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/ Wednes­day

  • ChiMe Activity Bulletin and Ad­ver­tising Deadlines. Last day for these submissions to the April ChiMe. Interested in organizing and hosting a virtual or in-person event? Find out how by checking out our guide to hosting events.

  • ChiMe Editorial Deadline. Last day for editorial submissions to the April ChiMe. Please submit original ar­ticles, insights, puzzles, brain teasers, or short poems. Your fellow Chicago Area Mensa members would love to hear from you.

  • pulaski

    Casimir (Kazimierz) Pulaski Day
    Observed in Chicago & Cook County
    City offices closed.

2/ Thurs­day

7/ Tues­day

8/ Wednes­day

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Northern Exposure

  • Northern Ex­po­sure Dinner 6:45 PM. Ready to watch the Oscars… inside your igloo? Then you should have dinner with us. Join us at Jameson’s Charhouse in Vernon Hills for burgers, steaks, chops, salads, and more. Lo­cated at 151 E. Townline Rd. in Vernon Hills. Please RSVP (Meetup preferred) to Janice E., so she can reserve a big enough table.

9/ Thurs­day

  • Mensa Testing 6 PM at the Villa Park Public Library located at 305 Ardmore Ave. in Villa Park. Walk-ins will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis if space permits. Latecomers will not be admitted. Preregister to guarantee a seat. If you are or someone you know is interested in joining Mensa, see our Testing Information for contact details and additional dates/lo­ca­tions.

10/ Fri­day

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  • Rock­ford Mensa Lunch Noon. Join Dave and other Rockford-Area Mensans for lunch at the Tavern on Clark, lo­cated at 755 Clark Dr. in Rockford (just east of Bell School Rd., three blocks north of State St.). To RSVP , for more information, or to get on our e‑mail list, contact Dave L., our Rockford-Area Coördinator. RSVP required in case of cancellation, time, or restaurant change. This event is usually recurs on the second Friday of the month.
    Time Change!!

  • Poetry Dis­cus­sion 7:30 PM. Our poetry group is now using Zoom for meetings. Interested persons who are not currently members of the poetry group can contact Joe D. , and he will e-mail the poems to be discussed or you can view them by tapping/clicking here. This event is usually held on evening of the second Friday of the month.
    Virtual Event!!

11/ Satur­day

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  • Saturday Movie & Dinner 4:20 PM. We’ll see Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, another Marvel super-hero movie that may explore a small man battling a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant (or something like that). Join us at the AMC Randhurst 12 Theaters, located at 200 Randhurst Village Dr. in Mount Prospect. After the movie we’ll hike across the street to the Blackfinn Randhurst Grill, located at 157 Randhurst Village Dr., for dinner and debriefing. To RSVP (welcome, but optional), send an e-mail Bill S.. If you show up and can’t find us, text Lisa S.. We hope to see you there!

  • Northwest Suburbs Games Night Cancelled.
    Event Cancelled!!

12/ Sun­day

  • clock

    Daylight Saving Time starts. Remember to change your clocks by adding an hour so you’re not late.

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  • Futures & Fantasies 2 PM. The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowaly will be discussed. At one third along in The Spare Man, one sees an engaging combination of space life, murder mystery, and humor. Indeed, the author has overcome my dislike of beverage alcohol (if only Prohibition had worked [sigh!]), beginning each chapter with the recipe for a cocktail whose name hints at what will happen in the chapter. This clever sidetracking of a long-held antipathy of mine makes me want to give Mary Robinette Kowal an honorary Mensa membership! See the ar­ticle in the March ChiMe for Steve’s full write-up. The discussion will take place in Conference Room G on the 3rd floor of the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street in Oak Park. Water, soda and light snacks are acceptable. Parking is available under the building. To RSVP , or for more information about this event and/or SIG, contact Steve M., the SIG coördinator. The number of in-person attendees is limited, so you must RSVP. This will be a hybrid meeting, so if you need the Google Meet link, please let us know when you RSVP. F&F usually meets on the second Sunday of most odd-numbered months.

14/ Tues­day

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  • GOBS NSEW Dinner: Italian 6 PM. Dinner will be at Tony Spavone’s lo­cated at 266 W. Lake St in, Bloomingdale (on the south side of Lake St., east of Springfield Dr., about 1.2 miles west of Bloomingdale/Roselle Rd.). Its rating on Yelp is . Order whatever you wish. This is a a GOBS-subsidized event where ½ the total cost (including tax plus a 20% tip, rounded up to the nearest dollar) of a CAM member’s, and up to one guest’s, dinner will be covered for a maximum of fifteen people — for a maximum of $25/person for a dinner totaling $50 or more; cash or PayPal only for your portion. RSVP (and get more details) on Meetup, but if not on Meetup, e‑mail Ken L. at least 24 hours in advance.

  • Mensa Testing 6 PM. Location just west of State & Ontario St. in Chicago, in the River North neighborhood. You must prereg­ister and prepay — very limited seating. Parking is very expensive; public transit strongly recommended! Latecomers and anyone without a reserved spot will not be admitted. If you are or someone you know is interested in joining Mensa, see our Testing Information for contact details and additional dates/lo­ca­tions.
    Event Not in ChiMe!!

