The Lincoln Squirrel

News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

arts

Lincolnite plies her art in music, film, and now a book

By Maureen Belt

Ruth Mendelson in front of the Lincoln Public Library with her new book, “The Water Tree Way.”

Composer, humanitarian, and children’s author Ruth Mendelson has come to believe that when something unfortunate happens to you, it’s not a bad thing — it’s just the universe’s way of getting you on the right track. 

For example, as a bass guitar student at Berklee College of Music in the 1980s, she suffered what she thought was a dream-crushing wrist injury. “I didn’t think I was ever going to be able to play an instrument again,” recalled Mendelson, an Illinois native who now calls Lincoln home.

Unable to consider a life that did not include musical creation, Mendelson scrambled for options that didn’t require two fully functioning wrists. She didn’t have to look far — she discovered that Berklee had a degree program for film scoring, a profession she had never considered and knew nearly nothing about. She took a chance and changed majors. 

“The sky opened up and I came across this universe of spheres that I had never explored before,” Mendelson recalled during a recent interview with the Lincoln Squirrel.

Mendelson enrolled and excelled, and after graduating, she became the first woman in Berklee’s history to teach in the Film Scoring department. More than 20 years later, she’s still at it. This unplanned trajectory took her around the world scoring award-winning films for HBO, Discovery, Disney, Animal Planet, the Smithsonian, and PBS, among others. Her list of accomplishments is long and includes an Emmy nomination and being named a New York Times Critics’ Pick.

Meanwhile, Mendelson’s wrist healed just fine and she’s been playing five-string bass for the One Human Family gospel choir for decades… which led to another unexpected opportunity brought on by so-called “unfortunate” events. She traveled with the choir to Geneva to perform for the opening of the United Nations’ International Peace Summit in 2002 — but her excitement about the prospect of performing on the world stage was replaced with shock when she realized that her bass had been left behind in London, “and I was playing the next day.”

She stayed at the airport for hours filling out paperwork, then caught a later shuttle to her hotel. It was aboard this ride that she chatted with her seat mate, an assistant to world-renowned primatologist Dame Jane Goodall who was speaking at the summit. Mendelson later said she didn’t realize her delayed bass arrival was simply the universe working its magic.

Her bass arrived the next day, but the electricity went out during sound check. But the show went on — power was restored as Mendelson’s group performed. Having skipped the sound check, she played with her eyes shut. Somehow her amplifier got turned around and rolled in front of her. Mendelson tried to nonchalantly kick it back into position. Watching this sideshow, Goodall smiled and asked her assistant the name of the musician who was awkwardly dancing with her amplifier. 

Later that day, Mendelson saw Goodall descending a flight of stairs and introduced herself. Goodall asked Mendelson to carry her purse. The connection was immediate, and the two proceeded to walk arm-in-arm to a workshop Goodall was hosting. “In that moment she went from the iconic Dr. Jane Goodall to a dear old friend,” she said, adding it was like the two had known each other forever. 

Since that fateful event, the duo has been collaborating on a variety of humanitarian projects such as the nonprofit Eagle Vision Initiative they founded to empower people (especially children) through the arts. Mendelson also updated the audio on the audiobook version of Goodall’s groundbreaking work, My Life with the Chimpanzees.

Most recently Goodall volunteered to write the foreword to Mendelson’s debut novel, The Water Tree Way (ThoughtOVac Press, 2020). Though classified by Amazon.com as children’s literature, the book has received rave reviews from readers as old as 92, and it’s a hit with 30-year-olds in France — which she knows because readers are sharing their feedback.

The story follows 10-year-old Jai (pronounced Jay) on a fantastical and often humorous adventure in a land of anthropomorphic trees, insects, birds, and celestial bodies, with notes of John Bunyan, Lewis Carroll, L. Frank Baum, and Joseph Campbell. Mendelson describes her work as “a gift from the universe that I was asked to steward.”

Like many of the works by the aforementioned authors, The Water Tree Way shares timeless life lessons. Jai, who is based largely on Mendelson herself, learns about risk taking, love, loss, helping others, forgiveness, acceptance, the perils of revenge, failure, and finding strength after a fall. She doesn’t shy away from heavy topics but brilliantly reshapes them with positive, child-friendly imagery. For example, Jai encounters rainbow-colored skies and flowers in the chapter on war and destruction. Much of this section is based on a previous project where Mendelson interviewed children before the second Iraq War. 

“I was shocked by how they were affected by even the talk of violence,” she said. 

