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

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Fireside Chats coming up

Now that Lincoln has voted in favor of being a “safe and welcoming community,” what does it mean? How are we currently honoring this charge, and how can we improve? Anyone who has (or has not) been made to feel safe and welcome is invited to join the discussion on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 10–11:30 a.m. in the Lincoln Woods community room.

On Saturday, Dec. 22 (same time and place), the Fireside Chat will address “Healing Our Divisions.” Using Them: Why We Hate Each Other—and How to Heal by Ben Sasse, we’ll talk about why there’s so much anger in our country, how our everyday actions and decisions feed into this, and whether we can love our neighbors even when we have differing opinions.

CSA veggies for sale

Each year during Thanksgiving week, Lindentree Farm CSA offers an organic vegetable share for members and others—this year on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 20 and 21. If interested, email lindentreecsa@gmail.com.

Annual L-S alumni soccer game next week

The Lincoln-Sudbury Alumni Soccer Game is being held for the 26th time on Saturday, Nov. 24 at noon.  It’s a casual game for alumni from any era. To RSVP, email Tim Mangini at tim_mangini@wgbh.org or post on the group’s Facebook page.

Cradles to Crayons children’s clothing drive

Please drop off your donations of children’s gently used clothing at the Liepert home at 108 Trapelo Rd. in Lincoln (leave bags by garage door) for Cradles to Crayons before Friday, Nov. 30. Sizes infant through adult small. Most-needed items include sweaters and sweatshirts, but children’s clothing/shoes for any season are welcome. For a full list of accepted items, visit Cradlestocrayons.org. Email sarahliepert@me.com with any questions.

Buy crafts and gifts from local artisans

Samples of jewelry that will be on sale at the GiftLocal Lincoln event on December 1.

The Old Town Hall Exchange is hosting a local artisan/crafter holiday market at the Pierce House on Saturday, Dec. 1 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. On sale will be home-made chocolate bars, photographs, cards, woven household items, hand-blown glass bowls, upcycled mittens, jewelry, art clothing, knitted sweaters, soaps, and lotions. For details, visit the GiftLocalLincoln Facebook page.

Touch of Christmas Fair at First Parish

The First Parish in Lincoln will hold its annual Touch of Christmas Fair on Saturday, Dec. 8 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Parish House (14 Bedford Rd.). There will be many hands-on activities for children; Santa will arrive at 11 a.m., and children can have photos taken on Santa’s lap. There will be a baked-goods table and a handmade craft table, as well as second-hand antiques, housewares, jewelry, homemade holiday wreathes, and centerpieces for sale made by many volunteers the week before the fair. Lunch will be served from noon–1 p.m. Admission is free. 

Town seeks social worker, members for two groups

The Town of Lincoln seeks qualified applicants for the 12-hour-a-week grant-funded position of Town Social Worker. Under the direction of the Council on Aging director, this person will provide social work services to Lincoln residents under 60. Duties include case management, call reassurance and follow-up, and problem resolution as well as family counseling, home visits, and maintaining on-call status. A master’s degree in social work or an equivalent mental health field required with a minimum of three years of progressive experience. Pay range is $25–$30/hour. Please submit a cover letter and resume to Mary Day, Town Offices, 16 Lincoln Rd., Lincoln MA 01773 or jobs@lincolntown.org by Saturday, Dec. 1.

The town is also seeking volunteers for the Historic Commission and the Historic District Commission. More information on the mission and purview of the organizations can be found on their website. The deadline for submittals is Friday, Nov. 30. Click here for an application. For more information, call the Selectmen’s Office at 781-259-2601.

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Mass Innovation Night in Lincoln on Tuesday

This month’s Mass Innovation Night, where startup companies present their products, will be at Lincoln North (55 Old Bedford Rd.) on Tuesday, Nov. 13 from 6–8:30 p.m. The event features networking with entrepreneurs, experts, and sponsors. The top four favorite product/companies from online voting prior to the event (as well as the in-person favorite) will present five-minute pitches.

“Once Upon a Mattress” this week

Performances of the LSB Players’ production of “Once Upon a Mattress” will take place on November 14-17 at  7:30 p.m. at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. Click here for details.

Learn about using more green energy

Come join members of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee to ask questions about how you can reduce your impact on climate change or just listen to the ideas of others at an informal session on Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 1–2 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Ask about energy assessments on your home, energy-efficient heating systems, electric cars, solar systems, the net-zero school project, the community choice aggregation program, or whatever you like.