  • pi

    π Day

15/ Wednes­day

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  • City Dinner at Nonnina 7 PM. Nonnina, 340 N. Clark St. in Chicago (River North). This is a GOBS-subsidized event for which any CAM member and up to one guest qualifies; GOBS will cover ½ of your tab, including tax and tip, up to a maximum of $25/person. Any additional guest and anyone RSVPing after the GOBS cap of 15 people is reached pays full price. To RSVP contact Hilarie C.by Friday, March 10th.

16/ Thurs­day

  • Conversation with London Mensans 9 AM. See Thursday, March 30th.
    Time Change Due to Daylight Saving Time Differences!!

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  • Trivia Night at Crazy Pour 7 PM. The Friends of the Villa Park Library and the Rotary Club of Villa Park are hosting a Trivia Night at Crazy Pour Sports Bar lo­cated at 105 E. North Ave. in Villa Park (21+ only).

    There is an entry fee of $5 per person, payable at Crazy Pour that night, and — this being a sports bar — you can buy food and drinks there, too. We can have as many as 8 people on a team, but if more Mensans show up, we can just field multiple groups.

    Let’s get together, play trivia, have some fun, and win some prizes! RSVP to John B.

17/ Fri­day

  • leprechaun

    St. Patrick’s Day
    Sláinte!

18/ Satur­day

  • 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. If you’re curious about the location and the COVID restrictions at this month’s meeting place, e-mail Jim Z. the event coör­di­na­tor. Open to non-Mensans; bring a conservative 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 e‑mailing, put “BASS” in the subject line. This event usually recurs on the 3rd Saturday of the month, about midday.

20/ Mon­day

  • equinox

    Northward — Vernal in our hemisphere — Equinox

21/ Tues­day

22/ Wednes­day

  • GOBS Request Deadline Noon. Today is the last day to submit a request for GOBS funds to be approved at this Saturday’s Business Meeting for any planned, eligible event, activity, or class taking place after Saturday, March 25th and through Saturday, April 29th or later; to be eligible, events involving CAM members must be published in the issue of ChiMe corresponding to the month in which they occur.

  • lantern

23/ Thurs­day

  • Conversation with London Mensans 9 AM. See Thursday, March 30th.
    Time Change Due to Daylight Saving Time Differences!!

24/ Fri­day

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  • DAMNations 34. The Dayton Area Mensa RG, themed Going Global, is being held Friday, March 24th through Sunday, March 26th, at the Double Tree Suites in 6300 E. Kemper Rd., Sharonville, OH 45241. Visit the Dayton Area Mensa RG Event on the AML website for details.

25/ Satur­day

Our next Monthly Gathering is on April 29th.
The April gathering will be held at the
Rolling Mead­ows Com­mu­ni­ty Center
3705 Pheasant Drive, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
* * * * * *
Our April MG is free for all CAM members!


The locations of the MGs vary.


  • Monthly Gath­ering
    The location of our March Month­ly Gath­ering was Bene­dictine Univer­sity
    5700 College Rd. in Lisle.

    The gathering is being held in Goodwin Hall (building 8 on the campus map) which is near the south-center end of the campus. The parking garage (building 7 on the campus map) is closest to Goodwin Hall. The business meeting, games, and hos­pi­tal­ity are on the fourth floor in room 411 (aka Sorenson Hall of Leaders). Testing is in room 212, which serves as the Parent-Child Play Room afterwards. Our speaker is in room 321. Note: The rooms tend to be a bit chilly, so you may wish to bring a sweater or sweatshirt. The Monthly Gathering venue section has more detailed information about parking and driving instructions. Please note that we have this venue only until midnight, so plan accordingly. This gathering is open to the general public. So if you’re interested in learning more about Chicago Mensa, come join us. There is an admissions fee to help cover costs (major credit cards accepted).

    Test:
    5 PM.
    Business Meeting:
    5 PM.
    Game room opens:
    6 PM.
    Program:
    7:30 PM.
    Refreshments:
    8:30 PM - Midnight.

    The CAM Board of Directors has allocated GOBS funds to be used for the reimbursement of either or Uber ridesharing services from/to the Arlington Park METRA station. Details are on our Monthly Gathering page.
    * * * * *
    Volunteer
    Get involved! Hone your leadership, organizational, or web skills. We’re looking for vol­un­teers to fill some of the open po­sitions listed both in the back of ChiMe or on the List of Officers. Try your hand as the Gifted Youth Coördinator, Communications Officer, website programmer, or as a MG Hospitality Volunteer. You can view the job descriptions and the required qualifications for all the open positions and ones you may be interested in. Or consider supervising the children at the MG for some extra cash.
    * * * * *
    Express Yourself
    Try your hand at writing an ar­ticle for ChiMe, submitting a photo, or creating a puzzle; see our Submission Guidelines for contact information and deadlines. Host your own event or your own virtual event using Discord!

