Are you new to meditation or have you been practicing a while? Either way, attending this class is a wonderful act of self-care. Enjoy an hour of guided meditation including body scans, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques and heartfelt discussion/reflection. Give yourself time to pause on worries and the never-ending to-do list and enjoy the company of fellow MCC members who are seeking a more mindful and relaxed state of being. This course has been surprisingly impactful, even on Zoom. Leader: Terry Pearson will provide guided meditation via zoom.

Fee: An additional fee of $10.25 is required for this class to cover instructor costs. Please see the full description online for the attendance/cancellation policy.

MCC members sign up here. Registered members will receive the Zoom link in their confirmation email.

Jump on zoom with fellow members as we wave good-bye to 2020 and ring in 2021 with a New Years Eve Signature Cocktail! Join us for a quick toast, or stay longer to connect with friends in breakouts and discuss your intentions, hopes and goals for the new year. Drink recipes below--or feel free to get creative and make your own!

New Years Eve Sparkler-Cocktail Recipe

1 ounce berry-flavored vodka

1 1/2 ounces pomegranate juice

3 1/2 ounces champagne

Garnish: skewered raspberries

New Years Eve Sparkler-Mocktail Recipe

2 ounces pomegranate juice

2 ounces club soda

Garnish: skewered raspberries

MCC members sign up here. The Zoom link can be found in the program description after logging in.

As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, MCC Member and retired physician Michael Brennan is keeping a close watch on all medical and health developments put forth by the CDC, NIH and MN Department of Public Health. Join us for this every-other-week meeting where Michael will share the most recent information available, his perspective of how to keep ourselves safe and healthy, and answer questions.

MCC members sign up here. The Zoom link can be found in the program description after logging in.

Join us to discuss Neither Wolf Nor Dog by Kent Nerburn. Kent Nerburn draws the reader deep into the heart of the Native American experience through the world of an Indian elder known only as Dan. It’s a world of Indian towns, white roadside cafes, and abandoned roads that swirl with the memories of the Ghost Dance and Sitting Bull. As the story unfolds, Dan speaks eloquently on the difference between land and property, the power of silence, and the selling of sacred ceremonies.

Registration is not required. The Zoom link can be found here in the program description after logging in.

Music is powerful. It has the ability to transport us to a specific time and place as well as influence our mood instantly. Music can enhance the function of neural networks, slow the heart rate, lower blood pressure, and reduce levels of stress hormones and inflammatory cytokines. In fact, scientists have found that music stimulates more parts of the brain than any other human function. Join us for an interesting evening as MacPhail Music for Life Teaching Artist Andrea Leap gives us a deeper look at the health benefits that music can provide. We will also learn about opportunities offered through the Music for Life program for adults 55+ at MacPhail Center for Music.

MCC members sign up here. The Zoom link can be found in the program description after logging in.

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 Bill Casey is this week's conversation leader.

MCC members sign up here; guests email MCC. The Zoom link can be found here in the program description after logging in.

Women Connect is doing something new! We’ve added an additional meeting on the first Thursday of each month. This is a less formal, shorter, more intimate group chat. We’ll catch up on fun topics and share ideas in 45 minutes to an hour.

Remember the days when take-out was a last resort for an easy meal on a busy day? We bet these restaurants are now in the top ten on your iPhone Favorites list. So let’s share our delicious eats, unique finds, and neighborhood gems. We’ll record and distribute the recommendations. Please be kind to your fellow connectors by first verifying the days that your favorite spot is open and available for take-out since they’re not all operating seven days a week. The helpful information you provide will go into the notes.

MCC members sign up here. The Zoom link can be found here in the program description after logging in.

We can all use a good laugh these days. Join us for an evening of connection, humor and heart. Minnesota treasure, Kevin Kling, will share humorous and heart-touching stories that celebrate belonging, resiliency, connection, and moving forward through these challenging times together.

MCC members sign up here. The Zoom link can be found in the program description after logging in.

Mindy Greiling was serving in Minnesota’s House of Representatives when her son Jim’s first psychotic episode manifested itself in a delusion demanding he kill her. Fix What You Can is Mindy’s first book and spans 20 years and covers new ground about raising a child with schizophrenia. Join us as Mindy shares her journey and how her son’s illness inspired her to “fix what she could” in state policies to ensure other families wouldn’t face the same challenges.

MCC members sign up here. The Zoom link can be found here in the program description after logging in.

Through discussion we will explore ways of building a just community, equitably including all citizens.

This month: Do quick thinking and bias blind us? When we encounter an unfamiliar situation and our discomfort is triggered, can we slow down and consider alternate ways of responding? Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt offers suggestions here.

Where does bias originate?

Have you felt the hindrances of bias? What was the impact?