Donate or purchase items to benefit domestic violence roundtable

Each year, the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable sponsors a family from a local domestic violence agency for the holidays. These agencies need help to provide happy holidays for families in shelter and to meet the ongoing needs of additional families who have been victims of domestic violence. Sponsored families are anonymous, though the agency will share the number of family members and their ages. Match yourself with a smaller family to sponsor, or invite relatives, friends, and colleagues to join you in sponsoring a larger family.

For those who can’t sponsor a family, gift cards for food, clothing, and other necessities to stores such as Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, CVS, Target, and Stop & Shop are welcome. Wrapping paper, ribbon, and tape are also needed. Advocates from each agency provide help with “wish lists” for survivors and their children. The deadline for gift delivery is Monday, Dec. 3. To learn more about how you can help, contact:

Screening of “Westfront 2018”

The Lincoln Library Film Society will screen “Westfront 1918” on Thursday, Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. The 1930 film (in German with French and English subtitles) follows a group of German infantrymen in the trenches of France during World War I.

Dobrow to speak on new book about Emily Dickinson

The Lincoln Public Library and the Lincoln Historical Society present Lincoln resident Julie Dobrow speaking about her latest book, After Emily: Two Remarkable Women and the Legacy of America’s Greatest Poet on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. in the library’s Tarbell Room. Dobrow is a professor with appointments in Tufts University’s Department of Child Study and Human Development and the Tisch College of Civic Life. After Emily is the untold story of the mother and daughter who opened the door to Dickinson’s poetry. Copies of the book will be available for signing.

Works by Lincoln artist Milan on display

The Bemis Hall gallery will exhibit artworks by Lincoln artist Ellen Milan from mid-November through December. Milan has taught in Wisconsin, Israel, and in the Boston area. During a ten-year stay in Israel, she established regional art programs and a group studio/gallery in the Old City of Jerusalem. This show at Bemis Hall includes pastels, paintings on silk, and watercolors. Many of the pieces were inspired by the gardens and landscape in Lincoln at Farrar Pond Village.

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Election Day prayer services at St. Anne’s

St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Church is holding two simple prayer services on Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 6) at 8 a.m. and noon. The services will include prayers for our nation, and all are welcome. 

First Parish news: Monday meditation, choir, Advent workshop, book group

  • There will be an evening meditation session in the First Parish of Lincoln’s Stearns Room on the first Monday of each month starting Monday, Nov. 5 from 7–8:30 p.m. The evening includes two 15-minute sittings with a walking meditation in between. Following the sittings, we will introduce ourselves and read together a passage from a book by Thich Nhat Hanh and share our impressions. We usually have a metta practice, sending our prayers to those we are concerned about, and end with a silent minute of meditation. Everyone from Lincoln and neighboring towns is welcome. For more information, email Joan Kimball at selenejck@gmail.com. 
  • The church choir will soon begin rehearsing for its Christmas Eve services, to be held Monday, Dec. 24 at 5 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. and is seeking choir members. Anyone from Lincoln and surrounding communities is welcome to join the choir. Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings in the sanctuary (4 Bedford Rd.) from 7–8:30 p.m.
  • The First Parish’s annual Advent workshop is on on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 10 a.m. in the Parish House (14 Bedford Rd.). All children are welcome to join in creating holiday treasures. Crafts will include decorative centerpieces, ornaments, cards, cookies, Swedish hearts and more. For more information, contact Margit Griffith, director of religious education, at 781-259-8118.
  • The First Parish book group will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 27 from 6:30–8:30 p.m. in the Stearns Room (4 Bedford Rd.) All are welcome to attend. The book to be discussed is The Overstory: A Novel by Richard Powers and a New York Times Bestseller of 2018. The group will discuss the book in sections in two subsequent meetings.

Jazz concert on Nov. 14

Jimmy Mazzy and the Last Minute Men will present a Vern Welch tribute concert in memory of Welch’s contributions to the local jazz scene on Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 7–10 p.m. in Bemis Hall.

Holiday artists’ market at deCordova

On Friday, Nov. 16, the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum opens its 25th annual Holiday Artists’ Market with a variety of gift options, including handmade ceramics, creative home goods, jewelry and accessories, holiday ornaments, winter fashion, and more. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, Nov. 15 from 6–9 p.m. More than 25 local and international artists and artisans will participate n the artists’s market, which will be open daily through December 31, with extended shopping hours December 17–23.

