Here are the Lincoln Council on Aging activities for July and August.
Easy yoga
Wednesdays beginning July 2 at 9 a.m.
Would you like to try yoga but are worried it may be too rigorous for you? Try the Council on Aging’s new Easy Yoga class with experienced instructor Jai Kaur Annamaria San Antonio! The class will be held on nine Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m. beginning on July 2 at a cost of $45 for the course. You may do the class on the floor or in a chair and the instructor will help you adapt the poses to your special needs. You may try one class for free! You may also sign up for the fall classes which will begin on Wednesday, September 24 at 9 a.m. and run for eight weeks at a cost of $40. Please sign up in advance by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. This class is subsidized by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs.
Make earrings or a pendant
July 2 at 1 p.m.
Join Hilary Taylor of Merlin’s Silver Star Studio on Wednesday, July 2 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. to make a pendant or pair of earrings using clay embedded with fine silver. After firing, the clay burns off, leaving your piece in silver. 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 and you will surely enjoy your finished piece! You’ll receive your piece 10 days later. The workshop is part of a series of crafts workshops offered by the Old Town Hall Exchange and the Council on Aging at Bemis Hall featuring artists associated with the Exchange! The workshop is intergenerational, so bring along grandchildren or other friends or relatives middle school age or older. The workshop costs $15 per person. Sign up is required. Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. This workshop is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Express yourself with mixed media collage
July 9 at 1 p.m.
Learn to make a mixed media collage with artist Laurie Bogdan on Wednesday, July 9 from 1 to 3 p.m. Laurie will show you how to take everyday objects—game set pieces, magazine and catalog pictures, fabric, photos, and more—and combine them into a beautiful, sometimes whimsical collage using glue, paint, markers, and anything else you can imagine! The workshop is part of a series of crafts workshops offered by the Old Town Hall Exchange and the Council on Aging at Bemis Hall featuring artists associated with the Exchange. The workshop is intergenerational, so bring along grandchildren or other friends or relatives middle school age or older. The workshop costs $15 per person. Signup is required. Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. This workshop is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Tai chi in the park
Thursday mornings beginning July 10 at 10 a.m.
The COA’s tai chi continuing students may sign up now for tai chi in the park, which will begin on Thursday, July 10 at 10 a.m. in Pierce Park and continue for four to six weeks (depending on weather) at a cost of $5 per class. The class will meet at Pierce Park. Bring a lawn chair and a hat! In inclement weather, the class will meet under the tent. The Pierce House restroom will be open to class members. For info, contact Jane Moss 781-259-9822 or mindbodyjm@comcast.net. The class is for continuing COA tai chi students only.
Fall classes begin September 8 and will run for 15 weeks. New students may sign up for the beginner’s class taught Mondays at 2 p.m. or Thursdays at 9:15 a.m. by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. Continuing students do not need to sign up. Cost: $50 for oneclass per week, $75 for two classes per week, or $100 for four classes per week. For more information, please contact Jane Moss at 781-259-9822 or mindbodyjm@comcast.net.
Cruising the U.S. coast and rivers with Peggy
July 14 at 1 p.m.
Summer is the best time to cruise the U.S. coast and rivers, and it isn’t too late to book your spur-of-the-moment vacation! Learn where you might like to go, more about the small boats (usually less than 200 passengers), and all the fascinating sites you will see when Peggy Dawson, travel adviser and accredited cruise counselor, comes to Bemis Hall on Monday, July 14 at 1 p.m. She will introduce you to cruises you would never have thought of yourself as well as answer your questions about cost and how to find the cruise of your dreams.
Create earrings with chain maille
July 16 at 1 p.m.
On Wednesday, July 16, 1 to 3:30 p.m., Shing Hsieh will show you how to create chain maille jewelry by weaving together metal jump rings in a 2.5-hour workshop. She will demonstrate two different techniques: the byzantine 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 flatnose or needle nose pliers, preferably without teeth, but bring what you have and we can modify at the workshop. The workshop is part of a series of crafts workshops offered by the Old Town Hall Exchange and the Council on Aging at Bemis Hall featuring artists associated with the Exchange. The workshop is intergenerational, so bring along grandchildren or other friends or relatives who are middle school age or older. The workshop costs $15 per person. Signup is required. Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. This workshop is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Meet with an aide to Congresswoman Clark
July 16 at 1 p.m.
You are invited to Bemis Hall on Wednesday, July 16 at 1 p.m. to meet with Natalie Kaufman, Constituent Service Representative for Congresswoman Katherine Clark. She will 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 each third Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m.
Self-assessment for today’s job market
July 21 at 1 p.m.
Finding the right job requires you to first assess your skills, interests, values and motivations as they relate to your career, job possibilities, and what jobs require. Find out more about how to do a self-assessment, including some exercises, when Tee Provost, SCSEP Project Manager for Operation Able, comes to Bemis Hall on Monday, July 21 at 1 p.m. This workshop is part of a continuing series that will progressively assist you in your job search. You do not need to have attended previous sessions to benefit from this presentation.
