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Update from the Executive Director
One of the things I love about Mill City Commons is the breadth and depth of our programs. Not only do we discuss foreign policy and attend educational lectures, we also know how to enjoy the arts. Whether through our play-reading groups, learning about the Broadway hit "Hadestown," or touring a glass-blowing facility, we are well-rounded folks! In addition to our programming, I love that we are intentionally building the MCC community together.
I'm excited to tell you that we've got a program coming up that will marry the arts and community! Please join us next Monday (Oct. 14) for a program entitled
"Artists Making Art and Community" featuring abstract painter
Susan Wagner, bronze sculptor
Nick Legeros, and our very own landscape painter
Jim Conaway. Find the details and register
below. I hope to see you there!
Be sure you check out our
News from Members this week -- featuring several more artsy opportunities -- including an art opening, Voices of Opera, Mill City Dance, and more.
Lots more going on... keep reading and take care!
MILL CITY COMMONS: We learn. We share. We engage. We give.
~ Sara J.B. Foster
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Artists Making Art and Community
Monday, October 14, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Stonebridge Lofts Community Room, 2nd fl, 1120 S 2nd St 
How and why do artist communities form? Where are they in Minneapolis and how do they benefit artists and the surrounding communities? Three professional artists working in Minneapolis will tell us what it's like to be in an artist community, the kind of art they make and what keeps them connected to their work. Abstract painter Susan Wagner, bronze sculptor Nick Legeros and landscape painter (and MCC member) Jim Conaway will share their perspectives.
MCC members sign up here.
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Meditation Circle
Tuesday, October 15 & 22, 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 October 15 session; members sign up here for the October 22 session.
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Current Events: A Conversation with Bill
Wednesday, October 16, 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. In this month's session, Bill will lead a conversation about Afghanistan. Should we stay or go? What aspects of a settlement do you consider critical? Come with your thoughts and views. Bill also will talk a bit about his former colleague, Ambassador Masha Yovanovitch, who was serving in Ukraine until May of this year.
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, October 17, 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 host Bill Davnie 's topic is "What Do Diplomats Actually Do?". He'll explain how he ended up in the Foreign Service, what the career is like and a little about the current plight of U.S. diplomacy.
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MCC Women Connect
Thursday, October 17, 10:00 - 11:30 am 
Mill City Quarter Club Room, 322 2nd St S
At this month's MCC Women Connect, Mary Moos will lead a discussion around the question, "Would you rather be born rich or smart?"
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.
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Sunday Soiree
Sunday, October 20, 5:00 - 7:00 pm
La Rive Party Room, 110 Bank St SE
 Join your friends and neighbors for the MCC Sunday Soiree, hosted by John & Sonia Cairns, Judy Cohn, Pat Hoven and Mary Moos at La Rive. Please contribute to the potluck by bringing a hearty hors d'oeuvre, main dish salad or dessert to serve at least 8. 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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MCC-Best Buy Focus Group
Monday, October 21, 10:30 - 11:30 am
Open Book Meeting Room, 2nd fl, 1011 Washington Ave S 
Best Buy, in conjunction with Mill City Commons, is holding monthly discussions to gather input on product and service ideas to assist older adults in living independently in their homes. A different topic will be presented each month to a limited group of 10 focus group members. Be part of shaping future smart technology and health and wellness products designed to assist older adults to remain living independently. Refreshments will be offered!
MCC members sign up here.
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Great Decisions: The Rise of Populism in Europe
Monday, October 21, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
DeLaSalle High School, 1 DeLaSalle Dr, Room D104
 Mass migration, and the problems associated with it, have directly abetted the rise of populist parties in Europe. Opposition to immigration was the prime driver of support for Brexit, it brought a far-right party to the German Bundestag for the first time since the 1950s and it propelled Marine Le Pen to win a third of the vote in the French presidential election. In addition to calling for stronger borders, however, these parties are invariably illiberal, anti-American, anti-NATO and pro-Kremlin, making their rise a matter of serious concern for the national security interests of the United States. 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. |
Provide a Meal at First Covenant Shelter
Wednesday, October 23, 5:00 - 8:30 pm 
First Covenant Church, 810 7th St S
Join MCC friends to prepare and serve a meal at First Covenant Shelter by St. Stephen's, which is in our Mill City neighborhood. This will be the third time this year MCC members have have come together to help the homeless. In addition to serving the food, volunteers are asked to donate $20 towards the cost of the food. If you are unable to participate but would like to donate money for groceries, that would be appreciated.
