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.
During this evening slide show and house tour on Friday, Sept. 15 from 7-9 p.m. at the Gropius House (68 Baker Bridge Rd.), see how Walter Gropius’s innovative lighting scheme comes to life at night. Gropius, founder of the German design school the Bauhaus, was one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century. His 1938 home highlights the clean lines of Modernist design. Light refreshments are individual “nibbles” picnic bags. Advance tickets required ($65 for Historic New England members, $75 for nonmembers). Please call 781-259-8098 for more information. Note: the Gropius House is not handicapped-accessible.
During an evening slide show and house tour on Friday, June 9 (as well as July 7, August 11, and September 15) from 7–9 p.m., see how Walter Gropius’s innovative lighting scheme comes to life at night. Gropius, founder of the German design school the Bauhaus, was one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century. His 1938 home at 68 Baker Bridge Road highlights the clean lines of Modernist design. Light refreshments are individual “nibbles” picnic bags. $65 for Historic New England members, $75 for nonmembers. Advance tickets required; call 781-259-8098 or buy online.
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.
Historic New England presents “Right Space, Right Time: Eleanor Raymond’s Architecture” on Thursday, Sept. 21 from 7-9 p.m. in the Codman Estate carriage house and via Zoom. The presenter is Justin Kedl, an artist and scholar with an interest in 20th-century modernism — particularly Surrealism, the Bauhaus school, and Abstract Expressionism — who works for Lincoln’s Gropius House and a local pottery studio. Advance tickets required; click here for more information. This program is funded in part by the Lincoln Cultural Council a local agency funded by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
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.
The 11th annual Scarecrow Classic 5K kicks off on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 9:30 a.m. at Lincoln Station. This community road and trail run, which supports LLCT’s conservation mission, wind through scenic fields and forests, ending the morning with a cider donut. This year, LLCT is hosting magician Cedric Purcell to entertain guests before the awards ceremony. LLCT strongly encourages pre-registration by October 1 to guarantee participants get their desired shirt size. Click here for more information and registration. Same-day registration opens at 8:00 a.m. on race day.
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.
In connection with the town’s discussion of multi-family housing at the September 30 State of the Town meeting, Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln invites residents on a tour of Lincoln Woods on Sunday, Oct. 1 from 3–6 p.m. “Celebrating Lincoln Woods: Our History of Building Community” presents the design elements in architecture, landscape architecture, and town planning that have made Lincoln Woods an accessible, inclusive community, providing housing for a diverse range of ages and needs for 50 years.
The event begins at 3 p.m. with Lincoln architect Woodie Arthur speaking about the architecture and history of the community. A tour of the property and three dwellings will follow the presentation. The event is free to all. Share refreshments and community in our reception tent after the tour. Please visit the FoMA web page at www.fomalincoln.org/outreach to reserve your place.
The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust will hold its annual meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Church. After LLCT’s business meeting, science and conservation educator Gwyn Loud will give a presentation on her observations of 50 years of changing landscapes, flora, and fauna in Lincoln. Weaving together anecdotes gathered from her own experiences and those of her network of wildlife observers, she will impress us with Lincoln’s biodiversity and remind us why conservation matters.
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.
In 1991, Spooky World opened in Berlin, Mass., as the first Halloween scream park. The attraction became so popular that it expanded well beyond its original haunted hayride and shaped a generation of New England Halloween lovers. Join David Bertolino, the man who started it all, and Jeff DePaoli, host of “That Halloween Podcast,” to hear how an idea became a Halloween institution in Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 7 from 1-2 p.m. via Zoom (click here to register).
Induction stoves, long popular in Europe and Asia, are more efficient than gas or standard electric stoves. Some chefs and home cooks are making the transition to induction cooking, whether motivated by a desire for cleaner air or a lower carbon footprint. Join MetroWest Climate Solutions (of which the First Parish in Lincoln is a part) for a webinar on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. to learn more. Speakers are Jonathan I. Levy, chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Boston University, and Steve Sheinkopf, CEO of Yale Appliance. To register, visit metrowestclimatesolutions.org.
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).
Practice your pumpkin poses and skeleton stretches. This kid-friendly yoga class weaves a rich balance between the imaginative world of the child with the distinct aspects of yoga practice that support mindfulness, self-regulation, and joy. The instructor comes from the teaching team at On The Mat Yoga in Concord. For ages 3-12 with a caregiver; meet on the third floor of the museum and bring a water bottle and mat. Click here for details and registration.
Don’t put your costume away just yet! deCordova is celebrating Halloween with a wild, quirky, outrageous Gay Christmas Dance Party inside the museum for both the LGBTQ+ community and enthusiastic allies. Featuring music by DJ Dayglow, a costume contest with prizes, a cash bar, and spotlight performances by a circus and drag artists. Open to all 21+. Creative and fabulous costumes encouraged, but not required. Click here for details and registration.
Lincoln resident Alex Chatfield of Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere will speak at an open meeting of the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. in Bemis Hall (coffee and sign-in start at 9:45 a.m.). HE will share the latest information on the proposal to build more private jet hangars at Hanscom Field, the implications for Climate Change, progress to date and next steps. There will be ample time for questions and answers and a short video of the October 2 State House rally.