arts

News acorns

May 25, 2016

Tour historic homes for free on June 4

Historic New England is having an open house with hourly guided tours on Saturday, June 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gropius House and the Codman Estate in Lincoln as well as the Browne House in Watertown. Most Historic New England properties are open for free on the first Saturday in June, when visitors can learn about the people who lived in stone-enders, urban mansions, rural estates and working farms. All tours are first-come, first-served.

Magic Garden hoedown on June 4

Join the Magic Garden community at its annual hoedown event on Saturday, June 4 from 6-10 p.m. in Codman Barn. Enjoy mechanical bull riding, dancing, barbecue by Firefly’s Restaurant, beer and wine, and a silent auction. All proceeds support educational programming and the Tuition Assistance Program at Magic Garden. Tickets are $50 each, or $40 if you purchase four or more. Please contact the Magic Garden Office at 781-259-8161or office@magic-garden.org to purchase.

Used book sale returns to Bemis

The Friends of the Lincoln Public Library book sale is back! Come to Bemis Hall on Saturday, June 11 from 9 a.m. to noon. Browse the large selection of good-quality used fiction, nonfiction and children’s books and support the library and its many programs while finding great reading material. Hardcovers are $1 and paperbacks are 50 cents, or fill a grocery bag full of books for only $8. CDs are also available for $1.

DeCordova’s Montross wins award for exhibit publication

Sarah Montross

The Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) has granted deCordova Scultpure Park and Museum Associate Curator Sarah Montross a first-place Award for a catalogue/publication for Past Futures: Science Fiction, Space Travel, and Postwar Art of the Americas. Published by MIT Press, this catalogue supported the eponymous exhibition she curated in 2015 while in her role as Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. Montross has been at deCordova since April 2015 and is co-curator with Chief Curator Jennifer Gross of the 2016 deCordova Biennial that will open on October 7, 2016. “We’re excited to have this caliber of curatorial excellence on deCordova’s team and look forward to sharing Sarah’s work as co-curator of the upcoming Biennial exhibition,” said deCordova Executive Director John Ravenal.

Amy Herrera headlines next open-mike night

Amy Herrera will perform starting around 8:30 p.m. at the next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mike Acoustic) Night on Monday, June 13. The event takes place in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room from 7-10 p.m. Herrera has played venues including last year’s Providence Folk Festival and has three CDs to her credit, most recently Goodnight, Nobody featuring the song Stumble Into You. Perform (sign up at the event or emailRich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com) or just come listen to acoustic music and spoken word. Admission is free and refreshments are provided.

Lincoln’s Page wins Malice Domestic’s Lifetime Achievement Award

A poster showing all of Page’s books (click to enlarge).

Page’s award.

Mystery writer and Lincoln resident Katherine Hall Page received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Malice Domestic mystery writers’ conference. She is one of the only authors to have won an Agatha Award in all three categories: Best Novel, Best Short Story and Best First Novel. Page’s latest book, The Body in the Wardrobe, is the 23rd installment in the series starring part-time sleuth, minister’s wife and caterer Faith Fairchild along with Sophie Maxwell, last seen in The Body in the Birches and now a newlywed living in historic Savannah, Ga., where she crosses paths with murder. Established in 1989, Malice Domestic is an annual convention that celebrates the traditional mystery genre, best typified by the works of Agatha Christie.

Lincoln Minute Men to appear in a song-and-dance on Thursday

May 16, 2016

The Lincoln Minute Men will appear in a show at the Old South Meeting House in Boston this Thursday, May 19 in a show written by Lincoln resident Martha Lufkin to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the repeal of the Stamp Act.

As you may recall from history class, the British government in 1765 imposed the Stamp Act on the American colonies to require payment of a tax on various official documents including marriage certificates. This gave rise more than two centuries later to Marriage is Taxing, Lufkin’s comedy about the little-known fact that there was a rush on marriages to avoid the new tax before the Stamp Act went into effect.

Lufkin, an attorney and a member of the Lincoln Minute Men, has published light mysteries involving lawyers in Alfred Hitchcock magazine. She was casting about for a mystery plot involving lawyers set in the colonial era and happened to learn abut the marriage rush as a result of the British legislation.

Martha Lufkin

“Since I’m a lawyer and tax planner for families, I thought this was so funny that I sat down and write a story about it,” she said. Recently she learned that the Old South Meeting House was celebrating the 250th anniversary of the repeal of the Stamp Act. “I contacted them and they loved the idea” of performing Marriage is Taxing, which is told as a series of letters written by a woman to her sister, she said.

