The Splash, Mash and Dash, Lincoln’s triathlon for kids ages 5-14 on Saturday, June 24 from 8–11:30 a.m. is the perfect race for a first-time triathlete. The swim/bike/run event takes place at the Codman Pool; the older you are, the farther you go! Information about the race can be found at www.kidstri.net. There are T-shirts, goody bags and medals for every participant plus awards and raffle prizes. Entry fees are $30 per person (maximum $90 per family) before race day and $40/$120 maximum on race day. For maximum family discount, please contact ldumont@lincnet.org. Packet pickup is Friday, June 23 from 12:30–6 p.m. in Hartwell B Pod. Click here to register.
See this Parks and Recreation page for details.
Always wanted to learn how to solve a Rubik’s cube? Now’s your chance! Learn about “speed cubing” and how to solve a 3×3 cube at workshops hosted by the Lincoln Public Library on Mondays, July 10, 17, and 24 from 6–8 p.m. Best for ages 8+. Participants are encouraged to sign up for all three sessions. Registration required as space is limited; email dshaver@minlib.net to register. Made possible by the Friends of the Lincoln Library.
The Great Meadows Public Health Collaborative (GMPHC) invites parents and caregivers to “Just Talk About It: Anxiety, Leaving High School, and Adolescent Mental Health,” a virtual program about youth mental health focusing on anxiety and young adults, on Wednesday, July 12 at 6:30 p.m. (click here for the Zoom link). Join clinician Sara Eldridge for a dynamic presentation providing a framework to understand and navigate your young adult’s emotional health, the signs and symptoms of the most prevalent mental health concerns, and how to be an effective support as they transition out of high school. A student will also share her experience with anxiety.
The GMPHC was established through two state grants and includes Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Lincoln, Sudbury, Wayland, and Weston. Its goal is to pool resources, increase staff capacity and expertise, attract additional funding, and deliver better health protections, programs, and outcomes. For more information, contact Regional Public Health Nurse Katie Rines at krines@wayland.ma.us.
Author Nate Schweber at the DeVoto Memorial Cedar Grove in Idaho’s Clearwater National Forest.
Award-winning author Nate Schweber brings to life the story of two remarkable environmental warriors and former Lincoln residents Avis and Bernard DeVoto in the next Bemis Free Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. in Bemis Hall. The DeVotos’ decades-long battle to protect public lands and save our national park system is chronicled in Schweber’s latest book, This America of Ours: Bernard and Avis DeVoto and the Forgotten Fight to Save the Wild. Lecture immediately followed by book sales and signing with the author. Hosted by the Bemis Free Lecture Series with Friends of Minute Man National Park, Lincoln Historical Society, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, and Walden Woods Project.
Limited seating; click here for reservations. The event will also be available via livestream and will remain available on the Bemis Free Lecture Series website.
The service at the First Parish in Lincoln on “Rally Sunday” on Sunday, Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. will include a blessing of the backpacks for our children and joyful music from the choir. With a bit of history during the service, and cake afterwards on the lawn, we’ll also be celebrating the 275th anniversary of the church.
Veteran environmental writer Douglas Chadwick will present ideas from his most recent book Four Fifths A Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that Just Might Save Us All. He will present examples of successful recoveries of species and habitats, with the thought that “we really can save a whole lot in a hurry.” Doug will be introduced by Kim Davitt from the Vital Ground Foundation, a land trust working to protect and connect wildlife habitat in the West. Click here to register. Donations to the Vital Ground Foundation gladly accepted.
On Friday, Sept. 22 from 1–3 p.m., meet at the famous “twisted tree” in front of Lincoln Public Library for a special Quiet Walks and Poetry for Seekers collaboration. We’ll walk for a mile or two in the neighborhood, stopping four or five times beneath particular trees. Beneath the shade of each tree, we will hear a poem that in some way honors or features that tree species. In between each poem, we will walk in silence. At the end, we will gather in a circle and reflect on what we saw and heard. If the weather looks questionable, email Rev. Nate Klug (nate@fplincoln.org) for the latest updates.
LincFam welcomes new and expecting parents to a meetup for families with children under 2 or expecting a child (both parents and children are welcome) on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 3:30 p.m. Meet at the commuter parking lot next to Donelan’s to walk the Codman trails. No RSVP required. If you’d like to join the list for information on future events and meetups, click here.
Celebrate the freedom to read with a conversation between young people and their caregivers at two discussion groups during Banned Books Week at the Lincoln Public Library. On Monday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m., children’s librarian Debbie Leopold will facilitate a talk for kids age 4+ about Answers in the Pages by David Levithan. Email dleopold@minlib.net to register.
