Monthly Gather­ing

Our next Bi-Monthly Gathering occurs on April 25th.
at the
Rolling Mead­ows Com­mu­ni­ty Center
3705 Pheasant Drive, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
* * * * * *
Our April MG is free for all CAM members!

* * * * * *
The next ExComm Business Meeting is being held at 5 PM on Sunday, March 29th via Zoom.

Our Chicago Area Bi-Monthly Gatherings are open to the public. Anyone interested in finding out more about Mensa is welcome to attend. The April Bi-Monthly Gathering will be held in Rolling Mead­ows Com­mu­ni­ty Center located at 3705 Pheasant Dr. in Rolling Meadows. Starting in 2026, our Gatherings will recur only during even months (see our Schedule below). During odd months, we may have special outings, so stay tuned and check our Schedule. Check this site to ensure you’re heading to the correct venue. Members can also check Chicago Mensa Meetup or the latest issue of ChiMe. The website will supersede information in ChiMe should there be a discrepancy.

The March Business Meeting will be held virtually at 5 PM on Sunday, March 29th. The Zoom login info can be found on our Contacts webpage.

Instead of a Monthly Gathering in March, there will be a special Odd Outing @ Funway on Sunday, March 22nd. We encourage all CAM members, any family members, and/or their guests to take advantage of this great opportunity. Find out all the details.

Typical Bi-Monthly Gathering

5:00 PM

Mensa Admissions Test (for anyone who wishes to become a member) — Pre­reg­ister to reserve a space for this session or for a different test lo­ca­tion/date. Walk-ins are welcome but you cannot be late; it’s best to contact the test coordinator in case the session is cancelled. To see if any of your past tests (ACT, SAT, LSAT…) qualify for membership, see which tests qualify. Or arrange for an approved private test.

5:00 PM on Sunday, March 29th and in April.

Business Meeting — Our five elected ExComm members and any other interested members discuss various topics and issues. Members are welcome to attend and voice their opinions, but only the Executive Committee can vote.

6:00 PM

Games Room opens for any early-arrivers and game enthusiasts. At recent gatherings, members have played their favorite games such as Chess, Scrabble®, Set®, and Boggle®, as well as current hit games. Our game collection is pretty extensive, so if you have a favorite, there’s a fair chance we’ll have it on hand. Here’s the list of our entire collection (minus a couple of oldies for which the Geek has no entry) over on Board Game Geek, although not all games are conveyed to every Gathering (there are just too many). Contact our Game Warden to ensure a specific one is available.

Kids Room opens under the supervision of volunteers and parents. The Youth Program has been relaunched. We’ll have hands-on activities, often shaped by the kids themselves.

6:30 PM

In-Person Voting for ExComm begins (April).

7:30 PM

Speaker Presentation — The gathering usually begins with announcements from our Local Secretary (LocSec), followed by a guest who speaks on an interesting topic for about an hour.

8:00 PM

Electronic & In-Person Voting for ExComm ends (April).

8:30 PM until midnight

Refreshments, Socializing, and Games — After the speaker presentation, our hospitality volunteers provide an assortment of party food and beverages, and people browse and mingle. Conversation and games continue into the night.

The majority of the people start arriving around 7 PM. Usually, about 40-80 people attend the Monthly Gathering. If you prefer a smaller group, try one of our many restaurant gatherings hosted at various lo­ca­tions throughout the metropolitan area. Check out the latest monthly calendar of events for dates, or, for more information, contact the Membership Chair.

Babysitting is no longer available unless we get some volunteers willing to do so or to arrange it. If interested, contact our LocSec . In the meantime, we encourage kids to hang out together in a sepa­rate room where the children can play together under the supervision of volunteers and parents.

CAM 2026 Election

The candidates’ statements will be available our website and in the April issue of ChiMe.

If you’re not attending April’s Bi-Monthly Gathering, please cast your vote electronically using our online form at or before 8 PM, Saturday, April 25th. If you prefer a paper ballot, mail it so it is received by Friday, April 24th, or give it to a trusted messenger who can drop it into the ballot box at the Monthly Gathering during the in-person voting hours. The link to both the online and paper ballots as well as the instructions will be available to members on our website no later than Wednesday, April 1st. We intend to also send the link and instructions via email to members who have allowed their email to be shared with the local group (if you get the weekly event email, you have shared your email).

In the case multiple ballots are received from a member, only the most recently received ballot will count. For mailed ballots, the postmark will be used as the date of submittal.

The results will be announced sometime after in-person voting closes at the April Bi-Monthly Gathering. The results will be available on the website a few days later and in the June issue of ChiMe. Our Officers webpage will reflect the new ExComm members as of May 1st, the first day of their term.

Fees

Admission
Fees *
Ages
18-∞ 8-17
Members $0.00 $0.00
Guests $12.00 $7.00
Check-in starts at 7 PM.
CAM is now accepting major credit cards at the MGs.

April is free to Chicago Area Mensa members!

* Children under the age of 8 are free provided they under the supervision of an adult attending the gathering.

Venue Info for

The Saturday, April 25th Bi-Monthly Gathering will be held at the Rolling Meadows Community Center at 3705 Pheasant Drive in Rolling Meadows. The Community Center is lo­cated just east of IL-53, just north of the Algonquin exit, and south of the IL-53 Euclid exit.

