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Dear Mill City Commons members and friends,
Today marks the first day of school for many students, the first week for our fall trial members and nearly the last chance for other interested parties to join MCC for our trial membership. Although some may claim that September is when things start to die back in preparation for winter, to me September feels a bit more like spring bringing in a new beginning. We've got a fresh calendar of activities, new people to meet, excitement in the air about upcoming events, and so much more. Do you feel it, too? I hope you can sense the optimism, the anticipation for what's to come and the enthusiasm of our membership in this new season. Join us at an upcoming program and see for yourself!
Mary Texidor, Executive Director
(612) 455-3329, 1201 W River Pkwy, Suite 217C, Minneapolis, MN 55454
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Three-Month Trial Membership Opportunity | |
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Not a member? Try us out!
We understand the importance of strong social connections and belonging. Join Mill City Commons for $150 and attend unlimited programs from September 1-November 30, access trusted online resources and rely on courteous and friendly staff.
Learn more here or sign up by visiting our website. Fill in the online form and you'll hear back from our staff with next steps to become a part of our membership community.
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Our Upcoming Programs and Events | |
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Rendezvous Readers' Book Chat
Wednesday, September 4, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Klassic's Kitchen, 428 S 2nd St
Join us to discuss this month's book, "The Friend," by Sigrid Nunez. You are welcome to join us in conversation whether or not you've read the book.
If you'd like to read ahead, October's book is "Lady Tan's Circle of Women," by Lisa See, and November's book is "Where Rivers Part," by Kao Kalia Yang.
Have a book suggestion for the Book Chat? Email Marsha Blumenthal.
No registration required.
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Men's Breakfast
Thursday, September 5, 8:00 - 9:00 am
Elsie's Restaurant, 729 Marshall St NE
It's caffeine and camaraderie for members of MCC and guests! This group meets every other Thursday and is hosted by various members who get the conversation going.
Join us for an open table discussion as we enjoy breakfast together, finding out more about the people at our table, what is on their minds at the moment, and what interests we share in common.
MCC members sign up here.
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Morning Mixer
Saturdays, September 7 & 14, 9:00 - 10:30 am
Elsie's Restaurant, 729 Marshall St NE
Get to know other MCC members at a casual Saturday morning breakfast mixer at Elsie’s Restaurant. Hot coffee awaits you when you arrive on foot or by bike or by car - order a full breakfast or simply a beverage. Open seating at tables set for 4 or 5 - great for conversation with friends, old and new. To help the restaurant prepare, please register.
NOTE: Breakfasts are outside as long as the temperature is at least 50 degrees. If bad weather, Elsie’s has a secluded indoor space available in the main dining room. This event is limited to 35 to accommodate Elsie's staff.
MCC members sign up here for September 7 and here for September 14; guests email MCC.
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Join Us on the Green! Lunch at North Loop Green
Tuesday, September 10, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
North Loop Green, 350 N 5th St
Bring your furry friend and join us for a Dutch-treat lunch at the new North Loop Green in the North Loop. There are plenty of food trucks and tables for the perfect lunch for you and your pet! This fun Green is also home to Basset Hound, a new pet-friendly watering hole. Grab your lunch at one of the food trucks and join us outside on the Green!
MCC members sign up here.
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Let's Play Mah Jongg!
Friday, September 13, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
MCC Office, 1201 W River Pkwy, 2nd fl
Join us for a fun morning of Mah Jongg. Meet new members, guests and fellow Mah Jongg enthusiasts. All levels welcome from beginners to experienced. You will need to have, or have on order, a 2024 NMJL card (available for about $15 online here). Sign up early, and bring a guest. Have fun and learn as we go, playing at tables of 4, 3, or 2 Please make sure that you bring your NMJL card with you. If you have a set of Mah Jongg tiles and racks, please bring them with you as well.
This event is limited to 15 participants. Registration closes at Noon on September 12.
