Interest Groups

Take a hike—or two!

Welcome to spring, UMRA hikers. April is when the UMRA Hiking Club returns to two hikes a month, on the first and third Mondays of the month. We may still have snow on the ground in April, making urban paved and plowed trails a better option.

Fourth Friday Book Club to discuss Louise Erdrich’s debut novel

Members of UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club will discuss Minnesota-born author Louise Erdrich’s 1984 debut novel Love Medicine when they meet via Zoom in March. It is a story of love and survival, of the comic and the tragic.

Book Notes | ‘A House Among the Trees’

Event Date: March 17, 2023, at 2:00 PM

The fictional story and characters portrayed in 'A House Among the Trees' are based on the last will of Maurice Sendak, the renowned author and illustrator of children’s books who died in 2012 and left his entire estate to his longtime personal assistant.

‘Staircases’ is the theme for March Photo Club meeting

“Staircases” is the theme for the in-person gathering of the UMRA Photo Club to be held in person on Tuesday, March 14. Newcomers are welcome!

Hike around the Lake of the Isles and Bde Maka Ska

Let’s walk around Lake of the Isles and Bde Maka Ska. Will meet at Lake of the Isles Parkway and 28th Street, on the east side of Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis. The walk will be about 5 1/2 miles. 

Dystopian novel is FF Book Club selection for February

Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, The Orphan Master's Son is a dystopian novel set in North Korea that follows the misadventures of Jun Do, a North Korean everyman.

Book Notes | 'Nomadland'

Event Date: February 17, 2023, at 2:00 PM

For several years, journalist and author Jessica Bruder followed a group of retirees who lived in their vehicles, everything from small cars to worn out RVs, as they tried to piece together a subsistence lifestyle. Her book chronicles the challenges, the hardships, and the community these modern nomads created for themselves.

Ways to engage family members in family history

Event Date: February 15, 2023, at 10:00 AM

UMRA's Family History Interest Group (FHIG) met via Zoom for two presentations on ways to engage family members in family history.

February Photo Club

For February the THEME is Trees. Lunch at the Great Dragon at 11:30am for those who are interested.

Urban hike from Bde Maka Ska to Lake Harriet

For our first hike in the new year, the UMRA Hiking Club will sample a stretch of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Regional Park, from The Bakken Museum to the Lake Harriet Bandshell.

Encore urban hike February 5

For our first hike of the new year, the UMRA Hiking Club will again sample a stretch of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Regional Park, from The Bakken Museum to the Lake Harriet Bandshell. 

‘Red Notice’ is FF Book Club pick for January meeting

A well-told financial saga and crime thriller, Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice is the compelling memoir of an accidental activist.

Mount Kilimanjaro and the Cleveland Way in England

Event Date: January 25, 2023, at 10:00 AM

Watch the recording of the January 25, 2023 Armchair Traveler Program and be transported to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and enjoy a hike along the Cleveland Way.

Book Notes | A story of war and the valiant persons who risk their lives to help others

Event Date: January 20, 2023, at 2:00 PM

The story told by author Kristin Harmel in "The Book of Lost Names" is set in the Vichy area of France, where there was an underground network to help Jews and children escape to Switzerland during World War II.

‘Circles’ is the theme for January Photo Club meeting

The first meeting of the UMRA Photo Club for 2023 will start with members sharing pictures on the theme "circles."