Additionally, the deCordova store will participate with 700 other museum stores world-wide in celebration of Museum Store Sunday on November 25, when it will offer special one-day-only discounts and giveaways, and a raffle for a $100 store gift certificate. Hours: 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Town Meeting and election information

(Editor’s note: This post has been updated to reflect the corrected agenda for the State of the Town meeting.)

Special Town Meeting and State of the Town

On Saturday, Oct. 20, there will be a Special Town Meeting vote on the status of marijuana businesses in Lincoln starting at 9 a.m., immediately followed by the State of the Town meeting at 10:30. During the Town Meeting, residents will be asked to vote to:

  • Extending the current town moratorium on marijuana-related businesses from Nov. 30, 2018 to June 1, 2019.
  • Amending the zoning bylaw to prohibit all marijuana establishments (retail, cultivation, testing, research, product manufacturing, etc.).

Click here for the warrant. Previous Lincoln Squirrel articles: 

State of the Town

There will be no votes at the State of the Town portion of the morning, but officials will present updates on the following:

  • Campus building projects (10:30–11 a.m.)
  • South Lincoln planning (11–11:30 a.m.)
  • deCordova bylaws (11:30a.m.–noon)
  • Open forum (12–12:30 p.m.)
  • Post-meeting table session (12:45–1:15 p.m.)

Early voting hours set

Early voting for the November 6 election will be offered in the Town Clerk’s office from Monday, Oct. 22–Friday, Nov. 2. Hours:

8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

8:30 a.m.–7 p.m. on Tuesdays, Oct. 23 and 30, and Thursdays, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1

9 a.m.–3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27.

Voting on Election Day takes place in the Smith gym from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone who has not registered for the election must do so by Wednesday, Oct 17. Click here for a specimen ballot.

Twisted Tree set to open on Saturday

The Twisted Tree Cafe (photo courtesy Christine Doherty).

Saturday is opening day for the Twisted Tree Cafe, the Mall at Lincoln Station’s newest eatery.

Lincoln residents C.J. and Christine Doherty began working on renovations and permitting in the late spring, about three months after the Trail’s End Cafe closed. They will be open on weekends from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.

The menu will feature gourmet coffees and teas, toast and pastries, sandwiches, salads, bento boxes, and more. Among the new features: cooking facilities that will allow the restaurant to serve foods including eggs, breakfast burritos and grilled sandwiches; and online ordering for commuters and others. The furnishings include a countertop for those who want to work, as well as tables and chairs. 

The Dohertys, who hope the Twisted Tree will serve as a neighborly gathering place, may apply for a liquor license in the future. “We’re just excited to open the doors and start serving good coffee and food,” Christine Doherty said.

New restaurant coming to South Lincoln

The restaurant site in South Lincoln will have a third incarnation after AKA Bistro and Lincoln Kitchen.

A trio of owner-operators have signed a lease for the former Lincoln Kitchen/AKA Bistro restaurant site, with an opening planned for the first quarter of 2019.

Lindsey Parker of Concord, one of the co-owners, declined to reveal what the new team is planning to name the new eatery but said it would serve dinner seven days a week and brunch on Saturday and Sunday.

“The food will be contemporary American with a focus on purity, simplicity and freshness, taking advantage of the area’s seasonal produce… the restaurant will be a place to get honest and straightforward food and drink that is comfortable and affordable,” she said in an email late last week.

Parker’s partners are Sudbury residents Tom Fosnot, who will be the primary chef, and Ruth-Anne Adams, who will be in charge of the front-of-house staff and general operations (Parker said she herself will handle the “business and creative side of the launch”). The Sudbury pair has more than 40 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, said Parker, who met them about 18 months ago when their paths crossed while looking at restaurant spaces in the area. 

Fosnot has been executive chef at the Gibbet Hill Grill in Groton for more than eight years. Adams—also a trained chef who has more recently worked on the business side of restaurants—will be returning to hospitality and cooking, said Parker, whose background is in investments.

The trio plans to bring “not just a new restaurant, but a new restaurant experience” to Lincoln, Parker said in an interview on Tuesday. “Given the location and size, this is perfect for owner-operators who will be on site and behind the stove.”

The space “will also allow for interests in cooking classes, catering and take-out,” she added.

