The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

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News acorns – 12/10/14

The Harvard Callbacks perform at the LEAP a capella night on December 5.

The Harvard Callbacks perform at the LEAP a capella night on December 5.

A capella benefit a hit; LEAP plans to do it again next year

Lincoln residents packed the auditorium of Bemis Hall on December 5 to hear three a capella groups perform in a benefit for LEAP (the Lincoln After-school Activities Program). The groups who sang were Accent from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, and VoiceLab and the Callbacks from Harvard University, as well as an impromptu singing and dancing performance of “Happy Birthday” for LEAP operations director Chris Burns by the “LEAPing Lizards” (several current and former LEAP students).

The concert was taped by Lincoln community TV—click here to watch and listen.

“It was an amazing night of beautiful music and community,” said LEAP program director Kathryn Hawkins, who added that LEAP would have another a capella benefit next year.

Wreath-makers still need a helping hand

The First Parish Church is still looking for help making Christmas wreaths in the Stone Church in preparation for the Touch of Christmas Fair on Saturday, Dec. 13. See “Lincoln Through the Lens” on December 3 for more information. And don’t forget the candlelight Lincoln Ringers concert on December 22 (see the Squirrel calendar listing for details).

Nicholas Soo and Jonah O'Donnell-Weyant decorate donation boxes at Magic Garden

Nicholas Soo and Jonah O’Donnell-Weyant decorate donation boxes at Magic Garden. Photo courtesy Michael Graves

Magic Garden hosting drive for Rosie’s Place

This December marks the Magic Garden Children’s Center‘s fifth annual “Season of Giving.” In conjunction with Lincoln Public Schools, Magic Garden is facilitating a drive for nonperishable goods such as canned food, pasta and toiletries that will be delivered to Rosie’s Place, a shelter for women coping with homelessness in Boston.

“Each year, the teachers here have the opportunity to help children explore ideas of giving and community,” said Magic Garden interim director Lori Leo. “Our students help to paint donation boxes and sort the items. It’s wonderful!” Magic Garden is accepting contributions until Friday, Dec. 19 in their office area in the Hartwell building on the school campus.

Obituaries

George Berry, 69 (November 12) – sponsored Lincoln’s Friends for Tomorrow therapeutic horseback riding program.

Anastasia K. Caras, 96 (November 26) – pianist and graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music.

News acorns – 12/4/14

acornL-S concerts include choral groups tonight

The L-S Winter Choral Concert will be performed on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. in Kirschner Auditorium at the high school, while the L-S Instrumental Concert will be a week later on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. in the same location.. Both concerts are open to the public and free of charge.

Tonight’s choral concert will feature the L-S Concert Choir & Chamber Singers, the Lincoln School Chorus and the Curtis Select Chorus. The L-S choirs are singing music of America, Ireland, England, France, Macedonia and South Africa, and selections from Carmina Burana. The L-S student-led vocal groups Acafellas, Accent, Achoired Taste, Coro de Chicas & Musigals will perform a variety of popular music to start the concert.Recording of the concert will be available for pre-order. Concessions will be available.

The Instrumental Winter Concert on December 11 will include large ensembles including the Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and smaller groups including the Flute Choir and Violin Ensemble. Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride will provide the grand finale with 130 instrumental students performing together on stage. Highlights from the program  will include:

  • Orchestra—Marche Slav by Tchaikovsky; Jupiter from “The Planets” by Gustav Holst; selections from Bizet’s Carmen; and the Allegro movement from Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 in G minor (used for the theme song of the movie Amadeus).
  • Symphonic Band—Cinicinnatus March by H.A. Vandercook; Blue Ridge Saga by Jim Swearingen; and An American Fanfare by Rick Kirby.
  • Concert Band—Avenger March by Karl A. King; Albanian Folk Dance by Shelley Hansen; and Chorale and Shaker Dance by John Zdechlik (including the familiar Shaker hymn ‘Tis The Gift To Be Simple)
Dog walkers on the school campus: please scoop!

The Lincoln School has noticed a recent increase in dog walkers failing to clean up after their pets when traversing the campus play areas. Principal Steve McKenna notes that this is not pleasant for the child who steps or rolls in just the wrong place while at recess.