Children will experience horrible events, but Mendelson’s work provides the tools to work through them. 

“We have to be equipped to deal with hardships,” she said. “If you’re going to succeed, you have to understand it requires failure. We have this glam version of success, but it’s completely false.”

The last few paragraphs of The Water Tree Way leave open the possibility of a sequel, but Mendelson isn’t sure yet if one is forthcoming. However, a Hollywood executive producer has already expressed interest in creating a film version.

While flattered, Mendelson will proceed carefully. “I have to be very discerning with this, because with this book, the most important part of it is its heart and soul and spirit and that has to be 100 percent retained,” she said.

Lincoln resident Ruth Mendelson’s debut novel The Water Tree Way is classified as a children’s work, but all ages can benefit from its life lessons. Here are a few inspiring lines drawn from the book (compiled by Maureen Belt):

  • Everyone has a song inside of them. A song that is magnificent and unique.
  • To react in anger only makes things worse.
  • To lose a good idea is one thing, but to lose sight of who you truly are is far worse.
  • You are beautiful and necessary and the world would never be the same without you.
  • Never return a mistake with a mistake.
  • We all fall sometimes. And sometimes, we simply need a jump start to get back up.
  • It never occurred to her that a present could be something you can’t see or touch.
  • The entire day went by with no victory in sight but she refused to give in to disappointment. 
  • All things move by a power greater than themselves — even humans who don’t think so. 
  • You must first accept that some of your thinking has been wrong before you can change it.
  • You always have what you need. Don’t worry.
  • Really, how horribly dull — to try a couple of puny times and just give up.
  • The drum is calling you.
  • You can’t expect to understand everything all at once. 
  • They would often say that courage is one of the greatest things to celebrate.
  • The main thing to remember is that it’s very important to ask for help when you need it. Don’t think that you have to figure it all out alone. 
  • All things that are free do things spontaneously, without explanation and without warning. And, being free, they bring beauty wherever they go. 

New book probes the past and present at Mt. Misery

The front and back covers of Ron McAdow’s “Imagining the Past at Mount Misery.”

How did Mount Misery get its name? Who built the 350-year-old sawmill? What forces shaped this  strange, eventful, terrain? These are some of the questions answered in Imagining the Past at Mount Misery, a new booklet by Lincoln resident Ron McAdow.

The book offers a trail guide to the Mount Misery conservation land with color photos, maps, and diagrams explaining the history and geology along a two-mile walk on the property. McAdow lives near the trails and walks then frequently, “and I discovered this land had an unexpectedly fascinating history,” he said. That part of Lincoln was originally in Concord, and in the century before Lincoln was incorporated in 1754, the Billings family, and their sawmill and farms, were part of Concord’s history. After doing research at the Concord and Lincoln libraries and online, “I invited friends for a walk, and told them what I’d learned. They found it interesting and encouraged me to write it down.”

McAdow was executive director of Sudbury Valley Trustees from 2003 to 2013. Before that, wrote guides for paddling local rivers, with one book on the Concord, Sudbury, and Assabet Rivers and its follow-up, Charles River: Exploring Nature and History on Foot and by Canoe. For the Appalachian Mountain Club, he also co-authored a book called Into the Mountains; the Stories of New England’s Most Celebrated Peaks. More recently, he’s been writing fiction, and he’s also editor in chief at Personal History Press, where he formats and ghost-writes family memoirs for clients.

“I began [the latest book title]with the word ‘imagining’ because if you use your imagination on this walk, at some points you’re on an island overlooking a huge frigid lake, while at other times you’re walking along the bottom of a what was a lobe of ice, looking up at sand and gravel deposited by meltwater streams as the last ice sheet melted,” McAdow said. “If you go back only 350 years, you can help an English immigrant and his sons try to figure out how to scratch a living from the sand the glacier left behind. It grows pine trees well enough; how are they to be converted to lumber, and how are those boards to be transported to market? We don’t have precise information about these topics — but we can fill in, provisionally, by imagining the needs of the people who lived here. When we stand on the top of Mount Misery we know for sure what Henry Thoreau’s impressions were, when he had climbed that hill, because he recorded them in his journal.”

Ron McAdow

In writing this kind of guide, “recreation meets education. It can’t be a tome, but it needs enough of the right details to be interesting,” he said. “The challenges start with locating information, then sorting what’s plausible from what seems to be mistaken and verifying or correcting conclusions with people who know more about local history than I do. I appreciate the assistance of the Lincoln Historical Society! The next challenge is to figure out a format that will suit the purpose. I had just completed a square color book about a family farm for a client of my Personal History Press. I thought it was attractive and flexible format, so I used it for the guide. Balancing space given to different subjects and choosing visual materials is fun but not easy.”

