There will be a house party on Sunday, Oct. 20 from 3–5 p.m. to learn about ranked-choice voting (RCV) and have some fun testing it out. RCV allows voters to rank candidates on a ballot in order of preference. The system is already in place in Maine and in Cambridge (for city elections), and Voter Choice MA is gathering signatures to put it on the statewide ballot. Please RSVP to Selectman Jennifer Glass at jlrglass@mac.com.
The topic of Lincoln’s first Drawdown Forum sponsored by several town organizations will be “Finding Optimal Solutions to a Changing Climate: Closing the Sequestration Gap” on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the First Parish Church. The speaker is William Moomaw, professor emeritus of international environmental policy at Tufts University. Food and conversation begin at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m. Sponsored by Mothers Out Front Lincoln, the Green Energy Committee and the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee, with support from the First Parish Green Committee, St. Anne’s Climate Justice Ministry, Codman Community Farms, the Conservation Commission, the Lincoln Land Conservation trust, and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
The Commons in Lincoln, Right-at-Home In Home Care and Assistance, and the Lincoln Council on Aging invite those with dementia and their family, friends, and caregivers to the free Lincoln Memory Café on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 10:30 a.m.–noon in the main building of The Commons in Lincoln. Enjoy the music of vocalist Wendee Glick in a fun, informal, social atmosphere. The Memory Café is held each fourth Thursday of the month from 10:30 a.m.–noon at The Commons (except in November and December, when it will be the third Thursday due to holidays). Call Elizabeth Kaupp of Right at Home at 781-275-1400 or the COA at 781-259-8811 for more information.
A spirited presentation and dinner discussion with Dr. Andy Clark on the Free Range Child movement will take place at the First Parish in Lincoln on Wednesday, Nov. 6 from 5:30–7 p.m. in the Parish House (14 Bedford Rd.) There are many parenting books on the grit, resiliency, and self-direction that children need in order to thrive. Come see how these tie in with the “free range” lifestyle. We will discuss strategies that parents, grandparents, educators, and community members can employ in supporting each other and ultimately, our children. Suggested donation: $10 for adults, $5 for children $25 maximum per family). Child care will be provided from 6–7:30 p.m. Open to the public.
Author and racial justice educator Debby Irving, in conversation with the Lincoln School’s Claudia Fox Tree and Sharon Hobbs, will present “I’m a Good Person, Isn’t That Enough?” on Wednesday, Nov. 13 from 6:30–8:30 p.m. in the Brooks auditorium. The event is free, but registration is required — click here to register.
Irving, author of “Five Years Later: Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race,” utilizes stories from her life to explore systemic racism that goes largely unnoticed but feeds long-held racialized belief systems. By sharing her struggle to understand racism and racial tensions, she offers a fresh perspective of bias, stereotypes, manners, and tolerance. As she unpacks her own long-held beliefs about color blindness, being a good person, and wanting to help people of color, she reveals how each of these well-intentioned mindsets actually perpetuated her ill-conceived ideas about race. She also explains why and how she’s changed the way she talks about racism, works in racially mixed groups, and understands the racial justice movement as a whole. Funded by the Lincoln School Foundation.
Join the Lincoln Democrats’ planning session to “get fired up and ready to go” for 2020. Hear about the work of Concord Indivisible from co-founders Kate Kavanagh and Denise Gieseke. Share your thoughts on getting out the vote and communications. Explore the critical issues ahead and determine which Lincoln Democrats will prioritize for action. Coffee and pastries starting at 8:30 a.m.; meeting starts at 9.
What are the impacts of climate change, and what can we do about it? Come Bob Moore of Climate Reality discuss the causes of climate change and its impacts on our economy, national defense, food and water supply, as well as the surge in infectious diseases, on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Library. Each of us has a role to play to ensure that our country’s future is healthy and sustainable; see the tools we already have to change our trajectory. Discussion will follow the presentation.
The COA loves to offer discussion groups for people who would like to discuss their experiences in a supportive group environment where they can share with others their concerns and challenges and get and give tips and strategies. We want to make sure that they are providing the groups you are most interested in. In the past, they have held groups about coping with losses, change, and difficult family issues. Which of these topics would you like to see offered again or what new topics would you like to talk about? Come to Bemis Hall at 10 a.m. on January 6 to brainstorm with the COA, or call Carolyn at 781-259-8811 with your ideas.
Join artist Sheila Beenhouwer at a coffee with the artist on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 2:30 at Bemis Hall as she shares art from her traveling life in Russia and a bit of her own work. Sheila lived in Moscow and traveled to large and small art communities for two years. The exhibit will be up in the Bemis Hall Gallery through the end of February.
Share dinner and discussion during “A Conversation Between Adult Children and Aging Parents” on Wednesday, Jan. 8 from 5:30–7 p.m. in the First Parish in Lincoln’s parish house auditorium. This exploration of how parents and adult children address the challenges of aging while respecting independence and privacy is part of the church’s “Food for Thought” monthly community dinner and conversation. Led by Lincoln therapist Jane O’Rourke, a panel of elders and mid-life children will start off the discussion. Over dessert and coffee, there will be time for you to exchange your thoughts and ideas with your table companions. All are welcome. The First Parish provides child care and supper (including gluten-free and child-friendly options). Suggested donation: $10 for adults, $5 for children.
Join the First Parish in Lincoln and the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) for Climate Sunday on Sunday, Jan. 12 starting at 10 a.m. Climate Sunday is a gathering for those interested in learning more about how to take action on environmental justice, clean transportation, zero-waste initiatives, and more. Interactive workshops on issues such as environmental justice, transportation, and zero waste will focus on the current state of environmental advocacy in Massachusetts from experts working on the ground.
Participants are welcome to come for the entire day or just the lunch and afternoon workshops. Below is the schedule of events. Space is limited; please click here to RSVP.
