Events

FF Book Club to meet April 26

Silk Parachute, an anthology of essays and the 40th of 44 published books by author John McPhee, will be the topic of discussion when UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club meets via Zoom from 2 to 3:30 p.m. CDT on April 26.

From South Korea to Germany

UMRA’s spring Armchair Traveler Program from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24, will take us to South Korea with Marilyn DeLong and to Germany with Lynn C. Anderson. Please mark your calendars and save the date. 

Book Notes | ‘The Scarlet Letter’

Event Date: April 19, 2024, at 2:00 PM

Set in the 1600s in a small town in Puritan New England, 'The Scarlet Letter' by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story of sin, cowardice, and survival. Members of the UMRA Book Club found the writing to be laborious, riddled with many words no longer in use, and wondered why the novel was on high school reading lists.

UMRA Summer Social and Picnic

Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!

Richardson Nature Center hike

Join us for a 4 to 5 mile hike at one of the most popular parks in the West Metro, Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington.  It is located at the north end of Hyland Lake Park Reserve at 8737 East Bush Lake Road in Bloomington.  This trail is mostly dirt and grass with some paved areas.  Enjoy the park's wildlife and celebrate Tax Day with your UMRA hiking friends!

Commercializing UMN Research & Inventions- Yields Excellent, Lasting Returns

UMN Technology Commercialization facilitates the transfer of UMN innovation beyond the research lab by helping our diverse researchers in development of new products and services that benefit the public good, foster economic growth, and generate revenue to support the University's mission.

French Quarter music festival, New Orleans, Louisiana

Enroll by June 30, 2023, and receive a $100 discount.

Photo Club to meet April 9

“Mountains” is the theme for April 9 meeting of the UMRA Photo Club. Newcomers are always welcome.

Cabinets of Curiosity: Spring at the UMN CBS Conservatory

The UMRA Cabinets of Curiosity tour will be at the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) Conservatory & Botanical Collection on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus. The amazing glass-walled greenhouse features four biomes with distinct climates, landscapes, and floras, with particular emphasis on plants of the southern hemisphere. Please plan to join us in this special opportunity to visit spaces not normally open to the public. 

Women’s early role in social change

UMRA members Vicki Gaylord and Craig Swan will share stories of their ancestors’ participation in social change movements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—and how they discovered those stories—when UMRA’s Family History Interest Group meets via Zoom on Wednesday, April 3.

Sunny Portugal

The Retiree Association at Winona State is inviting UMRA members to join them a trip to Portugal in 2024. The final date to register is October 2, 2023. You're encouraged to register some time in August as spaces will fill up.

Lake Nokomis hike

Let's meet on the west side of Lake Nokomis by the main beach and shelter for a 5 to 5.5 mile hike.  We will go around the north end of the lake and on to Minnehaha Falls by way of Minnehaha Parkway, returning to the start by a different route through neighborhoods around the lake.  This is an easy hike on paved walkways.  Pace will accommodate all hikers.  

Fourth Friday Book Club to meet March 22

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, a recipient of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and other awards, is the Fourth Friday Book Club’s selection for March. The setting is Appalachia in the early days of the opioid epidemic.

Book Notes | ‘The Other Einstein’

Event Date: March 15, 2024, at 2:00 PM

In 'The Other Einstein,' an historical novel about the life of Albert Einstein’s first wife, Mileva Marić, author Marie Benedict speculates that Marić contributed significantly to the papers and relativity theory that are attributed to Einstein. The book raises several questions.

Photo Club to meet March 12

“Houses of worship” will be the theme when the UMRA Photo Club meets in person at the Hennepin County branch library in St. Anthony on March. Newcomers are welcome.