McAdow will give an online slide talk about the project at the monthly Conservation Coffee hosted by Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and Rural Land Foundation on Thursday, Dec. 2; call 781-259-9251 or email llct@lincolnconservation.org for details. Imagining the Past at Mount Misery is available at Something Special in Lincoln and Verrill Farm in Concord; his other two books are available at the Mass Audubon Shop at Drumlin Farm and Sudbury Valley Trustees’ Wolbach Farm.

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See “The Addams Family!” at L-S

Tickets are now on sale for the LSB Players’ production of “The Addams Family!” — a hilarious and irreverent musical about a loving yet macabre family set in their ghoulish ways, as they face the prospect of their daughter/sister, Wednesday, marrying someone far too normal for their taste. Performances are in the Kirshner Auditorium at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School on Wednesday through Saturday, Nov. 17–20 (all shows at 7:30 p.m.). Masks are required.

Directed and choreographed by Carly Evans, music directed by Michael Bunting, and conducted by Tom Grandprey. Reserve tickets by sending an email to LSBTickets@gmail.com. Please indicate the date of the performance you wish to see and the number of student/senior ($8) and or adult ($15) tickets you would like to reserve. Reserved tickets will be held at the will-call table on the night of each performance, or you may pick them up the downstairs theater lobby entrance on Sunday, Nov. 14 from 12:30–2 p.m.

Holiday drives for families affected by abuse

Each year, the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable sponsors a family for the holidays and invites local communities to become involved in making the holidays brighter for families affected by domestic violence. Families in shelter for the holidays face a sad and difficult time as they are separated from family and friends and are hiding from their abusers.

Sponsoring a family or organizing a collection with colleagues, friends, or group is a great way to help. The following organizations all conduct holiday drives:

Holiday drives start early so that agencies have time to process donations. In some cases, gift cards are being collected so families can shop and wrap their presents.

LNS offers session on pre-K/K program

Join Lincoln Nursery School teachers and parents in a virtual discussion about the school’s preK/K program on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. The Studio Red program is a mix of older 4-year-olds to 6-year-olds. The children have either just missed the cutoff date to turn 5 for kindergarten, or in many cases, are  kindergarten-eligible based on their age and chose to have their kindergarten year at LNS. After a year in Studio Red, families can choose for their child to move to kindergarten or first grade. Click here to register for the discussion.

Update your information for the Lincoln Directory

Watch for a large yellow card in your mail this week from the Friends of the Lincoln Library (FOLL), since it’s time to update the Lincoln Directory, which hasn’t been published since 2019 due to the pandemic. The directory is a helpful guide to all things Lincoln — people (white pages), town offices and organizations (green pages), service providers, and trusted businesses (yellow pages) — and is mailed to every residence in Lincoln. For residents, it’s an easy way to contact neighbors and find service information, and for advertisers, it’s a guarantee that Lincolnites can learn about them and know that they support the Lincoln Public Library.

If your information hasn’t changed since the 2019 edition, you’re all set. If you want to make changes to your existing white pages listing or add cellphone information, we need to hear from you. Note that FOLL never sells any of the directory information. To make updates, send an email to lincolnphonebook@gmail.com, fill out the card when you receive it and mail it back to the FOLL, or drop the card with your new information at the library. The deadline to have your information included in the Spring 2022 directory is January 7, 2022. Many thanks to The Commons for their generous support in helping to fund the mailing.

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Marc Day (center).

Donate to Marc Day Scholarship Fund

Friends and family of the late Marc Day invite donations to a scholarship fund established in the name of Marc, a Lincoln resident and graduate of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School who died on September 8.

Organizers are hoping to raise $25,000 to help one college-bound L-S track runner each year. Marc, a student at Curry College, was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 19. “Some of his many loves were flowers, sushi, hot sauce, clothes and friends. Always his friends,” his mother Mary Day wrote.

To donate, click here. Under ” Dedicate this gift,” please type in “Marc Day” or “Marc Day Memorial Scholarship.” Donation may also be made by check payable to “L-S Scholarship Fund.” Write “Marc Day Scholarship” on the memo line and mail it to LSSF, P.O. Box 693, Sudbury, MA 01776.

