1/Sun­day

• December ChiMe Activ­ity Bulletin Dead­line. Last day for these submissions to the December 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.

• December ChiMe Editorial and Ad­vertising Dead­lines. Last day for editorial submissions to the December 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.

• 

  Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 AM. Remember to set your clocks back and sleep a bit longer.

Amazing Race

• 

  HalloweeM 50: Golden Ticket Continues until 3 PM. Join us for breakfast, the program, games, awards and more. By participating in the fun, sometimes silly, tournament “Amazing Race: WeeM Style” scheduled in the morning, perhaps you can be the star. Attend the CAM ExComm Business Meeting. Find out which of the volunteers won monetary awards (it could be you!). And please consider donating an hour or two of your time to help pack up—we really need your help and it’s the volunteers that make this RG so great. For those interested in visiting some local sites—check out Things to Do Nearby.

The August Bi-Monthly Gathering has been cancelled.

* * * * * *
The next ExComm Business Meeting is being held at 6 PM on Tuesday, July 21st via Zoom.

1

Nov

Add CAM ExComm Business Meeting via Zoom

CAM ExComm Business Meeting via Zoom

[p]CAM’s ExComm Business Meeting is usually an hour covering various topics related to our group, including GOBS requests, volunteer positions, the budget, and upcoming events like AGOG, WeeM, Odd Outings, etc.[/p][p]The form for GOBS funds must be submitted the Wednesday prior to this meeting. The GOBS liaison will have it added to the agenda.[/p][p]You may submit an issue to be added to the agenda for the ExComm's consideration or request the pdf version of the agenda a few days prior to the meeting by emailing our Recording Secretary. ([url]mailto:Secretary@chicago.us.mensa.org?subject=ExComm Business Meeting on Sunday, November 1st[/url]).[/p]

2026-11-01

10:00

11:00

https://us02webzoomus/j/84286333832?pwd=yBAC8AE2Fbof7ZFBOfd6bYjSFdCIlb1

• CAM ExComm Business Meeting 10 AM at the Westin North Shore lo­cated at 601 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wheeling. You do not have to be registered for WeeM to attendend.

• Mensa Testing 2 PM at the Westin North Shore lo­cated at 601 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wheeling. If you are or someone you know is interested in joining Mensa, see our Testing Information for contact details and additional dates/lo­ca­tions. Latecomers will not be admitted.

• A Gathering of Gamers (AGOG ) - Preregistration Rate Increase Alert! Join us for a relaxing weekend of games and hospitality on January 15th – 17th, featuring the megagame After the Throne. Saturday, August 15th is the last day you can pre­reg­ister for AGOG and qualify for the best AGOG discount ($30 less for ages 18+ and $25 less for ages 9-17). By pre­reg­istering, not only do you qualify for a discount, but once you get to AGOG, you avoid the hassle of filling out forms at registration plus you’ll get a pre-printed badge. So instead of wasting time at registration, you can start playing!

5/Thurs­day

• Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. Join a video chat with our kin from across the big pond in London at 2 PM BT. 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!!

Zoom Lunch

• Zoom Lunch 1 PM. Perhaps Mensa's longest running event anywhere, Chicago’s Downtown Lunch is now on Zoom and open to Mensa members everywhere. It's held every week, alternating between Tuesday and Thursday. Join us for conversation, laughs, and whimsical solutions to the world's problems past and present. 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!!

7/Satur­day

• New Zealand Sunday Seminars: TBA 5 PM (Sunday Noon NZT ). Save the date. The list of the upcoming seminars and any details can be viewed on their website.
  Virtual Event!!

• Chicago Toy and Game Fair (ChiTAG) 10 AM through 6 PM. On Sunday ending at 5 PM. It will be held Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, using the People of Play (POP) platform. In addition to the ability to preview the many new toys and games exhibited, they feature a Young Inventor Challenge. For all the details, visit their website. You may be able to get a discount on tickets via Groupon or LivingSocial.
  Virtual Public Event!!

