The Lincoln Squirrel

News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

charity/volunteer

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Boogie down at Club Codman on Saturday

Club Codman, the annual fundraiser with fashions and music from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and beyond, takes place on Saturday, May 20 at 8:30 p.m. at Codman Community Farm. This 10th anniversary event will feature a live band with musicians you may have seen at school functions and local board meetings. No costumes required, but there will be much respect for the biggest hair and most polyester. Cash bar; adults only. Tickets are $50 each and are available online or by emailing info@codmanfarm.org. This event sells out every year, so buy your tickets soon.

Event for new empty-nesters

A panel conversation titled “Approaching an Empty Nest?” is slated for Monday, May 22 from 1–2:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Library. You’ll learn how parent panelists prepared, tips that helped during the transition, what was unexpected, what worked and what didn’t, and what their lives are like now without children at home. Presented by Embrace Change, a nonprofit support network. Free, but space is limited; register online.

Library closings

The Lincoln Public Library will close at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 26 due to staff training. It will also be closed on Monday, May 29 in observance of Memorial Day.

Letter to the editor: Lincoln Food Pantry needs your donations

Left to right: Jason Deveau (store manager at Donelan’s); Cheryl Rodgers; Gretchen, Nick and Peter Covino; and Nancy Cronin setting up the donation bin at Donelan’s. Food donations will benefit the Lincoln Food Pantry.

To the editor:

It’s challenging to believe that there are families in the Lincoln and Weston communities who rely on contributions to a food panty, but there are. Since 2003, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) at St. Joseph Church has helped Lincoln clients in emergency situations.

The food pantry, located at St. Joseph Church in Lincoln, was opened in 2005 and is now serving about 25 families (46 people) each month. This service is supported by the members of St. Julia Parish (Weston/Lincoln) as well as those from St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields and the First Parish Church. The pantry receives food from the Greater Boston Food Pantry and is also supported by the MetroWest Hunger Relief Fund for the Foundation for MetroWest. Most client families are our neighbors or those who work within our Lincoln and Weston communities and who are experiencing an emergency or a period of financial challenge.

The food panty relies upon donations of staple foods (e.g., cans of soup, pasta, rice, juice) that can be stored as dry goods. We are fortunate to have the assistance of Donelan’s supermarket in Lincoln who has created space at the front of the store for a collection bin. We are asking residents of our town to make a small donation of a canned or boxed item when they do their shopping. A sign above the bin indicates the items that are needed most at a given time, but any nonperishable food is welcome. The bin will be emptied each week and the goods transported to the food pantry at St. Joseph Church.

Please note: the collection bin at Donelan’s is for food bought at the store only. If you would like to donate other nonperishable items, please drop them off at St. Joseph’s. Enter the church through the side entrance on the left side of the church, where the ramp is. There is a collection bin right there in the little entrance hall. We are not allowed to give out food that is past the “best by” date, or is in damaged or opened packages.

Please make time and space for this important work. It is more necessary than you think, and your investment in our community will be impactful and most appreciated.

If you are in need of food or would like more information, please call St. Julia Parish of Weston and Lincoln at 781 899 2611.

Sincerely,

Ursula Nowak (president of SVdP, St. Joseph Conference)
33 Conant Road

Nick, Gretchen and Peter Covino
15 Mackintosh Lane

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Children’s maple sugar project raises almost $2,000

Lincoln School third-graders sample the maple syrup they helped make.

The third grade at Lincoln School recently completed its annual educational and charitable maple syrup collaboration with Nancy Bergen and Ephraim Flint at Matlock Farm, where the students tap trees, collect the sap, and learn all about the process, nature, mathematics, and writing along the way. Nancy and Ephraim served as guides to the students, sharing their knowledge and imparting an appreciation for this time-honored local resource.

This year the group raised $1,920 (easily topping last year’s total of $1,400) and made donations to the Ronald McDonald House, Doctors Without Boarders, and Codman Farm.

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No charges filed in 2016 bike accident

No criminal or civil motor vehicle charges will be filed in the wake of an accident in Lincoln on June 16, 2016 that claimed the life of Eugene Thornberg of Wayland. Thornberg, 61, was killed while bicycling on Route 126 just south of Hillside Road. The decision comes after an investigation by Lincoln Police Department, Middlesex District Attorney’s office and Massachusetts State Police. 

A second fatal accident involving a bicyclist last summer is still under investigation, Lincoln Chief of Police Kevin Kennedy reported. Westford resident Mark Himelfarb, 59, was killed in an August 17 accident on Virginia Road about 200 feet north of intersection with Old Bedford Road.

