In 1781, Elizabeth Freeman, known as “Mum Bett,” successfully sued for her freedom from the bonds of slavery in a pivotal case argued before the Massachusetts courts. That same year, Quock Walker also sued for his freedom and won. The winning argument in both cases was that slavery was unconstitutional under the Massachusetts Constitution. Lincoln resident Ron Chester, a professor at the New England School of Law, will discuss these cases and their importance on Friday, March 4 at 1 p.m. Email gagnea@lincolntown.org to sign up for this Zoom session.
The Lincoln Democratic Town Committee will hold a caucus on Monday, March 7 from 7–8:30 p.m. (Zoom room opens at 6:30) to elect five delegates and four alternates to the 2022 Massachusetts Democratic Party Convention in Worcester on June 4. All Democrats registered in Lincoln are eligible not only to vote but also to be a delegate. Youth, minorities, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ individuals who are not elected as a delegate or alternate may apply to be an add-on delegate to the caucus or at www.massdems.org. See the Lincoln Dems website for more information and click here to register for the caucus (after registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting).
The Lincoln PTO will hold a debate featuring candidates running in the March 28 town election on Wednesday, March 16 from 7–9 p.m. The event will take place in the newly renovated Brooks Auditorium and will also be live-streamed and recorded.
Moderating the event will be PTO co-chair Rob Stringer and former PTO president Carol Kasper. All of the candidates for the four contested races (Select Board, Lincoln School Committee, L-S School Committee, and Planning Board) have said they will participate, as have most of those who are running uncontested. “We really want everyone to get to know all the candidates,” Stringer said.
Each candidate will have two minutes to introduce themselves and will then face questions from the moderators. There will also be Q&A opportunities for the audience, probably with questions written down and sent to the moderators as with recent Town Meetings.
National issues have trickled down into local politics in many cities and towns, “but we want to make sure it stays civil and nobody feels attacked from the right or the left. We are still neighbors,” Stringer said.
Details and online links will be announced closer to the event.
March with the Lincoln Minute Men along Battle Road at 2:45 p.m. or meet at the capture site at 3 p.m. where Paul Revere’s ride ended in Lincoln. See Revere, Samuel Prescott, William Dawes, Mary Hartwell, Catharine Louisa Smith, and Major Mitchell tell the true story, despite poetic efforts by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to tell a different tale. Music and musket fire. For all ages.
- Evacuation scenario at the home of William and Catharine Louisa Smith, 9:30 a.m. – noon.
- Battle reenactment at Parker’s Revenge, MMNHP, noon–1 p.m.
- Battle of Tower Park, 1200 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington, 4 p.m.
Families prepare to evacuate their homes on April 19, 1775. Later, hundreds of British and Provincial soldiers recreate the running battle along the deadly stretch of road through Lincoln, from Elm Brook Hill to the Lexington border. Then both sides regroup to battle again at Tower Park in Lexington.
A Lincoln resident during the Revolutionary War reminisces about the fateful early hours of April 19, 1775. Capt. William Smith arrives on horseback to alarm the citizens of Lincoln. Bells ring, drums roll, and families say anxious goodbyes, as the Lincoln Minute Men assemble for musket drill and firing, and receive their orders to march.
The Lincoln Minute Men salute the Patriots buried in the Old Meeting House Burying Ground as they emerge from the mists for roll call. Fifers play a lament and the muskets fire a volley. Then join the Minute Men on their walk to Concord along Sandy Pond Road (three miles) amid colonial music and musket fire for the parade in Concord starting at 9 a.m. All ages welcome.
The Lincoln Minute Men host fife and drum groups from far and wide in a musical performance for your enjoyment. Bring your picnic basket and lawn chairs for rousing entertainment. In case of rain, see the Parks and Rec website.
March with the Lincoln Minute Men and British Regulars from Pierce House to the Old Burying Ground on Lexington Road to honor the Patriot dead and the five British soldiers killed in Lincoln along the Battle Road. Mary Hartwell and Catharine Louisa Smith tell their stories of burying British soldiers, an enslaved soldier tells how he gained his freedom, and a British mother laments the loss of her son. Ceremonies include music and musket salutes.
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.
The town is sponsoring two free vaccination clinics starting next week. Residents who want a Covid-19 vaccination may opt for the new bivalent booster or any of the previous vaccines.
