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

arts

Boogie down at Club Codman dance

abba

ABBA (photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Sport the great fashions of the past and boogie to music from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s at this adults-only annual event to benefit Codman Community Farms on Saturday, May 18 starting at 7:30 p.m.

See and be seen in your craziest dance attire! No costumes required, but there will be much respect for the biggest hair and the most polyester. Come dance, watch your friends lip-sync on the patented Codman air guitar stage, or just hang out with other Codman Community Farms supporters.

This is a great fund-raising event that helps support the farm. Tickets are $25 and are available at the farm or by emailing info@codmanfarm.org.

Peek into the lives of “All the President’s Women”

Presidentswomen-smSometimes what happens behind closed doors at the White House is more fascinating than what goes on in public view. Peek into the lives of some U.S. presidents, their wives and their mothers when the Council on Aging presents a free performance of the Delvena Theatre Company’s All the Presidents’ Women at Bemis Hall on Sunday, May 19, at 2 p.m.  All ages are welcome.

Have we already had a female president?  Could one of our First Ladies have murdered her husband while he was still in office? Find out which of our most famous First Ladies was committed to a mental institution by her own son! These intriguing stories are lively entertainment and promote post-performance dialogue after the performance between the cast and the audience. All the Presidents’ Women, written by Fran Baron and directed by Joseph Zamparelli Jr., features Lynne Moulton and Fran Baron in multiple roles.

The Delvena Theatre Company was founded in 1992 and has performed at various venues, most often at the Boston Center for the Arts. The company was nominated for five Independent Reviewers of New England awards.  Its production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was on Theatre Mirror’s Best List for acting, directing and production. Presentations of Anna Weiss and Beyond Therapy were included on Theatre Mirror’s best play list, and Blue Heart was placed on Aisle Say’s best list.

All The Presidents’ Women is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information, please call the Council on Aging at (781) 259-8811.

Cabaret Night tonight at L-S

sax Come hear excellent performances in an intimate setting by Lincoln-Sudbury’s instrumental and vocal jazz ensembles, as well as featured vocal soloists. The concert starts at 7:30 in the L-S Jazz cafe. Tickets are $5, with a $20 cap for families. Snacks and beverages will be sold by the L-S Friends of Music.

There will be vocal performances by the Acafellas, Achoired Taste, and Coro de Chicas. The evening will also feature vocal solo and duet performances of popular and musical theater selections. Performing instrumental groups include the Concert and Symphonic Jazz Ensembles (big bands), Jazz Warriors Combo, and Select Jazz Combo.

For more information, call the L-S Music Department at 978-443-9961 x2220 or x2210.

Book describes Revolutionary War service by hundreds from Lincoln

wiggin-adj-sm

Richard Wiggin displays a copy of his book about Lincoln soldiers in the Revolutionary War. (Photo: Alice Waugh)

Most Lincoln residents know that the town played a key role in the start of the Revolutionary War as the site of Paul Revere’s capture, but few know very much about the hundreds of men with Lincoln connections who served in the eight-year conflict that followed. Those stories were researched and collected by Lincoln resident Richard Wiggin in a new book, Embattled Farmers: Campaigns and Profiles of Revolutionary Soldiers from Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1775-1783, which will be available at an author’s reception at 5 p.m. tomorrow (Patriots Day) in the Lincoln Public Library.

[Read more…] about Book describes Revolutionary War service by hundreds from Lincoln

Embattled farmers, Antonio Gaudí, and John Lennon

Here are some more interesting things coming up in Lincoln…

book-adj-smReception with author of book about Revolutionary War soldiers from Lincoln

Monday, April 15
5-7:30 p.m., Lincoln Public Library

Meet Lincoln resident Rick C. Wiggin, author of the just-released book, Embattled Farmers: Campaigns and Profiles of Revolutionary Soldiers from Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1775-1783, at the Lincoln Public Library on Monday, April 15. He will sign copies of his book, and music and refreshments will be available.

Special note: Stay tuned to the Lincoln Squirrel for an upcoming full-length feature story about Wiggin and his book.

 

gaudi-smFilm on Spanish artist Antonio Gaudí

Thursday, April 25
7-9 p.m., Lincoln Public Library Tarbell Room

Friends of Modern Architecture / Lincoln present Antonio Gaudí, a 1984 film by  Hiroshi Teshigahara, on April 25. The Philadelphia Inquirer called it “an exquisite celebration of the bizarre brilliance of Spain’s greatest architect” while  The New York Times described it as “erotic… shocking… madly brilliant! Astounding beauty and boldness.” This event is free and open to the public.

 

 

Lennon-smNPR music critic to speak about John Lennon

Sunday, April 28
4 p.m., Bemis Hall
The Bemis Free Lecture Series presents a talk by NPR music critic and author Tim Riley on John Lennon on April 28. Riley will speak about Lennon’s towering contribution to rock ‘n’ roll in an engrossing three-dimensional portrait.  Riley has authored five books about popular music, including Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music—The Definitive Life and the influential Tell Me Why, a song-by-song Beatles commentary. He reviews pop and classical music for WBUR-FM’s Here & Now, and has written for The Washington Post, Slate, Salon, and The Huffington Post. Admission to the talk is free.

There will be an author reception afterward with wine and light refreshments. Tickets are $40 per person or $75 per couple, and proceeds will benefit the Bemis Free Lecture Series. For tickets, stop by the Old Town Hall Exchange or e-mail bemislectures@gmail.com.