Lincoln Minute Men members Don Hafner, Steve McCarthy, Doug Unkel, Ruth Hodges and Bev Malone participate in the performance, interacting with the guests and chatting about the joyous news about the repeal of the Stamp Act. The evening will also feature 18th-century music by Kairos, a Boston-based flute and harp duo, and dinner.

Tickets are $40 and include a light supper, one complimentary beverage and dessert. A cash bar with beer, wine and soft drinks will also be available. To reserve tickets, click here or call 800-838-3006.

News acorns

May 11, 2016

Town Archives invite residents to help celebrate

The Town Archives Advisory Council is celebrating two important milestones—the acquisition of the Sophia Adams tapestry (a gift of Lincoln resident Cynthia Williams) and the appointment of Jack MacLean as town historian—on Wednesday, May 18 from 5-6 p.m. in the Donaldson Room at the Town Office Building. RSVPs are helpful but not required; call 781-259-2607.

Annual jazz concert on May 29

Come to the annual Live Jazz Concert on Sunday, May 29 from 2-4 p.m. in Bemis Hall sponsored by the the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library, Inc. The show will feature Steve Taddeos and the Swing Senders with special guest Ken Peplowski bringing back the sounds of the 1930s and 1940s. Free and open to music lovers of all ages!

RESIST training for teens and young adults

The Lincoln Police Department, in collaboration with the Domestic Violence Services Network (DVSN), is offering a RESIST self-defense class for all female-identified high school and college-age students in Lincoln or Sudbury on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 7 and 8 from 3:30-6 p.m. at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. The goal of the two-day course is to learn how to escape from an attacker by using instinct-based moves. The course is free, but space is limited. Preregister by emailing Jena Salon at jenasalon@gmail.com.

News acorns

May 9, 2016

Composting workshop presented by Gearticks

A survey conducted by the Lincoln Blue Gearticks Lego Robotics Team determined that 40 percent of the town does not compost—so the team designed a class about composting. The Blue Gearticks will present free composting workshop at the Lincoln transfer station on Saturday, May 14 from noon-1 p.m. and 1-2 p.m. (Each Lego robotics team has to do a research project as well as build a robot, and the Blue Gearticks’ Lincoln composting research and recommendations won second prize in their competition.) The free class is sponsored by the Lincoln Recycling Committee. For more information, call 617-763-4633.

Panel discussion looks at 50 years of METCO

Like several other town entities, the METCO program is celebrating its anniversary this year, so the Lincoln Historical Society’s meeting on Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m. in Bemis Hall will feature a panel discussion about the program over the past 50 years. Participants include:

Dr. Kahris Dianne White-McLaughlin, affirmative action officer for the Cambridge Public Schools and author of a dissertation on the METCO program in Lincoln. She served on both the Lincoln and L-S School Committees and is former board chairman of METCO, Inc.
Jane Kline, a former secretary to the METCO Director, academic adviser, and Social Worker for the Lincoln Public Schools.
Rena Wright, a manager at East Cambridge Savings Bank and graduate of the Lincoln and L-S METCO programs.
Rob Donaldson, who teaches history at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School and grew up in Lincoln. His mother served on the Coordinating Committee and his family hosted several METCO students.
Lateefah Franck, the METCO Director in Lincoln since 2011. She is a former teacher and principal at the Boston Renaissance Charter Public School in Hyde Park.

Vietnam Gold Star Families sought

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall (a half-size replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.) is coming to Waltham in August. They are looking for families of military personnel who were killed in action during the Vietnam War so they can receive special invitations and participate in honoring our local heroes. Call Lincoln Veterans Services Officer Priscilla Leach at 781-259-4472 or lincolnvetservices@gmail.com if you are a member of such a Gold Star Family or know anyone who is.

Kumiko Asada exhibits her paintings at Bemis

In May and June, the Bemis Hall Lincoln Artists Gallery will host an exhibit of paintings by Lincoln resident Kumiko Asada. Kumiko, who was born in Osaka, Japan, came to the United States in the 1980s and attended painting classes at the Museum of Fine Arts, The deCordova, and the Cambridge Art Association. Her favorite artist is Giorgio Morandi.