- Flu vaccination clinic — Wednesday, Oct. 12 from 1:00–3:45 p.m., Reed Gym, Lincoln School. Register here.
- COVID vaccination clinic — Friday, Nov. 4 from 3–7 p.m. Reed Gym, Lincoln School. Register here.
The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee is hosting four virtual public forums to review the Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan draft and collect feedback to improve the plan. There will also be a short presentation about the master plan at the State of the Town meeting in November.
The master plan, which was drafted by BPAC in consultation with the Planning Department, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and other town committees and departments, aims to make Lincoln to be more safe, green and accessible for residents and visitors traveling by foot and bike.
The public forums each focus on one region of Lincoln, but the BPAC will review the overall plan at each forum and are happy to discuss any region of town at any meeting if participants desire.
- Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m. — North Lincoln (Route 2 and north). Zoom link.
- Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. — South Lincoln (Route117 and south). Zoom link.
- Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. — East Lincoln (east of Lincoln Road/Bedford Road, south of Route 2 and north of Route117.) Zoom link.
- Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. — West Lincoln (west of Lincoln Road/Bedford Road, south of Route 2 and north of Route117.) Zoom link.
The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee is hosting four virtual public forums to review the Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan draft and collect feedback to improve the plan. There will also be a short presentation about the master plan at the State of the Town meeting in November.
The master plan, which was drafted by BPAC in consultation with the Planning Department, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and other town committees and departments, aims to make Lincoln to be more safe, green and accessible for residents and visitors traveling by foot and bike.
The public forums each focus on one region of Lincoln, but the BPAC will review the overall plan at each forum and are happy to discuss any region of town at any meeting if participants desire.
- Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m. — North Lincoln (Route 2 and north). Zoom link.
- Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. — South Lincoln (Route117 and south). Zoom link.
- Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. — East Lincoln (east of Lincoln Road/Bedford Road, south of Route 2 and north of Route117.) Zoom link.
- Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. — West Lincoln (west of Lincoln Road/Bedford Road, south of Route 2 and north of Route117.) Zoom link.
The town will offer a Covid-19 vaccination clinic to Lincoln seniors age 60+ on Wednesday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. in the First Parish Church auditorium across from Bemis Hall. This is a Pfizer bivalent vaccine, meaning it works against both the delta and omicron variants of the virus. Preregistration is required; click here to register. Please do not book an appointment between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m., as these slots have been set aside for Lincoln Public School teachers. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email from “Color,” our booking software. Please forward your confirmation email to butta@lincolntown.org so we know how many will be attending the clinic. If you need transportation to the clinic, please contact Carlee Castetter, Transportation Coordinator, at 781-259-8811 or castetterc@lincolntown.org.
The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee is hosting four virtual public forums to review the Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan draft and collect feedback to improve the plan. There will also be a short presentation about the master plan at the State of the Town meeting in November.
The master plan, which was drafted by BPAC in consultation with the Planning Department, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and other town committees and departments, aims to make Lincoln to be more safe, green and accessible for residents and visitors traveling by foot and bike.
The public forums each focus on one region of Lincoln, but the BPAC will review the overall plan at each forum and are happy to discuss any region of town at any meeting if participants desire.
- Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m. — North Lincoln (Route 2 and north). Zoom link.
- Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. — South Lincoln (Route117 and south). Zoom link.
- Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. — East Lincoln (east of Lincoln Road/Bedford Road, south of Route 2 and north of Route117.) Zoom link.
- Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. — West Lincoln (west of Lincoln Road/Bedford Road, south of Route 2 and north of Route117.) Zoom link.
The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee is hosting four virtual public forums to review the Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan draft and collect feedback to improve the plan. There will also be a short presentation about the master plan at the State of the Town meeting in November.
The master plan, which was drafted by BPAC in consultation with the Planning Department, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and other town committees and departments, aims to make Lincoln to be more safe, green and accessible for residents and visitors traveling by foot and bike.
The public forums each focus on one region of Lincoln, but the BPAC will review the overall plan at each forum and are happy to discuss any region of town at any meeting if participants desire.
- Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m. — North Lincoln (Route 2 and north). Zoom link.
- Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. — South Lincoln (Route117 and south). Zoom link.
- Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. — East Lincoln (east of Lincoln Road/Bedford Road, south of Route 2 and north of Route117.) Zoom link.
- Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. — West Lincoln (west of Lincoln Road/Bedford Road, south of Route 2 and north of Route117.) Zoom link.