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Update from the Executive Director
It's not surprising that today's Musings offers multiple opportunities to take in interesting presentations, get involved with some community organizations, read several new publications or join a discussion group. A thorough read-through is encouraged. So much going on!
A reminder that MCC is offering 3-month Trial Memberships. If you're interested in giving membership a try, this opportunity shouldn't be missed. Full membership benefits apply for a modest fee. Registration is open through March, with trial membership running April 1 - June 30. More information can be found
here. This is your chance to check us out. Don't delay!
MILL CITY COMMONS: We learn. We share. We engage. We give.
~ Joan Wright
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Social Bridge
Wednesday, March 13, 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 [email protected].
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Protecting Minnesota's Seniors from Abuse and Neglect - POSTPONED
Thursday, March 14, 3:00 - 4:30 pm 
Mill City Quarter Club Room, 322 2nd St S
For the last two years, AARP Minnesota has been at the State Capitol asking lawmakers for stronger protections for Minnesotans in long-term care residential facilities. Lawmakers have pledged to work in a bipartisan way to pass legislation this year that establishes new license requirements for assisted living residences and strengthens the rights of older Minnesotans to protect them against retaliation when they or their family members speak out about poor quality care. Come learn more about how a broken regulatory system has allowed abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities to persist and how Minnesota can better protect older and vulnerable adults. Speaker Erin Parrish is Associate State Director for Advocacy and Outreach for AARP Minnesota.
This event has been postponed. |
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Sunday Soiree
Sunday, March 17, 5:00 - 7:00 pm
La Rive Party Room, 110 Bank St SE
 Join your friends and neighbors for the Sunday Soiree, hosted by La Rive members John & Sonia Cairns, David & Sheryl Evelo, Barbara McBurney and Mary Moos. Please contribute to the potluck by bringing a hearty hors d'oeuvre or main dish salad to serve at least 8 (we have enough desserts). 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.
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Great Decisions: The State of the State Department and Diplomacy
Monday, March 18, 7:00 - 8:30 pm 
DeLaSalle High School, 1 DeLaSalle Dr
During the Trump administration, the usual ways of conducting diplomacy have been upended. Many positions in the State Department have never been filled, and meetings with foreign leaders such as Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin have been undertaken with little advance planning. What effect are these changes having now, and how will they affect ongoing relationships between the United States and its allies and adversaries? Speaker Tom Hanson is a foreign policy consultant and former career U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Currently, he serves as program secretary of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Committee on Foreign Relations, advisor to Global Minnesota's Great Decisions program, and Diplomat in Residence at the University of Minnesota -Duluth.
Registration on the MCC website is required for Great Decisions members. Sorry, not open to guests; to join the MCC Great Decisions Discussion Group, email Betsy Wray at [email protected].
MCC GD members sign up here.
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Meditation Circle
Tuesday, March 19 & 26, 9:30 - 10:30 am
Mill City Quarter Club Room, 322 2nd St S
 Mill City Commons members are invited to join in a weekly drop-in meditation hour. This is a time for self-guided meditation; if you're new to meditation, we'll provide a brief explanation to help you get started. Our hope is that meditating with each other may help each of our practices and create a shared energy among participants. Drop-in sessions are on Tuesdays from 9:30-10:30 am at Mill City Quarter, across the parking lot from Abiitan. An MCC member will be there to greet you at 9:30 a.m. Please register for sessions you plan to attend so we have an idea of how many to expect. All sessions are free.
MCC members sign up here for the March 19 session; members sign up here for the March 26 session. |
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M
en's Coffee & Conversation
Thursday, March 21, 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, community partner and 3rd ward City Council Member Steve Fletcher hosts. Ward 3 includes many neighborhoods that MCC members call home--Downtown East, Downtown West, North Loop, Marcy Holmes and Nicollet Island-East Bank. Steve's council committees impact issues like affordable housing, transportation, public safety, small business support and much more. He'll tell us about his priorities in 2019 and his personal story as an entrepreneur, technology professional, researcher and community organizer.
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Star Tribune Printing Plant Tour
Thursday, March 21, 1:00 - 2:30 pm
Star Tribune Heritage Center, 800 N 1st St
 If you like BIG, this is the place to see! Join us for a tour of the Star Tribune Heritage Center printing facility, where presses are 100 feet high, rolls of newsprint paper weigh 2,500 pounds and the building is the size of nine football fields. Register early, as we have just 10 spots on the tour. PLEASE NOTE: Closed-toe shoes are required.
MCC members sign up here. |
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Last Tuesday Happy Hour
Tuesday, March 26, 5:00 - 6:00 pm 
Nicollet Island Inn, 95 Merriam St
Join us for Last Tuesday Happy Hour at Nicollet Island Inn! Hosted by Ginger & Walt Bailey, this gathering is a time to catch up with friends and neighbors over drinks and small bites. The event is dutch treat--no reservations required. If you'd like to stay for dinner, reservations can be made by calling (612) 331-1800.
MCC members and guests. No registration required.
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MCC Women Connect
Thursday, March 28, 10:00 - 11:30 am
La Rive Party Room, 110 Bank St SE
 At this month's MCC Women Connect, the discussion topic is "White Privilege: How Does It Apply to Us?". Suzanne Joyce, Pat Hoven and Sonia Cairns will talk about how their own white privilege has led to negative, unintended consequences for people of color. Marilyn Broussard will offer her perceptions. Join the conversation as we together ponder myths that white people have about racism, such as "Racism only has to do with intentional acts," or "Only self-proclaimed white supremacists perpetuate racism." We're eager to explore how we can make changes in our attitudes and behaviors to benefit all people--people of color and the larger society. If you have time, please read
this article beforehand, "Ten Myths White People Believe About Racism."
