In Person   

Join Bob Frame and Nicholas Malnarcic in conversation with industrial historian Fred Quivik for a discussion of Minnesota flour milling history and the current state of milling in Minnesota. Learn more about Bob Frame’s new book about the Minneapolis flour milling industry and Nic’s work as the Assistant Plant Manager at the large and historic Ardent Mills four mill in Hastings.

Recommended Reading: Robert M. Frame III, Making Mill City: Flour and Fortune in Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 2026.

Dive into the world of dragonflies and damselflies. Learn the characteristics of these amazing insects and the species common to Elm Creek Park. Hike out to the prairie to catch, observe, and identify using nets and field guides, and record Citizen Science data for the MN Dragonfly Society. This course will take place mostly outdoors at Eastman Nature Center in summer weather. We will be hiking up to one mile on uneven turf trails and walking in the prairie. Course fee: $6.00

Tour five diverse gardens in the western metro that will provide inspiration to gardeners of any skill level. Participants will visit one garden per week, where each host will describe their garden, offer tips, and answer questions. The first stop is Barry Schade’s Bryn Mawr garden, which includes a backyard pond and boulevard rain garden. Tours begin on June 24 and take place on five successive Wednesday mornings. Due to garden sizes, tours will be limited to 35 participants. 

Come and learn about the early history of MN at Gibbs Farm. We will have a presentation by the staff about the Gibbs family and their fascinating lives. Then, we will have a guided tour of the farmhouse. Afterward, there will be an opportunity to meet for lunch at Stout's Pub (own expense).

Have you ever wondered how the lights stay on across 15 states? Join us for an exclusive tour of the MISO Regional Control Center. Step inside the high-tech "nerve center" of the Midcontinent’s electrical grid, where expert operators manage a massive real-time energy market and coordinate the flow of electricity for 45 million people. See the giant video walls, witness the technology that balances supply and demand in seconds, and learn how MISO is leading the transition to a cleaner energy future.

Learn about the Federal Reserve and the history of central banking in the United States. Bank staff will discuss the board of governors, the regional reserve banks, and the economy of the 9th Federal Reserve District overseen by the Minneapolis Fed. Topics include monetary policy, bank supervision, and payments processing. The tour includes a visit to the bank's cash processing area, where $90 million in daily deposits and transfer orders are processed for area financial institutions. Be prepared to stroll for 90 minutes. Check in by 9:50 a.m. or you’ll miss the tour. Park at your own expense. All participants must be registered in advance to attend. Waitlisted members will not be allowed entrance. 

Tour 1: June 10

Tour 2: June 17

Tour 3: June 24

Have you ever tried fluted pumpkin vine (Ugu)? Smelled African blue basil? Added waterleaf to your smoothie? Join us for a tour of the Global Garden at the University of Minnesota to learn about these and other unique African vegetables. Course leader will share garden location with registered members. Meet near the Equine Center on the St. Paul campus of UMN. Park in Gortner Ramp. 

Join OLLI members in exploring this hidden gem of early Minnesota History opposite Fort Snelling: the beautiful 1830s limestone house of later to be Governor Henry Sibley, the fur trading house and buildings of Jean-Baptist Faribault and summer gardens. Meet at the 1850s Dupuis Welcome Center, street parking. 1357 Sibley Memorial Hwy, Mendota MN 55105. After the visit, gather for lunch at Lucky's 13 Pub in Mendota! Admission fee $8. Pay on site. Free for Minnesota Historical Society and Dakota County Historical Society members with cards. 

In this course, we will celebrate the music of this volatile decade, while appreciating the context in which it emerged. The music of the 1970s can be understood as a reaction to the advances of the sixties. While rock styles and audiences become irreversibly fragmented, a new generation of fans emerged, throwing off the 60s burden of creative thought and imploding towards disco. 

This course explores the dark places of the soul through a discussion of Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella, Heart of Darkness. The class will conclude with a screening of a modern exploration of Conrad's themes in the 1979 Francis Ford Coppola film, Apocalypse, Now! The film has a run time of 2 hours, 30 minutes, and will be spread between the fourth and fifth meeting along with discussion of both the film and book. Note: this class runs 5 sessions. Required reading: Heart of Darkness (1899) by Joseph Conrad (any edition).