Beginners should prepare by learning to recognize the tiles by name: Winds (North, South, East, West), Dragons (Green, Red and Soap), Flowers, Suits (Bams, Craks, Dots), Jokers. In addition, beginners might prepare by viewing a Mah Jongg primer on YouTube, or reading a book such as A Beginner's Guide to American Mah Jongg to begin to understand the goal: completed combinations listed on the 2024 Mah Jongg Card.
Please reach out to Keith Nelson for further information or questions: k.d.nelson@outlook.com, or (612) 750-4605.
MCC members sign up here.
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Great Decisions: U.S./China Trade Rivalry
Monday, September 16, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
DeLaSalle High School, 1 DeLaSalle Dr, Rm D104
China's economic rise and its current policies of increasing the role of the state in the economy have led some U.S. policymakers to seek to deny China access to U.S. technology and investment. This is seen as a necessary corrective to decades of predatory Chinese economic policies. Is this a wise strategy, and how effective can it be?
Professor Duncan McCampbell is an American lawyer and professor of international business and law at Metropolitan State University in Minneapolis. He spent 14 years—much of it living abroad—with the Westlaw division of Thomson Reuters, starting new online businesses in the UK, Germany, China, Australia, Hong Kong and the Netherlands. His professional interests include globalization, international business, non-US legal systems, and corruption prevention. Every year he teaches law and business courses in Chinese universities. He has served as Co-Chair of the Minnesota China Business Council, Minnesota’s oldest China business organization. He publishes frequently on global commercial, legal, political and security issues. In addition to his writing and teaching, Prof. McCampbell leads a business consultancy that helps companies enter new overseas markets. Professor McCampbell’s new book on U.S./China relations, Sunset Over China, is due to release by the end of the year.
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 Jane Stacy at janestacy@millcitycommons.org.
MCC Great Decisions members sign up here.
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MCC Bike Ride: Pedaling the Beautiful Trail to Stillwater
Tuesday, September 17, 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
Gateway State Trail Parking Pine Springs, Pine Springs, MN
Back by popular demand! This is a 25 - 40 mile ride that will start at the Gateway Trailhead in Oakdale (near the Highway 36/694 interchange; the Google Maps address is: "Gateway State Trail Parking, Parking lot, Pine Springs, MN"). Riders will be responsible for getting themselves and their bikes to the trailhead where we'll start riding at 9:30 a.m. We will ride the beautiful trail into Stillwater, planning for an early lunch break (and ice cream?) at one of the restaurants in town.
Remember: Helmets required!
Mileage options are as follows:
• 25 miles: Round-trip Trailhead/Stillwater/Trailhead via the Gateway and Brown's Creek trails.
• 30 miles: Add the 5-mile loop into Wisconsin, crossing the new(ish) Highway 36 bridge over the St. Croix on the wonderful protected and wide bike lane, and then down a long steep hill, returning to Minnesota via the old lift bridge.
• 40 miles: On the return trip, outside of Stillwater at Duluth Junction riders can opt to take the wooded GatewayTrail to Pine Creek Regional Park and back. They would arrive back at the Oakdale Trailhead about an hour later than riders who don't choose this option.
MCC members sign up here.
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ArtAndes: Designing Textiles and Cultural Journeys Since 1987
Tuesday, September 17, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Home of the Racciatti's, 750 S 2nd St, #901
Stillwater resident Melanie Ebertz founded ArtAndes in Peru, in the mid-eighties. She has been designing both textiles and culture journeys in the Andes ever since.
In 2006, Melanie worked with MCC members Jim Conaway & Peggy Lucas to design a culture art history tour of Peru for their friends & neighbors. The impact made on that trip with the locals in rural communities, has made for lasting friendships. It was a trip with a purpose.
You are invited to learn more of how this unique business with strong local ties with many MCC members has made a difference in Peru. Marua and Alina, two residents of Chinchero, Peru, will be joining us and will demonstrate back-strap weaving.
Parking: There is very limited guest parking; On-street metered parking is available. There is also a covered municipal lot across from the building.
MCC members sign up here.
