Events - Month View

Do you find it hard to really get to know members at our large programs … or those featuring a speaker? This spontaneous event might be just right for you! Join us for a casual conversation at Milwaukee Road Restaurant and Bar at The Depot. Take this opportunity to meet new members and reconnect with some you haven’t seen lately. If you are attending for the first time, please contact the MCC office so we can be sure someone is there to meet you.

Professor Peter Larsen, Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, will return to MCC to offer a timely update on our community’s response to recent ICE deployments. He will then examine how recent immigration raids have tested the boundaries of federalism and civil liberties, and what opportunities exist for mutual aid within our state.

Peter will explore the legal authority claimed by immigration officials, the rights of individuals during home and workplace enforcement actions, and the evolving role of states and local governments that seek to limit federal intrusion. Grounded in current case law and real-world enforcement practices, this talk will illuminate the constitutional tensions that arise when national immigration priorities collide with fundamental liberties and invite participants to consider how the Constitution should guide enforcement in a rapidly shifting legal landscape.

Together, we’ll explore what these developments mean for our community and how informed, thoughtful engagement can make a difference.

Do you ever find it hard to really connect with other members at our larger programs or speaker events? Then this spontaneous gathering might be just what you’re looking for!

Join us for a relaxed afternoon of conversation at The Cabana Club — a perfect chance to meet new members and catch up with familiar faces you haven’t seen in a while.

If you’re joining us for the first time, please contact the MCC office so we can be sure someone is there to welcome you.

Coffee, conversation, and connection await you at C.R.E.A.M Café. No sign-ups, no fuss—just friends and neighbors gathering for a morning chat.

The Membership Committee develops new strategies for member engagement and retention. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to Committee Chair Jane Helsing.

Caffeine and camaraderie for members of MCC! This group meets every other Thursday and is hosted by various members who get the conversation going.

*This event is open to all members of MCC. Registration is required.

Join us for a powerful evening of film and conversation as the MCC Native American Programming Workgroup and Abiitan co-host a screening of War Pony.

This film is a coming-of-age drama following the parallel lives of two Oglala Lakota young men, Bill and Matho, on the Pine Ridge Reservation, exploring their struggles with poverty, identity, and the search for belonging. The film, co-directed by Riley Keough and Gina Gammell, uses authentic experiences from Lakota co-writers to portray harsh realities, contrasting their struggles with systemic neglect, and features non-professional actors from the community for realism. The film will include closed-captioning to ensure accessibility for all participants.

Following the screening, we will gather for a 30-minute discussion to reflect on the film’s themes and explore its relevance today. We hope you’ll join us for this opportunity to learn, connect, and deepen our understanding of Native American history and ongoing efforts for justice.

There is on-street metered parking available. All registrants must check in and out at the concierge desk. Abiitan recommends arriving 15 minutes early.

Start your Saturday with good company and great conversation!

Join fellow MCC members for a relaxed Saturday morning breakfast mixer at Elsie’s Restaurant, inside their cozy main dining room. Whether you arrive on foot, by bike, or by car, hot coffee will be waiting! You can order a full breakfast or simply enjoy a beverage while chatting with friends—old and new.

Note: We’ll be gathering in a secluded indoor space within Elsie’s main dining room. Attendance is limited to 22 participants to ensure smooth service for Elsie’s staff. To help the restaurant prepare, please register in advance.

$=Please note, this event requires a fee.

Please join us for the Candlelit Luminary Loppet which is widely regarded as the Twin Cities’ most magical winter evening. Now in its 22nd year, Lake of the Isles will glow with more than 1,200 luminaries, the iconic ice pyramid, towering penguins and polar bears, and a whimsical enchanted forest. Stroll the illuminated path across the lake, enjoy fire dancers along the way, and warm up with hot cocoa and s’mores available for purchase. If you’d like to keep the fun going, you can also stop by the Luminary Party, featuring food trucks and live music.

Feel free to bring family members, grandchildren, and friends (please note: dogs are not allowed). You’re welcome to come and go as you please—there’s no need to stay for the full four hours of the event.

Tickets are $35 ($15 for children ages 4–16). Passes must be purchased online and can be picked up either the day before or the evening of the event. This popular outing often sells out, so early ticket purchases are strongly encouraged. Tickets are selling fast!

Note: the 6:00 pm Wave is sold out. To purchase your ticket for the 6:30 pm Wave, please visit the website: https://runsignup.com/TicketEvent/LuminaryLoppet2026.