Eric Chivian to speak at LLCT gala

Dr. Eric Chivian with a Colombian tree frog.

The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust annual meeting and 60th anniversary celebration takes place on Thursday, May 18 from 6–9 p.m. at the Pierce House. The evening starts with a reception and music by Colonial Jazz with Jim White and hors d’oeuvres by Trail’s End Cafe. Wine and beer will be served.

After a brief business meeting at 7:25, Dr. Eric Chivian, physician and Nobel laureate, will give a talk on “Human Health and the Environment.” Chivian will discuss how medical models can help people understand the implications of our altering of the global environment by translating the abstract, technical science of these changes into the concrete, personal, everyday language of human health.

While a staff psychiatrist in the MIT Medical Department, Chivian co-founded International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985 for its efforts to highlight the implications of nuclear conflict for global health. He is on the Harvard Medical School faculty and directs the nonprofit Program for Preserving the Natural World, Inc. Copies of his book Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity will be available for purchase.

Bike to school on May 19

In celebration of National Bike Month, and in collaboration with Lincoln Cycling Safety Advisory Committee, hop on your bicycle for an environmentally friendly, good-for-your-body, fun ride to school on Friday, May 19. Don’t forget your helmet!

Dr. Timothy Johnson at St. Anne’s

Dr. Timothy Johnson

Physician, author, minister and St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Church parishioner Timothy Johnson will host a forum on the state of U.S. health care and what’s at stake with the new administration’s proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act at the St. Anne’s on Sunday, May 21 at 9 a.m. That afternoon, Still Your Soul will be a service of Contemplative Holy Eucharist, with time to soothe the soul before the beginning of another busy week.

Hydration station opens in Station Park

Lincoln Garden Club members Sue Seeley and Agnes Wiggin, and Lincoln DPW foreman Steve McDonald.

The Lincoln Garden Club dedicated the new public hydration station at Station Park in South Lincoln on May 6. The water fountain will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to stop for individual drinks of water and fill water bottles.

In a brief ceremony, Garden Club members thanked some of the people who helped create the facility, including Chris Bibbo, superintendent of the Department of Public Works, and his foreman, Steve McDonald, who performed the installation; and the Board of Water Commissioners and Greg Woods, superintendent of the Water Department, who funded the water connection. The Garden Club provided funding from previous fundraisers, particularly the garden tour in 2015. Sue Seeley cut the ribbon to officially open the hydration station.

Station Park was created in 1970 and has been maintained by the Garden Club since 1972. In 2015, the club installed a native flower bed with over 300 plants.

After that everyone enjoyed a refreshing glass of Lincoln water. The photos courtesy of Bob Wadsworth is of Lincoln Garden Club members Sue Seeley and Agnes Wiggin and Steve McDonald, Lincoln DPW Foreman. The other is of Denise Bienfang, Club president

Denise Bienfang, president of the Lincoln Garden Club.

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Plastic bag/bottle ban approved in Sudbury

Sudbury voters approved a ban on the sale of plastic grocery bags and single-serving plastic water bottles at their Annual Town Meeting on May 2, according to the MetroWest Daily News. The measure, sponsored by members of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s Environmental Club, was the same as one proposed for Lincoln’s Annual Town Meeting in March. That measure was passed over amid concerns about enforcement and objections from the owners of Donelan’s and Lincoln’s two new restaurants.

Correction

The May 2 letter to the editor by Valerie Fox about the Sophia Adams sampler misstated Fox’s title. She is the deputy town clerk. The article also had a typographical error stating the amount of money Adam’s father left. The correct amount is $2,133.73.

Garlic mustard pull

Lincoln’s annual garlic mustard pull is underway. Free paper bags for the collection of this invasive plant will be distributed to residents at the transfer station on Saturday, May 6 from 9 a.m. to noon, courtesy of the Lincoln Garden Club. The Department of Public Works has a designated area near the cell tower at its Lewis Street facility for residents to drop off bags of garlic mustard. Additionally, the Conservation Department will pick up full bags in neighborhoods through May 31 if you contact them beforehand at 781-259-2612 or trails@lincolntown.org  The DPW and the Conservation Department ask that you not put any wall lettuce in your bags. For more information about garlic mustard, click here.

