J. Drew Lanham, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Master Teacher at Clemson University, on “Coloring the Conservation Conversation” on Wednesday, June 2 at 7 p.m. Dr. Lanham will highlight what it means to embrace the full breadth of his African-American heritage and his deep kinship to nature and adoration of birds. He will discuss how conservation must be a rigorous science and evocative art, inviting diversity and race to play active roles in celebrating our natural world. Register here and get more information about the presentations and speakers in the “On Belonging in Outdoors Spaces” series.
Children and families are invited to walk, drive, or bike to the Lincoln Public Library on Thursday, June 24 any time from 1-6 p.m. to pick up a summer reading packet including information about summer programs and the Summer Reading Challenge. Can’t make it? All of the summer reading materials will be available beginning June 25.
For details, see the library’s kids and parents page. Questions? Email dleopold@minlib.net or call 781-259-8465 x4.
For details, see the library’s kids and parents page. Questions? Email dleopold@minlib.net or call 781-259-8465 x4.
Codman Community Farms presents a screening of “The Biggest Little Farm” in the barn on Thursday, July 29 from 7-9 p.m. The documentary chronicles the eight-year quest of John and Molly Chester as they trade city living for 200 acres of barren farmland and a dream to harvest in harmony with nature. Through dogged perseverance and embracing the opportunity provided by nature’s conflicts, they unlock and uncover a biodiverse design for living that exists far beyond their farm and its seasons (view trailer). Tickets are $10 (includes unlimited popcorn and lemonade) and free for children under 5. Click here to buy tickets.
For details, see the library’s kids and parents page. Questions? Email dleopold@minlib.net or call 781-259-8465 x4.
A four-session hands-on introduction to the farm for kids age 5–7 starting on Wednesday, Aug. 4 from 10:30–11:30 a.m. The three other sessions are at the same time on August 11, 18 and 25. Click here for more information and online registration.
Kids age 5–14 are invited to register for the 17th annual Lincoln Kids Triathlon on Saturday, Aug. 14 starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Codman Pool. Race distances range from 25m swim, ¼-mile run and no bike ride (ages 5-6) to 150m swim, 4-mile bike and 1-mile run (ages 13-14). Register on the Lincoln Parks & Rec website for $30 and get a T-shirt, a finisher’s medal and lots of memories. Packet pickup is Friday, Aug. 13 from 12:30–7 p.m. at Hartwell Pod A. Organizers are also looking for volunteers to help out during the race; if you have a few hours to give, please email ginger.reiner@gmail.com.
The Lincoln Public Library will host bingo on the lawn with caller Sally Kindleberger on Monday, Aug. 23 at 6 p.m. All ages welcome and prizes offered; no registration necessary. If necessary, weather-related cancellation will be posted on the library’s website, Facebook, and Instagram pages by 4 p.m.
Pack a picnic, grab a blanket, and join Nature Linc as we soak up a summer evening on the lawn with the Hip Swayers. They play an eclectic mix of catchy originals, old-time country, and twangy, reverb-soaked surf. Tickets include an ice cream sundae served by Lizzy’s Ice Cream of Waltham from 6:15–7:15 p.m. Attendees will be notified of cancellation or postponement in case of rain. Some picnic tables will be available, but we advise bringing chairs or a picnic blanket for the lawn.
Tickets: $15, kids under 12 are free (purchase here)
Embracing Change, a Lincoln nonprofit, is offering a four-session program focused on helping parents transition into or through the empty-nest period with ease and fun. They give parents the opportunity to connect, design, and redefine this new stage of life. Sessions are on four consecutive Wednesdays from 1–3 p.m. at the Pierce House. The program is free but the material fee is $40. Limit of 16 people due to the pandemic. Click here to register.
Wednesday, Sept. 8: “Navigating Transitions through Productive Communication with Adult Children”
Dr. Teresa Simonelli will discuss how we can positively address concerns, emotions and transitions by using productive communication skills with young adults. A “welcome tea” will precede the session from 1–1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 15: “What’s Next: Finding Your Purpose, Designing Your Journey”
As parents adapt and adjust to life without children at home, they may reassess their personal satisfaction with how they spend their time and contemplate what might be next. You’ll leave with goals and a map to chart your own path and personal journey.
Wednesday, Sept. 22: “Expanding Your Horizons: Delving into New Activities and Careers”
Attendees will explore activities and careers and then hear from several guests who have changed careers and explored new interests after their children left home.
Wednesday, Sept. 29: “Ready, Set, Go and It’s All About Relationships”
Attendees will share tips on how to care for aging parents while taking care of themselves and their families, and will leave prepared for that sometimes awkward question, “So what are you doing now?” as career and leadership coach Patty Levy jump-starts each participant’s own distinctive elevator pitch.