You will receive an email prior to the event for a meet-up location and time to gather.


This is an outside event, so please dress warmly and wear snow boots.

Parking information can be found at the Loppet website: https://loppet.org/event/luminary-loppet/. Free Metro Transit passes can be requested.


For questions, please contact Kathy McKinstry: ka.mckinstry@yahoo.com.

The 6:30 pm Wave is now sold out. This event is FULL!

Join MCC members Stephen Bubul and Lee Lewis for a special afternoon at Theater Latté Da. Steve and Lee invite you to experience a performance of "The Glass Menagerie," Tennessee Williams’ beloved and deeply moving masterpiece.

While The Glass Menagerie is not a musical, this production brings to life the music Williams meticulously described in his original script: music that is rarely realized as he intended, adding a rich and atmospheric layer to the performance.

Before the 2:00 pm curtain, join us at 12:30 pm for a special pre-performance reception, featuring a conversation with one or more of the artists involved in creating this production. It’s a behind-the-scenes look that adds depth to an already powerful theatrical experience.

Cost: Free (a donation to Theater Latté Da is encouraged).

Maximum registration: 10 participants.

Free parking is available across the street from the Ritz Theater in the lot shared by the Sheridan Clinic and Las Estrellas School, with entry off University Avenue.

Ever wonder what really happens when someone dials 911? Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the Minneapolis 911 Call Center. We’ll see where calls are answered, learn about the wide range of emergencies handled each day, and get a sense of what dispatchers experience on the job. How many calls come in daily? Is there a “typical” 911 call? We’ll explore these questions and more in this fascinating look at a service we all depend on.

This tour is limited to 10 participants.

Please meet the tour guide by the security desk on the ground floor of Minneapolis City Hall at 10:55 am. The tour will begin promptly at 11:00 am. The best entrance to use is the 4th Street entrance.

Do you find it hard to really get to know members at our large programs … or those featuring a speaker? This spontaneous event might be just right for you! Join us for a casual conversation at Milwaukee Road Restaurant and Bar at The Depot. Take this opportunity to meet new members and reconnect with some you haven’t seen lately. If you are attending for the first time, please contact the MCC office so we can be sure someone is there to meet you.

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. There will be both presentation and discussion.

Do you ever find it hard to really connect with other members at our larger programs or speaker events? Then this spontaneous gathering might be just what you’re looking for!

Join us for a relaxed afternoon of conversation at The Cabana Club — a perfect chance to meet new members and catch up with familiar faces you haven’t seen in a while.

If you’re joining us for the first time, please contact the MCC office so we can be sure someone is there to welcome you.

Coffee, conversation, and connection await you at C.R.E.A.M Café. No sign-ups, no fuss—just friends and neighbors gathering for a morning chat.

This guided discussion group with professional facilitation supports MCC members and nonmembers who are in a caregiving role.

Join us for a monthly book discussion focused on timely, engaging reads.

Our February book will be "The Piano Tuner," by Daniel Mason.

Schedule time with a Tech Support Guru on Zoom and have your nagging technology questions answered during our complimentary Help Desk. The zoom link will be provided in your confirmation email.

Join us as we explore some of our favorite restaurants around the city and right here in our neighborhood. This month, we’ll gather for a Dutch-treat dinner at Giulia, located inside the Emery Hotel.

This event is limited to 12 participants.

Registration closes at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, February 10.

Giulia offers discounted valet parking for restaurant guests at $14 for up to two hours, with the valet entrance on 4th Street. There are also plenty of nearby self-parking options, including on-street metered parking and the Fifth Street Towers ramp across the street from the hotel.

MCC‘s Discussion Circles are small-group sessions that are designed to explore important aging-related topics while strengthening friendships through meaningful conversation and mutual support.

Our topic for this week is: Adapting to our aging journey.

These sessions are currently closed to maintain an intimate, small-group setting. However, we welcome members to express their interest in future Discussion Circles. If you‘d like to be added to the list for upcoming opportunities, please email Mary Texidor.

Start your Saturday with good company and great conversation!

Join fellow MCC members for a relaxed Saturday morning breakfast mixer at Elsie’s Restaurant, inside their cozy main dining room. Whether you arrive on foot, by bike, or by car, hot coffee will be waiting! You can order a full breakfast or simply enjoy a beverage while chatting with friends—old and new.

