Join Lincoln Conservation Ranger Will Leona to visit different trails in Lincoln on the first Saturday of each month (March 4, April 1, and May 6) from 9:30–11 a.m. Walks are generally two miles long and are appropriate for all ages. Click here for registration, which is required to keep group size under 15 people and to ensure we can contact you in case of cancellation due to weather.
The First Parish in Lincoln will host a talk by Bill McKibben on his book, The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened at the white church and online on Sunday, April 2 from 3–4:30 p.m. The event will also be simulcast live at St Anne’s Church.
McKibben helped found 350.org, the first global grassroots climate campaign, and recently helped found Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 for action on climate and justice. Click here for more information.
When we think about Abraham Lincoln’s origins, we don’t usually think of Massachusetts, but he had a compelling connection to the state. Lincoln addressed a Whig convention in Worcester where he so impressed party leaders that he was invited to dinner the next evening at Gov. Levi Lincoln’s home. Justice Dennis J. Curran (ret.), a Massachusetts trial judge for 15 years, will explore how one seminal event spurred Lincoln’s emotional and political growth, and how Lincoln’s family heritage provided a backdrop for what was to come. Click here to register.
The food we eat, where we buy it, and how that food is grown affects our health and that of the planet. Join MetroWest Climate Solutions on Tuesday, April 11 at 7 p.m. for a discussion of food, farming and climate change. To register for this webinar, visit metrowestclimatesolutions.org.
While the food sector contributes to climate change, it’s also vulnerable to climate disruption. Water shortages, extreme weather events, pest and disease variations, and rising temperatures will change the crops that can be grown as well as the viability of farming in some regions. Progressive farmers are adapting with more sustainable techniques. Learn about the changes that lie ahead for our food system and how we can improve our diets while supporting sustainable farming. Speakers will be Lincoln’s Jennifer Hashley, director of the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project at Tufts University; Erin Coughlan de Perez, associate professor at Tufts and a technical advisor to the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre; and Winton Pitcoff, executive director of the Mass. Food System Collaborative.
The Water Commission, in collaboration with the Conservation Commission, Agricultural Commission and the Land Conservation Trust, is sponsoring the Lincoln’s Hydrology Speaker Series with the first speaker presentation on Wednesday, April 12 from 7–8:30 p.m., when Dr. Max Rome, Stormwater Program Manager with the Charles River Watershed Association will present via Zoom. Come learn about what happens in Lincoln’s watershed (flooding, nutrient pollution, drought and groundwater), drinking supply sources (including private wells), and how all the sources and uses of water in Lincoln interrelate and impact both the water supply and the ecosystems supported by water systems. Click here for the Zoom link.
Future speakers in the series will include Martin Briggs of the U.S. Geological Survey in September) and Dr. Chi Ho Sham, immediate past president of the American Water Works Association, in December.
Meet some real owls on Monday, April 17 at 1 p.m. when Farrington Nature Linc hosts naturalist Marcia Wilson from Eyes on Owls. She’ll introduce the audience to owls found in New England and other parts of the world and imitate the owls’ calls herself before bringing out six rehabilitated owls on at a time (each owl has a permanent disability which prevents them from surviving on their own in the wild). There’ll be plenty of time for close-up views, photos, and questions. Click here to register. you can also share a coupon code “SPRING” that will provide a 15% discount.
Are you thinking about what to do over school vacation with the grandkids? Bring them to this intergenerational book intro, meet Lincoln resident Ruth Mendelson (author of The Water Tree Way), and enjoy ice cream sundae cups on Friday, April 21 at Bemis Hall. There will also be a short video of Jane Goodall, who volunteered to write the preface for the book. RSVP to reserve a free signed copy of the book by calling 781-259-8811 (limited to the first 20 callers; limit one book per household). Sponsored by the Council on Aging & Human Services and the Friends of the Lincoln Library.
The Lincoln Public Library invites children in grades 4-6 to a natural treasure hunt with author and educator Clare Walker Leslie on Thursday, April 27 at 4 p.m. Learn how to observe and preserve your thoughts about the natural world by creating a beautiful journal that integrates science, art, math, and writing. Clare’s nature journaling method inspires students to draw conclusions and make observations that instill a respect for the natural world around us and promote conservation into the future. This program will include classroom instruction and a low intensity outdoor walk, weather permitting. Leslie’s books will be available to purchase at the event. Space is limited; please email sfeather@minlib.net to register. The program is funded thanks to a partnership between the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and the Friends of the Lincoln Library.
Join Lincoln Conservation Ranger Will Leona to visit different trails in Lincoln on the first Saturday of each month (March 4, April 1, and May 6) from 9:30–11 a.m. Walks are generally two miles long and are appropriate for all ages. Click here for registration, which is required to keep group size under 15 people and to ensure we can contact you in case of cancellation due to weather.
Learn how to promote biodiversity in your yard by using materials you have on hand. When you remove an invasive shrub, replace it with a native shrub that will thrive. Cardboard and mulch one small patch of invasives and encourage rowdy, less loved native plant “party crashers” into your designed native plant gardens to knit together a layered team of plants that keep invasives at bay. Click here for information and registration.