What happens when life presents impossible choices? In this story-driven class, we’ll explore real moral dilemmas—some hilarious, some profound—through original comic monologues. Each tale sets up an ethical puzzle, then shifts to the question: “What would you do?” The focus is on YOUR perspectives and the lively discussions that follow. No right answers, no lectures—just great conversations about the choices we all face. This is the class where ethics is entertaining.

This course explores the interaction of American health culture and deliberately rustic recreational activities—cottaging, camping, hunting, and fishing—in the North Woods from the mid-1800s to about 1920. It will offer three lecture-discussions, the first introducing new positive ideas about "wilderness" and its health-giving properties; the second considering the relationship between railroads, boosters, and doctors in selling the health advantages of moving to Minnesota; and the third focusing on women's participation in North Woods play.

Sinclair Lewis'It Can't Happen Here appeared in 1935, shortly after the Nazis gained power in Germany. The title captures both the belief in American exceptionalism and the sudden realization of vulnerability. Together we will read the novel, consider the history, and weigh possible lessons for our world. 

Required reading: It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis (several online .pdfs available)

The longer we live, the more personal stories we have to tell. This course will focus on the basics of personal narrative storytelling and the process of adapting those personal stories from written to oral form. By the third session, class participants will have the opportunity to workshop a story in front of the group. No prior performance or creative writing experience necessary.

NO CLASS: JUNE 19

You are likely familiar with the five senses: sight, smell, taste and touch. Yet in the animal kingdom, we find incredible sensory systems that allow animals to see colors on the ultraviolet spectrum, hear infrasonic sounds that can travel for kilometers, and even tap into electromagnetic energy. Other animals lose certain senses completely, like blind cave fish, and make up for it by expanding their other senses. In this course, we will learn about a few unique animal sensory systems, concluding with an optional field trip to the Cavefish Lab on the Saint Paul UMN campus on June 16.

 

June 16: Optional class to the Cavfish Lab on the St. Paul Campus (details will be provided to class) 

This course offers an introduction to all things birds! Classroom lectures during weeks 1 & 2 will discuss bird evolution, basic anatomy & physiology, behavior, and ecology. Field sessions at Como Park and Crosby Farm Regional Park during weeks 3 & 4 from 9:30 -11:30 a.m. will focus on bird identification. Terrain: flat, wheelchair accessible paths. Expect walking at a slow pace for about 1-2 miles. Binoculars provided for those who need them. If it rains, we will meet inside for identification lessons.

This course is geared towards people who want to understand more about personal and collective actions they can take to work towards climate solutions. It includes up-to-date information on climate trends. At one of the four sessions, a guest instructor will share a computer model to help the class game what actions would make the greatest impact on climate. At the final session, participants will assess their own skills and interests to figure out what their unique contributions can be to promote climate solutions.

The last treaty (New START) limiting nuclear arsenals has just expired, yet there is little public demand for negotiating a new one to prevent a nuclear arms race. This is in part a result of misconceptions about the power of nuclear weapons. We will discuss the physics and hardware of nuclear weapons to examine some of these misconceptions, placing nuclear weapons in the historical context of other technological developments that have "made war unthinkable" but not stopped it.

NO CLASS: JUNE 16

MAKE UP SESSION: JUNE 30

 

Why are we who we are? Everyone has a worldview, a part of which is political ideology. This class is intended as an interactive discussion to explore the various ideologies from far left to far right and how, according to political psychologists, people acquire their worldviews and ideologies. Bring your thoughts and an open mind.

Recommended reading: “On Being Conservative,” (1956) by Michael Oakeshott, essay online.

 

JUNE 16: NO CLASS (no makeup session)

The summer term class features morning and afternoon sessions, with time for lunch in between! 

Please note schedule change below. The church is closed on June 16 and a make up session has been scheduled.