Making decorated instant books
July 23 at 1 p.m.
Learn how to make a book out of one piece of paper in a matter of minutes with Suzette Durso on Wednesday, July 23 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Each page of this book will have a pocket where small photographs or business cards can be stored. This book is small enough to fit in a pocketbook or a back pocket. Books can be decorated with flowers and ribbon. The workshop is part of a series of crafts workshops offered by the Old Town Hall Exchange and the Council on Aging at Bemis Hall featuring artists associated with the Exchange. The workshop is intergenerational, so bring along grandchildren or other friends or relatives middle school age or older. The workshop costs $15 per person. Signup is required. Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. This workshop is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Cruise the Concord River
August 11 at 10:30 a.m. (sign up by August 4)
What better way to spend a relaxing summer afternoon than winding down the Concord River on a luncheon cruise? Join the COA on Monday, August 11 for a Concord River Cruise lasting an hour and 15 minutes, complete with lunch, sunshine and glorious memories. You’ll leave the Lincoln Mall at 10:30 a.m. and travel by Doherty’s bus to the South Bridge boathouse, where you’ll board a boat and begin your cruise. You’ll enjoy a lunch of chicken salad, tuna salad, sliced turkey, ham and cheese, or vegetarian salad sandwich, plus fruit, dessert, and lemonade or iced tea while you cruise. The bus will arrive back at the Lincoln Mall at about 1 p.m. The cost is $28 per person, payable by a check made out to FLCOA/Trips and sent to Donna Rizzo, 22 Blackburnian Road, Lincoln MA 01773. Please enclose your phone number and email address and indicate your choice of sandwich when you send your check. Sign up now as there is a limit of 20. Reservations must be made by August 4 and are non-refundable. Questions? Call Donna at 781-257-5050.
Trad Jazz Jammers
August 11 at 1 p.m.
Jazz up your summer at Bemis Hall on Monday, August 11 at 1 p.m. when The Lincoln Traditional Jazz Jammers will share with you their love of traditional jazz music in a delightfully spontaneous jam! They’ll have you stomping your feet and cheering as they belt out good ole favorites such as “Honeysuckle Rose”, “Sweet Georgia Brown”, “Sunny Side of the Street” or “When The Saints Go Marching In”! The group are all retirees, a.m. ateur musicians who give expression to their love of the jazz of the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s at the Trad Jazz Jam at the Library or Bemis Hall on the third Saturdays of each month (see back page), at the Colonial Inn on Wednesday nights, and now at Bemis Hall.
A string and a prayer
August 20 at 1 p.m.
Making and using sacred beaded objects for prayer and meditation is both fun and joyful and has been proven to reduce stress and lower blood pressure. Come to a special program with Laura Coulter on Wednesday, August 20 at 1 p.m. when she will lead you in making a mala, or bracelet or necklace made of prayer beads, and then teach some centering approaches using both breath and mantras. Please bring an old necklace or remnants of necklaces, buttons, or beads. Laura will also bring large beads for those who need them (just let the COA know when you sign up). The workshop is free, but please sign up in advance by calling the COA at 781-259-8811.
Meet with an aide to Congresswoman Clark
August 20 at 1 p.m.
You are invited to Bemis Hall on Wednesday, August 20 at 1 p.m. to meet with Natalie Kaufman, Constituent Service Representative for Congresswoman Katherine Clark. She will 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. Ms. Kaufman will hold office hours at the COA each third Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m.
Basic self-defense with the Lincoln Police
August 25 and 27 at 1 p.m.
Whether you’re at home in Lincoln or traveling to another place, you need to know how to prevent crime, or if you find yourself in a dangerous situation, know how to get away unharmed. Find out the best ways to secure your home and your vehicle as well as learn strikes, blocks, kicks and patterns of movement to get you out of a situation in which you are being attacked when Ian Spencer of the Lincoln Police comes to Bemis Hall in a two-part series Monday, August 25 at 1 p.m. and Wednesday, August 27 at 1 p.m. The methods you learn will use minimal energy, with the goal being escape.
Coming up
Experience the historic Saugus Iron Works
Travel to the banks of the Saugus River on Friday, September 26 to explore the birthplace of the American iron and steel industry. Discover where European iron makers brought their skills in the 17th century to a young Massachusetts colony at the site of the archaeological excavations done by Lincoln native Roland W. Robbins. Enjoy morning options of a guided tour, orientation film, museum visit and nature trails at this nine-acre national park. The trip will depart from the Lincoln Mall at 9 a.m. by Doherty school bus. After a morning at the site, the group will travel to Marblehead for lunch at a seafood restaurant at your own expense. The bus will depart Marblehead by 2 p.m., arriving back at the Lincoln Mall by 3 p.m. The non-refundable cost of the trip is $8, payable by check to FLCOA Trips and mailed with your email or phone number to Rob Todd, 126 Old Concord Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773. Payment must be made by September 23. Questions? Email Rob at hmbt@comcast.net or call 781-259-8820.