Linda in Northfield, Mensagenda Editor
About Mensagenda
Minnesota Mensa published Vol. I, No. 1 of our newsletter, then called the Minnesota Mensa, in June of 1965. Approaching six decades later and winning awards along the way, we continue to provide a monthly publication, now called Mensagenda.
As expected in a newsletter, we inform our local membership with organizational updates and provide details about our events. The real benefit is that, just like our events, Mensagenda is for our members, by our members.
The love of learning in Mensa is not just about supporting our scholarship but in enriching your own mind and sharing your knowledge, skills, and interests. Read articles and regular columns ranging from scientific explanations to humor in everyday life. Check out our members’ photography, drawing, painting, knitting and quilting, and crafting skills.
What would you like to share? Do you have expertise in a particular field of study or hobby? Want to express your opinion? Have you traveled recently? Do you write poetry? Can you create word games, numerical puzzles, or trivia questions? What could you say about…well, you get the picture.
Mensagenda is another way that Minnesota Mensa provides “a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members.” What could you contribute if you joined Mensa?
There’s More to Read
Mensa membership provides access to the publications from other chapters, American Mensa, and Mensa International. Click here to learn more.
Featured Cover Art
Stillwater World Snow Sculpting. Photo by Gretchen in Shoreview.
Stillwater, on the eastern edge of the Twin Cities and along the St. Croix River, launched its initiative to host an annual World Snow Sculpting Championship (WSSC) in 2020. It is sanctioned by the Finland-based Association Internationale de Sculpture sur Neige et Glace. The Stillwater Chamber of Commerce estimates 50,000 visitors enjoyed the 2023 competition and related events. The next one is the Fourth Annual WSSC on January 15-19, 2025, along the riverfront in Lowell Park and inside The Water Street Inn.
Last January, I attended every day to monitor progress among the 12 competing teams. My photo on the cover of this issue of Mensagenda was my favorite sculpture: the 3rd place winner, made by Team North Dakota. Titled “The Solace of Sleep,” it was inspired by a sculpture by Coderch & Malavia, and represents that feeling of weightlessness as one falls asleep. Teams from Quebec, Canada, and Turkey won 1st and 2nd places, respectively; People’s Choice was awarded to Team Mexico. In spite of the mild winter last year, the competition was still quite successful, due to a timely cold snap and Afton Alps creating the snow and enabling “snow stompers” to pack it into the 10’× 10’× 10′ forms.
All work is done by hand; most carving tools are created by team members. More information is available through social media, the WSSC app, and www.worldsnowsculptingmn.com. In January 2024, admission was $5 for a metal button purchased from cooperating businesses and worn throughout the event. During the very busy final weekend, off-site parking was available with an efficient, frequent shuttle.
I’ll also be sharing these photos, along with one of the winning sculpture from Quebec and another by Team France, as part of my weekly participation in a French Conversation SIG managed by Dr. Kathleen Stein-Smith of Northern New Jersey Mensa.
Vantage Point: Mickey’s Diner
by James in Saint Paul
When I moved into my condominium in downtown St. Paul in 2013, one of the first things I noticed was that Mickey’s Diner was just a few blocks down the street. Designed to resemble a railroad dining car, Mickey’s opened for business in 1939. For years I’d wanted to go to the diner because of its iconic status. I also wanted to share the experience with someone else. None of my friends ever seemed interested in joining me, however, so I put off going.
After serving customers 24-hours a day for eight decades, Mickey’s Diner closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. I regretted not going to the diner alone while I had the chance. It’s not as though I never do things on my own; I’m more than comfortable going to the theater without a date. Why had Mickey’s Diner felt so different then? Perhaps because the diner had earned a special place in the popular zeitgeist and featured in several films over the years. The fact that I’d never seen any of those films didn’t make a difference.
More to the point, Mickey’s Diner is on the National Register of Historic Places, which began in 1966 to recognize locations of lasting social and cultural significance. There are more than 50 listings within the city of St. Paul, including the F. Scott Fitzgerald House, the Minnesota State Capitol, and numerous churches. A historic diner, while not unheard of, is something rare.
Thinking I had forever lost my chance to go to the legendary eatery, I considered going to Mickey’s Diner by Willy, a spinoff diner that opened a few miles away in 1960. But Mickey’s Diner by Willy lacks the Great Depression era interior design and the legacy of the original, so the interest wasn’t there for me.
When the original Mickey’s momentously reopened in the fall of 2024, going back was a priority! Charlie, whom I’d recently started dating, also had never been to Mickey’s and was up for the adventure. We arrived at noon on a Saturday and sat at the counter. All of the booths were full. Had we come even a few minutes later, we would have had to wait, as a line of eager customers grew outside the diner’s front door. The tight space reminded me of New York City, which is no coincidence since that’s where the diner’s exterior was built.
I ordered toast and an omelet. I told Charlie it was the best omelet (and possibly the best toast) I’d ever had. I’m not much of a foodie though, so any opinions I express while dining out should be taken with a grain of salt. Along with the food, I enjoyed Charlie’s company and the faux experience of going back in time. In other words, Mickey’s Diner lived up to the hype.