The First Parish in Lincoln offers an adventuresome and enlightening supper and discussion of Sidetrack, an innovative 1971 experiment in educational integration for Lincoln and Roxbury seventh- and eighth-graders with participants Peter Thomson (Lincoln) and Tracy Steele (Roxbury) on Wednesday, May 10 from 6-8 p.m. in the stone church. Questions they will consider: What was their experience as Roxbury and Lincoln middle schoolers in the program? How did it affect their lives and help shape the adults they have become? What can we learn today from this experiment in educational integration? To learn more about Sidetrack, see “The radical, forgotten experiment in educational integration that changed my life” (Boston Sunday Globe, January 22, 2023 — click here for a PDF if you aren’t a Globe subscriber). Childcare provided. Requested donation for the meal prepared by FPL cooks is $10 for adults $5 per child ($25 per family maximum).
Learn more about Operation Desert Storm from U.S. Army veteran Robert Lewis on Friday, May 12 at 3 p.m. in Bemis Hall. He’ll examine how deception played a key role and show actual leaflets used during one of the shortest and least costly of America’s military victories. Sponsored by the Lincoln Council on Aging & Human Services.
Lincoln author Elizabeth Graver and Judy Bolton-Fassman will discuss Graver’s latest novel, Kantika, on Wednesday, May 17 from 7–8:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. Kantika is a dazzling Sephardic multigenerational saga that moves from Istanbul to Barcelona, Havana, and New York, exploring displacement, endurance, and family as home, inspired by the story of Graver’s grandmother, Rebecca née Cohen Baruch Levy. Copies of the book will be on sale at the event.
Graver’s fourth novel, The End of the Point, was long-listed for the 2013 National Book Award in Fiction and selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her other novels are Awake, The Honey Thief, and Unravelling.
An exhibit featuring local photographer Joe Wallace presented by the Liberty Alzheimer’s Partnership will kick off with a reception in Bemis Hall on Thursday, May 18 from 2-3:30 p.m. Joe will share the story of his book and traveling exhibit, “Portraits of Dementia,” created to destigmatize those living with dementia. Trained as a journalist, Wallace has been a portrait photographer and storyteller for 20 years, and like many, he has a deeply personal connection with dementia: both his material grandparents had dementia, and in recent years, his mother Barbara has begun her journey with the disease. Space is limited; please RSVP by calling the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24/7 helpline at 800-272-3900.
The Lincoln Public Library will host a “Tea in Time” event on Friday, May 19 at 1 p.m. with Rita Parisi in the role of Mrs. Michael Gordon, a woman from 1908 who will regale you with humorous, eye-opening stories about shopping in Boston and the latest trends in fashion, entertainment, opinions, transportation, and more. Hats, gloves, Victorian garb, and audience participation encouraged. Tea and light refreshments. Call 781-259-8811 to sign up for this free event. Sponsored by the Friends of Lincoln Library and the Friends of Lincoln Council on Aging & Human Services.
All are invited to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander cultures on Friday, May 19 from 4:30–6:30 p.m. in the Lincoln School Learning Commons. Enjoy food, performances, art, karaoke, and fashion. Food ($14) must be ordered in advance; click here to order and pay using Venmo. Sponsored by the Lincoln PTO, the METCO Coordinating Committee, and the Lincoln METCO Parent Board.
Look into the fascinating lives, vision, and grand accomplishments of Julian deCordova and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dana deCordova, whose dream of a “castle on a hill” became their home and later a museum and sculpture park. On Sunday, May 21 from 10–11:30 a.m., we’ll tour the building outside and inside to discover unusual architectural features, changes over the years, hear some fun and interesting stories, and discuss some of the sculptures that are important to deCordova’s history. The cost is $12 for members and $20 for nonmembers (free for children). Click here to learn more and register.
Hanscom Air Force Base is looking to fill more than 400 civilian positions in a variety of career fields during an Air Force civilian service hiring event on Tuesday, May 23 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Boston Marriott Burlington (1 Burlington Mall Rd., Burlington). The event is open to anyone interested in working for the federal government, including college students and recent graduates, active-duty military personnel transitioning out of service, military spouses, and veterans. Officials will be on hand to discuss positions ranging from entry level to executive in engineering, program management, computer sciences, contracting, logistics, financial management, intelligence, security, human resources, skilled trades, childcare, and many others. Register here to send in your resume and receive updates on the event. For more information, contact Patty Welsh (patricia.welsh@us.af.mil, 781-225-1687) or Mark Wyatt (Mark.Wyatt.1@us.af.mil, 781-225-1685).
On Thursday, May 31, the Lincoln GearTicks will host a STEM Open House from 7-8 p.m. at Hartwell Pod A where you can see some of the robots that students built this year and learn more about joining one of the many teams.
Robotics programs are organized through FIRST and the Lincoln Recreation Department. FLL Explore introduces kids in grades 1-3 to STEM through Lego building and programming activities and runs for six weeks starting in January. In FLL Challenge, students in grades 4-8 build and program Lego robots for specific tasks on a playing field for lasting 12 weeks starting in early September. FTC caters to those in grades 7-12 with a commitment of 9+ hours/week designing robots using 3D-printed and laser-cut materials and programming in Java. Questions? Email hello@gearticks.com.