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Update from the Executive Director
Hello MCC members and friends!
We are gearing up for next week's National Village Conference in Chicago -- this year's theme is
Connecting Generations. As I reflect on the theme and different possible ways to connect with other generations, I wonder where our members might see the most need. Many of you are grandparents, and might feel sufficiently connected to youngsters. Many of you likely volunteer in schools and churches -- perhaps connecting with other generations in those settings. As we continue our strategic planning revision, I am eager to hear your ideas. We could make connections with child care centers, preschools, K-12 schools, or college students. Maybe create some type of mentor program with community organizations such as the
Native American Community Development Institute? Feel free to
let me know what you think.
Check out this
interactive graphic from the Pew Research Center on
How Millennials today compare with their grandparents 50 years ago.
You can click on each category listed on the left side of the graphic to see a different chart; click on "2017" or "when they were younger" to see different results. (I am assuming most of you are familiar with using generational cohorts as a lens to investigate differences in attitudes and changes in views over time, learn more
here and
here.) Do you feel like the description of your generational cohort fits you? Do you identify as a Baby Boomer or of the Silent or Greatest Generation? Some interesting conclusions, to be sure!
Read on to learn about our upcoming programs, from a sing-along to meditation circle, from current events to happy hour, we've got something for everyone. Hope to see you around the riverfront!
MILL CITY COMMONS: We learn. We share. We engage. We give.
~ Sara J.B. Foster
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MCC Sing-Along
Thursday, September 12, 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 Anne and Tom Carrier's Stone Arch loft. With Sara Foster on the 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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Sunday Soiree
Sunday, September 15, 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Lourdes Square, 186 Bank St SE
 Join your friends and neighbors for the MCC Sunday Soiree, hosted by Liz & Van Hawn at Lourdes Square. 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.
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Great Decisions: Refugees and Global Migration
Monday, September 16, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
DeLaSalle High School, 1 DeLaSalle Dr, Room D104 
Today, no countries have open borders. Every state in today's global system has its own laws and policies about who is permitted to cross its borders, and how they will do so. Who determines whether someone is a refugee or a migrant? How have different countries, including the United States, reacted to migration? How effective are the international laws, policies and organizations that have evolved to assist and protect refugees and migrants? Speaker Michele Garnett McKenzie serves on the senior leadership team at The Advocates for Human Rights as well as the national leadership team of the Immigration Advocates Network. A graduate of the U of M's Law School, she also teaches the Immigration Education and Outreach Externship for the U of M Law School's Center for New Americans.
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 betsywray@millcitycommons.org.
MCC members sign up here.
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Meditation Circle
Tuesday, September 17 & 24, 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 September 17 session; members sign up here for the September 24 session.
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Current Events: A Conversation with Bill
Tuesday, September 17, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm 
Mill City Quarter Club Room, 322 2nd St S
Current international news and U.S. foreign policy provide an endless trove of topics for learning and discussion. Retired foreign service officer and MCC member Bill Davnie will identify a topic in advance, although news can always lead us in a fresh direction. This month's topic: "Has the West Lost It? A View from Asia on the Current International Situation."
This ongoing program is held on the third Wednesday of the month (this month is an exception). Topic ideas for each monthly gathering are welcome.
MCC members sign up here.
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M
en's Coffee & Conversation
Thursday, September 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 John Cairns hosts with guest speaker Nekima Levy Armstrong. They'll speak on "Racial Inequities in Minneapolis: What should/can be done to deal with the issue?" A leader in the African-American community, Nekima Levy Armstrong is a former law professor at the University of St. Thomas, spokesperson for Black Lives Matter and co-counsel with John Cairns in the pending litigation seeking to declare that parental choice in public schools in Minnesota is unconstitutional.
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MCC Women Connect
Thursday, September 19, 10:00 - 11:30 am 
Mill City Quarter Club Room, 322 2nd St S
At this month's MCC Women Connect, Suzanne Joyce will lead a discussion on women, wealth and wisdom. Even today, only about 15% of financial advisors are women. Why is money talk usually from men to men?
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 third Thursday.
MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC. |
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Last Tuesday Happy Hour
Tuesday, September 24, 5:00 - 6:00 pm
Pog Mahone's Pub & Grill, 903 Washington Ave S
 Join us for Last Tuesday Happy Hour at Pog Mahone's Bar & Grill! Hosted by Keith & Polly Nelson, Ken Hartung and Bob & Pam Berkwitz, this gathering is a time to catch up with friends and neighbors over drinks and small bites. Dutch treat--no reservations required. Parking after 5 p.m. is available in the adjacent, closely monitored pay lot, at meters on the street or in nearby parking ramps. If you'd like to stay for dinner, you may make reservations by email with Libby Kvasnicka at libby@pogmahone.com.