Substitute teachers needed

Apply to become a substitute teacher in the Lincoln Public Schools for students in grades preK-8. Morning, afternoon or all-day shifts are available on the Lincoln and Hanscom campuses. Work with younger or older students based on your preference. Rates start at $60 (half-day) and $100 (full day). Click here to learn more and apply on line. Questions? Contact Kerry Parrella at kparrella@lincnet.org or 508-958-6872.

Minute Man NHP unveils art exhibit

A new public art exhibition has been installed in the Minute Man National Historical Park in collaboration with the Umbrella Arts Center in Concord. Curated by Monkeyhouse, “Go Out Doors – Minute Man National Historical Park” brings unique, park-inspired artistic perspectives to the Umbrella’s “Go Out Doors – Neighbors” regional exhibition of artfully upcycled, painted doors, installed in towns throughout Battle Road, MetroWest and beyond.

The doors feature designs inspired by and creatively interpreting themes from three major sites in the park selected in consultation with Park interpretive staff led by Visitor Service Manager Jennifer Pierce and 2021 intern Luis Berrizbeitia. Click here to learn more.

The project is the park’s second major collaboration with Umbrella, following 2019’s “Earth Press Project: Witness,” a large-scale sculptural installation by MMNHP’s first artist in residence, Nancy Winship Milliken. It is supported in part by The Foundation for Metrowest. Originally inspired by the door exhibit on NYC’s High Line, “Go Out Doors” has expanded from the Umbrella’s original summer 2020 exhibition in West Concord into a wide collaborative public art campaign with thematically similar installations cropping up along trails, open spaces, business districts and cultural attractions in many area towns.

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Series of author talks coming up

The Lincoln Public Library will host several virtual programs with book authors in coming weeks:

A panel discussion with all five 2021 Agatha Award nominees for best first novel
Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.
Meet the country’s best new mystery writers in this all-star panel discussion featuring all five nominees for this year’s Agatha Award for Best First Novel: Esme Addison (A Spell For Trouble), Tina deBellegarde (Winter Witness), Mary Keliikoa (Derailed), Erica Ruth Neubauer (Murder at the Mena House), and Laura Jensen Walker (Murder Most Sweet). Award-winning author Catriona McPherson will serve as moderator. Click here to register.

“Is Rape a Crime? A Memoir, an Investigation and a Manifesto”
Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.
Award-winning writer Michelle Bowdler (Executive Director of Health & Wellness at Tufts University) will discuss her memoir, which indicts how sexual violence has been addressed for decades in our society, asking whether rape is a crime given that it is the least reported major felony. Click here to register.

Barry Van Dusen: Finding Sanctuary: An Artist Explorers the Nature of Mass Audubon
Monday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.
Over the course of four and a half years, nature artist Barry Van Dusen visited all 61 of Mass Audubon’s public wildlife sanctuaries, nature centers, and museums, producing drawings and paintings at each location. Follow his travels and share in his adventures from the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket to the mountain peaks of the Berkshires. Click here to register.

Lynne Reeves: Dangers of An Ordinary Night with fellow author Lisa Genova
Monday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m.
The Dangers of an Ordinary Night is an exploration of the explosive family secrets that are often hidden in plain sight. Reeves is an internationally recognized family counselor, public speaker, teacher and writer of fiction and nonfiction. Genova is the bestselling author of numerous novels including Still Alice. Click here to register.

Ornament sales benefit needy pet owners

Phinney’s, a Lincoln nonprofit celebrating 25 years of helping low-income people keep their pets, will launch its holiday activities at the Lincoln Arts Show on Friday to Sunday, Nov. 5-7 from noon–5 p.m. at the Pierce House. The blue spruce Phinney’s Angels Tree will also be lit up and decorated with hand-painted ornaments of 15 pets in need, welcoming more ornaments that donors purchase as the holiday season progresses. On Saturday and Sunday, visitors can purchase watercolor ornaments to take home, give to others, or hang on the tree outside. The stories and pictures of the pets featured on the Angels Tree are posted at phinneys.org.

Discussion on healthy teen relationships

“It’s Not ‘THE Talk,’ It’s an Ongoing Conversation: Talking with Youth about Friendships and Relationships” is the title of an online conversation with Molly Pistrang-Gomes from the REACH Beyond Domestic Violence’s prevention team hosted by the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. She will talk about how to engage youth in age-appropriate discussions about relationships as young people interact with friends, family members, teachers, classmates, teammates, dating partners, coworkers, people online, etc. She’ll explore the importance of discussing and modeling boundaries, holding each other accountable with compassion, combatting gender norms and stereotypes, and practicing healthy communication. To get the link, go to the Roundtable’s website at www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org to register for the program. Email infodvrt@gmail.com with questions.