Asked what the new eatery can offer to maximize its chances of success in a site where two other restaurants have had to shut their doors (the latest after only 15 months of operation), Parker cited her team’s “kitchen talent” and “a more comfortable environment.”

Though details have not been worked out, the group hopes to do some events leading up to the opening that will “give the community a better sense of the menu as well as its style,” she said.

Letter to the editor: More details on Twisted Tree

To the editor:

We want to thank Alice for taking the time to speak with us and we were so happy to see the comments from the article along with the texts and emails we received.

We are still working through some of the last details but did want to clarify a small point. We will not be operating a British-style tavern—rather, we are hoping to create an environment where friends and neighbors can meet and spend time together. We hope the Twisted Tree will be a place for you stop in to get a great cup of coffee and leave with a sense of community, or perhaps a bit of news. In the future, we do intend to apply for a license to serve beer and wine with the intent of having mimosas, shandies, wines, and craft beers, but that will be down the line. 

The Twisted Tree Cafe will primarily be a breakfast and lunch spot. We will have mobile ordering for the commuters, tables and chairs for those want to relax, and a counter top for those that want to work. We’ll have hand-crafted espresso coffees for those that want to savor and big-brewed coffees for those that need the fuel. We’ll have an array of foods including fresh, healthy food, pastries, and vegan and gluten-free options. 

We look forward to serving you in the coming months and years.

Sincerely,

CJ and Christine Doherty
Reiling Pond Road, Lincoln

Twisted Tree Cafe coming to site of the former Whistle Stop, Trail’s End

From whistle to trail to tree… C.J. and Christine Doherty in front of the future Twisted Tree Cafe.

The Mall at Lincoln Station will have a new breakfast and lunch spot this fall when the Twisted Tree Cafe debuts in the former Trail’s End Cafe space.

Lincoln residents C.J. and Christine Doherty (no relation to the founders of the longtime Lincoln service station) recently signed a lease for the cafe space, which has been vacant since Trail’s End closed in March. This is their first foray into the food service business, though “it’s an area we always wanted to get into,” said Christine. “It’s a passion project for us. We spent the last five or six years creating a vision, and we were really just waiting for the right opportunity to present itself.”

C.J. Doherty owns a water/sewer excavation business and Christine works in pharmaceutical sales, and the couple also owns a property development company, she said. The former Medford residents, who now have three young children, “fell in love with Lincoln as we drove in minivans to get kids to sleep while had a cup of coffee,” and bought their Reiling Farm Road house in 2015, C.J. said.  

In naming their new business, “we wanted to incorporate what we think it an iconic aspect of town” — the twisted catalpa tree in front of the library… hopefully the cafe that bears its name will be a landmark in its town right,” he said.

The new owners described a vision in which their cafe “can serve the role of what a British tavern does in a rural town—a place where people come together, share a drink and some food and the events of the day, and get to know each other—a gathering place for the community where everyone can feel at home,” C.J. said.

Day-to-day operations at the Twisted Tree will be handled by an experienced general manager and assistant manager, the Dohertys said. Assuming they apply for a beer and wine license, alcohol won’t be served until at least a year after the cafe opens while they await the required town and state approvals, they said.

The menu will span a variety of styles and tastes, aiming for both fresh, local ingredients as well as convenience. Customers will be able to order everything from an egg and cheese sandwich on an English muffin to “more trendy items like cheddar and arugula on a brioche bun, or chia pudding,” he said. “There might be a $2 sandwich or a $9 sandwich, with food diverse enough to meet the needs of everyone, whether it’s a CEO or an electrician on their way to work,” C.J. said.

In a departure from the business’ last change of hands when there was minimal renovation, the Twisted Tree will have a very different look inside. “it’ll be as though it’s a brand-new place,” C.J. said. The Dohertys are also installing a range, griddle and ovens, which the Whistle Stop and Trail’s End lacked.

If all goes well with contractors and town approvals, the Dohertys hope to have a soft opening at the end of August and be up and running when everyone gets back to the school year routine in September.

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L-S students raise money for kids at Emerson Hospital

Left to right: Vicky Hopley from Emerson’s Pediatric Intervention Team (PIT), Gabriella DeSantis and Julia Hultin of the L-S Pediatric Intervention Club, and Mallory Harrison from the PIT. Gabriella is a senior heading to Fairfield University in the fall as a nursing student. Julia is a junior and will become the president of the club in September.

