The Lincoln Library Film Society presents Umberto D. (1952, Italian with subtitles) on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. This neorealist masterpiece by Vittorio De Sica follows an elderly pensioner as he strives to make ends meet during Italy’s postwar economic recovery. Alone except for his dog, Flike, Umberto’s simple quest to satisfy his basic needs — food, shelter, companionship — makes for one of the most heartbreaking stories ever filmed, and an essential classic of world cinema.
Come to 10 Meadowdam Rd. in Lincoln on Friday, Dec. 16 from 10 a.m.–noon to purchase beautiful cloth napkins and meet Omnia and William, South Sudanese Americans who are part of the South Sudanese Enrichment for Families‘ sewing project. All proceeds go to SSEF’s Women’s Program.
The annual L-S Cabaret Concert on Friday, Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. will feature a capella groups, vocal soloists, symphonic and concert jazz ensembles and jazz combos. Admission is $5. L-S Friends of Music will have tasty snacks and beverages available for sale, including cheese plates and dessert. Join us in the L-S Café. To learn more about the LSRHS Music Program, visit L-S Friends of Music at www.lsfom.org.
Everyone is invited to Wreck the Halls, an all-ages holiday drag show hosted by local teen drag queen Velvet Vision on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Also appearing are drag queens, kings, and in-betweens that will knock your stockings off: Bozo, Andi With An I, Stabitha Christie, Zalad, Ben A. Flick, and and Zeizar. Tickets are $7 at the door, free for those under 11 (tipping encouraged), or buy in advance here.
Join us for a musical book-signing celebrating Sarah Jane Nelson’s book, Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter: Stories of an Ozark Folksong Collector, in the Clark Gallery on Sunday, Dec. 18 from 3–6 p.m. The event will feature fiddle music by the High Strung Strummers (a duo specializing in the old-time dance music of Appalachia and Anglo-American ballads), ballad singing, and a “Crankie” folk art performance.
Originally from Brazil, Sulinha’s trio features songs in the style of bossa nova and baiao, and you will see Brazilian instruments like berimbau and bandolin. Her trio features Sulinha on vocals and acoustic guitar, Ian Coury on Bandolin and Erico Menino on percussion. All ages welcome. No registration necessary.
Jodi Gorman, registered dietitian/nutritionist and owner of Happy Jars, will lead a cooking class for children aged 10 and up to teach basic cooking skills and simple, nutritious soup recipes at the Lincoln Public Library on Wednesday, Jan. 11. Sign up for one of two sessions: 2–3 p.m. or 3:30–4:30 p.m. Space is limited; register by emailing sfeather@minlib.net. Please indicate which session you’d like to attend and whether you have any dietary restrictions.
Join us for a book talk on Who’s Raising the Kids? with author Susan Linn hosted by Lincoln Nursery School at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. in the museum’s Dewey Gallery. Linn, an expert on the impact of big tech and big business on children, provides a deep dive into the roots and consequences of the monumental shift toward a digitized, commercialized childhood, focusing on kids’ values, relationships, and learning. Linn is a psychologist, a research associate at Boston Children’s Hospital, and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School. Read the New York Times review of her book. Click here to register for the talk.
Meet artist Fares Alti and see his photos at the opening and reception at the Lincoln Public Library main art gallery on Sunday, Jan. 22 from 2-4 p.m.
All residents, especially parents and grandparents who are watching children during school vacation week, are invited to an intergenerational event on maple tree taping. Learn about how indigenous peoples in our area collected and boiled sap, sample some of Will and Abigail’s syrup, and then go outside to tap the sugar maples next to Bemis Hal with Nancy Bergen from Matlock Farm. Dress for outdoor weather. Sponsored by the Council on Aging and Human Services.
Gov. Maura Healey will join the crowd when Ms. G, the official groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, makes her annual prediction at the Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln for Groundhog Day on Thursday, Feb. 2. Families and children attend the popular event each year, eager to watch Ms. G emerge from hibernation and explore her special enclosure, which includes groundhog treats like fresh veggies.
Beginning at 9:30 a.m., attendees can learn how animals, including Drumlin Farm’s sheep, keep themselves warm and healthy in cold weather. Ms. G will make her appearance at 10 a.m., with Mass Audubon President David J. O’Neill and State Sen. Michael Barrett, a leading voice for climate change and renewable energy on Beacon Hill, welcoming the governor and attendees. Participants will then be encouraged to enjoy other event-related programs from making groundhog crafts to meeting live animal ambassadors and learning how they adapt to winter as the climate changes.
“The impacts of climate change and loss of biodiversity in New England are already clear,” O’Neill said. “They can only strengthen our resolve to find policy- and nature-based solutions to the major environmental challenges of our times.”