Council on Aging events in May

May 2, 2016

Meet with an aide to Congresswoman Clark
May 4 at 1 p.m.
You are invited to Bemis Hall on Wednesday, May 4 at 1 p.m. to meet with Anthony Moreschi, Constituent Service Representative for Congresswoman Katherine Clark. He will be available to assist residents with Social Security, Medicare, and MassHealth/Medicaid. You are also welcome to discuss other matters with him that he may be able to help with.

We honor veterans: end-of-life and survivor benefits
May 6 at 9:30 a.m.
Veterans and their families have special needs when it comes to end-of-life care, whether related to the unique life and health care experiences of veterans or to the benefits of the Veterans Administration for end-of-life health care, burial benefits, or survivor benefits. “We Honor Veterans” is an initiative of the Veterans Administration and local hospices and other care providers to make sure that veterans receive sensitive and compassionate care and know about all their benefits. Come find out more when Mary Beth Kawalek of Brookhaven Hospice comes to Bemis Hall on Friday, May 6 at 9:30 a.m.

Want to sit back and enjoy some old-fashioned harmony?
May 6 at 12:30 p.m.
A melody you can sing along with? Hum, tap your toes to? The Lincoln Traditional Jazz Sextet will be bringing those tunes you know and love to Bemis Hall on Friday May 6 at 12:30. “Geezers” swingin’ on piano, trumpet, clarinet, trombone, sax, bass and drums will be there to entertain you. Come join the regulars singing along to When You’re Smilin’, put a smile on your face with Ain’t Misbehavin’, do the Charleston or the Lindy Hop if you’re up for it. Or just put your feet up and relax.

Lincoln Academy with Kathi Anderson—The Walden Woods Project: keeping Thoreau’s legacy alive in Lincoln and beyond
May 9 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, May 9 at 12:30 to hear Kathi Anderson discuss “The Walden Woods Project: Keeping Thoreau’s Legacy Alive in Lincoln and Beyond.” Bring a bag lunch. The Council on Aging provides beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion.

May 11 at 7 p.m.
Medicare 101: basics for those about to sign up and others
Learn the basics of Medicare on Wednesday, May 11 at 7 p.m. at Bemis Hall with Minuteman Senior Services SHINE counselors Don Milan and Anne Meade. Come if you will be signing up soon or you just wish to understand your benefits better. Don and Anne will discuss traditional Medicare, medigap plans, Advantage plans, and medication drug coverage (Medicare, Parts A, B, C, and D), how to go about choosing the plan or plans that are best for you, timeframes for enrolling to avoid penalties and more. [Read more…] about Council on Aging events in May

Hundreds of Lincolnites flock to the fair

May 2, 2016

Dancing around the maypole in Pierce Park.

There was something for everyone at Saturday’s “40 Years of Community” fair, and Lincolnites of all ages flocked to Pierce Park on a bright and sunny spring day to connect and have fun.

Visitors enjoyed music from Colonial fifes and drums, a grand piano, guitars and an a capella group; hundreds of hamburgers, hot dogs, snow cones and ice cream; bounce houses and fair games; an art exhibit; and tables showcasing dozens of Lincoln organizations where they could learn about everything from 19th-century rifles and toys to People for Pollinators, the Lincoln Diversity Committee, The Food Project and the Town Archives.

Lincoln Police Chief Kevin Kennedy, who helped out at the barbecue, estimated the attendance at well over 1,000. “It’s a great day for Lincoln. It’s been a lot of fun,” he said.

Here’s a gallery of images from the fair. For best results, view the pictures on a desktop computer. Click one of the images to see a larger version in the lightbox that pops out. Then you can:

Click on the “i” icon at the bottom of the image to see the caption at the upper right of your screen
Click the diagonal arrow button to see the maximum size image
Move between photos by moving your mouse cursor to the far left or right of your screen and clicking on the white arrow that appears.
To return to the Lincoln Squirrel, click the “x” in the upper right of your screen.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”42″ gal_title=”40 Years of Community”]

Photos by Alice Waugh

Fair celebrates 40 years of three town institutions

April 13, 2016

Lincoln is gearing up for the “40 Years of Community” Fair packed with activities, art, music and history on Saturday, April 30 to recognize four decades of the Council on Aging, Parks and Recreation and the Lincoln Review.

The fair will feature children’s games and activities including a live animal demonstration, games and activities, storytelling, crafts related to Lincoln’s architectural heritage, a photo booth with a frog cutout, reading by “grandparents,” a scavenger hunt, a trackless train, 18th-century games, a sewing project, carnival games, a sketching demonstration and chance to meet a canine author, an activity table, and seed bomb and pollinator habitat making.

