November - Minneapolis Club

FROM THE
CLUB PRESIDENT
Jay Novak
President
Thanksgiving
Holiday Hours:
TIME
Wednesday, November 23
Breakfast and Lunch Served
in the Grill and Pub
Fitness Attendant
6:00 am - 3:00 pm
CLUB CLOSES AT 3:00 PM
Thursday, November 24
Fitness Center:
No attendant all day
Thanksgiving Day Buffet
10:30 am -2:00 pm
No breakfast or lunch service
Friday, November 25
Breakfast and Lunch Served
in the Grill and Pub
Fitness Attendant
6:00 am - 3:00 pm
CLUB CLOSES AT 3:00 PM
Saturday, November 26
Food and Beverage
Operations are Closed
Fitness Center Attendant on
Duty 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Christmas
Holiday Hours:
Saturday, December 24
Food and Beverage
Operations are Closed
Fitness Center:
No Attendants on Duty
Sunday, December 25
Fitness Center:
No attendant all day
Christmas Day Buffet
10:30 am -2:00 pm
No breakfast or lunch service
Monday, December 26
Food and Beverage
Operations are Closed
Fitness Center:
No Attendant on Duty
Merry and Bright
The Holidays are always a special time at the
Club, in part because it is a time to reconnect
with friends and business associates over
lunch or dinner, and in part because several
annual holiday events have become an
important part of the season for so many of
our fellow members.
The season begins, of course, with
Thanksgiving and the annual Thanksgiving
Day Buffet in the Club’s dining room. Club
members have been delighted with the
innovations in preparation and presentation
that Chef Håkan Lundberg has introduced in
the Grill and Pub, and it will be great fun to
see him put his imprimatur on traditional fallharvest
fare.
On Friday, December 2, the Club will offer a
special 5 p.m. pre-Holidazzle Parade dinner—
and desserts at 7 p.m., right after the parade.
On Saturday, December 10, children in your
life will have a chance to meet and share an
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. brunch with Santa Claus,
a longtime friend of mine to whom I often
provide advice. On Christmas Day, the Club
will hold its annual Christmas Buffet, and on
New Year’s Day we’ll have our annual 11 a.m.-1
p.m. Open House, a yearly tradition for dozens
of members.
But before we jump into the Holidays, let’s take
a look back at the fall. Has the Club seemed
more activity-filled than in the past If so, we
can credit the Program Committee, which is
co-chaired by Hudie Broughton and Todd
Bolin, and the Young Members Committee,
which also is chaired by Hudie.
Last winter, the Program Committee became
determined to strategize and systematize
its organization of Club events, dividing
them into five topical categories—Culture,
Politics and Civic Affairs, Health and Wellness,
Business, and Social—to establish a balanced
array of subjects and a way to measure the
appeal of topics by category. The committee
also decided that it was not enough to
select and announce speakers and other
entertainments; it was also important to
market them. As Hudie says, “It doesn’t do
anyone any good to have a great performance
if no one comes.”
To make timely suggestions of speakers
while allowing Club staff members
opportunities to propose promotional
titles, prepare announcements, and get the
announcements to members in e-mails,
posters, the Club’s website, and the Club
newsletter, the committee had to expand
its meeting schedule from quarterly to
monthly, a significant commitment of time
for committee members. However, Hudie
says, “It’s our club; we have to make it what
we want it to be.”
The results speak for themselves. In September,
“Our Dynamic Downtown” reception featuring
Russ Nelson and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak
attracted 250 members and guests. Following
the program, the Seafood Spectacular Dinner
attracted 159. A Guthrie Theater dinner, tour,
and performance of “Arsenic and Old Lace
preceded by remarks from Guthrie Artistic
Director (and Club board member) Joe
Dowling was popular enough to engender
plans for encores.
Meanwhile, monthly (third Wednesday)
Happy Hours organized by the Young
Members Committee have been packed
with 50 to 70 members and guests, and the
Young Members’ 15-seat Mentor Dialogue
Series of presentations have been attended
at full capacity.
Yes, there’s been more, including arts events,
luncheon lectures, and an October 24
Leadership Series Dinner featuring Mayo
Clinic CEO John Noseworthy. There are also
a lot more Club events to come, both during
and after the Holidays. I will be at several and
hope to see you there.
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