“On Belonging in Outdoors Spaces” is a free virtual speaker series running until June featuring prominent speakers whose are advancing efforts to strengthen belonging and connection between communities of color and the benefits of time in nature. The series is organized by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Farrington Nature Linc, The Food Project, Mass Audubon, and The Walden Woods Project.
First up in the series is “Meaningful Nature Engagement in Stressed Populations” with Akiima Price on Wednesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. Her innovative programming strategies feature nature as a powerful medium to connect stressed youth, adults, and families in meaningful and positive experiences. She is a former National Park Service Interpretation Ranger and has worked for national work with environmental and social service organizations. Other speakers in the series will be Evelyn Rydz, Dr. Monica White, and Dr. J. Drew Lanham.
To register for any or all of the presentations, visit www.onbelongingoutdoors.org. Additional support is provided by the Ogden Codman Trust, the Lincoln Garden Club, and the Bemis Free Lecture Series.
Would you like to read or listen to library books on a Kindle or iPhone? Elizabeth Creighton and Kate Tranquada can show you how to borrow e-books and audiobooks and are available for troubleshooting as well. Contact Kate at ktranquada@minlib.net to get the Zoom link.
The Council on Aging invites seniors to a drive-up ice cream sundae cup event on Tuesday, March 16 in the parking lot of the First Parish Church. Please help stagger arrivals by coming at the time that corresponds to your last name (A–G, arrive from 12-12:45 p.m.; H–R, arrive from 12:45-1:30 p.m.; S–Z, arrive from 1:30-2 p.m.). Ice cream sundae cups generously sponsored by the Friends of the COA.
Artist Evelyn Rydz will speak on “Close Attention: Exploring a Creative Practice Inside and Outside the Studio” on Wednesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. Exploring the vulnerability and the resiliency of natural and cultural ecosystems, Rydz invites viewers and participants of her projects to imagine a different future — one shaped by our connections and care for local and global communities. Her talk is part of “On Belonging in Outdoors Spaces,” a free virtual speaker series featuring prominent speakers whose are advancing efforts to strengthen belonging and connection between communities of color and the benefits of time in nature. Register here and get more information about the presentations and speakers.
Outdoor exercise for senior is back. Join Derry Tanner, retired nurse and certified personal trainer, for Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL), a 45-minute fitness class for adults 65+. Strength, balance, and flexibility exercises will make you stronger, feel better and improve your balance minimizing the risk of falls. The eight-week series runs from Friday, May 7 through June 25 from 12–12:45 p.m. in the Pierce House tent. To register, call Amy at the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811 or email gagnea@lincolntown.org.
Join the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable on Tuesday, May 11 from 3–4:30 p.m. on Zoom for a program and community discussion about partner abuse in LGBTQ+ communities. Registration is required for this program, which will include information on culturally specific resources and how to better support survivors. The discussion will be facilitated by staff from The Network/La Red. This is the third program in the Roundtable’s Spotlight Series featuring information for segments of our communities that face additional barriers when considering if and how to seek help or support.
Monica White, author of Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement, will speak on Wednesday, May 12 at 7 p.m. Her talk is part of “On Belonging in Outdoors Spaces,” a free virtual speaker series featuring prominent speakers whose are advancing efforts to strengthen belonging and connection between communities of color and the benefits of time in nature. Register here.
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.
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.
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.
Did you know there’s a correct way to fall? Come learn about fall and injury prevention through this hands-on training with Lt. Ben Juhola from the Lincoln Fire Department. Too many seniors experience falls that can be prevented, so let’s learn best practices to avoid this tragedy. All are welcome. Hosted by the Council on Aging and Human Services. Please call 781-259-8811or email gagnea@lincolntown.org to sign up.
“It’s Not ‘THE Talk,’ It’s an Ongoing Conversation: Talking with Youth about Friendships and Relationships” is the title of an online conversation with Molly Pistrang-Gomes from the REACH Beyond Domestic Violence’s prevention team hosted by the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. She will talk about how to engage youth in age-appropriate discussions about relationships as young people interact with friends, family members, teachers, classmates, teammates, dating partners, coworkers, people online, etc. She’ll explore the importance of discussing and modeling boundaries, holding each other accountable with compassion, combatting gender norms and stereotypes, and practicing healthy communication. To get the link, go to the Roundtable’s website at www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org to register for the program. Email infodvrt@gmail.com with questions.
Click here to sign up for the Covid booster vaccination clinic for seniors on Monday, Dec. 6 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. in the First Parish Church Auditorium across from Bemis Hall. The clinic for residents 60 and over will offer Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J shots. If you do not have transportation to the clinic, please call 781-259-8811 by Friday and the COA&HS will arrange a ride for you. On the day of the clinic, please wear a short-sleeved shirt, and bring your COVID vaccination card and insurance card, if you have them. For more information or help with registration, please call 781-259-8811.
The Council on Aging & Human Services is offering s free legal clinic for residents 60 and older (adult children welcome to come along) on Monday, Dec. 6 from 2–4 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Call 781-259-8811 to sign up for a 30-minute consultation with elder law attorney Sasha Golden to answer your questions about estate planning, guardianship, or probate issues.