June 2: AM Session 1 (10-11:30) Merrily Mazza will discuss Anya Varampil’s Corporate Coup: Venezuela and the End of US Empire. The book tells the story of US hybrid warfare on Venezuela harking back to 2019 and the tectonic social and economic shifts reshaping the world. Timely.

June 2: PM Session 2 (12:30-2:00) Cathy Perme takes the podium to discuss Robert Fritz’ 1984 The Path of Least Resistance: Principles for Creating What You Want to Create. Cathy is a successful entrepreneur who has provided consultative services for businesses and private persons alike.

June 9: AM Session 1 (10-11:30) Retired social worker Ruth Campbell (MSW, U of Iowa) will take on Father Time: A Natural History of Men and Babies.

June 9: PM Session 2 (12:30-2:00) Our friend, Dr. John Fredell, reviews Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right, by Laura Field.

NO CLASS JUNE 16 (moved to June 30)

June 23: AM Session 1 (10-11:0) Course Leader Jim Martin thinks American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard is worth a discussion in light of the continuing polarization of 21st century America.

June 23: PM  Session 2 (12:30-2:00) Steve Birch says he’s never been as excited about a book as he is about Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters: Thirty Tiny Mistakes that Changed the World Forever, by Jared Knott. 

June 30: AM Session 1 (10-11:30) Sherrie Gette will present on Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference by Rutger Bregman.

June 30: PM  Session 2 (12:30-2:00) OLLI Program Manager Briana Smith presents on Nobel Prize winning author Svetlana Alexeivich's Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets, an oral history about Russian nostalgia for the Soviet years.

Are you concerned about the turmoil in our economic, political and social environments? Do you want to do your part to make a difference? Do you want to stay motivated and connected? Join us for Vital Voices to share your views, listen to others and strengthen your civic identity. Together we’ll find ways to use our influence — in big ways and small ways — to make a better world. VAN will facilitate to ensure meaningful and respectful discussions. The summer session will meet for four weeks with the intent to convert to an ongoing special interest group for those who are interested.

Fareed Zakaria omitted the American Revolution from his book Age of Revolutions saying "it did not immediately transform society's deeper structures." This course will explore Zakaria's thesis with reference to the Academy of Arts and Sciences report "Expanding Representation.” Week 1 will begin with prehistory: natural selection, "self-ishness," and socialization. Week 2 moves to Western Europe to explore themes of supremacy, subjection, and insatiability. Topics for Weeks 3 and 4 include the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and Article I of the US Constitution.

Recommended reading: "Expanding Representation, Reinventing Congress for the 21st Century." American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 2025. (Provided week 1).

An introduction to the world of genealogy, describing the basics of researching and documenting your family history. Using a combination of traditional research methods and online resources, students will learn how to navigate digital archives, census records, family trees, and historical databases. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped with the skills to trace their lineage, uncover stories about their ancestors, and organize their findings into a family history narrative. This course provides the tools and knowledge to begin your genealogical journey with confidence. 

Join us in visiting and sampling food and items from major Twin Cities international Markets and then have lunch on site or nearby.

June 3: Holy Land – Middle Eastern 2513 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis MN 55418, (Free parking in lots behind Bldg.) Meet Inside.

June 10: La Mexicana Supermercado -Hispanic. 1522 East Lake St. & Bloomington Ave. Minneapolis MN 55407 (Free Parking behind Bldg.) Meet Inside.

June 17: United Noodles – Asian 2015 E. 24th Street (Enter from 24thMinnehaha Ave. and turn left down street next to Coastal Seafoods) Free Parking. Meet inside.

June 24: Hmong Town Market – S.E Asian. 217 Como Ave, St Paul, MN 55103. (free Parking Lot) Meet outside West Bldg.

If you like a bit of mealtime adventure, and if you want to support the restaurants along Minneapolis' Eat Street, this one’s for you. Together we’ll choose which of Nicollet Avenue’s numerous ethnic restaurants to visit on the four Thursdays in June. And with every member of the group selecting a cuisine to report on, we’ll learn more about food culture in our restaurants' homelands while enjoying great flavors and lively conversation.