Here are the events scheduled for May by the Lincoln Council on Aging.
Sublime sunflowers: pastel paint like the masters
May 2 at 1 p.m.
The COA is pleased to present award-winning pastel artist Greg Maichack who will offer his new hands-on workshop for beginners to advanced artists in pastel painting on Friday, May 2 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Bemis Hall. Maichack will provide insights into the lives of sunflower painters van Gogh, Monet and O’Keefe, and then participants will be coached to create their own sunflower paintings. The workshop is free, but please call the COA at 781-259-8811 to sign up. This workshop is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Precious metal clay workshop
May 6 at 10 a.m.
Join Hilary Taylor of Merlin’s Silver Star Studio on Tuesday, May 6 at 10 a.m. at Bemis Hall to make a pendant or pair of earrings using clay embedded with fine silver in a workshop co-sponsored by the Old Town Hall Exchange. After firing, the clay burns off, leaving our piece in silver. The clay enables us to use textures and rubber stamps to create images, so bring items with texture (bits of nature, lace fabric, a piece of metal with a texture) to use in your piece. No experience is needed. You’ll receive your piece 10 days later. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The workshop costs $15. Please sign up by calling the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.
Train to lunch and Fitchburg Art Museum
May 8 at 10:14 a.m.
Train to Lunch will have a reunion this month and we are inviting all the seniors in Lincoln to join us. The group will meet at the Lincoln outbound platform on May 8 to board at 10:14 a.m. for a wonderful railroad trip to Fitchburg, share a taxi to the excellent Fitchburg Art MuseumNo More Funny Business and then eat a delicious pizza lunch, all for under $25. They will take the 3:05 train back, arriving in Lincoln at 3:53. Call 617-378-1415 for further information.
Position yourself for today’s jobs
May 9 at 10 a.m.
More and more mature workers are looking for jobs, either because they were laid off or maybe they would like to retire from retirement and try a new career. From where you post your qualifications to what you say in your résumé to how you dress and answer interview questions, you need to make your best impression on today’s employers. Find out what you need to know to find the job you want and land it when Tee Provost, SCSEP Project Manager for Operation Able, comes to Bemis Hall on Friday, May 9 at 10 a.m. She’ll outline strategies for successful job-seeking as well as job training opportunities and other resources especially for older workers.
Keeping a positive mental outlook as you age
May 9 at 1 p.m.
Research has shown that keeping a positive mental outlook improves your emotional and physical health, helping you get the most out of life. Spending time with others so that you don’t feel lonely, keeping depression at bay, and managing anxiety are all key to an independent, fulfilled life. Come to Bemis Hall on Friday, May 9 at 1 p.m. to hear Jason Strauss, MD, a geriatric psychiatrist with the Cambridge Health Alliance, discuss the importance of a positive mental outlook and how to cultivate one even in the face of life’s difficult challenges.
Lincoln Academy—Alan Banks: landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s career
May 12 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, May 12 at 12:30 to hear Alan Banks discuss landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s career. Bring a bag lunch. The COA will provide beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion.
Celebrate America’s traditional jazz with the Jammers
May 15 at 2:30 p.m.
No music is more American than traditional jazz, so come on down to Bemis Hall on May 15 at 2:30 p.m. when the Lincoln Traditional Jazz Jammers will share with you their love of this music. The group are all retirees, amateur musicians who give expression to their love of the jazz of the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s by participating in the Trad Jazz Jam at the Lincoln Library or Bemis Hall on the third Saturday of each month and at the Colonial Inn on Wednesday nights. You’ll hear Manson Solomon on piano, Jack Martin on trombone, Gid Loring on cornet, Dave Rich on sax, and Rob Saunders on bass belting out such beloved good ole tunes as Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Lady Be Good and more.
Fredrick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
May 16 at 9 a.m.