Kids invited to participate in First Parish Christmas Pageant

Rehearsals for the December 14 children’s Christmas Pageant at the First Parish Church will be December 7 and 14 during church services. There’s a part for every child who wants one. Children will gather in the sanctuary (the white church) at 10 a.m., then proceed with the pageant leaders up to the Stone Church for rehearsals and performance at 11 a.m. Invite the grandparents and bring a camera, and be prepared to sing along! The First Parish also invites families to attend the Solstice Service and/or one of two Christmas Eve services. Please see the First Parish calendar for more information.

Old Town Hall Exchange hosts “Gift Local” event

The Old Town Hall Exchange will host the 4th annual Gift Local Artisan and Craft Show on December 13 and 14. This event will host a variety of talented local artists, featuring jewelers, woodworkers, and more. Stop by and get some of your holiday shopping our of the way while supporting some terrific local businesses. The event takes place on Saturday, Dec. 13 from 6-9 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 14 from 1-6 p.m.

Talk on bicycling history on Dec. 17

The Lincoln Public Library presents “Boston’s Cycling Craze, 1880-1900: A Story of Race, Sport and Society” with author Lorenz J. Finison on Wednesday, Dec. 17 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. Explore the rise of Boston’s cycling through the lives of several participants. Finison details the life of Kittie Knox, a biracial 20 year old Bostonian. Books will be available for purchase.

Wreathed in smiles (Lincoln through the lens, 12/3/14)

wreaths

Nancy Fleming (left) and Karin Levy unload wreaths from Wilson Farm at the First Parish Stone church in preparation for the Touch of Christmas Fair. All next week, volunteers will drop in each day from 9 a.m. to noon to help decorate the wreaths, which will be sold at the fair on Saturday, Dec. 13. Diana Smith is the head of the wreath-making activities and invites anyone to come help decorate the wreaths—no experience needed. They also welcome donations of red berries and greens such as yew, boxwood, arborvitae, etc. Click here to sign up or call Smith at 781-259-9759.

Library film series showcases Hitchcock silents

movie reelIn December, the Lincoln Library Film Society will present silent films by master director Alfred Hitchcock. Long before films like Psycho, Rear Window and Vertigo hit the screen, he directed several silent films from 1925-29. Hitchcock’s silents are wrongly thought by a few to be the work of a talented amateur struggling to develop his craft with creaky equipment and poor film techniques. Who says? To see these films today is to appreciate the burgeoning signs of Hitchcock’s genius: unique camera angles and movement, multiple points of view, the audience as voyeur, with special effects of dissolves, blurriness and violent cuts. Already the familiar Hitchcock fingerprints are here: one wrongly accused, ordinary people finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances, man on the run, sexual feelings strongly associated with violent behavior, all delivered with assured manipulation of emotion, management of suspense, and a macabre wit.
[Read more…] about Library film series showcases Hitchcock silents

Council on Aging activities in December

bemisLincoln Academy with Jim Cunningham and Rick Detwiller: A Historical Architecture Journey and the Barrett Farm Restoration Project
December 1 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, Dec. 1 at 12:30 to hear Jim Cunningham and Rick Detwiller discuss “A Historical Architecture Journey and the Barrett Farm Restoration Project.” 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. 

Meet with an aide to Congresswoman Clark
December 3 at 1 p.m.
You are invited to Bemis Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. to meet with Natalie Kaufman, Constituent Service Representative for Congresswoman Katherine Clark. She will be available to assist residents with Social Security, Medicare, and MassHealth/Medicaid. You are also welcome to discuss other matters with her that she may be able to help with. [Read more…] about Council on Aging activities in December

Holiday happenings in Lincoln

christmastreeBoy Scouts selling Christmas trees and wreaths

Lincoln Boy Scout Troop 127 will once again be selling Christmas trees, wreaths (decorated and plain) and balsam garlands at the corner of Lincoln and Codman Roads on November 29–December 23 from 5-7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekends. Trees from 3 to 10 feet high will be available. Proceeds support Scout activities and a portion is donated to support local and regional charities.

L-S and Lincoln School choral groups perform on Dec. 4

[Read more…] about Holiday happenings in Lincoln

News acorns – 11/24/14

acornLatest issue of Lincoln Review now on the stands

The November-December issue of the Lincoln Review is out. In it, you’ll read the latest on Route 2 by Dan Boynton, a beautiful and moving memorial of Father Drennan by Sylvia Pelosi Kennedy, and an  interview with exhibit designer Marjorie Hilton, who created the fascinating displays at the Town Offices that put a face on Lincoln’s veterans from the Revolutionary War forward to Vietnam, plus a trip down the Elbe River, an article on the flu season, and more. The Lincoln Review is available now on newsstands in Lincoln (look for Harold Smith’s pumpkin photo on the cover).