Lincoln’s history will be front and center, with displays on Lincoln history and iconic Lincoln buildings and landscapes. The Lincoln Minute Men will demonstrate aspects of life in Lincoln in the 18th century. Local organizations will provide information and demonstrations on such important topics as energy efficiency, agriculture, heirloom plants, nature and pollination. They’ll also have valuable information about their activities, programs and services.

Lincoln and Lincoln-associated artists will show their best work in the Pierce House, which will also feature historic photos from the Town Archives. The exhibit in Pierce House will also be open on Saturday, April 30 from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday, May 1 from noon to 3 p.m.

What’s a fair without food? The Lincoln Police Department will host a barbecue while the Minute Men will offer baked goods and cider for a small cost. You’re also welcome to bring a picnic basket and blanket and enjoy a meal or a snack on the grass in the park.

While you’re enjoying all the activities, exhibits and art, you’ll be regaled by music by some of Lincoln’s many virtuoso musicians. Bands and performing groups will play outside on a stage while more musicians will play and sing classical and other musical genres inside the Pierce House. The Lincoln Minute Men musicians will also be on hand.

Among the groups participating are the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Drumlin Farm, First Parish, Food Project, Friends of the Lincoln Public Library, Green Energy Committee, Historic New England, LEAP, Lincoln Council on Aging and Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging, Lincoln Family Association, Lincoln Garden Club, Lincoln Historical Society, Lincoln Minute Men, Lincoln Parks and Recreation, Lincoln Police Department, Lincoln PTO, Lincoln Review, Lincoln School Foundation, Magic Garden, METCO Coordinating Committee, Old Town Hall Exchange, People for Pollinators, and the Town Archives.

For more information about the fair, call Carolyn Bottum at the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811 or Dan Pereira at Parks and Recreation at 781-259-0784. Local businesses interested in donating goods are also welcome to call Carolyn or Dan.

News acorns

April 8, 2016

Robert Altman movies on tap starting Sunday

The Lincoln Library Film Society presents a series of films by Robert Altman, a five-time nominee for Best Director who was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2006. All screenings are at 2 p.m.

Sunday, April 10 — “M*A*S*H” (1970) starring Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould and Sally Kellerman. A satirical look at the Korean War through the eyes of two very talented and jaded surgeons.
Sunday, April 24 — “McCabe and Mrs. Miller” (1971) starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, described as an “anti-Western” Western.
Saturday May 7 — “The Long Goodbye” (1973). A neo-noir film starring Gould stars as private detective Philip Marlowe.
Saturday, May 14 — “Cookie’s Fortune” (1999) starring Glenn Close, Julianne Moore and Patricia Neal. A criminal comedy film,featuring a town filled of odd balls.

More borrowing opportunities from the library

Lincoln residents now have free access to a dramatically expanded list of digital books. After initial setup, there’s no waiting for eBooks from the Commonwealth eBook Collections—if it’s listed, it’s available. Find e-books in the library catalog and click through, or visit cec.masslibsystem.org to explore. You may need to create an account prior to downloading, and depending on the device you’re using, you may be required to download an app or other reader. Reference librarians are happy to assist with any questions. CEC includes three products:

Axis 360: Best-sellers, test preparation guides, travel guides and more.
BiblioBoard Library Primary sources, historical documents, images, video and more. Check out the graphic novels or the “Dummies” books.
EBL: Items to help with academic research as well as personal interests from cooking to gardening.

CEC is brought to you by the Massachusetts Library System in partnership with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and participating libraries and is funded in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. CEC is offered in addition to Overdrive eBooks, which are still available to library card holders.

Lincoln Country Day Preschool open house

Lincoln Country Day Preschool is hosting a Spring Open House for prospective students from 2.9 years of age in September 2016 through 5-6 years of age (pre-K) on Sunday, April 24 from 3-5 p.m. The school welcomes families from Lincoln, Concord, Sudbury, Wayland, Weston and other local towns. Parents and their children can take a tour of our school, play in our Threes, Fours and Pre-K classrooms, and make a souvenir spring project to take home. Please RSVP at 781-259-860. Lincoln Country Day is located at 147 Concord Road, Lincoln, in St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Church.