Come join the COA on Friday, May 16 on a visit to the Fredrick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline. You will have a guided tour of Olmstead’s home, Fairsted, and the adjacent offices where the designs for Boston’s Emerald Necklace were developed. There will be time to visit the small museum, view short documentary films, and stroll the grounds surrounding the house. After the tour, the group will have lunch together at a nearby restaurant, at your own cost. The Doherty school bus will depart the Lincoln Mall at 9 a.m. returning at approximately 2:30 p.m. The non-refundable cost is $8. Space is limited, and reservations must be made by Friday, May 9. Send checks, payable to FLCOA Trips, to Virginia O’Brien, 4 Linway Road, Lincoln MA 01773. Please enclose your phone number and email address. Questions? Please contact Virginia O’Brien at vobrien39@yahoo.com or 781-259-1291.
Improve your brain health for vital living
May 16 at 1 p.m.
Myriad research studies have shown that you can help memory loss and other cognitive issues with healthy behaviors. Come to Bemis Hall on Friday, May 16 at 1 p.m. to learn the secrets to brain health to help you enjoy life with vitality and joy. Marilyn Stasonis, RN, and Tracey Meech from the Stonebridge at Burlington assisted living facility will show you how to follow the path to a better brain with exercise, diet and lifestyle secrets. Together they have more than 50 years of experience of working with people who need memory support.
Kitchen legal chat
May 19 at 10 a.m.
Do you have legal questions you’d like answered? Then call the COA (up to the day of the event) at 781-259-8811 to make a 15-minute appointment to have a chat around their kitchen table with Lincoln attorney Martha Lufkin on Monday, May 19 between 10 and 11:30 a.m. Martha will provide legal information and will answer questions but will not be acting as your attorney or giving you legal advice.
Lincoln Academy—Bill Stason: “A Buddhist Medical Mission to Nepal”
May 19 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, May 19 at 12:30 to hear Bill Stason discuss “A Buddhist Medical Mission to Nepal.” Bring a bag lunch. The COA will provide beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion.
Chain maille jewelry
May 20 at 10 a.m.
On Tuesday, May 20 at 10 a.m. at Bemis Hall, Shing Hsieh will show you how to create chain maille jewelry by weaving together metal jump rings in a two-and-a-half-hour workshop co-sponsored by the Old Town Hall Exchange. She will demonstrate two different techniques: the box and Mobius weaves. Participants will leave class with a pair of earrings and, time permitting, the option to start a bracelet. Participants will need to bring two pairs of flat nose or needle nose pliers, preferably without teeth, but bring what you have and we can modify at workshop. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The workshop costs $15. Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811.
Senior dining
May 20 at 11:30 a.m.
Lincoln seniors are invited to a gourmet meal in an elegant setting at 11:30 on Tuesday, May 20 at St. Anne’s Church. You must reserve by calling the COA at 781-259-8811 at least a week ahead even if you have previously attended. The cost of each meal is $5. Caregivers are welcome to come with those for whom they are caring. Let the COA know if you need transportation or a seating partner. The lunch is co-sponsored by the COA, the Friends of the COA, Minuteman Senior Services and St. Anne’s. And the volunteer serving staff consists of your Lincoln friends and neighbors.
Meet with an aide to Congresswoman Clark
May 21 at 1 p.m.
You are invited to Bemis Hall on Wednesday, May 21 at 1 p.m. to meet with Natalie Kaufman, Constituent Service Representative for Congresswoman Katherine Clark. She will be available to assist residents with Social Security, Medicare, and MassHealth/Medicaid. You are also welcome to discuss other matters with her that the she may be able to help with. Kaufman will hold office hours at the COA on the third Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m.
Staying healthy through prevention
May 23 at 1 p.m.
Everyone can benefit from practical, doable changes in behavior to prevent disease and stay healthy no matter their age. Come find out the latest information on how to prevent disease and stay well when Betty Ann Pomerleau, MD, of Lincoln Physicians and Emerson Hospital, comes to Bemis Hall on Friday, May 23 at 1 p.m. The presentation will be followed by “Everything you wanted to know about health but were afraid to ask …” in a question and answer format.