    RussianIcebreaker.jpg

    Program Topic: Travel to Extreme Latitudes: The North and South Geographic Poles

    presented by Ken Levine

    Ken Levine, a Mensan for over 35 years, will discuss his experiences traveling as a tourist to extreme latitudes, including both geographic poles. For this presentation, he has completely recreated his “Travel to Extreme Latitudes” program.

    In December 2022, he traveled to Antarctica for the fourth time. Ken became interested in polar exploration during his first trip to Antarctica in 2001/2002. In the Antarctic, his journeys included the Southern Ocean, Ross Sea, McMurdo Sound, and the Weddell Sea. He also visited South Georgia Island and the ice attached to Snow Hill Island. Ken has traveled north of the Arctic Circle four times and south of the Antarctic Circle twice. (Most trips to Antarctica do not cross the Antarctic Circle.)

    Show all…

    On a trip to the geographic North Pole, he was on board a nuclear-powered Russian icebreaker. We will leave it to your imagination how the onboard swimming pool was heated.

    He has lectured about his polar travels and about explorers in the “ Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration” at Mensa AGs and RGs including Chicago, Wisconsin, Los Angeles, San Diego, Reno, Houston and Indianapolis, as well as the Wheaton Public Library. His personal knowledge of the areas is supplemented by his library containing 6 shelves of books and videos about these subjects. He has examined exhibits on polar exploration at museums in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Norway, New Zealand and Australia.

    Ken has visited over 80 countries. This is a conservative count, as he includes only countries that are members of the United Nations. He does not count countries where he was only in the airport for a connection and never went through customs.

    Show less
    If there is a spike in Covid cases, the in-person MG may become virtual & testing would be cancelled!!

26/ Sun­day

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  • The Societal Foundations of National Competitiveness 2:30 PM. Nations rise and fall, succeed or fail in rivalries, and enjoy stability or descend into chaos because of a complex web of factors that affect competitive advantage. One critical component is the package of essential social characteristics of a nation. The ultimate story of the Cold War is that the United States was simply a more competitive society than the Soviet Union: more energetic, more vibrant, more innovative, more productive, more legitimate. See the full write-up and find contact info at the American Mensa website.
    Virtual Event!!

28/ Tues­day

RSVP for Dinner Out West held on Thursday, March 30th no later than noon on Tuesday, March 28th. RSVP via Meetup preferred.

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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. Sepa­rate checks are available. Use Meetup, but if not on Meetup, RSVP to Ken L. via e‑mail. If you RSVP by e-mail, your reservation is not confirmed until you receive a confirmation e-mail.

30/ 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!!

  • Downtown Lunch: Virtual 1 PM. Perhaps the longest running Mensa event anywhere, Chicago’s 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 e-mail or call/text him. You may also RSVP via Meetup. We’d love to have you join us!
    Virtual Event!!

  • Dinner Out West: Indian 6:30 PM. We dine at Deccan Spice, located at 192 W. Gartner Rd. in Naperville. This is a GOBS-subsidized event, so every CAM member and one guest will be refunded up to $10 or ½ of your meal cost (including tax and tip), whichever is less. Limit 20 people. Reservations are required so guest host Matt knows how big of a table to reserve. RSVP via Meetup (preferred) or e-mail Matt C. no later than noon on Tuesday, March 28th.

  • 2021-03_PE-Promo_970x90.png March Special
    Free Evaluation of Prior Evidence
    Click on image to take advantage of this offer!

31/ Fri­day

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  • CultureQuest® XXXIV Registration Deadline. On Sunday, April 30th, at 3 PM CDT, all across the country as well as Canada, all at the same time, teams of Mensa members will participate in a 90-minutes-long contest to test cultural literacy administered by American Mensa. Prizes will be award­ed to twenty “Classic” (no age restrictions) teams and one “Next Generation” (youth) team with the highest scores! Today is the last day to submit your team registration information & payment to American Mensa. Get all the details including how to get the registration fee covered by GOBS funds and, if you want your team to meet virtually, how to request your own Discord channel.

  • Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) through Sunday, April 2nd. This event promotes the latest and greatest from the worlds of comics, movies, television, toys, anime, manga and video games, and is being held in the South Building of McCormick Place in Chicago. For more information, see the C2E2 website.
    Public Event!!

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  • Annual Gathering (AG) Rate Increase Alert!
    Register for the AG held Wednesday, July 5th through Sunday, July 9th in Baltimore, Maryland by Friday, March 31st before the next rate increase tomorrow.


* * * * *

1 April/ Satur­day

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  • ChiMe Activ­ity Bulletin and Ad­vertising Dead­lines. Last day for these submissions to the May 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.

  • ChiMe Editorial Dead­line. Last day for editorial submissions to the May 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
March 2023

March
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12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28

29

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RSVPs - Always contact the CAM event host as specified in the event details — e-mail , phone , text , or Meetup .

About
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 March calendar.

Facebook - The following CAM group has its own closed Facebook group which may have events not listed here nor on Meetup (contact them to join):

About
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 March calendar.

Facebook - The following CAM group has its own closed Facebook group which may have events not listed here nor on Meetup (contact them to join):

All April Events
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Only