Can you recall a recent time when you jumped to conclusions?

How often do we treat people as members of an unnamed group, rather than as individuals?

Them versus us?

Bonus reference: “Let America Be America Again” a poem by Langston Hughes, read by Professor Willie Jenkins available here.

MCC members sign up here. The Zoom link can be found here in the program description after logging in.

Schedule time with a tech support guru and have your nagging technology questions answered during our complimentary Help Desk. This is a virtual help desk and will take place on Zoom. 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.

MCC members sign up here. The Zoom link will be provided in your confirmation email.

The Tell Me A Story program is coming back in 2021—but we need YOU! Since June, members have been sharing high points, low points, and intriguing and uplifting stories from their lives to enthusiastic response from members. Help us continue this great zoom program that helps us get to know one another a little bit better, especially when we can’t be together in person. There’s no limit to what you might tell – or read. What facet of your life would help us know you better if we heard your story? We are looking for storytellers for March and April.

Email Bethany Boom to sign up for an upcoming story slot, or suggest a month that would work for you.

Click here for the Zoom link.

Drop in and join your friends and neighbors for a morning chat over Zoom. Click here for the Zoom link.

Click here for the Zoom link.

The Third Avenue bridge will be closed starting January 4 until November 2022. Motorists, transit riders, and people walking and bicycling will need to use alternate routes across the river during this time. Curious about the repair work that’s being done and the detour routes to get you around construction? Visit the project webpage to learn more about the schedule, impacts to your commute, rehabilitation and preservation efforts and what the bridge will look like when the work is done.

MCC member Patty Connelly shares this You Tube video of the Dayton’s Project. She notes that it responds to a lot of questions members have been asking about the future of downtown, return of vitality, etc.

On behalf of MCC’s Future of Minneapolis Work Group, MCC members John Crosby and Sonia Cairns urge our members to take this police reform survey here on Transforming Community Safety. The deadline has been extended and we’d like you to weigh in with your opinions if you haven’t already.

MCC member Cheryl Coughlan wants members to know that MCC will be hosting a program called "French Like Moi: A Midwesterner in Paris" with author Scott Dominic Carpenter. Christina Selander Bouzouina, Executive Director of the Alliance Française Mpls/St.Paul, will interview Scott about his move from Minnesota to Paris and the unexpected dramas that awaited: scheming neighbors, police denunciations, surly demonstrators, cooking disasters, medical mishaps―not to mention all those lectures about cheese! You may want to read this hilarious new bestselling memoir ahead of time: French Like Moi: A Midwesterner in Paris, by Scott Dominic Carpenter. Books can be purchased at the local bookstore, Magers & Quinn or on Amazon.

MCC members John and Sonia Cairns recommend this article: Gone But Never Forgotten in a Quilt as a follow up to a recent MCC program called We Are The Story: Artist Quilters Address Racism in America (members can view the program recording here).

Beacon Hill Village (BHV) celebrated the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven with a special free piano recital performed by the exciting young artist Lee Dionne. Dionne performed Beethoven’s Bagatelle in G Minor, op. 119, No. 1 and the rarely heard late masterwork, the Diabelli Variations, op. 120. The concert was recorded on Wednesday, December 16, the date most experts believe is the 250th anniversary Beethoven’s birth. The recording is available here.

Join the SPCO as they ring in the new year with a broadcast highlighting music from energetic symphonies to reflective solos, including new surprises. Violinist Eunice Kim hosts the evening, with New Year greetings from artists who have worked with SPCO through the decades. Click here to learn more.

Winter is a wonderful time to be on the lookout for the bright flashes of woodpeckers on the bare trees. Join a naturalist for a socially-distanced bird watching walk in the park to seek out and learn about Minnesota's winter woodpeckers. Bring your own binoculars or borrow a sanitized pair from the park. Click here to register.

Looking for something fun to do on these dark winter nights? Enjoy four evenings of wildly entertaining TV game show spinoffs with contestants from the National Park Service, popular authors, outdoor celebrities, Fearless Comedy cast members and a live audience (you!). Test your knowledge on Mississippi River park topics by playing funny games for a chance to win prizes. The January 7 episode will feature The Historic River with Ranger Will and Lee Harris. Each night will feature a medley of games including: Watch Your Mouth, True Confessions with A Ranger, Who Wants To Be A Ranger, Match Game, Win, Lose, or Draw, or Cottonwood Squares. $10 per event or $35 for all four events. Learn more 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.

Elise Linehan, Executive Director, eliselinehan@millcitycommons.org

Mary Texidor, Business and Member Services Admin, marytexidor@millcitycommons.org

Bethany Boom, Program and Events Manager, bethanyboom@millcitycommons.org