Donate to families grappling with homelessness

The eighth annual holiday drive for Heading Home, a Charlestown organization dedicated to ending homelessness, is now being organized by Lincoln resident Kim Jalet, who is responsible for gathering items for about 80 families. Email her at jaletk@gmail.com if you’d like to buy a full or partial kit for one or more families, or choose bedding, towels, gift cards, and/or children’s books to buy. Kits contain a $25 Stop & Shop gift card, a bed-in-a-bag for the parent, towels and gifts valued at $25–$50 for each child in a family. Once she hears from you, she will send you the appropriate donor directions an signup sheet where you can choose your family or families. Gifts are due by Friday, Dec. 3.

Film: “Day for Night”

The Lincoln Film Society will screen “Day For Night” in the Tarbell Room on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. The film directed by Francois Truffaut (in French with English subtitles) won the Oscar for best foreign language film in 1973 and stars Jacqueline Bisset as a leading lady in a movie shoot peppered with problems.

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Talk on Lincoln’s Black residents in the 1700s

Last spring, the Lincoln Historical Society began to explore Lincoln’s past as a town that included enslaved people with a talk by Elise Lemire (co-sponsored by the Bemis Free Lecture Series) on “Slavery in Lincoln, Massachusetts: Reckoning with Our Past, Planning for a More Honest and Inclusive Future” (click here to watch video). The LHS will dig deeper on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. with a talk on “Entangled Lives, Black and White: Lincoln and Its African American Residents in the 18th Century” by LHS board member Donald Hafner, a retired vice provost and professor of political science at Boston College. Click here for the Zoom link (meeting ID: 936 3276 0035, passcode: 177417).

The event is co-sponsored by the First Parish in Lincoln’s Racial Justice Journey, which began this fall with a focus on national, local, and church history and the ways in which that history has involved us in questions of race. The aim is to offer access to a variety of sources of information and perspectives that will let participants reconsider these questions together, in preparation for the next stages of the journey, focused on issues (winter) and action (spring). Every Thursday evening at 7 p.m. this fall, there will be Zoom meetings with talks, documentaries, book discussions, or movies. Field trips are also offered as part of the program. Everyone is invited. To learn more, contact Mary Helen Lorenz at mhelen808385@gmail.com.

Fall Fest this Saturday

The Parks and Recreation Department will host the first-ever Fall Fest at Pierce Park on Saturday, Oct. 30 from noon–3 p.m. The event will feature the popular Trunk-or-Treat along with activities such as caramel apple decorating, bounce house, hayrides, an apple pie contest, pony rides, a petting zoo, and more. This event requires online registration and a $5 per person entry fee ($20 maximum per family).

Learn how to restore apple trees

Want to learn how to restore an apple tree? Or a whole orchard? Join the Lincoln Garden Club on Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. for a presentation by Matt Kaminsky, aka “Gnarly Pippins.” Matt is an arborist, author, and expert in the production of cider. Click here to register in advance for this meeting; you will then receive a confirmation email with your Zoom link.

Enter work for the Lincoln Arts Show

Lincoln-affiliated artists and artisans of all ages are invited to submit their work for the Lincoln Arts Show from Friday to Sunday, Nov. 5–7 from noon–5 p.m. at the Pierce House. Show the town your two- and three-dimensional creations for display or sale. Click here to register (entry fees start at $10, though the fee is waived for students). Once you’ve registered, a form for the artist statement and labels will be sent to you. Entry forms, artist statements, and art labels must be received by Monday, Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. Any late entries will be accepted on a space-available basis.

There is no commission; artists are responsible for collecting sales tax. All work must be ready to hang or present. Hanging/displaying times are Thursday, Nov. 4 from 4–6 p.m. and Friday, Nov. 5 from 9 a.m.–noon. Take-down time is Sunday, Nov. 7 from 5–6 p.m. Artists or their designees will be responsible for hanging/displaying and removing their own works. Hanging materials and tools are provided. The opening reception is Friday, Nov. 5 from 5–7 p.m. Questions? Contact Sarah Chester at schester636@gmail.com.

Lincoln residents in area performances

John Lynch

Lincoln resident Sammy Andonian will be the featured artist in Massachusetts Peace Action’s Music for Peace series opening concert on Saturday, Oct. 30 at the Harvard-Epworth Methodist Church (1555 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge) from 7:30–9 p.m. Limited tickets are available for in-person seating; the event will also be live streamed. Support a worthy cause while enjoying beautiful classical music for solo and accompanied violin.

