Socially Savvy: The ‘Club’
We all have that one place we love to frequent, the space that inspires amuses or calms us. It could be as simple as the coffee shop, a nearby pub, or the public library. Perhaps it’s the gym or a beloved restaurant. For us, that place is our club—or, formally The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis.
The center of our social, civic and educational lives (as was intended in its founding), the club is our most common haunt and is nearly a second home to us.
With a clubhouse large enough to accommodate most every activity and with knockout views of Loring Park, the Woman’s Club offers many opportunities to enrich our lives. Monthly and weekly bulletins, as well as frequent emails, keep us up-to-date on a full range of events, everything from bridge lessons to jazz concerts with Connie Evingson in the Main Lounge. The Club Tuesday Program has been delighting and educating members nearly since the club’s founding 110 years ago. A lunch and lecture series, Club Tuesdays are always enlightening and often surprising in their subject matter. If you’ve ever wondered what “the ladies who lunch” do, this is it. Recent lecture speakers have included bestselling authors, former government officials and local artists.
A good club offers not only activities, but excellent dining as well. Chef Frédéric Bermond, hailing from France, brings his keen eye to everything prepared in the kitchen. Having a French chef in-house guarantees superb presentation as well as excellent flavor for breakfast, lunch, Happy Hour and dinner. Our personal preference is Sunday brunch (with complimentary champagne) on the Loggia, overlooking the park.
Meeting people in a club is never a challenge if you join a committee, and the Woman’s Club has a plethora. How else do you meet your bridge partner? Club members are more apt to ask what committees you serve on than what you do for a living. From volunteering in the Club’s circulating library, overseeing the dining room menus, or planning black-tie fundraisers, each committee has its own purpose and focus within the Club. One of the most interesting committees is charged with the preservation and ongoing operations of the Ard Godfry House; built in 1849, it’s the oldest remaining frame home in the Twin Cities. (Visit it on summer weekends; it’s at University Avenue and Central Avenue SE, just across the 3rd Avenue bridge from downtown Minneapolis.)
The Club has a full-service theater on the first floor. You may already have had the opportunity to take in a play, concert or lecture in the Assembly Hall. This past holiday season, a riotously funny production of David Sedaris’ Santaland Diaries fill the hall.
The Woman’s Club is not open just women. As two of many male members, the club offers us the opportunity to show support for charitable causes, create lasting friends, learn about ourselves and others and improve our civic life. More comfortable and active than a business club, yet more formal than an athletic country club, the Woman’s Club is just the right fit for us. In this new year, why not expand your social circle at the club. We hope to see you there!
Interested in membership or one of the public events? The Woman’s Club is located on Loring Park just south of Downtown Minneapolis.
The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis
410 Oak Grove Street
612-813-5300
www.womansclub.org