- 10 a.m. — The First Parish in Lincoln morning service with sermon by Rev. Jenny Rankin and reflections by Peter Shelley, CLF’s senior counsel.
- 11:15 a.m. — Check-in opens at the Stone Church.
- 11:15 a.m.–12 p.m. — Environmental fair featuring booths and informal presentations by CLF, Green Energy Consumers Alliance, HomeWorks Energy, and others. Learn what you can do to combat climate change.
- 12 p.m. — “How to Stay Optimistic in a Warming World,” a lunchtime presentation by CLF President Brad Campbell.
- 1 p.m. — Workshop #1: Staci Rubin, CLF’s senior attorney, will discuss her work around environmental justice and clean transportation, as well as how you can get involved.
- 1:45 p.m. — Workshop #2: Kirstie Pecci, CLF’s Zero Waste Project director and senior fellow, will discuss her work on plastics and zero-waste initiatives and how you can take action.
Anyone with questions may contact Katie Ardrey at 617-850-1729 or kardrey@clf.org.
Massage parlors in the area and all over the country have been the focus of police raids targeting sexual exploitation. Do you wonder if people choose this life are are being forced into it? Would legalizing prostitution make things better for all involved? How is the issue of prostitution being addressed locally and within the state of Massachusetts? Join the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable for a panel presentation and discussion on “Sexual Exploitation: It’s Happening in Our Communities” on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. in the Wayland Public Safety Building (38 Cochituate Rd., Wayland).
Panelists will include Peter Qualliotine, co-founder of the Seattle-based Organization for Prostitution Survivors (OPS), and an advocate from RIA House, a local program that supports women with experience in the commercial sex trade and its associated exploitation, trafficking and prostitution. The remaining panelists will be community members who knew something wasn’t right and explored ways to deal with what was happening in their community.
Lincolnites 60 and older are invited to enjoy a delicious gourmet lunch with friends new and old at 11:30 on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at St. Anne’s Church. Our special guest will be Lincoln’s town administrator, Tim Higgins. Come meet him, ask him your questions and give your ideas. Tricia McGean, Lincoln’s Public Health Nurse, will offer free blood pressure readings. The cost of lunch is $5 per person. Caregivers are welcome to come with those for whom they are caring. Let us know if you need transportation or a seating partner. The lunch is co-sponsored by the COA, the Friends of the COA, Minuteman Senior Services, Newbury Court, St. Anne’s, and the Lincoln Garden Club.
If you have lost your spouse or partner, join our experienced grief specialists for this support group at the Care Dimensions Hospice House (125 Winter St., Lincoln) on Wednesdays evenings from February 19 to April 8 from 7–8:30 p.m. The group is free but registration is mandatory (the deadline is February 14). To register, visit www.CareDimensions.org/calendars, call 781-373-6530, or email grief@CareDimensions.org. Click here to see a list of other grief support groups.
Are you new to caregiving and would like to be pointed in the right direction? Come have breakfast with Carolyn Bottum, the COA Director, on Friday, Feb. 21 at 8:30 a.m. at Bemis Hall. You’ll learn what services can be provided in your home or in the community, who can help you evaluate and monitor services, and tips and strategies for reducing your stress while being a caregiver.
The Walden Woods Project (44 Baker Farm Rd.) invites you to join our new Reading Circle. We will read and explore works by Thoreau as well as authors whose work contributes to an even deeper examination of Thoreau’s ideas. At the first session on Wednesday, Feb. 26 from 7–8:30 p.m., we will begin discussing Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, Slavery in Massachusetts by Thoreau, and Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Click here to register.
Independent scholars who do research in history, science, the social sciences and more without being formally employed by an academic or research institution are publishing distinguished books and making important contributions to their fields. Sometimes only after you stop working full-time can you pursue that passion you have been quietly studying for decades but never had the time to fully explore. Independent scholars and those interested in learning more are invited to join us on Friday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. for the first meeting of the Independent Scholars Gathering. If there is interest, the group will meet monthly to share resources and ideas, give feedback, and be a scholarly conclave. Sponsored by the Council on Aging.
“Suppressed: The Fight to Vote,” a 40-minute film documenting voter suppression in the 2018 midterm and gubernatorial elections in Georgia will be shown by the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in Bemis Hall (light refreshments start at 6:30 p.m.). Lincoln resident Andrew Glass will facilitate a discussion afterwards. Free and open to all.
Parents and children are invited to “Courageous Conversations: Talking to Children about Race” on Wednesday, March 4 from 5:30–7 p.m. at the First Parish in Lincoln parish house. Conversations about race and racism can be uncomfortable. We might make mistakes and are unsure where to begin, but not talking about race with children can send many unintended messages. Explore ways to have conversations with children about race, racism, diversity and inclusion. Co-hosted by the METCO Coordinating Committee and the First Parish in Lincoln, this facilitated conversation will use the NPR Podcast “Talking Race with Young Children” as a backdrop for identifying strategies to start the conversation with kids about racial differences, race, racism and more.
Dinner for adults and children will be served from 5:30–6 p.m. and childcare will be available from 6–7 p.m. during the discussion. Suggested donation for dinner: $10 for adults, $5 for children. Click here to sign up for childcare. Registration is requested but not required – feel free to join even if you have not signed up. For more information, email Gina Halsted at ginahalsted@gmail.com.
Come enjoy a First Parish take on the popular TED Talks as interested adults gather and listen as volunteers give a series of three-minute presentations about something they are passionate about. Do you have a passion for a hobby, your occupation, or perhaps a story you can tell the assembled guests? Or do you know something we should know? The idea is that all guests will leave having learned something new and gotten to know you better. When you arrive, there will be a numbered signup and you can add your name in the order you are ready to present.