Lincoln’s John Lynch will be on stage of Lovers and Other Strangers, a comedy of 1970s love lives in five one-act vignettes, on November 5, 6, 12, and 13 at 8 p.m. and November 7 at 2 pm. at Theater III (250 Central St., West Acton). Vaccination and masks are required. For details, see theatre3.org or email lsminkoff@theatre3.org.

Public form on use of Lincoln ‘s conservation trails

The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust (LLCT) and the Lincoln Conservation Commission (LCC) are hosting a virtual Trail Use Public Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 17 from 7–8:30 p.m. LLCT and LCC have begun a comprehensive review of the multiple uses of Lincoln trails and how best to manage them for the protection of open space and overall public benefit. Trail uses have changed over time, and we are seeking a current community understanding of the appropriate way to use and enjoy our open spaces and trails.

The forum will start with a brief slide show reviewing the goals of Lincoln’s 2017 Open Space and Recreation Plan and a summary of previous and current trail uses, with the goal of developing a trail use vision that is appropriate for Lincoln today. After the presentation, attendees are encouraged to provide feedback and comments. Click here for the Zoom link (meeting ID 927 0523 1109, passcode: 971375). If you’re unable to attend the public forum, please submit any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of Lincoln’s trails to the Conservation Department (conservation@lincolntown.org or 781-259-2612) by November 30. 

State to conduct triennial special ed/civil rights review of schools

During the week of November 15, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of the Lincoln Public Schools. The PSM visits each district and charter school every three years to monitor compliance with federal and state special education and civil rights regulations. Areas of review related to special education include student assessments, determination of eligibility, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team process, and IEP development and implementation. Areas of review related to civil rights will include bullying, student discipline, physical restraint, and equal access to school programs for all students. 

In addition to the onsite visit, parent/guardian outreach is an important part of the review process. The review chairperson from PSM will send all parents of students with disabilities an online survey that focuses on key areas of their child’s special education program. Survey results will contribute to the development of a report. During the onsite review, PSM will interview the chair(s) of the district’s Interim Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). Other onsite activities may include interviews of district staff and administrators, reviews of student records, and onsite observations.

Parents/guardians and others may email PSM chair Erin VandeVeer at erin.vandeveer@mass.gov or call 781-338-3735 to request a telephone interview. If an individual requires an accommodation such as translation, to participate in an interview, the Department will make the necessary arrangements.

Within approximately 60 business days after the onsite visit, the review chair will provide the district with a report with information about areas in which it meets or exceeds regulatory requirements and areas in which it requires assistance to correct or improve practices. The public will be able to access the report here.

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Build Scarecrows at Stonegate to benefit PTO

Show fall spirit for your town and your school by build a scarecrow during the annual Scarecrows at Stonegate fundraiser. Bring a pillowcase for your scarecrow’s head, old clothing (pants with belt loops and long-sleeve shirts – teen to small adult sizes are best), and fun accessories (hats, masks, wigs, etc.) or old Halloween costumes. Stonegate Gardens provides hay, twine, stakes, additional craft supplies, and step-by-step instructions. Choose to display your scarecrow in Lincoln or take it home (display scarecrows will not be returned).Dates are as follows:

  • Wednesdays, Oct. 6 and 13 from 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
  • Saturday, Oct. 9 from 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
  • Sunday, Oct. 10 from noon–5 p.m.

Scarecrow-building takes place at Stonegate Gardens (33 South Great Rd.), and caretaker supervision is required at all times (no drop-offs). There is a $15 donation fee per scarecrow, which will be donated to the Lincoln School PTO. Social distancing and masks are required. For more information about how Stonegate is modifying this year’s event to prevent COVID spread and to sign up for a slot, please visit this SignUp Genius link.

Film on Mike Wallace at library

The Lincoln Library Film Society will screen “Mike Wallace is Here” on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. The documentary offers an unflinching look at the legendary reporter, who interrogated the 20th century’s biggest figures in over 50 years on air, and his aggressive reporting style and showmanship that redefined what America came to expect from broadcasters. Unearthing decades of never-before-seen footage from the 60 Minutes vault, the film explores what drove and plagued Wallace, whose storied career was entwined with the evolution of journalism itself.