MCC members and guests. No registration required.
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Mill City Travelers: The Silk Road with Jim Conaway
Wednesday, September 25, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Stonebridge Community Room, 1120 2nd St S, 2nd fl 
Join us as MCC member Jim Conaway shares about his unusual experiences in Xinjiang Province, China, through images and stories. This province is known as the Uygur Autonomous Region and is in the far most western part of China. According to Jim, it's one of the most desolate and interesting places in the world. Jim, who taught painting, drawing and ancient art history for 38 years at the university level, is now a full-time artist. For many years, he took university students to historic locations abroad for J-term classes, and in retirement, he has led adult group tours to sites in Europe, South American and Asia.
This is one in an occasional series featuring MCC members and their travel stories.
MCC members sign up here.
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MCC Program Calendar
View the full calendar of September events here.
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News from Members
MCC member Peggy Lucas encourages members to consider volunteering to "Get to Know Your Downtown Forest." You can attend one of two orientation sessions (September 19 or 24) and then sign up for a route to survey trees for the fall census in neighborhoods across downtown by October 1. Registration for the orientation sessions is requested by September 13. You can learn more
here, or email
info@greenminneapolis.org for more information or to register.
MCC member Nancy Gardner wants members who live in the North Loop to know that the North Loop Neighborhood Association has an opening on the Planning + Zoning Committee. It's a great way to get involved in the North Loop community and have an impact on the future of the neighborhood. To learn more check out their website:
https://northloop.org. Any interested parties can email
irinagbrown@gmail.com with questions, more information or to throw your hat in the ring. Future openings, coming in January 2020, include board positions for two-year and one-year terms. New board members will be elected at the annual meeting this January.
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ound Town
Field Trip! A Raucous Ramble Around Minnehaha Falls
September 18, 5:30 pm-7:00 pm, start on the grass south of Dairy Queen, 4740 Minnehaha Ave
The lost history of Minnehaha Falls includes dance halls, secret saloons, wild behavior, lawsuits and whiskey. Join historian Karen Cooper for a one-mile walk as she tours the places in Minnehaha Park where all this mayhem occurred a hundred years ago. Crooks, landowners, saloon owners and hoteliers went to the Falls to turn a profit or to raise a little ruckus. The conflict between moral upright society and the dissipated partiers at the Falls is a fascinating and forgotten story. $14, plus service fee. For information and tickets, click
here.
Global Conversations: The U.S.-Japan Alliance in an Evolving Indo-Pacific
September 18, 6:00-7:30 pm, Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall
How strong are U.S.-Japan ties, and how do they affect the U.S.? What is the current role of this alliance, and how is it evolving in response to changing Indo-Pacific and global developments? Can U.S.-Japan relations develop in the future to the benefit of both countries? Join a discussion to address these questions featuring former U.S. Director for National Intelligence and Commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Dennis C. Blair (ret.) and Dr. Satu Limaye, Vice President and Director of the East-West Center in Washington. Free, but pre-registration is requested
here.
Theater of Public Policy -- Scandal on the Waterfront!
September 21, 6:30-8:30 pm, A-Mill Artist Lofts, 315 Main St SE
The
Theater of Public Policy advances the understanding of complex ideas and issues by unpacking them through smart conversation and improvisational comedy. Enjoy a beer in a speakeasy atmosphere with historians Penny Peterson, author of
Minneapolis Madams, and Iric Nathanson, author of
Minneapolis in the Twentieth Century. The ticket price includes two specialty beers from Pryes brewery. $22 /MNHS members save 20%. 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.
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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
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, 10:00-11:00 am
Abiitan's Porter Cafe
428 2nd St S
No reservations required. The next
book is
by Min Jin Lee.
Click here to see what books we're reading at future Book Chats.
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!
Guthrie Play Reading
North Star Group
Wednesday, September 11, 6:30-9:30 pm
RiverWest Group
Tuesday, September 17,
6:30-9:30 pm
Groups will be reading Sweat this month.
Social Bridge
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 third 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
Tuesdays 9:30-10:30 am
Mill City Quarter,
322 2nd St S
Join us for a weekly
self-guided meditation hour. Starts on September 17!
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Ongoing Member-Led Activities
MCC Caregivers' Support Group
2nd and 4th Wednesdays,
September-December
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
September 12 & 26
This casual, dutch treat lunch alternates weeks with Men's Coffee and Conversation. No reservations required! Questions? Contact
Allan Burdick.
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