The organizers of the events listed on this calendar have expressed willingness for members elsewhere in the world to join in. Please don’t give them a bigger crowd than they can handle, and do be careful about time zones. The displayed time zone is GMT! If you add them to your own calendar, the time zone should convert to your specified time zone.
To have your virtual event added to this calendar, contact Matt C., the CAM International Calendar contact.
There may be other virtual events, as well as in-person events, which may be of interest to CAM members, hosted by various local groups listed on the American Mensa Calendar of Events.
1/ Saturday
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ChiMe Activity Bulletin and Advertising Deadlines. Last day for these submissions to the July ChiMe. Interested in organizing and hosting a virtual or in-person event? Find out how by checking out our guide to hosting events.
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ChiMe Editorial Deadline. Last day for editorial submissions to the July ChiMe. Please submit original articles, insights, puzzles, brain teasers, or short poems. Your fellow Chicago Area Mensa members would love to hear from you.
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53rd Chicago Annual Pride Parade held Sunday, June 30th, the last Sunday of the month. The CAM contingent is sponsored by the Rainbow SIG. The Rainbow SIG will be marching and riding on their float again this year in the Chicago Annual Pride parade. There will also be a GOBS-subsidized meal nearby after the parade. For all details, visit the Parade Info webpage or see the articles in the April ChiMe, May ChiMe, or June ChiMe (when it becomes available). Register by Monday, June 17th.
6/ Thursday
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Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. Join a video chat with our kin from across the big pond in London at 2 PM BDT. I [Carey] participated previously, along with a few other CAM members, and had a very nice chat with some of our “siblings” in the London area. RSVP (via Meetup preferred) to local host Carey S. to receive the Zoom sign-in information. The London host is Ian David Moseley.
Virtual Event!!
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Zoom Lunch 1 PM. Perhaps the longest running Mensa event anywhere, Chicago’s Zoom Lunch (formerly known as the Downtown Lunch) is held every week, alternating between Tuesday and Thursday. Join us for conversation, laughs, and attempts to define words you’ll never use again. The Zoom id is 836 1178 6315 and the passcode is 190710; it is also included as part of your host Jon G.’s contact information if you prefer a link. Questions? Contact Jon via email or call/text him. You may also RSVP via Meetup. We’d love to have you join us!
Virtual Event!!
9/ Sunday
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SFRM: The Mind & The Sense of Smell 4:30 PM. In a world filled with constant visual and auditory stimulation we are always on and ready to engage. Our memory banks are full, recall can be difficult when overwhelmed, and the mind skips and loses connections little by little.
The senses are a conduit through which we engage with others and ourselves. Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling are vital signs of life directly associated with memory and meaning. Memories fade, senses dull, and for many their ability to interact lessens until the social and cognitive ties no longer serve.
For more details, visit the SFRM Zoom RSVPs FB Group. To register, visit San Francisco Regional Mensa (SFRM)’s registration signup for this event.
Virtual Event!!
11/ Tuesday
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Zoom Lunch 1 PM. See Thursday, June 6th.
RSVP for Northern Exposure no later than 10 AM. RSVP via Meetup preferred.
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Northern Exposure Dinner 6:45 PM. Twenty-four hours of daylight? Then you should have dinner with us. Join us for dinner at a venue TBD in Lake County. Please RSVP on Meetup or via Janice’s email, jesser@chicago.us.mensa.org , so she can reserve a big enough table.
13/ Thursday
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Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. See Thursday, June 6th.
Virtual Event!!
14/ Friday
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Rockford Mensa Dinner 6:30 PM. Join Dave and other Rockford-Area Mensans for dinner at a venue TBA. To RSVP , for more information, or to get on our email list, contact Dave L., our Rockford-Area Coördinator. RSVP required in case of cancellation, time, or venue change. Do not RSVP via Meetup since Dave is not a member. This event is usually recurs on the second Friday of the month.
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Poetry Discussion 7:30 PM. Our poetry group is using Zoom for meetings. Please send a poem or two to Joe D. by Friday, June 14th. Interested persons who are not currently members of the poetry group can contact Joe D. , and he will email the poems to be discussed. Contact Bill K. for the Zoom links or any help you might need. Do NOT RSVP via Meetup. This event is usually held on the evening of the second Friday of the month.