Additional details will be provided to those who sign up. If you have questions, you may contact Ellen Breyer:
[email protected].
We are also collecting items for St. Stephen's to help them serve others in our neighborhood. Click
here to learn more.
MCC members sign up here.
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MCC Program Calendar
View the full calendar of October events here.
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News from Members
MCC member Nancy Gardner shares that Minnesota Opera will continue its successful education initiative, Voices of Opera, a community opera chorus, ideal for older adults. Whether you have sung in the church choir for years or last sang in your high school choir, Voices of Opera encourages you to join with fellow musicians to perform famous operatic excerpts and other choral favorites. Register online
here. Rehearsals start tonight (!) with a culminating performance scheduled for December 15.
MCC member Susan Hartman shares this highly recommended resource for grief:
the Downtown Grief Coalition sponsors weekly grief groups that rotate every four months to a different downtown church. Through the end of December, St. Mark's Episcopal Church hosts the group that meets on Saturdays from 9:30-11:30 am. Each week, a speaker discusses a topic concerning grief and loss, after which the participants break into three volunteer-facilitated groups focused on either: death of spouse, of family/friend or of child. For further information, go to:
mplsgriefsupport.com
.
MCC member Ember Reichgott Junge invites members to join Mill City Dance! Friends of the Mill District are partnering with the Heart of Dance "Dance for Life" program and Abiitan in the launch of a 10-week series of dance sessions (including general dance following each lesson). The sessions will begin Thursday, October 10 from 12:30 pm to 2 pm. and will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays at Abiitan Terraces (2nd floor of Abiitan), 428 S 2nd St. No partner is necessary. Come as you are, single or with a partner. All expenses will be paid by Friends of the Mill District.
There are a limited number of spaces available and they will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Join us in building body, brain, and balance. Please register with Claudia Kittock at
[email protected].
MCC member Gustavo Gomez recommends
"Sage-ing International," a conscious aging nonprofit dedicated to transforming the current limited view of "age-ing" to a more expansive view of aging as a time for "sage-ing." Check out "Awakening the Sage Within" -- a one-day event introducing Sage-ing and conscious aging in the Twin Cities to learn more. Sat. Oct. 12, 9 am to 4 pm. Details
here.
MCC member Barbara Broker
invites members to attend the next art opening at Bridgewater Lofts (215 10th Ave S) on October 18 from 6:00-8:00 pm. Enjoy art, wine and appetizers with your Mill City neighbors (this exhibit includes art from MCC member Patty Canney). Click
here
to learn more and
here
to read the press release.
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Ar
ound Town
The Future of Water: A Panel Discussion
October 17, 7:00-8:00 pm, Mill City Museum, 704 2nd St S
Join a discussion about what environmental stewardship can mean for our lives today and in the future. Twin Cities community members will discuss their work caring for Minnesota's rivers, lakes and lands and will share resources and knowledge on ways to sustain a healthy and vibrant community. For more information, click
here.
A Cripple's Dance
October 18-20, various times, Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Ave S
A Cripple's Dance is a live music and dance performance created and performed by people with spinal cord Injuries and people with able bodies. Through music, dance and words, they'll be telling the story of care and support and the involvement of letting/pushing the person who needs care to take risks and face the dangers of life. The story of anger and how it can be used to unearth yourself from oppressive structures. The story of balancing a need for solitude and community. The story of accepting life as it is while simultaneously accepting that you can long and desire for more out of this life. Purchase tickets
here.
Westminster Town Hall Forum
October 22, 12:00 pm, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1200 Marquette Ave
Join Jim Sciutto as he presents on "Inside Russia and China's Secret Operations."
Sciutto is CNN's chief national security correspondent and co-anchor of the news program CNN Newsroom. He reports and provides analysis on all aspects of U.S. national security, including foreign policy, the military, the intelligence community, and the ongoing Russia investigation.
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
**Mill City Commons is collecting items for St. Stephen's Human Services before we serve a meal at First Covenant Shelter. Click here to learn what items are needed and consider participating! Donations accepted through October 22.**
Click
here
for other 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 Daniel James Brown
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
RiverWest Group
Tuesday, October 22,
6:30-9:30 pm
Reading The Winter's Tale 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.
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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
October 10 & 24
This casual, dutch treat lunch alternates weeks with Men's Coffee and Conversation. No reservations required! Questions? Contact
Allan Burdick.
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