Techno teach-in with teens
May 28 at 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School senior class is having a “Give Back to the Community Service Day,” and they invite you to join them at Bemis Hall on Wednesday, May 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. High School students will be here to help you operate your cell phone or assist you with email, Skype, saving photos and more! Call the COA at 781-259-8811 for an appointment.
Lincoln remembers the high-tech boom
May 28 at 10 a.m.
What do you remember of life in Lincoln in the years of the high-tech Route 128 boom? How did the influx of corporations and research entities leading this revolution affect Lincoln’s character and our work and family lives? Come share your story and listen to what others remember (you don’t have to have lived in Lincoln during those years to come!) on Wednesday, May 28 at 10 a.m. at Bemis Hall. Martha Lufkin will lead the discussion and may take notes on your stories if you like. Engineers, scientists, and others involved in the Route 128 boom are especially welcome.
Veterans Memorial Day barbecue
May 30 at 11:30 a.m.
Veterans and their spouses are invited to a special Memorial Day barbecue on Friday, May 30 at 11:30 a.m. at Bemis Hall featuring a delicious lunch of barbecued pork or chicken, and all the fixin’s and a chance to chat with other veterans and get updates on what’s going on for veterans in town and elsewhere. The COA is hoping to create a dynamic veterans’ community here in Lincoln and would love to see you and your spouse at the barbecue. You must sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811 by May 23 so that the COA will have enough meals. Unfortunately, the COA will not be able to accommodate those who do not sign up. A $5 donation is requested.
Lincoln Academy at the Movies: “Inequality for All”
May 30 at 1 p.m.
What are the facts about income inequality in the U.S. and how does it affect not only our economy but also many aspects of American life? Watch the documentary Inequality for All featuring Richard Reich, then participate in a spirited discussion with Crawley Cooper on Friday, May 30 at 1 p.m. at Bemis Hall. Come give your ideas on what income inequality means as well as how to address it.
Express your love of nature in watercolors
Rediscover your joyful inner soul through art and nature in Jane Cooper’s watercolor class. Jane will offer fun dabbling in watercolor painting of plants, birds, and other natural elements for three sessions of four classes each on Monday and Friday mornings at 9 a.m. Sessions begin May 2, May 16 and June 2. $15. Call the COA at 781-259-8811 to sign up.
Tour of Fenway Park
June 5 at 9 a.m. (leave from Lincoln Mall)
Come join the COA on Thursday, June 5 for a tour of America’s most beloved ballpark, home of the 2013 World Series champion Boston Red Sox. The trip will depart the Lincoln Mall by Doherty school bus at 9 a.m. to arrive in plenty of time for a 10:30 walking tour, which lasts about an hour and is handicapped-accessible (cameras and video cameras are allowed). After the tour the group will have lunch together at your own cost at a restaurant in Kenmore Square and return at approximately 2:30 p.m. The trip will run rain or shine at the non-refundable cost of $18 per person, which covers the cost of the tour and the bus. Reservations must be made by Monday June 2. Send checks, payable to FLCOA/Trips, to Rob Todd, 126 Old Concord Rd, Lincoln, MA 01773. Please enclose your phone number and email address. Anyone with questions may contact Rob Todd at 781-259-8820 or hmbt@comcast.net.
Ellen Milan exhibit in the Bemis artists gallery
Indulge your senses in the grace and liveliness of paintings on silk, prints, pastels, and scratch board engravings by Ellen Milan in the Bemis Hall artists gallery in May and June. Ellen’s work has been included in public and private collections and shows in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New York, Israel and Europe. Locally, her work has been part of group shows at the Danforth Museum, Concord Art Association and elsewhere. Last year she had exhibitions at the Lincoln Library and the Harvey Wheeler Community Center. You can see the full scope of her work in various media, including wearable art, at www.ellenmilan.com. Come meet Ellen at the coffee with the artist on June 5 at 2:30 p.m.