshop
January 8, 6:30-8:30 pm, Minnesota State University Mankato at Edina, 7700 France Ave S, Training Center, Bottom Level
If you have ever wanted to shape your memories into stories, there has never been a better time. If you are not an accomplished writer, don't let that stop you. In this workshop, author Jim Koepke will share why you should write your memoir and will show the steps that can lead to writing your very own memoir. Details can be found here.
Mill City Indoor Winter Market
January 13, 10:00 am-1:00 pm, Mill City Museum, 704 S 2nd St
Shop from over 40 local farmers, food vendors and artists. In addition to the goods from their food vendors, shop for handmade gifts, kitchenware, apparel, jewelry and more from the market's rotating selection of local artists. Click
here to see what produce will be sold at the market.
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.
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Please Welcome MCC's Newest Members!
Bill & Karen Snedeker
Karen Grabow & Keith Halperin
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Volunteer Opportunities
Click
here
for community volunteer opportunities on the MCC website!
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MCC Ongoing Social Opportunities
Dutch Treat
Social Hour
Mondays, 4:00-5:00 pm
Jefe Urban Hacienda
219 Main St SE
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
Abiitan's Porter Cafe
428 2nd St S
No reservations required.
The Women in the Castle
by Jessica Shattuck
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!
Social Bridge
Every other Wednesday, 3:00-5:00 pm
Washburn Lofts,
700 2nd St S
Enjoy a round of social bridge. Be sure to register on the website!
Note: There's no Social Bridge on 1/3/18
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 Thursday and alternates between morning and afternoon times. Look for details in the body of this newsletter.
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| Mill City Commons Ongoing Fitness Opportunities
G-Werx Fitness,
An exclusive opportunity for members, this weekly class focuses on strength, balance
and stretching to keep you fit and strong.
First time participants, please contact G-Werx Fitness 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.
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Ongoing Member-Led Activities
MCC Caregivers' Support Group
2nd and 4th Wednesdays,
January - April,
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
Abiitan's Porter Cafe
428 2nd St S
Alternating Thursdays at 11:30 am
January 4 & 18
This casual, dutch treat lunch alternates weeks with Men's Coffee and Conversation. No reservations required! Questions? Contact
Allan Burdick.
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