“Nutcrackers: A Colorful History” will take place via Zoom on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 11 a.m. You may never have given those funny painted statues much thought, but the history of nutcrackers involves the development of tools from the Stone Age to the Industrial Age. Led by art historian Mary Woodward, who serves as a guide at several Historic New England properties. Register for the Zoom link here. This virtual event is hosted by the Tewksbury Public Library, in collaboration with several Massachusetts libraries. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Library.
Do you need holiday gift book suggestions for the young readers in your life? Join the Lincoln Public Library children’s librarians on Thursday, Dec. 1 at noon as they review their favorite new books of the year as well as some perennial favorites. The event is open to all adults (feel free to share with grandparents and relatives near and far). Email dleopold@minlib.net for the Zoom link.
The L-S Music Department will present their annual Pops Concert on Thursday, December 1 at 7:30pm in the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Auditorium. This family-friendly concert is free and open to the public and concessions will be sold during intermission.
The concert will feature performances by the talented String Orchestra, Concert & Treble Choirs, Chamber Singers, and Concert and Symphonic Bands. For the finale, 120 music students will unite for the joyous performance of “Sleigh Ride.”
The entire repertoire for the performance is selected by the students. It will feature: a Marvel Movie Theme by the Concert Band showcasing a medley from the Guardians of the Galaxy and from Guardians 2 and “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra as well as an Animated Movie Theme by the Symphonic Band with music from “The Incredibles”, composed by Michael Giacchino and “Arabian Nights” from “Aladdin” by Alana Menken and Howard Ashman. The Treble & Concert Choirs will sing “Louder than Words” (from “tick, tick…BOOM!”) by Jonathan Larson, arranged Mac Huff; “Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara, arranged Mac Huff; “Rewrite the Stars” (from “The Greatest Showman”) by Pasek and Paul, arranged Roger Emerson and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” (from “Mulan”) by Wilder and Zippel. Chamber Singers will perform “Good King Kong” by PDQ Bach and “That Lonesome Road” by James Taylor, arranged Simon Carrington. The String Orchestra will present a program including highlights from “Beauty and the Beast” arranged by Calvin Custer and selections from “Les Miserables” arranged by Larry Moore.
The concert will air in both Sudbury and Lincoln on Comcast channel 9/Verizon channel 32, and will live stream here.
To learn more about the LSRHS Music Program, visit L-S Friends of Music at www.lsfom.org.
“Celebrating Collaborations: Sings and Strings” with Music Street will take place on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Music Street Artistic Director Diana Katzenberg Braun celebrates her work as a collaborative pianist in a concert with
award-winning Boston musicians Li-Mei Liang (violin), Alan Toda-Ambaras (cello), Hannah Meloy (soprano), and David Mather (baritone). Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.
Join us via Zoom on Thursday Dec. 8 from 7–8:30 p.m. for an evening with mystery writers Sulari Gentill, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and Eva Jurczyk moderated by Rachel Raczka of the Boston Globe. Everything was fine until it wasn’t — a scream in the library, books gone missing the first day on the job, a secret threatening to tear apart a perfect life. Register here.
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.
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.
Join an evening with two of the country’s top young adult authors as Maureen Johnson (Nine Liars) is interviewed by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Final Gambit) in a webinar on Wednesday, Jan. 4 from 7–8 p.m. Sponsored by the Lincoln Public Library. Click here to register.
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.
Lincoln’s voting precincts (click to enlarge)
Come meet Lincoln’s new state Representative, Carmine Gentile (Precinct 1, west Lincoln), on Saturday, Jan. 21 in Bemis Hall. For many years, Rep. Tom Stanley was Lincoln’s representative, but in the recent redistricting, Lincoln was split into two districts along its voting precinct line. Get acquainted with Gentile, hear his perspectives on important issues and policies, and ask questions. The event starts at 2:30 p.m. with refreshments and conversation, and the meeting starts promptly at 3 p.m. Hosted by the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee but open to all, regardless of party affiliation.
NOTE: Rep. Alice Peisch was originally scheduled to attend as well, but she had to bow out and will reschedule a session in Lincoln for another time.
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.
Civil War historian and Lincoln resident Megan Kate Nelson will give a talk about her new book, Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America (Scribner, 2022) at the Concord Museum on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Concord Museum. It tells the vivid story of how, 150 years ago, Yellowstone became the world’s first national park amid the nationwide turmoil and racial violence of the Reconstruction era. A narrative of adventure and exploration, the creation of Yellowstone is also a story of Indigenous resistance and the struggles of Black southerners during a turning point in the nation’s history. Nelson was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2020 for The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West (read this Lincoln Squirrel profile of her). Click here to register.
Gentile will hold virtual office hours for constituents (which include residents of southwestern Lincoln in Precinct 1) on Friday, Jan. 27. Meetings will take place via Microsoft Teams video call from 10 a.m.–noon. Any constituent who wishes to speak to him may sign up for a 20-minute time slot by emailing his legislative aide, Ravi Simon (a Lincoln resident), at ravi.simon@mahouse.gov. Constituents signing up for a meeting must provide their full name, address, phone number, email, and their discussion topic.
Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee (LSSC) candidate Ravi Simon of Sudbury (an L-S graduate and legislative aide for State Rep. Carmine Gentile) will host a campaign kick-off event at on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. at the First Parish of Sudbury (327 Concord Rd., Sudbury). The host committee includes Gentile, Sudbury LSSC members Cara Endyke-Doran and Candace Miller, former LSSC member Nancy Marshall of Lincoln, and former Sudbury LSSC members Jack Ryan, Tania Vitvitsky, Josh Troop, and Andrew Blair. RSVPs using this online form are appreciated but not required. For more information, email RaviforLincolnSudbury@gmail.com.
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.
“The Challenges of Being a Debut Author” featuring Chelsea Banning will take place via Zoom on Monday, Feb. 6 from 7–8 p.m. Debut author (and librarian) was very excited to publish her first book, “Of Crown and Legends”. And then came the book signing where very few people showed up, and then the Twitter storm of support when Chelsea posted about the experience. Now, we speak with Chelsea in conversation with debut authors Laura Gao, Brian D. Kennedy, Jean Louise, and XiXi Tian to chat about the challenges and joys of getting your first book out in the world.
This event is hosted by the Ashland Public Library. Click here to register.