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/Thurs­day

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  • ChiMe Activity Bulletin and Ad­ver­tising Deadlines. Last day for these submissions to the June 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 June 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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  • Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. Join a video chat with our kin from across the big pond in London at 2 PM BDT. 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!!

4/Sun­day

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5/Mon­day

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    Cinco de Mayo

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  • Breakfast/Lunch in Buffalo Grove 11 AM. Breakfast and lunch are both available at Original Bagel & Bialy, a Jewish deli located at 105 McHenry Rd. in Buffalo Grove (in a strip mall at the NE corner of Lake Cook Rd. & Route 83). This is a self-service restaurant. Order and pay at the counter. Your food will be brought to your table. There is a $10 minimum charge for using credit cards. RSVPs (and get more details on Meetup), but if not on Meetup, email Ken L.. Look for Ken in the back room.

8/Thurs­day

  • 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/Fri­day

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  • Rock­ford-Area Dinner 6:30 PM. Join Dave and other Rockford-Area Mensans for dinner at Chavez Mexican Restaurante lo­cated at 5494 E. State St. in Rockford (on the north side of State Street just west of St. Anthony Hospital). 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. This event usually recurs on the second Friday of the month.

  • Poetry Dis­cus­sion 7 PM. Our poetry group is using Zoom for meetings. Please send a poem or two to Joe D. by Monday, May 5th. 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!!

11/Sun­day

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    Mother’s Day

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Ethnic Dining

  • Ethnic Dining Cancelled. Join us for a GOBS-subsidized lunch at a venue TBA. For Ethnic Dining notifications, updates, and all the details, join the Mensa Connect Ethnic Dining Group. This event recurs on the 2nd Sunday of the month.
    Event on hiatus this month!!

13/Tues­day

14/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, May 17th and through Saturday, June 21st 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. For CAM events, it’s recommended you submit the GOBS request and get it approved before submitting your event information for publication in ChiMe — so no later than today for events planned for July. July events need to be submitted by the 1st of June to the activities editor to be included in the July ChiMe. An article must be featured in the July ChiMe for GOBS-subsidized August events with an RSVP deadline in July (same 1st of June deadline but article emailed to the editor; see editorial deadline).

RSVP for Northern Exposure no later than 10 AM. RSVP via Meetup preferred.

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Northern Exposure

  • Northern Ex­po­sure Dinner 6:45 PM. Polar bears paddling around your pool? 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.

15/Thurs­day

17/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. 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 midday on the 3rd Saturday of the month.

Our next Monthly Gathering occurs on February 15th.
AGoG will be held Feb. 14th – 16th. Both are at the
Westin North Shore Hotel
601 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, IL 60090


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Add CAM May Monthly Gathering @Rolling Meadows Community Center

  • Monthly Gath­ering
    It’s the 60th Anniversary of Chicago Area Mensa!! The location of our May Month­ly Gath­ering is the Rolling Mead­ows Com­mu­ni­ty Center
    3705 Pheasant Dr. in Rolling Meadows.

    Games and hos­pi­tal­ity are in the spacious auditorium, with overflow space in the lobby. The speaker event is in the Card Room. A Parents-Kids Play Room is available after the Mensa Test. Park in the NW lot behind the building and use Entrance K (near inner corner). Please note that we have this venue only until midnight, so plan accordingly. This gathering is open to the 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). Members, RSVP via Meetup to let your friends know you’re going to be there.

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

    The CAM Executive Committee 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 near the back of ChiMe or on the List of Officers. Try your hand as a co-Program Officer, a website designer, web content creator, or 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
    Write an ar­ticle, submit a photo, or create a puzzle for ChiMe; see our Submission Guidelines for contact information and deadlines. Host your own event or your own virtual event using Discord!