• SFRM: Hunting for Aliens: The Search for Artifacts Near Earth 4:30 PM. Over the past decade, the first four interstellar objects were discovered. They include the interstellar meteor, IM1, detected on January 8, 2014, `Oumuamua detected on October 19, 2017, Borisov detected on August 29, 2019, and 3I/ATLAS discovered on July 1, 2025. Among these, the first two appeared anomalous relative to known solar-system rocks, whereas the third appeared to be a familiar comet. IM1 exhibited the highest material strength among all meteorites in the CNEOS catalog of NASA, while Oumuamua exhibited a flat shape and non-gravitational acceleration with no detectable cometary evaporation. In June 2023 we recovered 850 spherules from the Pacific Ocean site of IM1. A tenth of these submillimeter meteoritic spherules displayed a unique chemical composition, different from familiar solar system materials.

  Currently, new Galileo Project Observatories are monitoring millions of objects near Earth in infrared, optical, radio, and audio and analyzing their nature with machine-learning software. Are any of them Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena? Forthcoming data from the Rubin Observatory in Chile will offer additional clues on interstellar objects. Is space trash from extraterrestrial technological civilizations lurking among the natural interstellar rocks.

  Abraham (Avi) Loeb is the Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science at Harvard University and a bestselling author (in lists of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, Die Zeit, Der Spiegel, L'Express and more). He received a PhD in Physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel at age 24 (1980-1986), led the first international project supported by the Strategic Defense Initiative (1983-1988), and was subsequently a long-term member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton (1988-1993).

  For more details, visit the SFRM Zoom RSVPs FB Group or the M-Wisely's Cafe. To register, visit San Francisco Regional Mensa (SFRM)’s registration signup for this event.
  Virtual Event!!

8/Sun­day

Ethnic Dining

• Ethnic Dining 1 PM. Join us for a buffet or prix fixe lunch at a venue TBA. This is GOBS-subsidized event. Each CAM member and only one guest qualify for the subsidy; additional guests will be charged the full price; cash only, payable upon arrival. Save the date. For Ethnic Dining notifications, updates, and all the details, join the Mensa Connect Ethnic Dining Group, but do not respond using Mensa Connect. This event usually recurs on the 2nd Sunday of the month.

• AML Leadership Workshop: Creating & Communicating a Shared Vision That Moves People 7 PM. This session of the new Level Up! leadership development series, features Dioane Gates. Unlike traditional LDWs, these talks focus on building your career and personal growth across five key areas: vision, results, culture, people, and well-being. Don't miss this chance to level up your game.

  Three words that describe the Kansas Leadership Center's (KLC) Chief Civic Leadership Officer Dioane Gates are encouraging, pioneering, and entrepreneurial. With 18 years in law enforcement, 24 years in ministry leadership, and over 14 years as a small business owner, Dioane possesses a versatile skill set that equips him to connect thoughtfully with various audiences as a trainer and communicator.

  For more details, visit the AML Event which includes the Zoom link for this event.
  Virtual Event!!

10/Tues­day

11/Wednes­day

12/Thurs­day

13/Fri­day

• Rock­ford-Area Lunch Noon. Join Dave and other Rockford-Area Mensans for lunch at Gerry’s Pizza lo­cated at 7403 Argus Dr. in Rockford (NW corner of E. State St. and Bell School Rd.). To RSVP , for more information, or to get on our email list, contact Dave L., our Rockford-Area Coordinator . 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.
  Time Change!!

Poetry SIG

• Poetry Dis­cus­sion 7 PM. Our poetry group is using Zoom for meetings. Please send a poem or two to Joe D. by Monday, November 9th. 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!!

• SFRM: Silent Service: A Brief History of Submarines in the U.S. Navy 4:30 PM. As the U.S. Navy Submarine Force celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2025, this presentation will provide a brief history of submarines in the Navy and their contributions to the nation. Ms. Robyn Weimer, a 24-year veteran of the Submarine Force, served on four nuclear-powered submarines, with tours as Navigator/Operations Officer, Chief Engineer, and Executive Officer.