LSB Players start season with “The Addams Family”

The LSB Players at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School have announced their schedule of plays for 2021-2022 and invite residents to subscribe for season tickets. The shows will be:

“The Addams Family”
November 17–20 at 7:30 p.m. (Kirschner Auditorium)
Directed and choreographed by Carly Evans, music directed by Michael Bunting. This hilarious and irreverent musical tells the story of the Addams Family, a loving yet macabre family set in their ghoulish ways, as they face the prospect of their daughter/sister marrying someone far too normal for their taste.

8th Annual Winter One-Acts
February 4 at 7:30 p.m., February 5 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (Rogers Theater)
Three L-S seniors will direct “That’s Not How I Remember It,” “As It Was,” and “I, Chorus.”

“Sense and Sensibility”
April 8 at 7:30 p.m., April 9 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., April 10 at 2 p.m.
Kate Hamill’s fast-paced adaptation of the Jane Austen novel takes on the gossipy society of late 18th-century England and examines the societal pressures that affect the lives of sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood.

9th- and 10th-grade play (title TBA)
May 6 and 7 at 7:30 p.. (Rogers Black Box Theatre)

COLLAGE XXVI, a collection of scenes, one-acts and original pieces selected and directed by students
June 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m. (Rogers Black Box Theatre)

Tickets for all 2021-2022 shows are $8 for students and senior citizens, and $15 for adults (Collage XXVI is free). Benefactors and season ticket holders receive advance notice before tickets are available to the general public so they can reserve for the evening of their choice. Season tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for students and senior citizens, while Benefactors’ tickets are $60. All Season Ticket holders and Benefactors are named in each program of the year. Click here to order.

Lincoln Cultural Council announces 2020-21 grants

The following organization received funding from the Lincoln Cultural Council to help pay for projects and activities for the community. The LCC is accepting applications for the next round of grants until October 15; see “News acorns” (Oct. 4, 2021) for more information. Questions? Contact Meg Ramsey at meg.ramsey@verizon.net.

Historic New England — “Three Centuries of Lincoln Topics.” The hybrid in-person and virtual three-part series highlighted Lincoln residents who were pioneers of taste, design, and culture over the course of three centuries from great-grandfather John Codman to Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius.

deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum — A Thursday outdoor concert and performance series. The 2021 summer season was informed by the work of exhibiting artists Jeffrey Gibson and Sonya Clark. The performance series focused on performers who address issues of advocacy, social justice, and indigenous cultures.

Maitreyee Chakraborty — “Songs and Poems of Rabindranath Tagore.” Tagore was an early 20th-century polymath and Nobel laureate whose poems and songs talk about the joy beyond immediate sorrow, the mettle of human spirit in face of suffering. The program had vocal music, poems, discussions, and dance numbers and told a human story of 2020.

Mass Audubon Drumlin Farm — “Sensory-Friendly Days,” an opportunity for families and children with autism or other sensory issues to connect with nature and each other in a sensory-friendly environment (fewer people, less crowded trails/exhibits, and less noise).

Lincoln Council on Aging — “An Afternoon of Poems by Robert Frost” presented and performed by Stephen Collins.

Lincoln Chipmunk design and launch — The website for the Lincoln Chipmunk (the online successor to the Lincoln Review), a bimonthly publication featuring poetry, artwork, fiction, photography and other creative work by and for Lincoln residents, was designed and linked to the Lincoln Squirrel new website.

Lincoln METCO Committee — Presentation in the Lincoln schools of “Living the Legacy of METCO” by Ron Jones, developed by Boston METCO.

Discovery Museum — Open Door Connections provides a range of ways for families to visit the museum at no or low cost. This includes families with children on the autism spectrum, those with sight or hearing limitations or are EBT and ConnectorCare cardholders, educators, and military families. The grant also funded free admission for all on select Friday evenings.

Wonderland Spectacle Co. — Locally based art and nature videos for kids about discovering the nature in your own neighborhood and across the region.

Lincoln Historical Society — Bringing Lincoln’s rich history into our everyday lives by placing historical road signage on the six roads that extend outward from the town’s historic center.

News acorns

Covid-19 vaccination clinic for everyone 12+

To protect younger children and keep schools open, the Lincoln Public Schools is offering a second Covid-19 vaccine clinic (Pfizer first send second doses) for anyone age 12 and up on Tuesday, Sept. 21 from 2–5 p.m. in the Reed gym. Drop-ins are welcome, or click here to schedule an appointment. Children under 18 do not need to have a parent/guardian with them at the time of vaccination but they will need to bring a signed consent form (click here to download).

