At lunchtime on Friday, Nov. 2, the Lincoln Traditional Jazz Band will be upstairs at Bemis with a menu of delicious oldies but goodies for your enjoyment. Give yourself a break, join your fellow seniors. Relax, take the weight off, sit back and enjoy the music. Trombone, cornet, clarinet, piano, and drums will be in the house from 12:30–1:30.
The next seminar in the India Discovery Project (IDP) covering the Hindu period (500–1500 AD) is on Saturday, Nov. 3 from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. The seminar is an all-day event with slide presentations, lectures and music; lunch and tea will be provided. Presenters will include Lincoln resident and IDP President Bijoy Misra. The public online registration fee is $25, but Lincoln residents can get a $5 discount by sending a check to the India Discovery Center, 180 Bedford Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773.
Farrington Nature Linc in Lincoln is hosting a series of outdoor workshops in October and November. They will take place rain or shine. Minimum age is 6. Tickets are $30 for an adult-child pair, and $10 for an extra person of any age. Click here to buy tickets.
Primitive fire-making
Saturday, Oct. 20 from 9 a.m.–noon
Starting with a lighter, you will learn the mechanics of modern fire making tools, and we will move back in time and learn about the bow brill, hand drill, and strap drill friction fire making methods. We will then explore hands-on cordage making (rope from plant fibers) learning the history, how to harvest and prepare fibers, and of course make your own. Perhaps the most important ancient skill.
From tree to table
Saturday, Oct. 27 from 9 a.m.–noon
What is there to eat in the woods? Every season and landscape offers unique and nutritious plants to eat and use as medicine. Go on a walk and learn about the most local, organic, and free plants in our area.
Shelter building
Saturday, Nov. 3 from 9 a.m.–noon
It can get cold out there. Do you have the knowledge to keep yourself warm by using only materials found on the forest floor? We’ll learn about clothing selection, things to pack in your survival kit, and how to construct a debris shelter using no tools.
Intro to animal tracking and bird signs
Saturday, Nov. 17 from 1–4 p.m.
Go into the woods with Bob Metcalfe of New England Discovery to look for evidence of the animals around us. Tracking can be a very powerful way to learn about nature while seeing first-hand some of the many connections between animals and their environment.
All ages are invited to a free concert by renowned blues vocalist Toni Lynn Washington and acclaimed saxophonist Sax Gordon Beadle on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. at Bemis Hall. The performance is the second annual Ronna Cooper Memorial Concert (a gift from Margo Cooper in celebration of her mother’s life) and is sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging. Washington has received the Boston Blues Festival Lifetime Achievement Award and seven Blues Music Award nominations, and released five CDs. Beadle has performed around the world and won numerous awards. The Duke Robillard rhythm section (Bruce Bears on keyboard, Jesse Williams on bass, and Mark Teixeira on drums) will play backup. For more information, call the Council on Aging at (781) 259-8811.
Lincoln Academy with Chris Hamilton and Barbara Sampson: A glimpse of Iran
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, Nov. 5 at 12:30 to hear Chris Hamilton and Barbara Sampson discuss “A Glimpse of Iran.” In 2014, with the Iran nuclear deal nearing closure and the Obama White House on a clear path toward improving diplomatic relationships, Chris, Barbara and four others took a self-designed 3-week trip through Iran, accompanied by an Iranian tour guide they selected. They’ll speak of the “why and how” of travel in Iran, and a slide presentation will illustrate aspects of Iran’s history, geography, culture, and people. The COA provides 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. All ages welcome.
Come find out the basics of Medicare on Monday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. at Bemis Hall with Minuteman Senior Services SHINE counselors Don Milan and Anne Meade. This introduction to Medicare is especially for those who will be signing up in the next year, but is also for those who just wish to learn more and understand their benefits better. Don and Anne will discuss traditional Medicare, Medicare Supplement plans, Medicare Advantage plans, and medication drug coverage (Medicare, Parts A, B, C, and D); how to go about choosing the plan or plans that are best for you; avoiding penalties when you sign up late, and more. Minuteman Senior Services provides a variety of services that help seniors and people with disabilities live in the setting of their choice. For info on SHINE, call 888-222-6171 or visit www.minutemansenior.org. For information regarding the November 5 program, call the COA at 781-259-8811.