MCC Women Connect's purpose is to gather to connect and grow, sharing our experiences and learning from each other as we adapt to life's changes and transitions. Discussion ideas come from members, volunteer facilitators and a list of suggestions being developed. We meet once a month, from 10:00-11:30 a.m., on the fourth Thursday.
MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC. |
"When Republicans Were Progressive" with Dave Durenberger and Lori Sturdevant
Thursday, March 28, 7:00 - 8:30 pm 
DeLaSalle High School, 1 DeLaSalle Dr
The Republican Party has dominated Minnesota's politics for much of the state's history. Today's party, though, is very different from the progressive Republican Party that came to power with Harold Stassen in 1938, had its heyday in the middle of the 20th century, and faded into near-obscurity by the 1990s. Issues that are anathema to today's GOP--environmental protection, assistance for vulnerable citizens, and economic opportunity for low-wage workers and the middle class--were at the heart of the party's agenda. Senator Dave Durenberger grew up in and helped build that party. In his latest book, with coauthor Lori Sturdevant of the
Star Tribune, he explains how Minnesota's progressive Republicans earned voters' trust and delivered on their promises and how progressive ideas fell out of favor when an increasingly anti-government, anti-tax national party shifted Minnesota Republican thinking to the right. Durenberger argues that the principles and practices of progressive Republicanism are a fitting remedy for what ails American democracy today.
MCC members sign up here. |
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MCC Program Calendar
View the full calendar of MCC's March events
here.
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News From Members
MCC member Peg Kavaney wants to let members know about "A Morning with Dr. Robin DiAngelo" taking place at the Guthrie Theater on March 15 from 7:30-9:00 am. Come hear Dr. Robin DiAngelo talk about a term she calls "White Fragility," a state in which even a minimal challenge to the white position becomes intolerable, triggering defensive responses, instead of a prompt to reach for humility and grapple with how to engage in intentional action. Learn more and purchase tickets
here.
MCC
member Lou Burdick
invites members and friends to join in singing with the Mill City Singers on Saturday afternoons from 2:00-3:30 pm at the Guthrie Theater on the 8th Floor. Rehearsals are open to all and directed by the talented musician JD Steele and the accompanist Fred Steele. All are warmly welcomed regardless of singing experience and together we make wonderful music and have FUN! They meet in March on the following Saturdays: March 16, 23 and 30. The group performed at Orchestra Hall last year and will do so again this year on Thursday, April 4, at 10:00 am. It's an experience you won't want to miss!
MCC member Will Craig has two new publications that might interest MCC members. Both appear in the recent publication of the
CURA Reporter, a publication of the U of M's Center for Urban & Regional Affairs:
K-12 Achievement Gap Is a National Problem, comparing state Black/White test scores across the country, and
Minnesota's Changing Consumer Economy, a look at the vitality of cities across outstate Minnesota.
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Ar
ound Town
Westminster Town Hall Forum
March 19, 12:00 pm, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1200 Marquette Ave
Join David Hogg as he speaks on the topic of "Putting the USA Over the NRA." David Hogg is a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He is among twenty Parkland students who founded Never Again MSD, a gun control advocacy group, and he is a founding member of March for Our Lives, one of the largest youth-led movements in the world. An advocate for ending gun violence in America, he has traveled the country calling for voter participation, civic engagement, and social activism.
Madame Ambassador
March 19, 7:00-8:30 pm, Minnesota History Center, 345 W Kellogg Ave, St. Paul
Daughter. Sister. Wife. Mother. Diplomat. Eugenie Anderson, played many roles in a life that nearly spanned the 20th century. Hear from Mary Dupont, Anderson's granddaughter and author of
Mrs. Ambassador: The Life and Politics of Eugenie Anderson, about how Anderson brought energy and eloquence to the Minnesota DFL, as a lifelong adviser to Hubert Humphrey and the first woman ambassador for the US. For more information, click
here.
Welcome Back the Herons
March 23, 1:00-3:00 pm, Marshall Terrace Park, 2740 Marshall St NE
Great blue herons start returning to their rookery on the Mississippi River toward the end of March. Join Park Ranger Sharon to watch them rebuild nests and do a little flirting. You may also see peregrine falcons and migrating ducks like buffleheads and goldeneye. Be prepared for some ice or mud on the banks of the river. For more information, 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.
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MCC Trial Membership Opportunity
Try on a Mill City Commons membership for the months of April - June. Registration is open now through March 31. Details can be found
here; to join online or to download a membership form visit
our website.
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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, 10:00-11:00 am
Abiitan's Porter Cafe
428 2nd St S
No reservations required. The next
book is
by Anne Tyler
Click
here to see what books we're reading at future Book Chats.
Guthrie Play Reading
North Star Group
Wednesday, March 27,
6:30-9:30 pm
Reading Cyrano de Bergerac
this month.
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.
MCC Women Connect
Join MCC women as they connect and grow, sharing experiences and learning from each other as they adapt to life's changes and transitions. This group meets the fourth Thursday morning of the month.
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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.
Meditation Circle
Mill City Quarter,
Join us for a weekly
self-guided meditation hour.
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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 in a caregiving role.
Men's Dutch Lunch
Abiitan's Porter Cafe
428 2nd St S
Alternating Thursdays at 11:30 am
March 14 & 28
This casual, dutch treat lunch alternates weeks with Men's Coffee and Conversation. No reservations required! Questions? Contact
Allan Burdick.
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