Virtual Event!!
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Flag Day
15/ Saturday
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Chicago Area Mensa Annual Picnic 11 AM. Held at Salt Creek Park in Elmhurst (just east of Rt. 83 & south of 2nd St.). Covered pavilion, grills, and food. Join us for a fun time outdoors. Save the date!
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Conservatives Lunch 11:30 AM. Join other members of the Mensan cell of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy for lunch and civilized un-PC conversation. No forbidden questions, no unchallengeable answers. This lunch happens on the third Saturday every month, but the location changes and can’t always be determined in time to make the ChiMe schedule. The venue will be The Patio, 2780 S. Highland Ave. in Lombard (NW corner of Butterfield and Highland, but you can enter only from Highland). RSVP by emailing Jim Z. the event coördinator. You may also RSVP via Meetup. Open to non-Mensans; bring a curious friend.
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Beverly Area Saturday Salon (B.A.S.S.) ~Noon. Spontaneous conversation in far SSW Chicago, approximate vicinity of 107th St. & Western Ave. Please contact Rick E. the Beverly Area Coördinator, for this month’s location and the exact time as well as more information; if emailing, put “BASS” in the subject line. This event usually recurs on the 3rd Saturday of the month, about midday.
16/ Sunday
17/ Monday
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53rd Chicago Annual Pride Parade held Sunday, June 30th, the last Sunday of the month. The CAM contingent is sponsored by the Rainbow SIG. The Rainbow SIG will be marching and riding on their float again this year in the Chicago Annual Pride parade. There will also be a GOBS-subsidized meal nearby after the parade. For all details, visit the Parade Info webpage or see the articles in the April ChiMe, May ChiMe, or June ChiMe (when it becomes available). Today is the last day you can register!
19/ Wednesday
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State & Federal Holiday
20/ Thursday
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Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. See Thursday, June 6th.
Virtual Event!!
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Zoom Lunch 1 PM. See Thursday, June 6th.
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Summer Solstice
22/ Saturday
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Youth Game Night 1 PM. Table top game night for CAM youth in Oak Park! Please RSVP to Kendra K. by Monday, June 17th; address included as part of contact info. Parents must accompany minors. Consider bringing your favorite snack. Pet-free home. Shoe free home; feel free to bring your own house shoes or slippers.
23/ Sunday
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Theodore Talk: Revitalization of a Cocksure Era Spirit 2:30 PM. From its earliest days as a settlement of French trappers and traders, Kansas City’s West Bottoms grew more than a century ago into a bustling railroad hub and agricultural and livestock center. Ingrained in that rich history is the distillation, distribution, and consumption of liquor. Prior to Prohibition, dozens of West Bottoms saloons served locally produced spirits to a thirsty clientele of workers from nearby stockyards and packinghouses. When master distiller Alex Lindsey founded the West Bottoms Whiskey Co. in 2021, he embraced the Bottoms’ legacy of industrialization and entrepreneurism by bringing a whiskey spirit and culture back that ignites a passion for innovating whiskeys thru the appreciation and embodiment of a truly optimistic era in the United States. This presentation will highlight the unique spirit and history of the area and encourage participants to explore the people and places in Kansas City that are doing the same.
The West Bottom Whiskey Company, located near the AG site, won a Double Gold Medal at the 2021 Denver International Spirits Competition and was named the Top Ranked American Blended Whiskey at the 2022 Las Vegas Global Spirit Awards.
See the full write-up and find contact info on the American Mensa Events website. Even if you can’t attend the live Talk, as long as you register you will receive a link to a recording of the event. Closed captioning enabled.
Virtual Event!!
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Dayton Area Mensa Mini RG Noon (1 PM EDT). The RG is being held until 9 PM at Young’s Jersey Dairy located at 6880 Springfield-Xenia Rd. in Yellow Springs, OH. Visit the AML website for details.