Come for a gently paced walk through nature guided by John Calabria on November 6 from 1–2:30 at a location to be posted at lincolnconservation.org. Bring walking sticks or walking poles if you like. Another walk will be held December 4. If the weather is bad, call 781-259-9251 after 10 a.m. the morning of the walk for an update. Co-sponsored by the COA and Lincoln Land Conservation Trust.
The holidays can be especially challenging for those “aging in place.” Old family traditions may seem daunting or may even no longer be possible. Family gatherings may be challenging with new and different personalities—or even fraught with conflict or regret. Perhaps we see holidays as not as joyful now as we remember them to have been. Yet the holidays can also be a chance to reimagine holiday traditions, connect with friends, and relax rather than host. Discuss all this and more when Alyson Lee, a licensed social worker and life coach, comes to Bemis on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 9:30.
If you love chess, you are welcome to come to the COA’s new Chess Club which will meet the second Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. This month the club will meet on Thursday, Nov. 8. Test your skills. Free lessons. Beginners and experts alike—all are welcome. The club will be facilitated by the COA’s social work intern, John C. Dorr.
Let’s go bowling at the Acton Bowladrome Thursday, Nov. 8. Most of us haven’t bowled in years, but don’t worry, you will be using small balls (candlepin bowling). There will be four bowlers to a lane and the group maybe get a little competition going. Afterwards, we’ll head for an early dinner to Not Your Average Joe’s to discuss their bowling skills or lack thereof. The bus will leave Donelan’s parking lot at 2 p.m. and plans to be back in Lincoln by 6 p.m. Traveling in a Doherty’s school bus, the cost of the trip is $15, which includes lane and shoe rental; dinner will be on your own. To make your reservation, send your check to Donna Rizzo, 22 Blackburnian Rd., Lincoln, MA, 01773. Questions? Call Donna at 781-257-5050 or email donna@ecacbed.com.
The flu is more than just a bad cold—it can land you in the hospital with pneumonia or worse. But you can take steps to make sure you don’t get it, and if you do, reduce your risk of life-threatening complications. Come hear Tricia McGean, Lincoln’s public health nurse from Emerson Hospital Home Care, on Friday, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m., when she comes to Bemis Hall to give you the facts about flu, along with some figures to show just how widespread and dangerous it can be, and the information you need to beat it.
November 9 at 1 p.m.
What does this big renovation project accomplish? What does it cost? How does it impact future development of the campus? Learn more and bring your questions November 9 at 1 p.m. at Bemis Hall. This is a great opportunity to dive into the details before we come together as a community at the Dec. 1 Special Town Meeting.
John Genyo Sprague will present “The Global Heart Medicine Show,” a one-man improvisational performance piece incorporating live music, movement, and spoken word, on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at the home of Sara and Mitch Levine (21 Bedford Lane, Lincoln). Drawing on expressions of wisdom and culture from all over the world, the show addresses the division and conflict in the world and the compassionate wisdom, dance, and music of humanity —the “global heart”—that provides unity and solace. Sprague is musician, dancer, philosopher, authorized Zen teacher, and long-term yogi. For more information or to RSVP, email saraklevine@gmail.com or call Sprague at 413-548-5460.
Pets and their humans are invited to the Paws for the Holidays festival on Sunday, Nov. 11 from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. at the Pierce House. There will be baked goods, live music, arts and crafts, Santa pictures with the whole family (human and canine), activities for children, a silent auction, Thanksgiving baskets, a pet yard sale and more. All proceeds go to Phinney’s Friends, a Lincoln-based organization that helps low-income and chronically ill people keep their pets.
The Lincoln Historical Society will present “Lincoln and the Armistice: A Centennial Celebration of the End of WWI” on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. in Bemis Hall. This event, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, recalls the celebration held in Lincoln when the war ended 100 years ago. The program, which looks at Lincoln’s role in WWI and the impact that the war had on the town, will include biographical sketches of Lincoln’s World War I veterans, the awarding of service medals, and a discussion of life on the home front highlighting the role of Lincoln and New England women. There will also be a display of World War I artifacts, tastings of period foods, and renditions of patriotic songs from the period.
This month’s Mass Innovation Night, where startup companies present their products, will be at Lincoln North (55 Old Bedford Rd.) on Tuesday, Nov. 13 from 6–8:30 p.m. The event features networking with entrepreneurs, experts, and sponsors. The top four favorite product/companies from online voting prior to the event (as well as the in-person favorite) will present five-minute pitches.