Lincoln author Ray Shepard (A Long Time Coming) will host a session with middle schoolers and caregivers on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. to talk about Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. Email sfeather@minlib.net to register.
Codman Community Farms’ annual Harvest Feast returns with a classic pig roast, bluegrass music from The New Grownups, and fun on the farm on Saturday, Sept. 30 from 5–9 p.m. There will be pulled pork family meals and apple crisp hot out of the Codman kitchen, plates and cutlery, plus a tent over the front pasture, table seating and Solo stoves to keep warm. Bring a picnic blanket, other side dishes your family might like to eat (not potluck), and drinks. Family meals include Codman pasture-raised pork, cornbread and coleslaw, plus apple crisp and vanilla ice cream. Family meals start at $60; click here to order.
Join in the fun with old-fashioned family and children’s games at Codman’s Harvest Fair on Sunday, Oct. 1 from noon–4 p.m. Activities include bingo in the sugar shack, a pie-eating contest, rooster run, lots of games, (mostly) Codman-grown food, music, and more. Children’s admission bracelets are $20, which includes ice cream. Kids under 3 are free. Click here to skip the line and order in advance.
The Lincoln Public Library presents a music performance for children and families by Sulinha’s Trio on Wednesday, Oct. 4 from 10:30–11:15 a.m. in the Tarbell Room. Originally from Brazil, Sulinha Boucher’s trio plays bossa nova, baiao, and other styles on Brazilian instruments like berimbau and bandolin as well as acoustic guitar and percussion. No registration necessary. For all ages.
Reading Circle participants will read “The Wellfleet Oysterman” from Thoreau’s Cape Cod and come together for discussion with Walden Woods Project Curator of Collections and resident Thoreau Scholar Jeffrey S. Cramer. “The Wellfleet Oysterman” as well as discussion questions will be provided upon registration. “The Wellfleet Oysterman” (as well as the full Cape Cod text) is available to read on this Walden Woods web page.
The Reading Circle is an event in association with the Thoreau’s Cape Cod Readathon, a first-of-its-kind event sponsored by the Barnstable Land Trust, the Walden Woods Project, the town of Concord, and other partners in Concord and on Cape Cod. The Readathon will be held October 7 and 8 at Fuller Farm in Marstons Mills as well as live-streamed. Find out more here.
The fifth annual Brain Games cornhole tournament and family fun day on Sunday, Oct. 15 from noon–5 p.m. in Pierce Park. Live music, local beer, magician Ed Popielarczyk, raffle prizes, and the Clover food truck! There is no cost to attend the event. Food and beverages are available for purchase — everything else is simply whatever you would like to donate. Please spread the word, and invite your friends and family.
Brain Games is the Doo family’s annual fundraiser benefiting moyamoya research at Boston Children’s Hospital in honor of the care received by their daughter, who was diagnosed with the rare brain disease moyamoya in June 2019 and has had three surgeries since. Their goal this year is to raise $100,000 to continue funding her surgeon’s research, where 100% of the event’s proceeds go.
The town will hold a flu vaccine clinic for residents and school families (age 9 and up) on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Lincoln School’s Reed Gym. Click here to register. All participants must download an Acton Pharmacy Vaccine Administration Record and bring the completed form with them.
Join us for a reading, presentation, and Q&A with Lincoln’s Lawrence Buell about his forthcoming book Henry David Thoreau: Thinking Disobediently, the first concise account of Thoreau’s life, thought, and impact in more than half a century. Buell is the Powell M. Cabot Professor of American Literature Emeritus at Harvard University and has written and lectured worldwide on Transcendentalism, American studies, and the environmental humanities. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a wine and cheese reception. The book will be available for purchase at the event (address provided upon registration).
Tales of the Night, the annual family-friendly, nature-oriented spooktacular at Drumlin Farm, returns on Thursday and Friday, October 26 and 27 from 6:30–9 p.m. Activities range from “not so spooky” to “very spooky,” making Tales of the Night great for all ages. The wildlife sanctuary’s pathways will be candlelit to set the mood, so attendees will be able to spot the illuminated jack-o-lantern display. And don’t be surprised to wander into a story along the Nursery Rhyme Trail! Haunted Hayrides will explore Boyce Field. A variety of wildlife “ambassadors” will also be joining the party, including tarantulas and scorpions as special Halloween guests. Snacks will be available, as will secret “Witches Brew” for the (blood)thirsty. (This concoction may taste like apple cider to young attendees.)
Proceeds from the event ($17 members/$20 nonmembers) provide critical support for Mass Audubon’s nature education and conservation programs. Admission is free for children 2 and younger — and coming dressed in costumes is encouraged! Register and learn more here, or visit massaudubon.org/tales.