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Join this one-mile historical walking tour of Minnehaha Park to discover the sites of long-lost dancehalls, boozy chaos, and criminal shenanigans. From the 1820s through to the early 20th century, Minnehaha invited a whole lot of bad behavior, and crowds from all over the world took advantage of the fun. After the tour, continue the conversation over a drink at the Sea Salt Eatery. Meet at the picnic table in front of the Longfellow House at: 4800 South Minnehaha Park Dr. Minneapolis, MN 55417. Tour begins promptly at 2:30.

Optional reading: When Minnehaha Flowed With Whiskey, A Spirited History Of The Falls by Karen E. Cooper, MNHS Press 2022.

Tour five stunning home gardens in the western Metro Area under the direction of Hennepin County master gardeners. 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

This all-day bus tour of southwest Minnesota features stops at historic sites connected to the 1862 Dakota War. The first stop will be the 1861 Traverse de Sioux treaty site in St. Peter. We will then stop for lunch at the renowned Kaiserhoff Restaurant in New Ulm. Finally, we will travel along the Minnesota River to the Lower Sioux Agency near Morton, where in the hot dry summer of 1862 the starving Dakota were denied their promised food allotments and the war was ignited. Visit the museum of Dakota Life, walk trails through prairie grass & summer flowers, and participate in a discussion of the past and contemporary life of the Dakota community. Park free all day at Bethlehem Lutheran church, 4100 Lyndale Ave S Mpls. Bus leaves Bethlehem at 9 am sharp and will return around 5:30pm. No refund if dropped <7 days before trip. 

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. Sign up for one tour. 

Tour 1: June 3

Tour 2: June 10

Tour 3: June 17

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 post buildings of Jean-Baptiste Faribault and summer gardens. Meet at the 1850s Dupuis House Welcome Center, 1357 Sibley Memorial Hwy, Mendota Minnesota, MN 55105. Free street parking. After the visit, gather for lunch at Lucky's 13 Pub in Mendota! 
Admission Fee: $6.00, pay onsite, (Free for Minnesota Historical Society and Dakota County Historical Society members).

Note time: 11:30 am-1:30 pm

As a child, Jane Gibbs lived in a Dakota village near Bde Maka Ska. In 1849, she settled at Gibbs Farm, in what is now Falcon Heights. Join us for a tour of this historic site, where we will hear Jane's story and visit the historic buildings. Free parking is available at the site.

In this course, members will view and discuss depictions of the “Heartland” on film in three parts: Northern Lights (1978, John Hanson), Heartland (1979, Rip Torn, Conchata Ferrell), and The Emigrants (1971, Max von Sydow, Liv Ullman). Each 3-hour session (10am-1pm) will include film screening and discussion. Meet at the Walker Library, Bde Maka Ska Room 105, 2880 Hennepin Ave, Mpls.

No class on June 19.

The Norse Sagas are medieval stories based on old Norse mythology. These Sagas were written centuries after the Viking era by Icelandic authors. They run the gamut from realistic travel chronicles to sword-and-sorcery. Most are thick with murder and intrigue; some are hilariously witty. Enjoy this amazing excursion into “Dark Age” swashbuckling that continues to profoundly influence modern culture.

Creativity can be built at any age; this workshop can help you get the habits, skills, and knowledge to begin that quest. Sharing your concepts and seeing the ideas of others in the class will bring creativity to life. This course focuses on the development of one’s own creativity through a series of fun and engaging activities, including reading, discussion, and a sense of exploration. The course is not just about information; it is about building a habit of doing something different and the skill of coming up with new and unique ideas! 

Recommended reading: Where Good Ideas Come From, by Steven Johnson, Riverhead Trade, 2009. Available as eBook, hardback, or paperback.

Research over the past 10 years confirms the arts are GREAT for our health and wellbeing! In this course, we will highlight and explore some of that research, and try out some simple, enjoyable healing practices using music, dance/movement, visual art, and poetry/spoken word. No formal experience in the arts needed!

Recommended Reading: Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, Magsamen, S., & Ross, I. Random House, 2023.

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 am will focus on bird identification. Terrain: flat, wheelchair accessible paths. Binoculars provided for those who need them. 

Recommended reading: Birds of Minnesota Field Guide by Stan Tekiela.

This is a brief look at something most of us are ignorant about: the biology and evolution of the origin of life. Why are we who we are? How is human life conceived? How does an egg & a sperm become a fetus? What are the stages of fetal development? What is abortion? No class on June 17.

This course will explain the basic physics, history, and economics of nuclear weapons, enabling informed discussion about the factors that influence the likelihood and impact of nuclear war. Participants will learn how the arms limitation treaties of the 1990s significantly reduced the potential destructiveness of nuclear conflict and consider how similar agreements could mitigate risks in the future.

Mass atrocities devastate societies with lost lives and ecocide, wanton environmental destruction. We look at three ecological crises: the Holocaust and wars in Syria and Ukraine. The "environmental Holocaust" includes deforestation, resource pillaging, and pollution of air, water, and soil. Syria's long-civil war has irrevocably damaged the country's natural world. Ukraine’s ecocide includes Russia’s bombing of the Kakhovka dam. Floodwaters wiped out villages and farms, spreading toxins in one of Europe’s biggest ecological disasters in decades. The course concludes with global and local punishment and sanctions for ecocide.