    Program Topic: TBA

18/Sun­day

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  • SFRM: Escaping the Nazis: The Untold Story of the Kindertransport From Someone Who Was on the Train 4:30 PM. In the months prior to the Holocaust, 10,000 children left their parents and escaped the Nazis on the Kindertransport, a series of train rides to safe havens in Europe where good Samaritans took them in. One of those kids was 7-year-old Manny Korman who, along with his brother, made it to England and eventually to the United States. Korman will share his experience during those years away from his family, and the long journey it took to be reunited with his parents. Korman will be joined on the panel by Jason Camis, the grandson of another Kindertransport survivor, in a conversation moderated by journalist Benyamin Cohen.

    Manfred Korman was born in Hamburg, Germany, in December 1931. He attended the Talmud Torah School for Kindergarten and in October 1938, was deported, with his family, to Poland. In August 1939, after being selected for the Kindertransport program, Korman left Poland and arrived in England just prior to the German declaration of war on Sept. 1, 1939. He left England on Sept. 1, 1939 and arrived in New York on Sept. 10, 1939. Korman attended the New York City school system, graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School in June 1945. After graduating from Queens College, he was drafted into the Army and served for nearly two years. His teaching career began in 1956, and he retired as a principal of a junior high school in 1995.

    For more details, visit the SFRM Zoom RSVPs FB Group or the SFRM List of Presentations. To register, visit San Francisco Regional Mensa (SFRM)’s registration signup for this event.
    Virtual Event!!

  • SFRM: Many Modes of Mind 4:30 PM. Science fiction often describes our meetings with other intelligent species many times a universal communicator or an assumption of a common language bypasses the need to explain communication. In the real world we will have to establish a way to communicate even if we have no commonality to serve as a basis.

    • What senses could be used to communicate, one of the five we have or something we can’t even imagine.
    • Coiled there be no form of communication because there is no need? A hive mind or a colony creature like a jellyfish, Perhaps what appears to be a discrete creature actually parts of one being with no more necessity to communicate than you do when you move a limb.

    Our panel consists of four current science fiction writers who will discuss multiple possibilities in the realm of communication with beings sharing our world and those that we may meet in our future explorations. Please register early. To register, visit San Francisco Regional Mensa (SFRM)’s registration signup for this event. For more details, visit the SFRM Zoom RSVPs group on Facebook.
    Virtual Event!!

  • Irish Mensa Lecture and Discussion: The Maths of Board Games 1 PM. Irish Mensa meets virtually on the third Monday of each month at 7 PM Irish Time; a discussion then follows the lecture.

    Why are there chess Grandmasters, but not Grandmasters of noughts and crosses (otherwise known as tic-tac-toe)? It is because chess is “harder” — but what do we really mean by that? Answering that question leads us to develop the idea of mathematical complexity, which is a measure of how ‘big’ a game is. We’ll look at the complexity of popular games, and ask: what is the hardest game of all time?

    Professor Sarah Hart is the first woman Professor of Geometry at Gresham College, and was appointed in 2020. She is Professor Emerita of Mathematics at Birkbeck, University of London. She studied at Oxford and Manchester, gaining her PhD in 2000. Postdoctoral research and teaching followed, including a prestigious Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Fellowship, before she was appointed to a lectureship at Birkbeck in 2004. She became Professor of Mathematics there in 2013, and served in various management roles including as Head of Mathematics and Statistics, Assistant Dean, and Programme Director for the MSc Mathematics.

    For the full write-up and to join, visit the American Mensa event. One does not have to register for the event — simply click on the Zoom link at the appropriate date and time.
    Virtual Event!!

22/Thurs­day

25/Sun­day

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  • Theodore Talk: Sweet Home: The Storied History of Chicago Blues 2:30 PM. In this Theodore Talk you’ll journey through the rich history and evolution of blues music, tracing its origins from the deep Southern fields to the bustling streets of Chicago, where it found its modern-day home. You’ll explore the socio-cultural forces that shaped the blues, its migration during the Great Migration, and how Chicago became a beacon for blues innovation, producing legendary artists and iconic sounds.

    Jacob Schulz, blues musician and historian, will discuss the current challenges facing the blues, including its fading mainstream presence and efforts to preserve its legacy for future generations. This talk will not only highlight the deep historical roots of the blues but also showcase how it continues to resonate as a timeless and influential art form today.

