Our next
Monthly Gathering
is on
December 3rd.
Monthly Gathering
will be held
at the
Rolling Meadows Community Center
3705 Pheasant Drive, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
Monthly Gathering
Our next
Monthly Gathering
is on
December 3rd.
Monthly Gathering
will be held
at the
Rolling Meadows Community Center
3705 Pheasant Drive, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
Our Chicago Area Monthly Gatherings are open to the public. So anyone interested in finding out more about Mensa is welcome to attend. There is no Monthly Gathering during October nor November. Our next Monthly Gathering is in December.
Join us for HalloweeM, which is the largest Regional Gathering in the US. It's a long weekend of fun for the whole family. WeeM will be held at the Westin North Shore Hotel at 601 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wheeling on Oct. 27th–30th. There will be a Business Meeting on Sunday at 10 AM.
The location of the December Monthly Gathering held on Saturday, December 3rd will be in the Rolling Meadows Community Center at 3705 Pheasant Dr. in Rolling Meadows. The gatherings are held each month, except for November.
Typical 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. 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.
Masks required!!
If there is a spike in Covid cases, the in-person MG may become virtual & testing may be cancelled!!
5:00 PM
Business Meeting —
Our five board members and any other interested members discuss
various topics and issues. Members are welcome to attend and voice their opinions, but only the
Board of Directors can vote.
Masks required!!
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
Monthly Gathering (there are just too many).
Contact our Game Warden
to ensure a specific one is available.
Masks required!!
7:30 PM
Officer Nominations — Nominations will be taken from the floor prior to the speaker presentation.
The Beatles, Chicago and the 1960s
Sixty years ago, Ringo Starr joined the Beatles and the group released its recording, Love Me Do, in England. To commemorate these momentous events, Dr. John F. Lyons examines the impact of the Beatles on the Chicago metropolitan area.The Beatles were a phenomenon of the 1960s with their mop style haircuts and new sound. Even though their single, I Want to Hold Your Hand, was released on Capitol Records in December, 1963, the Beatles’ introduction on a national scale in the U.S. came with their appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show in February, 1964. America’s reception to the Beatles ranged from adoration by teenage girls to horror from the “older generation,” fearing negative effects on their children and society in general.
Through the use of music, video, and many unseen photographs from the 1960s, this highly entertaining presentation reveals untold stories of the Beatles’ visits to Chicago. John highlights the unique connections between the Fab 4 and the Windy City. He will also discuss the diverse cast of characters who were engulfed by the whirlwind of Beatlemania.
John Lyons was born in London, England, but now lives in Chicago. He is a Professor of History at Joliet Junior College, where he teaches classes in British and US history.
He has appeared on podcasts and radio programs discussing the Beatles. John is a noted public speaker who has spoken to audiences in the US and Europe. More information about the Beatles and Chicago can be found in Joy and Fear: The Beatles, Chicago and the 1960s (2021), which is the fifth book John has written.
~7:35 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.
Masks required!!
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.
Masks required!!
The majority of the people start arriving around 7 PM. Usually, about 60-100 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, call 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 parents and kids to hang out together in a separate room where the children can play together under their parents’ supervision. Also please contact our Gifted Youth Coördinators , who may be restarting the Gifted Youth MG activity held in conjunction with the regular MG.
Fees
| Admission Fees * |
Ages | |
|---|---|---|
| 18-∞ | 8-17 | |
| Members | $10.00 | $5.00 |
| Guests | $12.00 | $7.00 |
| Check-in starts at 7 PM. CAM is now accepting major credit cards at the MGs. |
||
* Children under the age of 8 are free provided they under the supervision of an adult attending the gathering.
Venue Info for
The Saturday, December 3rd 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 Euclid exit. Use the map on the right for directions.
We will have games and hospitality in their spacious auditorium with overflow space in the lobby. The speaker event will be in the Card Room. There will be a Parents-Kids Play Room available. Please note that we have this venue only until midnight — plan accordingly.
Parking is plentiful and free.
- 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 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 first (northern-most) driveway 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, there will be a taxi service
for our suburban Monthly Gatherings, between the closest Metra station and the meeting
site or you may request approval from
Damian by Wednesday, November 30th
to get reimbursed for the use of a ride sharing service
like or Uber .
For the Rolling Meadows site, we will have a taxi pick you up at the
Arlington Park station
at 6:30 PM
(Union Pacific–Northwest line
— it leaves
Ogilvie Station at 5:40 PM).
A taxi will then 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. Or you can use one of the ride sharing services with pre-approval and get
reimbused.
Use of any of these services must be requested in advance by e‑mailing
Damian by Wednesday, November 30th.
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 due to the
Coronavirus impact.
There is no Monthly Gathering in October nor in November. Instead, CAM hosts HalloweeM, the largest Regional Gathering (RG) in the country. It's a wonderful, fun, and informative event that runs Thursday, October 27th through Sunday, October 30th. Expect games, dances, programs, costume parades, and excursions. Get the most up-to-date information about WeeM by visiting our website. Our great RG will be held at the Westin-Chicago North Shore Hotel at 601 North Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling. The hotel is located on the east side of Milwaukee and the main entrance is at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Wolf Road (just south of Lake-Cook and north of Dundee Road).
Book your room today! The hotel is offering a WeeM room rate of $124 through October 7th. The rooms facing east enjoy a great view of the Forest Preserves. The hotel is located just west of the Des Plaines River and is steps away from the Des Plaines River Trail leading into the Potawatomi Woods Forest Preserve. There’s also a pool and workout equipment.
There’s plenty of free parking both on the north and the south side of the hotel. The south lot is closer to the meeting rooms. For detailed directions, visit our HalloweeM directions webpage.
The hotel offers a shuttle service from the nearby METRA stations . Please call them well in advance to arrange a pickup.
Monthly Gathering Schedule
2022
HalloweeM
2023
TBD?
A Gathering of Gamers
(February 17th – 19th)
AGoG
‡ If a Monthly Gathering is tentative, both the location and date may change. Please check this site, ChiMe or Meetup about a month before the gathering for any changes, although the info on this site supersedes the information in ChiMe.
Mensa Testing
The test is administered at 2 PM during HalloweeM and at 5 PM at every Monthly Gathering where walk-ins are welcome, but you cannot be late.
Get more information about taking a
proctored test to join Mensa
including different dates and locations. You must preregister at certain sites and to take advantage of any special offers from
American Mensa — the cost of the proctored test is 50% off during October provided you preregister.
Or check out if any of the tests you’ve taken in the past (ACT, SAT, LSAT…) can be used as prior evidence to
join.
Or arrange for an approved private test.
Masks required!!
If there is a spike in Covid cases, the in-person MG may become virtual & testing may be cancelled!!