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Caregivers' Support Group
Meets twice a month in four month series, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
This guided discussion group with professional facilitation supports MCC members and nonmembers who are in a caregiving role for a spouse, partner or other family member. Caregivers’ Support Group members share experiences, issues and concerns about caregiving, as well as give and receive support around this critical role. The group meets in person, with an option for hybrid if necessary.
Contact Mary Texidor at marytexidor@millcitycommons.org if you are interested, know someone who may be interested, or if you want to learn more.
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The Depot Dutch Treat Social Hour
Mondays, The Depot, 4:30-5:30 pm
Drop in for an afternoon coffee or drink and a casual chat. Note: Contact the MCC office if you plan to attend for the first time.
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Aster Cafe's Patio Dutch Treat Social Hour
Tuesdays, Aster Cafe Patio, 4:30-5:30 pm
Drop in for an afternoon coffee or drink and a casual chat. Note: Contact the MCC office if you plan to attend for the first time.
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Wednesday Morning Coffee
Wednesdays,
9:00-10:00 am
Drop in and join your friends and neighbors for a morning chat at C.R.E.A.M Cafe
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Play Readers
Specific Wednesdays
6:30-9:30 pm
Our 2024-25 season of six readings will run September-May. If you'd like to join the Play Readers or be added to the sub list, please email Jane Stacy.
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River Walkers
Thursdays,
9:00-10:00 am
Riverside of Owamni Restaurant
All levels of walkers are welcome for this early morning walk along the banks of the Mississippi River.
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MCC Community Care Resources | |
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MCC Caregivers' Support Group
2nd and 4th Wednesdays,
May - August, 10:30-12:00 pm
A way to support members and non-members who are in a caregiving role. Contact the MCC office to learn more about future openings in the group.
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Member-to-Member Volunteering
If you want to support other members, you can sign up to become a volunteer driver or member-to-member volunteer.
If you are in need of volunteer services, let us know. Mary Texidor can help arrange a ride, meals, grocery shopping, visits and more.
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Medical Equipment Loan Program
If you have a medical need, we may have the equipment you are looking for. Consider contacting the office before you buy or rent a piece of equipment. We have a shower chair, raised toilet seat, cane, bed assist rail, wheelchair, grabber and walker available.
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First Stop Guide
MCC's First Stop Guide has invaluable member-recommended service providers. If you're looking for a dentist, tech support, a personal trainer, healthcare provider or more, you can find it here.
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News From and For Members | |
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Upcoming MCC meetings:
- All Chairs Meeting, September 4
- Marketing Committee, September 9 & 30
- Membership Committee, September 9
- Board Meeting, September 18
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Magnet Film Club
Every Friday, 1:00 pm, Central Library (Pohlad Hall), 300 Nicollet Mall
Join other members, friends and neighbors to watch a different movie each week, often alternating between new and old films. This month's line-up includes: September 6: Coco (2017) Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer; September 13: Spare Parts (2015) Four Mexican high school students form a robotics club. With no experience, 800 dollars, used car parts and a dream, this rag tag team goes up against the country's reigning robotics champion, MIT; September 20: La Bamba (1987)
Biographical story of the rise from nowhere of early rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper; September 27: Tortilla Soup (2001)
A Mexican-American master chef and father to three daughters has lost his taste for food, but not for life.
Art and Artifact: Murals from the Minneapolis Uprising
September 14; 6:00-9:00 pm, Regis Center for Art, 405 21st Ave S
Join a program and reception for this new exhibit at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery. During the uprising of 2020, business owners across the Twin Cities began to cover their storefronts with sheets of plywood which were soon turned into powerful messages and murals by artists, protestors and community. These murals were collected by Memorialize the Movement, who sought to keep George Floyd's memory and the story of the uprising alive and fresh in people's minds. The curator's goal for the exhibition is to encourage people to reflect on where we are now, as we approach the fifth year since George Floyd's murder. The program and reception are free and open to the public. Seating for the program is first-come, first-served. Auditorium doors open at 5:30 pm. For 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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