Tired of dragging out your window air conditioners every year? Looking for the most comfortable, cost-effective way to cool your home? Join the Green Energy Committee on Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m. for a webinar all about air-source and ground-source heat pumps, the most climate-friendly home heating and cooling options available today. We’ll cover the ins and outs of replacing an old, inefficient system or adding a brand-new a supplemental unit or a whole-house system to your home. Dandelion Energy, a ground source heat pump installer, will answer questions, and you can hear from your neighbors about their experiences with heat pumps. Click here to register for this Zoom meeting.
There will be a Lincoln trail-use public forum held on Zoom on Wednesday, May 18 from 7–8:30 p.m. sponsored by the Lincoln Conservation Commission and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust. The two organizations have completed a comprehensive review of the multiple uses of Lincoln’s trails and how best to manage them for the protection of open space and overall public benefit. Over the last year, they’ve sought public comments and feedback regarding ways people use and enjoy our open spaces and trails.
At the forum, the Conservation Commission will review the process we used to evaluate changes in allowed trail uses, present draft trail use regulations, and discuss proposed changes to our trail biking map and dog walking rules. Additional comments will be sought during and after this meeting. Afterwards, the commission will post the draft trail-use regulations on the Conservation Department website. Submit any comments to the Conservation Department (conservation@lincolntown.org or 781-259-2612) by Tuesday, May 25. Click here for the May 18 Zoom link.
The Lincoln Public Library will host a virtual LGBTQ+ author panel on Wednesday, June 1 at 7 p.m. via Zoom with Emery Lee, Timothy Janovsky, Katee Robert, and Olivia Waite. Join us for an inside look into the writing process and how the authors connect with the LGBTQ+ community with their words and stories. Free and open to all but advance registration is required.
The library will host a Summer Reading Program kickoff party on Wednesday, June 15 from 3:30–5:30 p.m. There will be ice cream, crafts, tattoos, balloon sculpting, Ed the magician, and more. Summer Reading Challenges and book lists will be available. The event will take place on the library lawn (we will move indoors if the weather is uncooperative). All ages welcome! Call the library at 781-259-8465 ext. 4 for more information.
On Thursday, June 16 at 7 p.m. via Zoom, Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson, Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College, will offer an overview of the history of the holiday and an exploration of the various ways Black communities have created traditions and cultivated the joy of emancipation and freedom. The program is free and open to all but advance registration is required. Sponsored by Belmont Public Library, Belmont Against Racism, Belmont Council on Aging, and the public libraries of Chelmsford, Lexington, Lincoln, Maynard, Newton, Sherborn, and Wayland. The Lincoln Public Library’s portion of the program is sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.
Have you thought of putting solar panels on your roof? Do you want to save on electricity? Ready to capture the 26% federal tax credit for solar? Come to Lincoln Green Energy’s solar presentation on Tuesday, June 21 at noon via Zoom. Presenters will discuss topics including solar system net metering, state and federal incentives, battery storage backup, and MassSave’s ConnectedSolutions program. Great Sky Solar will also be on hand to answer questions. Click here to preregister and get the Zoom link.
There will be a second Zoom conversation on “The Impact of Local Authors Writing for the LGBTQ+ Community” with Bren Bataclan, Anna Burke, Federico Erebia, and Jane C. Esther on Thursday, June 30 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Free and open to all but advance registration is required.
On Wednesday, Aug. 3 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., everyone is invited to take part in the Library Crawl. The challenge is to visit as many libraries as you can and take a picture of yourself with a designated item in each library in a 21st-century scavenger hunt. Download your Library Crawl passport with library locations and photo ops.
This is an event for all ages – all you need is a love of libraries and a way to get from place to place. Post your pictures and tag the libraries at #mlncrawl2022. Each library will have handouts and giveaways. Show your pictures to a librarian, get a prize, and see how many you can collect. Start and end wherever you like on the self-guided crawl.
Participating Minuteman Library Network libraries are Arlington Robbins & Arlington Fox Branch, Ashland, Bacon Free (Natick), Concord & Fowler Branch, Dedham & Endicott Branch, Framingham & McAuliffe Branch, Lexington (Cary), Lincoln, Maynard, Morrill Memorial Library (Norwood), Morse Institute Library (Natick), Needham, Newton, Sudbury, Wayland, Wellesley Main, Wellesley Hills, Wellesley Fells, and Westwood Main & Islington Branch.