News acorns

April 7, 2016

Event explores medicine as a career

Pat Roberts and Mike Rosenblatt of the Lahey Clinic will give a talk on “The Joy and Journey of Being a Physician” on Saturday, April 9 at 2 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. The multimedia presentation will give an overview of medicine, discuss why high school students might want to go into medicine, role-play being a physician or surgeon by viewing videos of operations, and offer a hands-on experience with portable surgical trainers.

Roberts is chair of Surgery at Lahey Clinic and Rosenblatt is the chief medical officer at Lahey; both are Lincoln residents and parents of L-S students. The talk is part of a new library program launched in partnership with the Lincoln School and Lincoln-Sudbury High School called “Local Heroes” involving presentations by resident experts on topics that might inspire students about what to explore in their college years and beyond. Previous events in the series looked at computer science and robotics in December and designing a satellite mission to Mars in January.

Donate household items for domestic violence victims

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable invites area residents to donate new household items to help families transitioning from a shelter to establish a new home. The Shower for Shelters runs form Sunday, April 24 through Monday, May 9. New unwrapped gifts may be dropped off at the Lincoln Public Library, the Goodnow Library in Sudbury or the Wayland Public Library. Items may also be dropped off at the group’s Libations and Donations free wine-tasting event at Sudbury Wine and Spirits in the Rugged Bear Plaza (410 Boston Post Rd., Sudbury) on Friday, April 29 starting at 7 p.m.

Requested items include twin-size sheets, pillowcases, summer blankets and comforters as well as pillows, crib sheets, bath towels and face cloths, unscented cleaning products and laundry detergent, laundry baskets, kitchen utensils, flatware, dishes, drinking glasses and small kitchen appliances. Gift cards are also welcome. For a complete list of requested items, please visit the Roundtable website. All gifts collected are donated to clients of REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step, and Voices Against Violence.

Lecture on aerial landscapes at deCordova

Residents are invited to a lecture on “Disvalued Landscapes, Seen from Above” with aerial photographer Alex MacLean and Alan Berger, professor of landscape architecture and urban design at MIT, on Friday, April 28 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. McLean and Berger will discussing the art of aerial photography, suburban sprawl and other patterns of the land at the event, which is the kickoff for deCordova Friends of the Park, a new group dedicated to the care, support, and advocacy of the deCordova’s landscape and primary gallery. The talk is free and open to the public. The talk is part of the “Overgrowth in Conversation” discussion series.

News acorns

March 31, 2016

Page wins Lifetime Achievement Award

Katherine Hall Page

Mystery writer and Lincoln resident Katherine Hall Page will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Malice Domestic mystery writers’ conference in April. She is one of the only authors to have won an Agatha Award in all three categories: Best Novel, Best Short Story and Best First Novel. Page’s latest book, The Body in the Wardrobe, features part-time sleuth, minister’s wife and caterer Faith Fairchild, alongside new series favorite Sophie Maxwell, last seen in The Body in the Birches and now a newlywed living in historic Savannah, Ga., where she crosses paths with murder.

Town seeks volunteers for Community Preservation Committee

The Board of Selectmen seeks volunteers to fill several vacancies on the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). This is an opportunity to help your town, to learn about its historic preservation, affordable housing, open space preservation and recreational programs and initiatives, and to help determine how to most wisely invest our limited Community Preservation Act funds. Visit the town website for a volunteer application and information about other volunteer opportunities. Applications should be submitted to the Selectmen’s Office, attn: Peggy Elder, administrative assistant: elderp@lincolntown.org or 781 259-2601.

Andrew McNight plays at next LOMA

Andrew McKnight

Andrew McKnight will perform at the next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mic Acoustic) night on Monday, April 11 from 7-10 p.m. He’ll perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30 p.m. His powerful, entertaining show provides one-man theatre delivered with down-home comfort with finely crafted songs weaving together humorous stories and poetic drama. He frequently performs with Les Thompson, founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

LOMA is a monthly event. Performers can sign up at the event or email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com before noon of the open-mike day) for a slot. We have a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups playing acoustic-style.

Hazardous waste dates for 2016

The following is a list of the 2016 collection dates for household hazardous waste at 60 Hartwell Ave, in Lexington from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.:

April 16
May 14
June 18
July 16
August 13
September 18 (the only Sunday date)
October 15
November 12

All Lincoln residents must pre-register by calling Elaine Carroll at 781-259-2613 or by coming to the Lincoln Board of Health office at 16 Lincoln Rd., second floor. Latex paint will not be accepted at this facility since it is not a hazardous product. Please contact the Board of Health office for ways to properly dispose of latex paint.