Free social worker sessions for kids offered  

After a successful summer pilot program, the Council on Aging and Human Services (with help from the Board of Health and the Lincoln Public Schools) has arranged for a social worker to be on the school campus in the Hartwell building every Wednesday afternoon/early evening during the school year. This is a totally free service. Parents can call the COA&HS at 781-259-8811 to ask questions and book appointments. All appointments with Sara Hickey, MSW, LCSW, of Eliot Community Human Services are completely confidential. While appointments are held on school grounds, clinic participation information is not shared with the schools or any other town department.

Registration open for L-S adult ed classes

Lincoln-Sudbury Adult & Community Education offers courses for all interests and ages. Check out the offerings at LSRHS.net/community/adult_ed. Questions? Email adult.ed@lsrhs.net or call 978-443-9961 x3326.

deCordova offers Julia Child operetta, clay workshops

The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is hosting “An Evening of Jazz and Julia” on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. Mezzo-soprano Vanessa Schukis portrays 20th-century culinary icon Julia Child in composer Lee Hoiby’s “Bon Appétit!” in a humorous 25-minute one-act operetta, accompanied by pianist Scott Nicholas, based on two episodes from Julia Child’s popular cooking show in which she concocts a chocolate cake. The event will take place in deCordova Cafe. Click here to purchase tickets, which include Julia Child-inspired snacks and beverages.

The deCordova is also offering an outdoor family-style workshop where participants can make clay soap dishes on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 1–2:30 p.m. All levels welcome. Click here to register, or click here to see details on other events at the deCordova.

Walden Woods Project fall events

“Determined to Know Beans: A Historical and Biological Exploration of Thoreau’s Beanfield,” an interpretive walk to Thoreau’s beanfield with historian Richard Smith and biologist Dr. Amity Wilczek, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 11–12:30 p.m. at the Walden Pond State Reservation. The presentation will focus on how the beanfield looked during Thoreau’s time and how it has changed.  Discussion will include the plants that Thoreau would and would not be familiar with, including invasives. Click here to register.

Also this fall: “A Virtual Lyceum: The Art of Perception” on Thursday, Oct. 21 from 7–8:30 p.m. and “Now Comes Good Sailing: A Virtual Conversation” on Tuesday, Nov. 16 from 7–8 p.m.

Chamber music concert at the Pierce House

The Concord Chamber Music Society presents a special outdoor concert at the Pierce House on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 3 p.m. with the Parker Quartet. The performance (the first hosted by CCMS since March 2019) will feature the Adagio from String Quartet No. 1 by Adolphus Hailstork, the String Quartet No. 1 in A Major by Robert Schumann, and the String Quartet No. 1 “From My Life,” by Bedrich Smetana. Proof of vaccination will be required for admission, and masking is mandatory for tent seating and inside the Pierce House.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.concordchambermusic.org or by calling 978-405-0130. Seating beneath the tent is $50 and $40 for adults and seniors 65+ respectively. Lawn tickets will be offered at the door (weather permitting) on the day of the concert for $20, and patrons will need to bring their own chairs and/or blankets. Patrons may present their ticket stubs at the Trail’s End Cafe in Concord ollowing the concert for a 15% discount off of dinner; advance reservations are strongly recommended.

Group marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month with purple lights, walk, vigil

At any given time in Sudbury, Wayland, Lincoln, and other similar towns, there are 20–40 restraining orders in effect, indicating a judge has found significant evidence of violence. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and this year the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable will again partner with the First Parish in Wayland and the Lauren Dunne Astley Foundation to shine a light on the issues related to domestic and breakup violence. On Tuesday, Oct. 5, walks will commence from several points in Wayland arriving at First Parish in Wayland (225 Boston Post Rd.) for the Shine a Light Vigil at 7 p.m. Visit www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org for walk locations. Purple signifies courage and compassion, and purple lights will illuminate religious and civic buildings in Sudbury, Wayland, and Framingham throughout the month. In addition, community members are invited to place purple light bulbs in their window fixtures, lamp posts, or porch lights. If you or someone in your life might be experiencing relationship abuse, local support can be found here.

New issue of the Lincoln Chipmunk is here

“Pollinate,” a sculpture by Nancy Selvage

The latest issue of the Lincoln Chipmunk has just hit the virtual stands — check it out! The deadline for the next issue is October 31, so get busy with your pen, keyboard, paintbrush, camera, or what have you.

A note to contributors: if you’d like to have your photo and a brief biography appear at the bottom of each of your pieces (past issues, this issue and in the future), send them along to lincolnsquirelnews@gmail.com. Have a look at the bottom of “My Little Generator” by Andy Payne (June issue) to see an example.