Free with admission. To learn more, visit massaudubon.org/groundhogday.
he Joyful Voices Gospel Choir featuring Lincoln resident RL Smith will give a concert on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. in Donaldson Auditorium. Featuring a repertoire of stirring gospel music interspersed with stories about its origins and history as a uniquely American art form, this free, all-ages concert is a highlight of the Winter Carnival experience at the start of Black History Month. Sponsored by the Bemis Free Lecture Series.
On Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m., join Emily Levine of Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site for “Freedom’s Cause: Historical Black Communities and George Washington’s Cambridge Camp,” a discussion of how free and enslaved Black members of Washington’s war camp interacted with one another, members of the local community, and the general himself. For example, Washington corresponded with poet Phillis Wheatley; he segregated the Continental Army, then reversed the decision. The family of Tony and Cuba Vassall, formerly enslaved by the first owner of the Cambridge house (which Lincoln’s Pierce House was designed to emulate), lived in freedom next to people enslaved by the Washingtons.
This event is hosted by the Wellesley Free Library. Click here to register.
Social media, pandemic effects, school pressures. These and other issues affecting the mental health of teens and children — and how to cope with them — are addressed as part of a series, “Are the Kids Okay?” sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Sudbury.
This forum, “Spotlight on: Youth Mental Health,” is part of a continuing effort to highlight children’s issues and resources. The forum will air Thursday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. on SudburyTV cable channel 8 (Comcast) and channel 31 (Verizon) and be available on the video-on-demand service on SudburyTV’s website, www.sudburytv.org. No cable subscription is needed for the on-demand service accessed through any computer.
Five panelists approached the youth mental health issue from different vantage points.
Dr. Jamie Micco, co-director of the Concord Center and a licensed clinical psychologist, outlined some causes of the current mental health crisis for youth, including the impact of social media and the pandemic.
Sarah Greeley, wellness teacher at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, and Maia Proujansky-Bell, a parent representative of Sudbury Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC), discussed the role of the schools in identifying mental health problems and supporting students.
Sudbury Police Chief Scott Nix and Taylor Hayden, a clinician with Advocates who works with the Sudbury police, explained their joint response program for mental health calls, including how many of the calls in Sudbury involve teens and children.
The panelists also discussed how parents can identify problems and how to talk to children about stress and difficult topics. They outlined how and where to find help, what resources are available, and how to navigate the system.
The forum was moderated by Julie Dereshinsky of the League and was developed by the League’s education and healthcare committees.
All are invited to a program about the history and significance of the most cherished and enduring love songs of the 20th century at “The Greatest Love Songs of All Time” on Friday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Hear more about classics including Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Some Enchanted Evening,” Tony Bennett’s “The Way You Look Tonight,” and Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable.” Presented by John Clark & the Great American Music Experience and hosted by the Council on Aging & Human Services.
Everyone is invited to watch “What is Important to Us: A Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Panel” with the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable on Monday, Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. In this program, teen panelists will highlight what’s important to them and what they want adults and peers to know about relationships, media consumption, trust, and boundaries. The panelists will share their own perspective on how adults can support the teens in their lives. Registration is required; click here to register and get the Zoom link. For more information, visit www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org or email infordvrt@gmail.com.
The Lincoln Library Film Society will show the Oscar-nominated “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. in the library’s Tarbell Room. An aspiring singer living with his grandmother in the capital of Bhutan dreams of getting a visa to move to Australia. Dzongkha and English with subtitles.
The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable and REACH Beyond Domestic Violence will present “Watching Dad: What We Learn from Our Fathers about Being Parents and Partners” on Monday, March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room at the Goodnow Library (21 Concord Rd., Sudbury). David Adams, co-founder and co-director of abuser education program Emerge, will be the featured speaker.
The event is inspired by the White Ribbon Campaign, the world’s largest movement of men and boys working to end violence against women and girls, and promote gender equity, healthy relationships and a new vision of masculinity. The local men’s group has been meeting monthly since 2019. Click here to register. While the event is free of charge, donations are always appreciated. Click here to donate. For more information, email whiteribbon.dvrt@gmail.com.
The “On Belonging in Outdoor Spaces” series returns with three upcoming events:
- Lincoln School teacher and social justice activist Claudia Fox Tree — Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
- Leah Penniman, co-founder of Soul Fire Farm and author of Black Earth Wisdom — Wednesday, March 8 at 7 p.m.
- José G. González, founder of Latino Outdoors and co-founder of the Outdoorist Oath — Wednesday, March 29 at 7 p.m.
The free speaker series, which launched in 2021, seeks to feature individuals whose work is advancing efforts to strengthen belonging and connection between communities of color and the outdoors. Click here for more information and to register. This year’s series is sponsored by the Ogden Codman Trust, Freedom’s Way, and the Lincoln Cultural Council. The host organizations are Farrington Nature Linc, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, Mass Audubon, Walden Woods Project, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, and the Food Project.