October 17, 2017
Update from Executive Director

"Getting old is for the birds," my mother used to say.

It seemed an odd saying, mostly because I liked birds - and, so did she. However, this idiomatic expression was used freely with gardening buddies, sisters, church friends -- just about anyone inclined to swap aches and pains stories!

A quick search using  The Phrase Finder, offered this meaning: "trivial, worthless, meaningless." While I can attest to my own set of aches and pains, I don't agree that my older years are trivial, worthless or carry no meaning. Honestly, our own stereotypes are doing us in!

Mill City Commons is committed to meeting the changing health and lifestyle needs of its members as they age, knowing that "support" can be both practical and emotional. We build community through shared experiences, offering programs that educate, stimulate, engage and support our members. Multiple opportunities for personal growth, social interaction, mental stimulation, helping others and healthy living ideas are offered each month. Now that's a whole-new kettle of fish!

MILL CITY COMMONS: We learn. We share. We engage. We give.

~ Joan Wright
Finding Common Ground: A Panel Discussion on Public Safety and Racial Justice
Tuesday, October 17, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
DeLaSalle High School, 1 DeLaSalle Dr, Room D104
Recent events have caused all of us to feel and see the divide between people, both locally and nationally. Join us for a panel discussion in which we'll explore the relationship between public safety and racial justice. Participating on the panel will be Minneapolis Chief of Police Medaria Arradondo, Deputy Hennepin County Attorney David Brown, Minnesota Chief Inclusion Officer James Burroughs and Minneapolis NAACP Vice President Leslie Redmond. Julie Showers, Director of the Office for Conflict Resolution at the University of Minnesota, will moderate the discussion. Those attending will be asked to participate in the conversation by submitting written questions to the panel the evening of the event. Be thinking about what questions you have regarding this timely and sensitive issue.

MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC.
Men's Coffee and Conversation 
Thursday, October 19, 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 Keith Bednarowski will introduce Tom Streitz, CEO of Twin Cities Rise! (TCR), a 25-year-old anti-poverty organization that provides employment training for individuals facing barriers to employment success. Keith, an active TCR board member, and Tom will be discussing: "A Moral and Economic Imperative."

MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC.
Orchid Geography
Friday, October 20, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm 
Whitney Lofts, 150 Portland Ave, #501
Worldwide, there are 20,000 to 30,000 species of orchids, along with another 70,000 hybrids. Different orchids grow in different locations, bloom at different times of the year, display vastly different flowers and require different conditions to thrive. In this brief session, member Marsha Blumenthal will introduce orchids from both the "new" world and the Orient, highlighting what's currently blooming in her grow room.

MCC members sign up here.
Driven to Discover: Growing Apples in Minnesota
Monday, October 23, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Stone Arch Lofts, 600 2nd St S
Let's talk apples! Dr. Emily Hoover, professor and head of the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota, will discuss this fall favorite, including the cultivars that grow in Minnesota and the importance of apple breeding and production research. The U of M's apple breeding program, led by faculty in the Department of Horticultural Science, has developed many well-known apple cultivars since Minnehaha was introduced back in 1920. Recent introductions include Honeycrisp, Zestar! and SweeTango. We'll conclude with an apple tasting.

MCC members sign up here.
Tuesday Happy Hour
Tuesday, October 24, 5:00 - 6:00 pm
The Bad Waitress, 700 Central Ave NE
Join us for Tuesday Happy Hour--on the fourth Tuesday this month instead of the last--at the Bad Waitress. Hosted by Jeff and Joan Wright, this gathering is a time to catch up with friends and neighbors over drinks and small bites. Dutch treat--no reservations required! Half of the restaurant/bar area will be reserved for MCC. If you wish to stay for dinner, reservations are available for parties of five or more at (612) 354-7947. Plenty of parking is available in the back.
 
MCC members and guests. No registration required.
Social Bridge
Wednesday, October 25, 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Washburn Lofts, 700 2nd St S
Join bridge players for a round of social bridge; levels of expertise and experience vary. Bring a partner if you can, and remember to register both yourself and your partner. Questions? Contact Carol Jordan at caroljordan@millcitycommons.org.

MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC.
Our Turn: A Conversation for Women
Thursday, October 26, 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Mill City Quarter, 322 2nd St S
MCC women, you are invited to attend Our Turn: A Conversation for Women. This week, Linnea Olesen will lead a discussion on: "The sayings that keep us on track to the way we want to live our lives." Many of us collect and place in a visible place quotes that have meaning for us. We use them to keep our spirits strong, to remind us to keep our good intentions. Bring a poem, quote or cartoon that is meaningful in your life.

Our Turn meets every other Thursday, alternating between morning and afternoon times. Hosts, topics and occasionally locations change each time.

MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC.
Mapping Prejudice
Thursday, October 26, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
MacPhail Center for Music, 501 2nd St S, Room 126
Most Minneapolitans think that their city was never burdened by the Jim Crow-type formal segregation of the American South. Mapping Prejudice brings together a team of activists and scholars who want to show how the city's contemporary urban geography has been shaped by historic restrictions on property ownership. The team is using new digital technology to assemble the first-ever map of racial covenants ever created for an American city. They'll show us the hidden history of race in Minneapolis, why we should care about these historic policies and how we can help with this important research project. Speakers include Kevin Ehrman-Solberg, an MGIS student in the Geography, Environment and Society department at the U of M who's also project manager for Mapping Prejudice and a graduate assistant at the Borchert Map Library; Penny Petersen, author of two books of Minneapolis history and an expert in historic property research; and Kirsten Delegard, a scholar-in-residence in the history department at Augsburg College and founder of the Historyapolis Project, which seeks to bring new attention to the often-troubled past of her hometown, Minneapolis.

MCC members sign up here.
An Introduction to BrainHQ
Monday, October 30, 1:30 - 3:00 pm
American Academy of Neurology, 201 Chicago Ave, Training Room A
BrainHQ is a web-based program designed to deliver customized training to help individuals retain and improve their mental sharpness. Mill City Commons members are now able to access this online, at-home brain training at a discounted price of $72 per person for one year (the usual price is $95.) Nancy Verdier, one of three MCC members who piloted the program, will show examples of the exercises (they're not games!), explain the science behind them and take names of MCC members who want to purchase a 12-month usage license. This discount is a new MCC membership benefit.

MCC members sign up here.
MCC Program Calendar

View the full MCC October calendar here.

Plan ahead! View the full MCC November calendar here.
News from Members

MCC member Claudia Kittock invites members to a performance of the Friends of the Mill District Choir tonight (Tuesday, October 17). They will be performing at 7:00 pm at the Capri Theater (2027 W Broadway).

MCC members Bud and Carol Hayden highly recommend the History Theatre's production of All the Way. Tickets are almost sold out and the show runs through October 29 so if you are interested, click here to buy your tickets now!

MCC members Diane and Tony Hofstede attended  Watch on the Rhine at the Guthrie Theater and "encourage members not to miss this play." The performance runs through November 5. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here

MCC member Doug Verdier wants members to know that Crown Hydro rescheduled a public meeting. The meeting will now take place on October 25 at 6 pm. The meeting is open to all who are interested in the project. The meeting will take place at the Minneapolis Central Library, Pohlad Hall, 300 Nicollet Mall.
Around Town

Westminster Town Hall Forum
October 24, 12:00 pm, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1200 Marquette Ave
Join Ari Melber as he discusses Politics, Governing, and the Law. Melber is Chief Legal Correspondent for MSNBC, covering the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Department, and FBI, and the host of the political news program The Beat

Art is My Weapon
Finale on October 27, 7:00-9:00 pm, Gamut Gallery, 717 10th St S
In August 2016, Pillsbury United Communities--in collaboration with the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department--conducted a gun buyback to remove guns from the street with no questions asked. 250 guns were collected, decommissioned and disseminated to local artists to use as raw materials in their art. Each artist used the guns in their medium to express a thought, make a statement, open a discussion and stimulate thinking about guns in our culture. A Panel Discussion and Artist Talk will take place on 10/27. Learn more here.

Birds Sing Differently Here
October 27-29, Guthrie Theater, 818 2nd St S, Dowling Studio
Based on the true stories of 12 Iraqi-Minnesotan refugees and immigrants, Birds Sing Differently Here is an original theater piece which weaves together tales of sweetness, sorrow, grief and discovery. Participants of the Iraqi Voices program come together with a cast of professional actors to tell their stories. The production shares the ache of endings and the fullness of new opportunity. For information and tickets, click 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!  
 
MCC Ongoing Social Opportunities
 
Dutch Treat
Social Hour
Mondays, 4:00-5:00 pm
Aster Cafe
125 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.
LaRose
by Louise Erdrich

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!

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.
 
 
Ongoing Member-Led Activities

Exploring Meditation
Every Tuesday, September 19 - November 21,
9:30-10:30 am
Clear the clutter in your mind, reduce stress and increase the feeling of calm in your life. For more information on future meditation opportunities, email Betsy Wray.

MCC Caregiver Support Group
2nd and 4th Wednesdays,
September-December
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
Oct 26 & Nov 9
 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

                 9:15-10:00 am

*Note the new time

G-Werx Fitness,

428 2nd St S, #100
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.

  

Hatha Yoga

Wednesdays and Fridays,

8:00-9:15 am

Yoga Center of Minneapolis,

103 N 2nd St

This is an alignment-based class. Purchase a 12-class pass for $150 directly from YCM to use as your schedule allows, or drop in on a class for $13. Call 

612-436-4700 for details.

Drop-ins welcome.

Discounted rate for MCC members applies to any drop-in class at YCM.

 
 
Mill City Commons | 125 Main St SE, Suite 339, Minneapolis, MN 55414
www.millcitycommons.org | info@millcitycommons.org  
(612) 455-3329