  She will first provide an overview of the history of U.S. submarines, from the purchase of the Holland on April 11, 1900, to the newest Virginia-class fast attack and Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines currently under construction. A discussion of submarine construction and operation will follow, including a review of submarine missions and how they are built to accomplish them. Along the way, Ms. Weimer will touch on what it's like to live on a submarine, with some Submarine Force trivia, such as how it got the nickname “Silent Service.”

  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!!

16/Mon­day

• Irish Mensa Lecture and Discussion: TBA 1 PM. Irish Mensa meets virtually on the third Monday of each month at 7 PM IT; a discussion then follows the lecture.

  When the event details are available on the American Mensa Event Calendar, we'll update this event. One does not have to register early for the event—simply click on the Zoom link before the session starts (check back here for that link on Saturday, November 14th).
  Virtual Event!!

18/Wednes­day

• Inquiring Minds: My Life Tracking the Great White Shark 1 PM. Are shark attacks becoming more frequent along the coast of New England, such as at Cape Cod? How much of our knowledge about these predators has been influenced by the movie Jaws? Are there misconceptions? How exactly does the Great White Shark expert Greg Skomal conduct his research on sharks? How does he assess the behavior of sharks? How does he assess the physiological stress and survival associated with their capture and release for scientific purposes?

  Greg Skomal is an accomplished marine biologist, great white shark researcher, underwater explorer, photographer, aquarist, and author. He has been a senior fisheries biologist with Massachusetts Marine Fisheries since 1987 and currently heads up the Massachusetts Shark Research Program. He is also adjunct faculty at the University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology in New Bedford, MA, a guest investigator at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, MA, and an adjunct scientist with the Center for Shark Research in Sarasota, Florida. He has been actively involved in the study of the life history, ecology, and physiology of sharks. His shark research has spanned multiple fish habitats around the globe, taking him from the frigid waters of the Arctic Circle to coral reefs in the tropical Central Pacific.

  See the full write-up and find contact info on the American Mensa Event. All attendees must preregister.
  Virtual Event!!

• MWW: Nonfiction Book Discussion 4:30 PM CST. Please join us in discussing Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures, by Merlin Sheldrake. We generally discuss what we liked about the book or found challenging. We also discuss what we would like more or less of, what format we read the book in, and whether it was a recent read.

  Can't make it this month? The next books will be asting History: Explore the Past Through 4,000 Years of Recipes by Max Miller & Ann Volkwein (December 16) and The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness, by Arthur C. Brooks (January 20). See the full write-up and find contact info on the American Mensa Event.
  Virtual Event!!

19/Thurs­day

21/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 coor­di­na­tor. You may also RSVP via Meetup. Open to non-Mensans; bring a curious friend.

• 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 Coordinator , 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.

23/Mon­day

24/Tues­day

• 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 email. If you RSVP by email, your reservation is not confirmed until you receive a confirmation email.

• Zoom Lunch 1 PM. See Thursday, November 5th.

• 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.

26/Thurs­day

* * * * *

1 December/Tues­day

• January 2027 ChiMe Activ­ity Bulletin Dead­line. Last day for these submissions to the January 2027 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.

• January 2027 ChiMe Editorial and Ad­vertising Dead­lines. Last day for editorial submissions to the January 2027 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.

• A Gathering of Gamers (AGOG ) - Preregistration Rate Increase Alert! Join us for a relaxing weekend of games and hospitality on January 15th – 17th, featuring the megagame After the Throne. Saturday, August 15th is the last day you can pre­reg­ister for AGOG and qualify for the best AGOG discount ($30 less for ages 18+ and $25 less for ages 9-17). By pre­reg­istering, not only do you qualify for a discount, but once you get to AGOG, you avoid the hassle of filling out forms at registration plus you’ll get a pre-printed badge. So instead of wasting time at registration, you can start playing!