See this Parks and Recreation page for details.
CFREE (Carbon Free Residential, Everything Electric), a working group of the Green Energy Committee, is sponsoring an electric vehicle display with various models and at least one dealer on Tuesday, July 4 after the parade at the Pierce House Boy Scout barbecue. If you have an EV you’d would like to show off, please email Colette Sizer at cfreeworking@gmail.com.
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 Food Project invites everyone to its annual Farm Lunch on Wednesday, July 12 at the intersection of Baker Bridge Road and Route 126. Learn informally about TFP’s mission and programming, including through conversations with teenage members of Root Crew, professional farmers, and regional directors. Arrive by noon for a walking tour of the farm. A complimentary buffet lunch including vegetarian options featuring items from the farm will be provided at 12:30 p.m. as everyone gathers at picnic tables or under the pavilion. While philanthropic support of The Food Project is always welcomed, there is no expectation of a donation associated with these community building events. Due to limited capacity, RSVP is required; email jsoto@thefoodproject.org.
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.
State Representative Carmine Gentile (D-Sudbury), whose district includes Lincoln’s Precinct 1, will hold in-person office hours on Friday, July 21 and virtual office hours on Thursday, July 27. In-person meetings will take place at the Sudbury Senior Center (40 Fairbank Road, Sudbury) from 10-11:00 a.m. Virtual meetings will take place via Microsoft Teams video call from 11 am.–12:30 p.m. RSVP is required to attend virtually, and is strongly encouraged to attend in person. Sign up for a 20-minute time slot by emailing Rep. Gentile’s legislative aide, Ravi Simon, at ravi.simon@mahouse.gov.
State Representative Carmine Gentile (D-Sudbury), whose district includes Lincoln’s Precinct 1, will hold in-person office hours on Friday, July 21 and virtual office hours on Thursday, July 27. In-person meetings will take place at the Sudbury Senior Center (40 Fairbank Road, Sudbury) from 10-11:00 a.m. Virtual meetings will take place via Microsoft Teams video call from 11 am.–12:30 p.m. RSVP is required to attend virtually, and is strongly encouraged to attend in person. Sign up for a 20-minute time slot by emailing Rep. Gentile’s legislative aide, Ravi Simon, at ravi.simon@mahouse.gov.
Mothers Out Front invite everyone to participate in a statewide climate action call to learn about the high environmental cost and low societal benefit of expanding private jet travel on Tuesday, Aug. 22 at from 12-12:45 p.m. The issue is front and center because the state is considering a proposal to enlarge hangar space at Hanscom Field. Register here for this informational meeting. Sponsored by MOF chapters in Acton, Bedford, Concord, East Boston, Lincoln, and Winthrop — members of the Coalition to Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere.
The Tour de Codman will start at Codman Farm on Sunday, Sept. 10 and will take cyclists on a nearly 12-mile loop through Lincoln along roads and paths, featuring stops at three remote pastures where farm staff and volunteers will give a short talk on the farm’s sustainable, pasture-based agriculture before returning to the farm for coffee, cider and donuts. We welcome all ages but cyclists must be comfortable maintaining a 10-12 mph pace along Lincoln’s roads. The route will spend as much time as possible on bike paths and quiet roads. Any bike in good working order should suffice. Bring your own water and snacks for the route, and don’t forget your helmet (required). The ride leader will have basic tools but riders should plan to be self-sufficient. The total time for the ride, with stops, should be under two hours. Click here for more information and registration.
The Lincoln Garden Club invites anyone interested in joining the club to come to a wine and cheese party on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 4 p.m. to meet members and socialize. Committee chairs will be there to answer questions about what the club does. Please email belinda.gingrich@gmail.com to RSVP and get the location. To learn more about the club’s activities, visit www.lincolngardenclub.org.
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.
Join a free public workshop on Monday, Sept. 18 from 7-8:15 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Library on “How & Why to Talk to Young Kids About Race” offered by Story Starters. Designed for caregivers and educators, this workshop will explain the research about how racial bias develops in children from a young age, and provide evidence-based strategies adults can use to disrupt that bias and develop children’s antiracist values. Click here to register.
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.
Members of the Housing Choice Act Working Group (HCAWG) will present the three options for zoning bylaw proposals that are under consideration in Lincoln on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. in the First Parish Church’s Stearns Room (4 Bedford Rd.). In addition, Michelle Barnes, chair of the Trustees of the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and the Rural Land Foundation, will present and explain their separate request to change the current zoning for the Lincoln Station Mall area. The event will also be livestreamed here.Residents are encouraged to bring questions to the discussion in preparation for the State of the Town Meeting on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 10 a.m. The Select Board, Planning Board, and the HCAWG will use community feedback to help choose a final option at a multiboard meeting on October 10. The zoning bylaw proposal will be submitted to the state in December and to town residents for a vote at the March 2024 Annual Town Meeting.
This fall, it couldn’t be easier to support pollinators, provide overwinter shelter for amphibians, nurture the soil, improve water retention, and drawdown carbon. Join us on the first day of fall for “Leave the Leaves: A Zoom Introduction & Conversation on Soil & Climate Benefits” by Lincoln soil microbial ecologist Dr. Rachel Neurath to learn about the benefits of leaving the leaves on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. And save the date for the Lincoln Garden Club’s public meeting on November 7. Kathy Connolly will give a presentation entitled “Leave the Leaves, Save the Stems.” Organized by Lincoln Common Ground and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust in collaboration with the Lincoln Garden Club and Codman Community Farms. Click here to register.
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.
Talk with other parents about “Practicing Self-Compassion as a Parent,” part of the First Parish in Lincoln’s “Conversations on Tap” series, on Monday, Sept. 25 from 7:30–9 p.m. in the Tack Room. Led by Rev. Kit Novotny, FLP co-minister, will explore the practice of self-compassion (based on the work of Dr. Kristin Neff and others) as a strategy for parenting with empathy over perfectionism, gently shifting from shame and stress spirals toward cultivating a kind, supportive inner voice. We’ll also explore how self-compassion can be a tool we pass onto our children. Open to the wider community – all spiritual backgrounds (and none) very welcome.
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.