April is also when Chicago Area Mensa members can vote for the Executive Committee. You can vote in-person at the Monthly Gathering. For other voting options and all the details, visit our Election webpage.

We will have games and hospitality in their spacious auditorium (straight back when you enter) with overflow space in the lobby. The speaker event will be in the Card Room (when you enter, to the right via the hallway, past the restrooms).

We’ve relaunched Youth Program. There will be a Parents-Kids Play Room available at 6 PM. We’ll have hands-on activites led by volunteers and shaped by the kids themselves. We encourage you to bring your kids to try it out.


Rolling Meadows Community Center

Parking is plentiful and free behind the building. The NW lot is closest to Entrance K, located near the inner corner of building.

Please note that we have this venue only until midnight—plan accordingly.

  • Heading north on IL-53 north through the Northwest Suburbs, look for the Kirchoff Road exit.
  • Exit right (east) onto Kirchoff Road.
  • Continue east on Kirchoff Road for ~1 mile to Meadow Drive.
  • Turn south (right) onto Meadow Drive.
  • Continue south on Meadow Drive for two blocks to Martin Lane.
  • Turn west (right) onto Martin Lane.
  • Continue west on Martin Lane as it curves south into Pheasant Drive.
  • Continue south on Pheasant Drive to the Community Center which is on the west (right) side of Pheasant Drive.
  • Pull into the first (northern-most) driveway (white dotted line on detail map) and head for the rear lot.
  • Park near Entrance K (see photo above; northwest inner corner slightly taller with an array of 4×3 windows just to the right).
  • Exit at the Euclid Ave East exit.
  • Continue east on Euclid Avenue a short distance to Rohlwing Road.
  • Turn south (right) onto Rohlwing Road and continue south for a ½ mile to Kirchoff Road.
  • Turn east (left) onto Kirchoff Road and continue east for 0.7 miles to Meadow Drive.
  • Turn south (right) onto Meadow Drive and continue south for a ½ mile to Grouse Lane.
  • Turn west (right) onto Grouse Lane and continue for 0.2 miles to Pheasant Drive.
  • Turn north (right) onto Pheasant Drive and continue northwest for 295 ft. to the Community Center which is on the west side (left) of Pheasant Drive.
  • Pull into the last (northern-most) driveway (white dotted line on detail map) and head for the rear lot.
  • Park near Entrance K (see photo above; northwest inner corner slightly taller with an array of 4×3 windows just to the right).

Attention, city-dwelling Chicago Area Ms! Until further notice, you can request taxi service or get reimbursed for the use of a ride sharing service like or Uber for our suburban Bi-Monthly Gatherings, between the closest Metra station and the meeting site with prior approval from GenRep Marty Jalove  by Wednesday, April 22nd. The best location and time is the Arlington Park station at 6:30 PM (Union Pacific–Northwest lineit leaves Ogilvie Station at 5:40 PM). You should then plan to leave the Park District building by 10 PM to return you to the Arlington Park station for the 10:29 PM train, which is the final train of the evening. Use of any of these services must be requested in advance by emailing GenRep Marty Jalove  by Wednesday, April 22nd.
Note: CAM will cover the cost of the taxi, , or Uber but you are responsible for your own train ticket.
Double check the Metra Train schedule which may have changed.

Schedule

2026

March 29th
ExComm Business Meeting
via Zoom
Join us for our
Odd Outing @ Funway
on
Sunday, March 22nd

Add ExComm Business Meeting via Zoom

April 25th
Bi-Monthly Gathering
Rolling Mead­ows Com­mu­ni­ty Center
3705 Pheasant Drive
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008

Add CAM Bi-Monthly Gathering @Rolling Meadows Community Center

May 31st?
Tentative
ExComm Business Meeting
via Zoom
No Gathering

Add ExComm Business Meeting via Zoom

June 20th
Bi-Monthly Gathering
Georgetown West Club House
301 S. Prospect Ave.
Wood Dale, IL 60191

Add CAM Bi-Monthly Gathering @Georgetown West Club House

July 26th?
Tentative
ExComm Business Meeting
via Zoom
No Gathering
August 22nd
Bi-Monthly Gathering
Georgetown West Club House
301 S. Prospect Ave.
Wood Dale, IL 60191
September 27th?
Tentative
ExComm Business Meeting
via Zoom
No Gathering
October 29st–November 2nd
Bi-Monthly Gathering
Westin North Shore Hotel
601 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Wheeling, IL 60090
November 1st
ExComm Business Meeting
No Gathering
December 5th
Bi-Monthly Gathering
Rolling Mead­ows Com­mu­ni­ty Center
3705 Pheasant Drive
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008

If a Gathering or Business Meeting is tentative, both the lo­ca­tion and date may change. Please check this site, ChiMe or Meetup about a month before the event for any changes, although the info on this site supersedes the information in ChiMe.

Mensa Testing

The test is administered at 5 PM at every Bi-Monthly Gathering. Walk-ins are welcome, but you cannot be late. Get more information about taking a proctored test to join Mensa including preregistering to guarantee a spot or to view different dates and lo­ca­tions. You must pre­reg­ister at certain sites and to take advantage of some special offers from American Mensa but we recommended you do so regardless. Or check out if any of the tests you’ve taken in the past (ACT, SAT, LSAT…) can be used as prior evidence to qualify to join. Or arrange for an approved private test.

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