June 3rd: Merrily Mazza discusses Hammer and Hoe by Robin D.G. Kelley, which examines labor, racial, and social unrest in Alabama during the Great Depression.

June 10th: Morning Session, John Fredell discusses Julian Baggini's How to Think Like a Philosopher: Essential Principles for Clear Thinking.

June 10th: Afternoon Session, 12:30-2:00 pm, James Martin, Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro. 

June 17th: no class

June 24th: Sherrie Marcy takes on Brian Klaas' Fluke: Chance, Chaos and Everything We Do Matters—a deep dive into the phenomenon of random chance and the chaos it can sow.

June 24th: Afternoon Session, 12:30-2:00, Steve Birch will discuss Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson

Join us as we partner again with the Ramsey County Library, Global Minnesota, and the Foreign Policy Association for our annual Great Decisions series on the most critical international issues facing America. Study the issues and join the discussions led by expert speakers. Ten copies of the Briefing Book for this series are available for checkout through the generosity of Global Minnesota.

June 6: AI and American National Security: What are the key AI policy debates and what are the opportunities and limits on global AI rules of the road? How will the AI revolution impact American national security? How can the US secure the benefits of AI and guard against its dangers?

Christi Siver is a Professor of Political Science at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. She holds a BA from Lewis and Clark College, a MA in International Relations and International Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and a PhD in political science from the University of Washington.

June 20: U.S.-China Relations: What is driving the deterioration of Sino-American relations, and what are America’s strategic options in the face of Chinese power and ambition?

Rick Olson is a retired professional with a variety of educational and life experiences. He has worked as an economist, an attorney, a certified financial planner, an agricultural loan officer, an agricultural cooperative president, a State Representative in Michigan and a public-school business manager.

Join the MNHS Library Staff in exploring the diverse resources available in the Minnesota Historical Society's collections. This course uses Minnesota History in the 20th century as a focus. Participants will learn how to navigate search systems, original source materials, and microfilm, and they will select a topic for their own guided hands on research. Parking at the History Center is $6 per day; free street parking available nearby. No fee for library entry.

Join scholars from area colleges and elsewhere as they share their specialized knowledge and enthusiasm. It’s like hearing your favorite college professors again, without worrying about writing papers or taking finals!

June 3:  Barbie® (The movie, the doll, the phenomenon) with Laurie Ouelette

June 10: The War at Home: Minnesota During the Great War, 1914-1920 with Greg Gaut

June 17: The Kerlan Collection of Children's Literature @ U of MN with Lisa Von Drasek

June 24:  A Look at the Supreme Court Term 2024-2025 with Timothy Johnson

Feeling exhausted, anxious, and disconnected? Overwhelmed by caregiving and other responsibilities? This course will help you break free from burnout and reclaim clarity and well-being. You’ll uncover the root causes of burnout, reset your nervous system, set healthy boundaries, and create sustainable practices for calm and joy. You'll leave feeling empowered, refreshed, and ready to thrive!

Cat Bohannon's book, EVE: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution, is the inspiration for this cross-category course. We'll think about biological evolution for the first three weeks, then turn to women's contributions to social and cultural evolution.

Calling all book lovers! Are you craving something new but feel like you’re seeing the same titles everywhere you look? We’ve got just the adventure for you: join us for a tour of the Twin Cities’ most unique bookstores: Black Garnet, Minnesota’s first black-owned bookstore; Birchbark Books, an Indigenous book haven; Tropes & Trifles, the area’s first romance bookstore; and Milkweed Books, home of the local Milkweed press. We’ll talk with owners & curators about their collections, the heart & purpose of their store, and maybe just find you your next favorite book!

Join a convivial group exploring three distinctive craft breweries, comparing styles, flavors and processes, and tasting samples, while learning about local brewing history. We start at the state’s first brewery, founded by Bavarians in 1848. Next is a small operation with a big footprint in innovation – housed in a brilliantly crafted grain bin. Our final stop is a lively brewery that celebrates the vibrancy of Latino culture. A happy option: enjoying a meal together afterward in each pub. 

June 5: Yoerg Brewing Co., 378 Maria Ave., St. Paul

June 12: Bang Brewing, 2320 Capp Road, St. Paul 

June 19: La Doña Cervecería Brewery, 241 Fremont Ave N, Minneapolis 

 

In this course, members will visit international food markets around the Metro Area. Meet owners, explore their distinctive products, and have lunch together on site or nearby.

June 4: Middle Eastern: Holy Land, 2513 Central Ave. NE, Mpls. Park free in rear, meet inside.

June 11: Hispanic: La Mexicana, 1525 East Lake St. Mpls. Park free in lot with purchase, meet inside.

June 18: Asian-Pacific: United Noodles, 2015 E. Mpls. (Off Minnehaha Ave in cul-de-sac by Coastal Seafoods). Park free, meet inside.

June 25: International: Sun Foods, 6350 Brooklyn Blvd. Brooklyn Center. Park free, meet inside.