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Update from the Executive Director
Hello to all of our members and friends! Autumn is in the air. The seasons are changing once again. The Minnesota State Fair is opening this week! That seems like a sure sign that Summer is packing her bags. Sigh...
What did you want to be when you were nine? I think I wanted to be a teacher.
Ames Sheldon decided then that she wanted to be a writer. Her first book,
Eleanor's Wars, has been described as follows:
Set against the historical backdrop of World War II, Eleanor's Wars chronicles the personal battles of one heroic woman in a rapidly changing world. It explores a timeless, universal subject: the insidious power of family secrets to shape and destroy lives and alter individual destinies.
Sheldon is speaking to MCC members next Monday, Aug. 26 about the process of writing her two historical novels. And I hope you can join us!
Also, Mill City Commons is staffing one of the community booths at the Mill City Farmers Market this Saturday, August 24th. Stop by and say hello! We'd love to see you.
Another opportunity to get together with MCC friends is our
Last Tuesday Happy Hour -- this month at historic Pracna on Main. Guests are welcome!
Ahhh... l
et's entertain our friend Summer for a bit longer...
MILL CITY COMMONS: We learn. We share. We engage. We give.
~ Sara J.B. Foster
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Current Events: A Conversation with Bill
Wednesday, August 21, 10:30 - 11:30 am 
Winslow House Party Room, 100 2nd St SE
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: "Two Ks, Two Ways: Kashmir and Korea." Indian Prime Minister Modi blocked U.S. involvement; North Korea's Kim Jong-un seeks it. We'll talk about how different players deal with the U.S.--and their neighbors.
This ongoing program is held on the third Wednesday of the month. Topic ideas for each monthly gathering are welcome.
MCC members sign up here.
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M
en's Coffee & Conversation
Thursday, August 22, 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 Michael Brennan hosts on the topic of "Consequential Conversations: Reflections on Life-Changing Interactions."
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Wilderness Inquiry Canoe Trip
Friday, August 23, 1:00 - 3:30 pm
North Mississippi Regional Park, Kroening Interpretive Center, 4900 N  Mississippi Dr
Join us for an adventure in the heart of the Twin Cities! We'll explore the Mississippi River up close in three 24-foot cedar strip canoes, each holding nine people. With the folks from Wilderness Inquiry as our guides, paddling is easy and fun in these Voyageur canoes. We'll begin at North Mississippi Regional Park Kroening Interpretive Center and end at Boom Island Park. Cost to participate is $58 per person.
Deadline for registration has passed, but if you'd like to be placed on the cancellation list, contact Betsy Wray: [email protected].
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Author Event: Ames Sheldon on Eleanor's Wars
Monday, August 26, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Village Lofts Community Room, 100 2nd St NE
 Ames Sheldon will discuss the process of writing her first historical novel, Eleanor's Wars, from the original inspiration to the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for Best New Voice: Fiction. Then she'll describe her path with her second novel, Don't Put the Boats Away, the sequel to Eleanor's Wars. In addition, she'll read some brief bits from both novels.
MCC members sign up here. |
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Last Tuesday Happy Hour
Tuesday, August 27, 5:00 - 6:00 pm 
Pracna on Main, 117 Main St SE
Join us for Last Tuesday Happy Hour at Pracna on Main, Minneapolis' oldest tavern and cafe! Hosted by Gerry & Susan Timm, this gathering is a time to catch up with friends and neighbors over drinks and small bites. Dutch treat--no reservations required. We'll meet in the atrium next to Pracna, where Pracna will have "Private Party" signs for our group.
MCC members and guests. No registration required. |
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MCC Evening Book Club
Tuesday, September 3, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
RiverWest Social Room, 401 S 1st St
 Join us to discuss A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi. For two decades, Zeba was a loving wife, patient mother and peaceful villager. But her quiet life is shattered when her husband, Kaml, is found brutally murdered with a hatchet in the courtyard of their home. Nearly catatonic with shock, Zeba is unable to account for her whereabouts at the time of his death. Her children swear their mother could not have committed such a heinous act. Kamal's family is sure she did and demands justice. Zeba is arrested and jailed, and as she awaits trial, she meets a group of women whose own misfortunes have also led them to these bleak cells: 30-year-old Nafisa, imprisoned to protect her from an honor killing; 25-year-old Latifa, who ran away from home with her teenage sister but now stays in the prison because it is safe shelter; and 19-year-old Mezhgan, pregnant and unmarried, waiting for her lover's family to ask for her hand in marriage. For these women, the prison is both a haven and a punishment. Removed from the harsh and unforgiving world outside, they form a lively and indelible sisterhood. Into this closed world comes Yusuf, Zeba's Afghan-born, American-raised lawyer, whose commitment to human rights and desire to help his motherland have brought him back. With the fate of this seemingly ordinary housewife in his hands, Yusuf discovers that, like Afghanistan itself, his client may not be at all what he imagines.