    You might even learn about a few joints to visit while at the AG! To register, check your email for the Zoom link for this Theodore Talk or, on or after Friday, May 23rd, tap/click on the Zoom link that will be available here on our website. See a list of all the Theodore talks on the American Mensa Events website. Even if you can’t attend the live talk, provided you register, you will receive a link to a recording of the event. Closed captioning enabled.
    Virtual Event!!

  • Mensa Cares: Land & Waterways 2 PM. This month, naturalist and educator Karen Jensen will lead us as we walk along the Des Plaines River in the Lake County Forest Preserve. We will be participants in an open data citizen science project. The Marine Debris Tracker app helps to answer the question of what the different types and amounts of debris are in order that we may prevent such debris from happening.

    Karen will instruct us in what and how we will do what we will do, but this will involve walking on the forest preserve trails. Wear comfortable shoes, clothing and your citizen scientist hat (the winner of the best hat gets big kudos from Karen!). Also, bring a well charged phone, water and snacks to carry along with you. You will download the Marine Debris Tracker App and Karen will assign us our group (Chicago Area Mensa) by which we will track what we find. Some participants may want to only record what is found and some may want to pick up debris — that is up to you (bring gloves, we will provide the debris bags).

    The location is Edward L. Ryerson Welcome Center, 21950 Riverwoods Rd. in Riverwoods. The entrance is on Riverwoods Road between Half Day Road (Route 22) and Deerfield Road, just west of Interstate 94. Signs to the Welcome Center will be easy to see and follow. For more details, see the May ChiMe (when it becomes available). If you have any questions or you wish to RSVP , email our Community Services Coördinator Jean D. .

  • Theodore Talk: Rags To Bebop: The Swinging Sounds Of Kansas City 2:30 PM. Fueled by riffs and powered by tight ensemble work, Kansas City jazz first rolled across the nation in the 1930s. The list of musicians who worked and made their home in Kansas City during the golden age of jazz represent a veritable Who’s Who of Jazz: Count Basie, Mary Lou Williams, Lester Young, Bennie Moten, Walter Page, Jay McShann, Joe Turner, Pete Johnson, Julia Lee, Harlan Leonard, Andy Kirk, and Kansas City’s most infamous son — Charlie “Bird” Parker.

    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!!

26/Mon­day

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    Memo­rial Day

27/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.

  • MEANS (North Suburbs) Dinner 6:30 PM. Join Mensans Eating Around North Suburbs (MEANS) at Hackney’s on Lake located at 1514 E. Lake Ave. in Glenview. Free parking. Separate checks available. Limit 12. Please RSVP via Meetup (preferred) or email Brent B. Recurs on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

29/Thurs­day

31/Satur­day

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    Cleveland Area Mensan’s Some M-Chanted Evening: An Adults-Only Nerd Prom 5 PM held at Residence Inn Cleveland Avon at The Emerald Event Center, located at 33040 Just Imagine Dr. in Avon, OH . Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to relive the glamour and glitz of the Golden Age of Hollywood at our exclusive adults-only, Old-Hollywood themed prom! Join us for an unforgettable evening of elegance, where you can dine, dance, and play the night away in true Hollywood style. To register, visit their Facebook page. For all the details, visit the AML website.


* * * * *

1 June/Sun­day

  • 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? 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 July 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.

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    Cleveland Area Mensan’s After Prom at Cedar Point. What's a prom without an after party? Not attending the prom? No problem! We invite you to join us for a day at the Cedar Point Amusement Park to enjoy one of the best attractions that the greater Cleveland area has to offer. We’ll meet at the main gate and spend the day enjoying junk food, riding roller coasters, and nerding out together! All ages welcome. To register, visit their Facebook page. For all the details, visit the AML website.

Activities Bulletin
May 2025 (Tentative)

May
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25 26 27 28 29 30 31

RSVPs - Always contact the CAM event host as specified in the event details — email , 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 current calendar

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 current calendar

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