Film on architect Oscar Niemeyer on Dec. 4

The Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln present an encore showing of “Oscar Niemeyer—Life is a Breath of Air,” a film about the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Oscar Niemeyer, on Thursday, Dec. 4 from 7-9 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library Tarbell Room. The documentary, made on the occasion of Niemeyer’s 100th birthday, reflects on his long career and prolific output, with a focus on his buildings in Brazil’s capital city, Brasilia. The film includes many images of signature structure—designs that infuse his favored material, reinforced concrete, with exuberant liquidity. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Please stay after the film for light refreshments and informal discussion. For more information, contact Virginia Rundell at vq@verizon.net or 781-259-0201.

A capella night expands to include four groups next Friday

The a capella benefit evening on Friday, Dec. 5 to benefit LEAP (the Lincoln Extended-day Activities Program) will now feature two groups each from Harvard University and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School: Harvard VoiceLab and the Harvard Callbacks, and Accent and the Acafellaz from L-S. At the event from 7-10 p.m. in Bemis Hall, there will be a cash bar, food provided by Aka Bistro, and a silent auction. Tickets ($20 in advance, $25 at the door) are available at LEAP and the Whistlestop Cafe. Babysitting is available at LEAP during the event. For more information, call LEAP at 781-259-0615.

LOMA acoustic music on Dec. 8

The next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mic Acoustic) evening on Monday, Dec. 8 from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell room will feature Glenn Pettit, who will perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30 p.m. Pettit’s genres include Piedmont blues, folk, jazz and Far Eastern in a style sometimes reminiscent of Tom Waits and James McMurtry. Along the way, Glenn has composed music for off-Broadway theatrical productions and movie soundtracks. His dynamic finger-style playing and song delivery is in full force on his live YouTube cover of Reverend Gary Davis’s Candy Man.

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. Names of those who are signed up by 7:15 will be drawn at random. We have a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups playing acoustic-style. Future performers will include:

  •   January 12—Outrageous Fortune
  •   February 9—Peter Fischman and Deb O’Hanlon
  •   March 9—Fishken & Groves (SAMW appreciation night)
  •   April 13—Amy Herrera
  •   May 11—Lisa Martin
  •   June 8—Sam Bayer
Forum on preventing domestic violence on Dec. 9

Please join the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable on Tuesday, Dec. 9 for a discussion on “What an Ideal Violence Prevention Program Should Look Like” in our communities. The forum will take place at 3 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room of the Wayland Public Safety Building (38 Cochituate Road, Wayland).

Since the murder of Wayland teen Lauren Astley in 2011 at the hands of her former boyfriend, 33 other women and girls in Massachusetts have lost their lives in a similar manner, and many more have dealt with nonlethal but traumatic abuse. In Sudbury, Wayland and Lincoln alone, there are a total of 91 restraining orders currently in effect. The December 9 forum will discuss questions such as what new information, skills, communication channels and services we need to provide, and how we can protect women and girls and teach our men and boys about safe and healthy relationships.

deCordova gets new executive director

John Ravenal

John Ravenal

The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is expected to announce today that John B. Ravenal, curator for modern and contemporary art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Va., as new executive director starting in January. See the this Boston Globe article for details.

Katy Kline has been interim director since the departure of Dennis Kois last spring (see the Lincoln Squirrel, March 27, 2014).

Nature-related news acorns

acornTonight: film on extinct passenger pigeons

Join us on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust (LLCT) offices above the Lincoln Station post office for the first of four environmental films that the LLCT will be showing through the fall/winter months. From Billions to None: The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight to Extinction tells the incredible forgotten story of the passenger pigeon, its unlikely extinction, and its striking relevance to conservation challenges today. Almost 100 years ago on September 1, 1914, the last known passenger pigeon in existence died in the Cincinnati Zoo. A superabundant species of billions that darkened the entire sky disappeared in a matter of decades. What happened to the passenger pigeon? Follow naturalist and author Joel Greenberg on a journey to discover how and why this bird went extinct, and how today the story is more relevant than ever.