PARKING NOTE: Limited guest parking is available in the RiverWest garage. Register your car in the building lobby. There's also a pay lot on the woonerf between the Abiitan and Mill City Quarter buildings (on the back side of RiverWest) that's available for public parking from 6-10 pm Mon-Fri. Note that the parking meters are not owned by the city and the city parking app can NOT be used with them. Pay at the station in the lot.
The MCC Evening Book Club usually meets on the first Tuesday of every other month. The next gathering is on November 5.
MCC members sign up here. |
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The Minnesotans Who Brought "Hadestown" to Broadway
Thursday, September 5, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Washburn Common Room, 700 2nd St S
 Join us to hear from Stone Arch Theatricals partners and Riverfront residents Jennifer Melin Miller, Christopher Schout and Frances Wilkinson, co-producers of the 2019 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, "Hadestown" (also winner of seven additional Tonys!) They will share how "Hadestown" made it from concept album to Broadway (a 10-year journey), their involvement in the show, as well as their journeys in commercial theater investing and producing.
MCC members sign up here. |
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MCC Program Calendar
View the full calendar of August events here.
Plan ahead! View the full calendar of September events here.
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News from Members
MCC member Karla Ekdahl wants members to know that there was a groundbreaking for our country's first ever memorial to survivors of sexual assault. She shares some thoughts and photos
here. To learn more about the memorial, click
here.
MCC member Suzanne Joyce invites members to attend the Playwrights' Center
2019 Taste of the Season. At this one-of-a-kind event, you'll be introduced to four of the nation's greatest playwrights and hear an excerpt from their latest masterpiece, before taking a sip of a thoughtfully paired wine selected by Associate Artistic Director Hayley Finn. Raise a glass in celebration of this incredible cohort of artists, whose stories are changing the voice of the American Theatre. To learn more and purchase tickets, click
here.
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Ar
ound Town
NTL: The Lehman Trilogy
August 24, 1:00 pm, St. Anthony Main Theatre, 115 Main St SE
The story of a family and a company that changed the world, told in three parts on a single evening. On a cold September morning in 1844 a young man from Bavaria stands on a New York dockside, dreaming of a new life in the new world. He is joined by his two brothers, and an American epic begins. 163 years later, the firm they establish - Lehman Brothers - spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy and triggers the largest financial crisis in history. This critically acclaimed and five-time Olivier Award-nominated play will be broadcast live from London's West End as part of National Theatre Live's 10th Birthday season. Tickets can be purchased
here.
Bakken Trio: Siren Songs
September 8, 4:00 pm, MacPhail Center for Music, 501 2nd St S
In a program that celebrates women as both composers and as creative muses, remarkable soprano Liv Redpath returns after a stunning debut during the 18-19 Bakken season. Singer and muse Emma Bardac inspired the spontaneity of Faure's song cycle, while Previn's reverence for Toni Morrison's poems prompted him to write his Four Songs. The program ends with the dramatic and lyrical Quintet for Piano and Strings by Amy Beach, one of the most respected American composers of her era. Tickets can be purchased
here.
One Day University
September 21, 9:30 am-1:15 pm, Guthrie Theater, 818 2nd St S
The upcoming session of the One-Day University will offer three classes: "The American Revolution: Remarkable Stories You Never Heard Before" (Richard Bell, University of Maryland); "Five Paintings Every Art Lover Should See" (Tina Rivers Ryan, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, formerly Columbia University); and "The Changing Face of Politics: Approaching 2020" (Sam Potolicchioe, Georgetown University). For information and to register, 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 Tommy Orange
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!
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.
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Ongoing Member-Led Activities
MCC Caregivers' Support Group
2nd and 4th Wednesdays,
May-August,
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
August 29 & September 12
This casual, dutch treat lunch alternates weeks with Men's Coffee and Conversation. No reservations required! Questions? Contact
Allan Burdick.
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