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s Pediatric Intervention Club (PIC) recently raised more than $500 through bake sales at the school, which they donated to Emerson Hospital’s Pediatric Intervention Team to support the Coping Kit program. The kits contain developmentally appropriate comfort tools and activities for children receiving care at Emerson. More than 30,000 Coping Kits have been distributed to children at Emerson since 2006. In addition to raising funds for the hospital, the PIC updates photos in the hospital’s Emergency Department to provide an engaging distraction activity for families in the waiting area.

Two library events to be rescheduled

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Lincoln Public Library has had to cancel the May 16 Cabaret Night with Mary Crowe and Evelyn Harris (to be rescheduled in the fall) and the May 17 session on President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to be rescheduled later this spring.

Vets and seniors can work for town to pay property taxes

Residents 60 and older or veterans of any age who are the owners of record of the Lincoln home they live in can earn discounts of up to $1,500 (for seniors) and $1,000 (for veterans) on their property tax bills by working for the town. Participants are paid the minimum wage ($11 an hour), and a variety of jobs are available in many different town departments and in the schools. For more information, call the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.

Farmers’ market seeks vendors

The Lincoln Farmers’ Market organizers are looking for additional vendors for the market that begins on Saturday, June 16 and will run into October at the Codman Community Farms from 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m. featuring live jazz music. Candidates include small, family-run vegetable farm vendors or producers of hand-made goods including baked items, coffees and teas, flowers, crafts, etc. Items must be produced or assembled in Lincoln or adjacent towns (no vendors with items for resale). Vendors must commit to at least half of the 20-week season, and there is a $10 fee per day. For details, email lindentreecsa@gmail.com.

Lincoln Kitchen shuts its doors; ingredients for a successful business debated

Lincoln Kitchen shortly before its opening in early 2017.

Just 15 months after it opened, Lincoln Kitchen shut its doors last week, leaving Lincoln once again without a restaurant.

Asked why it closed, co-owner and Lincoln resident Jim White said simply, “It didn’t work. Perhaps I should have known better, because there were plenty of people who turned down an opportunity to put a restaurant in that space. The difficulty with it, now that I know a little bit more, is there is just isn’t enough population density and the location is out of the way. Maybe we’re wrong and didn’t know what we’re doing… I live in town and I’d love to see something succeed there.”

Lincoln Kitchen opened in February 2017, nine months after the closure of AKA Bistro. In summer 2016, White and his daughter, co-owner Elizabeth Akehurst-Moore, signed leases for that building as well as the former Whistle Stop Cafe property nearby. Trail’s End Cafe opened in the latter location in October 2016 but closed in February 2018. White said he was negotiating a termination agreement on the Lincoln Kitchen lease with the Rural Land Foundation, which owns both properties.

In 2016, Lincoln resident Richard Card made an offer for the AKA Bistro space, but the RLF went with White instead. Card had proposed a business called Blazes, a combination bookstore, restaurant, coffee shop, and cocktail bar that would also host music performances (a website for the proposal is still live).

Card said this week that he planned to reach out again to the RLF but was also seriously considering a different site in town that he declined to specify. The biggest issue with that site is the septic system, he said.

“I was disappointed in the first [AKA Bistro] situation and I don’t want to lead people on when we’re not far enough down the line to have any kind of concrete commitment,” Card said. “I thought we had a situation with the RLF and it didn’t work out, which was disappointing to me and a lot of other people. One of the reasons given to me was that they went with Lincoln Kitchen  because they had a track record and [the RLF] couldn’t afford failure. Potential restaurateurs are going to think twice about going in there, as am I.”

If Blazes does open somewhere in Lincoln, Card hopes that a more “community-based” business with events like music and poetry readings will draw enough customers to succeed. “The idea is to spark a conversation, not just go in and out,” he said. “It’s a struggle because it’s a small community, but it’s not just commercial—it’s who we are to each other.”

In the wake of Lincoln Kitchen’s closing, numerous ideas for the site have been floated on LincolnTalk, but White warned that even a small food-related business must comply with Board of Health regulations, including licensed servers. “It’s not as easy to set up as some people might think it is,” he said.

The bigger obstacle, he added, was “people wanting to see a viable commercial district conflicting with why we all moved to Lincoln in the first place: peace and quiet and open space.” To have staying power, any restaurant in Lincoln “is going to have to be subsidized in some way, either by the town, if that’s legal, or by a wealthy individual.”