The Racial Justice Advocates (RJA) of the First Parish Church invites everyone to two James Baldwin Summer events: a Zoom screening of “I Am Not Your Negro” on Thursday, Sept. 9 from 7–9 p.m. and a discussion of Baldwin’s first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, on Thursday, Sept. 16 from 7–9 p.m. The Oscar-nominated film, based on Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript Remember This House, explores the history of racism in the United States through Baldwin’s recollections of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as his personal observations of American history. The novel, based on Baldwin’s experiences as a teenaged preacher in a small revivalist church, describes two days and a long night in the life of the Grimes family.
The Zoom link can be found on the First Parish in Lincoln’s RJA web page.
The Racial Justice Advocates (RJA) of the First Parish Church invites everyone to two James Baldwin Summer events: a Zoom screening of “I Am Not Your Negro” on Thursday, Sept. 9 from 7–9 p.m. and a discussion of Baldwin’s first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, on Thursday, Sept. 16 from 7–9 p.m. The Oscar-nominated film, based on Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript Remember This House, explores the history of racism in the United States through Baldwin’s recollections of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as his personal observations of American history. The novel, based on Baldwin’s experiences as a teenaged preacher in a small revivalist church, describes two days and a long night in the life of the Grimes family.
The Zoom link can be found on the First Parish in Lincoln’s RJA web page.
Residents are invited to a watch party with Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, on Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. After the video presentation, there will be a live community conversation on diversity, equity and inclusion led by former State Rep. Byron Rushing and Salem State University professor Roopika Risam. All are invited to participate in the discussion (you need not have read the book in advance). Click here to register. Presented by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Massachusetts Center for the Book, and public libraries across the state in recognition of the National Book Festival.
After a year off, Codman Community Farms’ Annual Harvest Fair returns on Saturday, Oct. 3 from noon–4 p.m. with games for kids and adults including the Barrel Train, the Rooster Run, face painting, pumpkin decorating, a pie-eating contest, and more. Codman-grown burgers, hot dogs and sausages as well as snacks and treats will be available. Click here to pre-purchase bracelets for kids ages 3 and up for lawn and family games and rides, the Rooster Run, and a ticket for donut-on-a-string.
Enjoy a crisp evening by the fire as Doria Hughes tells stories about the fall, nature and animals on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Farrington Nature Linc. Tickets for “Tales & Treats: Slightly Scary Stories and S’mores” are $10 each or $30 for a family of four. Feel free to bring blankets and/or chairs to sit around the fire. We also recommend wearing or bringing layers as it will get colder once the sun goes down.
Every journey begins with a single step, or in Anders Morley’s case, the shush of cross-country skis. Morley will discuss his book, This Land of Snow: A Journey Across the North in Winter, on Monday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The book offers insightful glimpses into life at the edge of the great northern wilderness, the history of cold-weather exploration and Nordic skiing, the right-to-roam movement, winter ecology, and more. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library For Zoom invitation please, email lrothenberg@minlib.net.
Henry David Thoreau’s writing is filled with sense observations and perceptions of the natural world and philosophical perceptions of society. How can the natural world awaken our powers of observation? How can our social lives? Art forms? Why is close observation of all important? During this Lyceum, joined by scholars and artists in various mediums, we will discuss the connection between perception, the natural world, art, and society. Presented by the Walden Woods Society. Click here for more information and registration.
Ray Anthony Shepard — educator, writer and First Parish in Lincoln member — will speak via Zoom on “How Do We Talk About Race in a Time of Critical Race Theory Pushback?” on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. Following his talk, he’ll participate in a wide-ranging discussion of his work as historian and interpreter of African-American experiences in his award-winning 2017 Now or Never! 54th Massachusetts Infantry’s War to End Slavery and his 2021 poetic retelling for young readers of the story of a woman enslaved by the Washington family in Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge. “I write for readers who understand the universal need for fairness” and “to tell a fuller story of our country’s history,” Ray explains on his web page.
The session will also provide room for reflection on themes related to Ray’s work, as they appear in the film Harriet and in books included in our suggested-reading syllabus: Erica Armstrong Dunbar’s Never Caught: The Washington’s’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge; biographies of Harriet Tubman by Kate Clifford Larson and others; William Still’s The Underground Railroad Records; and fictional recreations of the experience of fugitives from bondage by Colson Whitehead and Ta-Nehisi Coates.
To get the link to this Zoom meeting, go to fplincoln.org/calendar and click on October 21 and Ray’s talk. Hosted by FPL’s Racial Justice Journey Steering Committee.
Visit the Lincoln Nursery School at their Enrollment Open House on Saturday, Oct. 23 from 9–11 a.m. The school is on the campus of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. To learn more about their cooperative, play-based, Reggio-inspired approach, follow them on Instagram @