Note: We’ll be gathering in a secluded indoor space within Elsie’s main dining room. Attendance is limited to 22 participants to ensure smooth service for Elsie’s staff. To help the restaurant prepare, please register in advance.

Do you find it hard to really get to know members at our large programs … or those featuring a speaker? This spontaneous event might be just right for you! Join us for a casual conversation at Milwaukee Road Restaurant and Bar at The Depot. Take this opportunity to meet new members and reconnect with some you haven’t seen lately. If you are attending for the first time, please contact the MCC office so we can be sure someone is there to meet you.

If you enjoy a good hand of bridge, you’re invited to join us for our MCC Bridge Club gathering. Spend a friendly morning at the table playing hands, making bids, taking tricks, and enjoying lively conversation in the Community Room at the Bridgewater Condominium. This is a relaxed, social game for players who are comfortable with the basics of bridge and enjoy good company as much as good cards.

Questions? Contact MCC member Dan Rischall at drischall@gmail.com - he’s always glad to assist. This program is limited to 8 participants.

For decades, news consumption followed a familiar rhythm: specific outlets, regular schedules, and clearly defined formats. Today, younger adults engage with news very differently, often encountering information through social connections and online spaces, “snacking” on headlines as news finds them rather than seeking it out. These shifts both reflect, and further drive, broader changes in media, technology, and society itself.

Join us as we hear from Emily Vraga, Professor of Health Communication at the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, as she explores how people discover, interpret, and share news today, and what these evolving habits mean for the future of journalism and civic engagement.

Do you ever find it hard to really connect with other members at our larger programs or speaker events? Then this spontaneous gathering might be just what you’re looking for!

Join us for a relaxed afternoon of conversation at The Cabana Club — a perfect chance to meet new members and catch up with familiar faces you haven’t seen in a while.

If you’re joining us for the first time, please contact the MCC office so we can be sure someone is there to welcome you.

Coffee, conversation, and connection await you at C.R.E.A.M Café. No sign-ups, no fuss—just friends and neighbors gathering for a morning chat.

Ever wondered what actually happens inside the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis? Is it a bank? A vault? This engaging 75-minute walking tour will answer your questions.

Join us to learn how the Minneapolis Fed works on behalf of everyday Americans. You’ll see how U.S. currency makes its way from the Fed to your local bank, gain a clearer understanding of how interest rates are influenced, and get a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most important institutions in the country.

The tour also includes time to explore a special exhibition on Alexander Hamilton and America’s first central bank. As the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton championed the creation of the Bank of the United States, laying the groundwork for today’s Federal Reserve System. Along the way, you’ll see historic currency featuring Hamilton’s portrait: proof that he’s far more than just the ten-dollar founding father.

This tour is limited to 15 participants. Registration closes Friday, February 13, at 12:00 pm.

Caffeine and camaraderie for members of MCC! This group meets every other Thursday and is hosted by various members who get the conversation going.

*This event is open to all members of MCC. Registration is required.

Join Chris LaTondresse, president and CEO of Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, for an illuminating look at the growing crisis facing supportive housing in Minnesota. Beacon has been a highly effective leader in creating housing with services to help end homelessness, and Chris will outline the scope and scale of the challenges brought on by pending federal funding cuts.

Minnesota has long been recognized as a national leader, thanks to a strong network of nonprofits, government partners, and financial supporters who have worked together for more than 40 years to provide stable, dignified housing for our most vulnerable neighbors. Massive cuts proposed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development threaten thousands of Minnesotans whose lives have been strengthened by supportive housing and the services that accompany it.

Chris will help us understand what these changes could mean for our community—and how each of us can play a role in advocating for proven, effective housing solutions.

Join us for a pre-program social at 2:30 pm.

Start your Saturday with good company and great conversation!

Join fellow MCC members for a relaxed Saturday morning breakfast mixer at Elsie’s Restaurant, inside their cozy main dining room. Whether you arrive on foot, by bike, or by car, hot coffee will be waiting! You can order a full breakfast or simply enjoy a beverage while chatting with friends—old and new.

Note: We’ll be gathering in a secluded indoor space within Elsie’s main dining room. Attendance is limited to 22 participants to ensure smooth service for Elsie’s staff. To help the restaurant prepare, please register in advance.

This month, treat yourself to a warm seat, a dark theater, and the soft glow of the silver screen! After the movie, join fellow MCC members for good food and lively conversation at a Dutch-treat dinner.

The movie we will be seeing is the 4:00 pm screening of Wuthering Heights.