The next Virtual Lincoln Conservation Coffee on Thursday, Sept. 8 from 8–9 a.m. will look at “The Ins and Outs of Lincoln’s Water Supply Protection.” Darin LaFalam, Lincoln’s Water Superintendent, will talk about Lincoln’s drinking water infrastructure, challenges surrounding water quality and distribution, and what emerging contaminants Lincoln is looking out for. He’ll also discuss some regulatory issues such as DEP’s water withdrawal permit and unaccounted water loss. Finally, he’ll offer some tips and tricks for how you can help conserve water. After the presentation you’ll hear updates from our Conservation Department and Lincoln Land Conservation Trust (LLCT). Click here for the Zoom link.
All are welcome to celebrate another year of conservation with LLCT on Tuesday, Sept. 20. The business meeting will start online at 7 p.m., and LLCT members in attendance will be invited to vote in the new slate of trustees. Immediately following the short business meeting, Avalon Owens will give a keynote address. Owens, a local firefly researcher who is studying why fireflies flash, will also share her recent research into the impacts of light pollution in firefly communication (some of her data was even collected in Lincoln). Registration is required to receive the meeting link. Visit www.lincolnconservation.org to learn more.
See “Solar array at landfill could be built starting next summer” for details.
“Making a Meadow: Easy Tips for Incorporating a Native Meadow” with Lincoln Common Ground and eco-gardener Diana Rice will take place on Sunday, Sept. 25 from 2–4 p.m. Gardening to counter climate change is actually much easier in the long run than maintaining a turf grass lawn or traditional garden as it frees homeowners from from mowing and using chemicals, gas and lots of water to maintain a landscape. Supervised children and families are welcome. Click here for location and registration. Questions? Email Emily Haslett at emhaslett@gmail.com.
All are welcome to LincFam’s Grown-Ups’ Night Out on the Tack Room patio on Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 7:30–9:30 p.m. Please RSVP by emailing info@lincfam.org.
Registration is now open for the 10th annual Scarecrow Classic 5K, a road and trail race through Lincoln’s beautiful conservation land that raises funds for the LLCT, on Sunday, Oct. 16 starting at 9:30 a.m. Participants are encouraged to register by October 3 to guarantee their Scarecrow Classic tech shirt and (new this year) a Scarecrow Classic mesh running cap. A virtual participation option is also available through the registration form. Visit scarecrowclassic5k.com to learn more and register.
UPDATE: this event has been cancelled due to expected bad weather.
Because of its driveway construction project, Codman Community Farms is not holding its annual Harvest Fair and Harvest Feast this year. However, there will be an open house at the farm on Sunday, Oct. 23 from 12–2 p.m. with a party vibe, farm tours, tastings of new sausage flavors, and sliced deli ham… and the Just Hummus food truck will serve up hummus bowls, pita sandwiches, and falafel.
The Walden Woods Project is hosting “Silent Spring Revolution: A Conversation with Douglas Brinkley” on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. In his newest book, New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley chronicles the rise of environmental activism during the 1960s. Join us to learn more about Silent Spring Revolution and Brinkley’s discoveries during the writing process. There will be a live audience Q&A. Register here. This event is sponsored by the Walden Woods Project, Concord Festival of Authors, and RESTORE: The North Woods.
Learn about the people and events that helped Jackie Robinson break baseball’s color barrier in 1947 at an author talk with Ted Reinstein, a reporter for WCVB-TV’s “Chronicle,” on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Library. The hidden story of Reinstein’s Before Brooklyn: The Unsung Heroes Who Helped Break Baseball’s Color Barrier includes former stars of the Negro Leagues, the Black press and Pullman porters who battled the color barrier for 60 years. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Library. Click here to register.
Have you ever had dry Thanksgiving turkey woes? Do you wonder about brining, stuffing, or oven temperatures? Come learn how to prep the best turkey ever with Dan Estridge, founder and Chief Flavor Officer at Farmers & Cooks Craft Meats! Using Codman grown ingredients, we’ll teach you the concepts behind dry and wet brines, no brine at all, “butterfly” technique, stuffing pros and cons, and lots more. At the end of class, we will enjoy a delicious meal together with what we’ve prepared along with other farm snacks. BYOB recommended! Class fee: $95. Click here to register.
Mothers Out Front is sponsoring the Great Pumpkin Smash at Codman Community Farms on Sunday, Nov. 6 from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Every year in the U.S., an estimated 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins are carted away to landfills or incinerators where they produce greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Green your Halloween by bringing your pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, and decorative gourds to this family-friendly event, smash your Halloween creations, and recycle them into the soil by feeding them to the Codman Farm pigs. Please remove any stickers, paint, candles, or other decorations. Suggested donation of $1/pumpkin to benefit CCF. Click here to register.