25/ Tuesday
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Breakfast in Mount Prospect 10 AM. Breakfast or lunch and conversation at Jelly Café located at 1784 W. Golf Rd. in Mount Prospect (northwest corner of Golf Rd. and Busse Hwy.), featuring a large and diverse menu. Dining might be indoors or outdoors, depending on conditions. Separate checks are available. Use Meetup, but if not on Meetup, RSVP to Ken L. via email. If you RSVP by email, your reservation is not confirmed until you receive a confirmation email.
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Zoom Lunch 1 PM. See Thursday, June 6th.
27/ Thursday
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Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. See Thursday, June 6th.
Virtual Event!!
30/ Sunday
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53rd Chicago Annual Pride Parade ~10 AM. The CAM contingent is sponsored by the Rainbow SIG. The Rainbow SIG will be marching and riding on their float again this year in the Chicago Annual Pride parade. Although it started out as gays marching down Broadway to display their pride after decades of discrimination, it has evolved into a million people, gay, straight and everything in between supporting equal rights for everyone and celebrating the diversity that was once frowned upon. The interaction with the crowd is exhilarating. And spreading the idea that Mensans are everywhere and come in all shapes, sizes, sexual preferences, and gender identities sends an important message. Participants who sign up will be notified of the exact time and location (near Montrose and Broadway in Chicago) once that information is known, about a week before. After the 2.4 mile route, it’s a short walk west to enjoy an optional, private, late luncheon. For all details, visit the Parade Info webpage or see the articles in the April ChiMe, May ChiMe, or June ChiMe (when it becomes available). Register by Monday, June 17th.
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1 July/ Monday
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ChiMe Activity Bulletin and Advertising Deadlines. Last day for these submissions to the August ChiMe. Interested in organizing and hosting a virtual or in-person event? There’s bound to be an activity or a restaurant you want to try, but you just want some other people to experience it with you. So invite your fellow Mensans. Find out how by visiting our guide to hosting events.
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ChiMe Editorial Deadline. Last day for editorial submissions to the August ChiMe. Please submit original articles, insights, puzzles, brain teasers, photographs, or short poems. Your fellow Chicago Area Mensa members would love to hear from you.
Activities Bulletin
June 2024 (Tentative)
Already a CAM Discord member?
Simply open up the Discord app, look for the
CAM 
icon on the very left, and tap/click on it. You’ll often find fellow gamers online
even when no official CAM event is taking place.
New?
A few days before the event, check out the Introductory Guide to Discord as well as our CAM Discord FAQ for instructions about downloading the Discord app on the device you’ll be using, and registering yourself. Read the doc and/or peruse the various questions and answers to familiarize yourself with our customized version.
About three days prior to the event, the Invitation Link, needed only by new CAM Discord users, will be available as part of the event host’s contact info as a button. Tap/click on the button, then tap/click on the Invitation Link, and it will open the Discord app you installed. You must acknowledge the displayed Code of Conduct to see all the rooms (aka channels). Do this by tapping/clicking on the emoji symbol at the bottom that best describes Your membership category. Once you’ve done that, you’re in and won’t need an Invitation Link again.
When you join a Discord event you won’t automatically see all the participants like in Zoom when the host lets you in or you join a meeting in progress. Instead you’ll scroll down and find the channel specified as part of the event info. You get to see the list of names indicating who is in the channel before you tap/click on it to join. And if there is someone presenting, you’ll need to tap/click on the presenter’s feed or double-click the Live button next to the presenter’s name to enlarge the feed.
It may feel weird at first but the learning curve is pretty short and chances are you’ll like it better than Zoom and choose to use it to video call a fellow Mensa member/group who is part of the CAM Discord community and definitely to play online games while chatting with everyone participating.
RSVPs - Always contact the CAM event host as specified in the event details — email , phone , text , or Meetup .
Meetup
Chicago Mensa Meetup - All our events are listed; see who signed up, get notifications, and add the event(s) to your personal calendar. Check out the June calendar.
Chicago Mensa Meetup - All our events are listed; see who signed up, get notifications, and add the event(s) to your personal calendar. Check out the June calendar.