We’ll meet at MSP Film@The Main for the movie, followed by a Dutch-treat dinner at Cabana Club to share reactions and reflections.

If you’ve already seen the movie but would like to meet us at the restaurant at 6:15 pm, just let us know when the registration question pops up.

Members are welcome to join us for the movie, dinner, or both!

Africa’s geopolitical influence is on the rise. What can the United States learn from China’s growing presence across the continent, and how might the U.S. strengthen relationships, particularly with key nations such as Nigeria? What diplomatic, economic, and strategic tools could help shape America’s future engagement with Africa?

Our speaker, Henry Berman, is a retired business executive who spent 34 years at Ecolab. He has strong personal ties to the Middle East and has spent extensive time in the region over the past decade, with a broad interest in geopolitical developments there as well as in Africa and Southeast Asia. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an active participant in a local Great Decisions group. Henry holds a BA from Hamilton College and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business.

Do you find it hard to really get to know members at our large programs … or those featuring a speaker? This spontaneous event might be just right for you! Join us for a casual conversation at Milwaukee Road Restaurant and Bar at The Depot. Take this opportunity to meet new members and reconnect with some you haven’t seen lately. If you are attending for the first time, please contact the MCC office so we can be sure someone is there to meet you.

The Program Committee meets each month to discuss and develop new program ideas for our members. If you have a program idea, please feel free to fill out the Program Committee Proposal form and email it to Jane at janestacy@millcitycommons.org.

Join us for this month‘s Last Tuesday Happy Hour at Sawatdee. Hosted by the Texidor family, this is a chance to catch up with friends and neighbors over small bites and Dutch treat drinks. If you‘d like to stay for dinner, please visit the restaurant‘s website or call the restaurant directly at (612) 338-6451.

Coffee, conversation, and connection await you at C.R.E.A.M Café. No sign-ups, no fuss—just friends and neighbors gathering for a morning chat.

This guided discussion group with professional facilitation supports MCC members and nonmembers who are in a caregiving role.

Join us as we explore some of our favorite restaurants around the city and right here in our neighborhood. This month, we’ll gather for a Dutch-treat dinner at Giulia, located inside the Emery Hotel.

This event is limited to 12 participants.

Registration closes at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, February 24.

Giulia offers discounted valet parking for restaurant guests at $14 for up to two hours, with the valet entrance on 4th Street. There are also plenty of nearby self-parking options, including on-street metered parking and the Fifth Street Towers ramp across the street from the hotel.

MCC‘s Discussion Circles are small-group sessions that are designed to explore important aging-related topics while strengthening friendships through meaningful conversation and mutual support.

Our topic for this week is: My backup plan for the future.

These sessions are currently closed to maintain an intimate, small-group setting. However, we welcome members to express their interest in future Discussion Circles. If you‘d like to be added to the list for upcoming opportunities, please email Mary Texidor.

If you enjoy a good hand of bridge, you’re invited to join us for our MCC Bridge Club gathering. Spend a friendly morning at the table playing hands, making bids, taking tricks, and enjoying lively conversation in the Community Room at the Bridgewater Condominium. This is a relaxed, social game for players who are comfortable with the basics of bridge and enjoy good company as much as good cards.

Questions? Contact MCC member Dan Rischall at drischall@gmail.com - he’s always glad to assist. This program is limited to 8 participants.

Please join us for some early evening jazz with jazz pianist and composer Mary Louise Knutson at the Berlin Jazz Club in the North Loop!

Mary Louise Knutson performs nationally as well as locally with her Mary Louise Knutson Trio, Connie Evingson, Patty Peterson, JazzMN Orchestra, MN Orchestra and Doc Severinsen.

Free admission, with no reservations. We will find seating together when we arrive. Snacks, sweets, cocktails, wine, beer, and NA beverages are available for purchase.

For further information, please reach out to Nancy Brown at NBrownMpls@aol.com

Registration is limited to 8 attendees.

Start your Saturday with good company and great conversation!

Join fellow MCC members for a relaxed Saturday morning breakfast mixer at Elsie’s Restaurant, inside their cozy main dining room. Whether you arrive on foot, by bike, or by car, hot coffee will be waiting! You can order a full breakfast or simply enjoy a beverage while chatting with friends—old and new.

Note: We’ll be gathering in a secluded indoor space within Elsie’s main dining room. Attendance is limited to 22 participants to ensure smooth service for Elsie’s staff. To help the restaurant prepare, please register in advance.