Spring events in Lincoln

Here’s a selection of interesting events coming up in town. Mark your calendars!

basket copy

Fairy garden workshop at Codman Community Farms

Saturday, April 20
1-3 p.m., Codman Community Farms

Kids of all ages will  make a fairy gardens to take home. If you have a dinner-plate-size basket or bowl  you’d like to use, please bring it with you. We’ll have some on hand if you don’t. Led by Susan Cummings.

Please RSVP to sustev@comcast.net. The cost is $5.

 

 

Dr. Michael Rich

Dr. Michael Rich

How does media affect our kids?

Thursday, April 25
7-8:30 p.m., Brooks Auditorium

Ask the “media-trician” about kids and media! Lincoln PTO Parent Education presents Dr. Michael Rich, MD, MPH, of Children’s Hospital Boston (CHB), who will talk about the positive and negative effects of media exposure on our children. Hear the latest research about children’s use of media and implications for their health from Dr. Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at CHB. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The Lincoln School PTO also provided funding.

 

 

 
Lilies_tiny

Musical benefit for Farrar Pond

Sunday, May 5
5 p.m., 53 South Great Rd., Lincoln

Enjoy a chamber concert at the home of Laura Bossert and Terry King (53 South Great Road) on Sunday, May 5 at 5 p.m. overlooking Farrar Pond and Pincushion Island to benefit Farrar Pond. Wine and hors d’oeuvres followed by a chamber music concert featuring Arensky’s Two Cello Quartet and Dvořák’s Piano Quintet in A Major. See the Lincoln Squirrel calendar listing for details on the musicians.

Seating is limited and tickets are $75.  To purchase, send a check payable to “Massachusetts Audubon Society” (the fiscal agent for the pond) with “Farrar Pond Music Benefit” in the memo line. Mail to Ron McAdow, 59 South Great Road, Lincoln MA  01773.  We will hold your tickets at the door. Please include an e-mail address for ticket confirmation. The full amount of your tickets/donation is tax deductible. The money held by Mass Audubon is used to fight invasive vegetation and to maintain the dam and the beaver deceivers.

“Farrar Pond is a unique place in Lincoln where creative zoning has resulted in conservation land and trails around a beautiful pond,” said Farrar Pond Associates president Will Winchell. “The Farrar Pond Associates, associated trusts and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust work to maintain it in its natural state. There are a number of invasive plant species that need to be controlled to preserve the pond and we are dependent on donations to accomplish this often costly process. What better way to support Farrar Pond than a glorious evening of music, refreshments, and getting to know each other?”

Council on Aging events rescheduled

Because of the recent snowstorm, the Council on Aging has rescheduled several events:

Pops concert at L-S on Wednesday

music-notesThe Lincoln-Sudbury Music Department presents Pops Concert 2013 at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s Kirshner Auditorium on Wednesday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m.

The concert is free and will feature selections by the Concert Band, Symphonic Band, String Orchestra, Concert Choir, Valentines Quartets, and a grand finale including all of the music students performing together on stage. L-S Friends of Music will have snacks and beverages for sale, and donations will be accepted for the music department’s April Tour to Washington D.C.

Monthly open-mic event spotlights musical pros and amateurs

By Brett Wittenberg

In Spanish, “loma” means rising ground in the midst of a plain. In Lincoln, LOMA means Lincoln Open Mic Acoustic, and once a month at the Lincoln Public Library, a small hill of musical talent rises.

LOMA has its origins in the annual Lincoln Winter Carnival, where residents have been demonstrating their acoustic musical skills for years. This coffeehouse-type performance has been a Lincoln favorite for the better part of a decade.

Over the years, more musicians performed and larger audiences listened, and three years ago, LOMA outgrew Winter Carnival. “It was hard to find space for all the people who actually wanted to attend—we were getting over 200 people,” said current LOMA organizer Rich Eilbert. It was clear that to continue, LOMA was going to need a bigger space and some dedicated management. Help came in the form of Rich Eilbert, a Lincoln resident for nearly 25 years and seasoned open mic’er as both an audience member and performer. Eilbert (who has a PhD in physics and has worked on designing X-ray equipment for airport security) offered to organize the events moving forward, and the Lincoln Public Library was settled on as the new venue.

Under Eilbert’s management, LOMA has continued to expand, even bringing in some professional acts to generate more buzz, including internationally known folk musician Geoff Bartley.

“We were really glad to get Geoff Bartley. We had a big crowd for him—maybe the biggest crowd ever. He’s a very fine musician,” said Eilbert.

Of the musician’s newest CD, folk legend Tom Paxton wrote, “Geoff Bartley has hit another one out of the park.”

Whether it’s an internationally known musician or your neighbor’s kid, what makes open-mic performances like LOMA special is audience involvement. LOMA is a community-sponsored event, and it’s the community that keeps it going. No promises can be made for the quality of the music, but the performers and the audience are guaranteed to have fun.

“There are a lot of talented people in this town,” Eilbert said, and some of them can be found at the library on the second Monday of each month. The next Lincoln Open Mic Acoustic night will be February 11 and will feature Nancy Beaudette. Other performers and spectators are welcome, and free refreshments will be served.

Brett Wittenberg is a resident of Lexington, Mass.