Drumlin Farm offers arts experience on Friday after Thanksgiving

Looking to start a new family tradition this holiday season? Come to Drumlin Farm on Friday, Nov. 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for “Giving Thanks for Nature and Our Senses,” an outdoor arts experience on the day after Thanksgiving. Follow our map on a nature walk through the sanctuary as local artists give trailside performances related to the “giving thanks” theme. Contribute your own expressions of thanks with family-friendly crafts and activities. Light refreshments will be served. Activities include:

  • Musical performances by the Bob Gadoury Trio and musicians of Lyrica Fest
  • Wildlife sketching with Gordon Morrison
  • Natural sculpture with William Turville
  • A puppet show by Deborah Costine
  • Storytelling with Ron McAdow

Cohosted by Mass Audubon and Musketaquid Arts & Environment. The program is free with admission of $8 for adults, $6 for children (free for Mass Audubon members and Lincoln residents). The event takes place rain or shine. To learn more about other programs, call 781-259-2200 or visit the Drumlin Farm website.

Speakers to explore nature education at deCordova

Nancy Fincke, director of the Lincoln Nursery School (LNS), and Julie Bernson, learning and engagement director at the deCordova Scultpure Park and Museum, will demonstrate the many facets of nature education on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 8:30 a.m. on the deCordova campus. We’ll begin in the LNS classrooms, where nature fluidly exists indoors and out as part of the children’s everyday experience and learning. We’ll then look at the work of several artists in the Museum exhibition who have inspired school, family, and adult programming that encourages personal and community experiences of nature. The deCordova and LNS initiatives work individually and together to bring children, parents, educators, and the general public into deeper understandings and appreciation of our shared environment, with the Walden, revisited exhibition fostering new collaborations with local organizations to expand and deepen this work in Lincoln and beyond.

Join the Sunday Walkers

Most Sundays throughout the year a group of (fairly intrepid) Lincolnites and others take a walk starting at 10 a.m. and then have a potluck lunch together. We typically walk for an hour and a half at a brisk but not strenuous pace, eat more than we probably should at lunch, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s a great way to stay connected with friends and see trails in town that you otherwise might not know about. Anyone interested in joining the email list and receiving the weekly announcements should contact Peter von Mertens at petervonmertens@gmail.com. All are welcome.

News acorns – 11/3/14

acornCorrection

A November 2 Q&A with state representative candidate Sharon Antia was missing a link to a document about Waltham parking regulations that she created for a Waltham resident. The document can be found here.

Several school-related meetings this week

The School Building Advisory Committee will meet twice this week. Its regular meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. It will meet with representatives of other town boards and commissions on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. Both meetings take place in the Hartwell multipurpose room and are open to the public.

On Thursday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., the School Committee will present a preliminary school budget for fiscal 2016. That meeting is also in the Hartwell multipurpose room.

Lincoln Democrats meet on Saturday

The Lincoln Democratic Town Committee will meet on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 1-3 p.m. in Bemis Hall. The public is invited and welcome. the agenda will include discussion of the 2014 election results, a review of 2014, plans for 2015, and elections of committee chair, co-chair, secretary and treasurer. Light refreshments will be served. Parking is available at the First Parish Church across the street. RSVPs appreciated; please email garyddavis04@gmail.com.

Babysitting available during State of the Town meeting

Lincoln’s eighth-grade Girl Scouts are offering babysitting in Hartwell Pod B during the November 15 State of the Town Meeting from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., but they need a minimum of five families to pre-register in order to make it happen. The deadline for planning purposes is Sunday, Nov. 9. Walk-ins will still be welcome, but we need a minimum to hold the event.

Please email Linda Hammett Ory at LHamme@aol.com and let her know how many children, their ages, and what hours they need supervision. If the babysitting event is cancelled due to low numbers, we will let people know by November 10. Babysitting is offered at no charge, but donations are welcome to support the eighth-grade Cadettes’ service trip to Puerto Rico and their work with the Waltham family homeless shelter.

Evening of a capella with Aka Bistro food benefits LEAP

The a capella groups Harvard VoiceLab and Accent of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School will perform at an event to benefit LEAP (the Lincoln Extended-Day Activities Program) on Friday, Dec. 5 from 7-10 p.m. in Bemis Hall. There will be a cash bar, food provided by Aka Bistro, and a silent auction. Tickets ($20 in advance, $25 at the door) are available at LEAP and the Whistlestop Cafe. Babysitting is available at LEAP during the event. For more information, call LEAP at 781-259-0615.