Lincoln Directory on the way

In the library’s Tarbell Room are Lincoln Directory volunteers Graham Walker, Tucker Smith, Kim Bodnar, Kelley Raghavan, Barbara Low, Agnes Wiggin, Julie Brogan, Belinda Gingrich, and (front row) Kathleen Nichols and Elinor Nichols. Not shown: Cathy Moritz, Carole Kasper, Lindsay Clemens, Bryn Gingrich, Ian Gingrich, Paul Gingrich, Patience Sandrof, Mark Sandrof, Margaret Flint, Connie Olsen, and Susan Pease. (click to enlarge)

Each household in Lincoln will be receiving a copy of the 2017 Lincoln Directory in the mail this week. This biannual Lincoln resource produced by the Friends of the Lincoln Library contains a plethora of Lincoln information. The publication is produced by Lincolnites who raise funds, edit, design, put the booklets in envelopes and deliver them to the post office. It’s funded by advertisements, so be sure to let our businesses know you appreciate their contributions. Additional copies can be purchased at the Old Town Hall Exchange and at the library.

PMC kids ride to benefit cancer research

The Lincoln PMC Kids Ride for children ages 3-15 takes place on Sunday, May 21 on the Lincoln School campus. Kids can ride by themselves or get a team together to compete against other groups. All money raised goes directly to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. The three rides (a loop in the Hartwell parking lot for parentally supervised riders on tricycles, bikes with training wheels, and balance bikes; a quarter-mile loop around center field; or a two-mile loop through the school campus) are from 8:30–9:30 a.m. followed by festivities including music, dancing with a DJ, a bouncy house, a mechanical bull, arts and crafts, and an ice cream truck. Pre-registration fee is $20 ($25 on the day of the event: $25). Fundraising required minimum: $25. Click here to register.

Lincoln Tree Tour, photo contest on June 4

The Lincoln Garden Club reminds residents that the entry deadline for its tree photo contest is Sunday, May 21. Contestants may submit up to four photos of trees, located anywhere in the world. Pictures don’t need to be recent as long as they were taken by the submitter. Please read the photo contest rules.

Photos will be displayed at the Pierce House on Sunday, June 4 from 5-7 p.m. during a champagne reception to celebrate the launch of the Lincoln Tree Tour. The tour, which takes place from 1–5 p.m., includes directions to five special tree sites together with self-guiding information regarding distinctive features, history and botany. Children are welcome on the tree tour, but the champagne reception from 5–7 p.m. is an adult-only event. Questions? Contact Daniela Caride at danielacaride@gmail.com or 262-416-1616.

Run in ugly bridesmaid dresses to benefit Lovelane

Joanna Schmergel models her running gear.

Lincoln resident Joanna Schmergel is spearheading Runaway Bridesmaids, a fundraising running team that will be part of Run for Lovelane, which will benefit the Lovelane Special Needs Therapeutic Horseback Riding in Lincoln. It involves a team of women running the annual Run for Love 5K charity road race honoring Susan McDaniel. The race is on Sunday, June 11 at 11 a.m. in Weston. Runaway Bridesmaids will run in poofy, dated, and/or ridiculous bridesmaids dresses. Anyone who would like to join the team or has a dress to donate may contact Schmergel (617-645-9059 or owenjoanna@yahoo.com) to arrange for pickup. You can also stuff them in a trash bag and leave them at her house at 18 Cerulean Way. Runaway Bridesmaids are going to run at a very slow pace, and all team members who are willing to raise just $50 each and run the race in costume can be part of a group picture (in full garb) with one of the horses at Lovelane. Click here to donate or join to the Runaway Bridesmaids. To register for the race or start your own fundraising page, click here.

CSAs are up and running

Distribution of produce from Lincoln’s three CSA food share programs begins soon. The Food Project’s CSA farm share starts on Tuesday, June 6, while Drumlin Farm’s CSA begins June 14 and the Lindentree Farm CSA begins around the same time. The Food Project and Drumlin Farm also offer pick-your-own CSAs.

Lincoln School kids select two area nonprofits for grants

Lincoln School students with representatives of Youth in Philanthropy. Left to right: board member Laurie Cote, Director of Programs and Marketing Jackie Walker, and students Emilie Auger, Esther Adetoye, Amelia Pillar, Zaynab Azzouz, Sarah Lammert, Sonya Carson, Andreas Muzila, and Will Levy (click to enlarge).

Ten seventh- and eighth-graders from the Lincoln School involved with Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) presented $5,000 grants to Save a Dog and Lucy’s Love Bus after learning about several area nonprofits.

YIP is a program offered by the Foundation for MetroWest designed for middle and high school students interested in learning more about running a nonprofit, how donations are used, and what needs exist in their communities through a hands-on experience. For 15 weeks, the students (helped by social studies teacher Keith Johnson) learned about philanthropy, researched local nonprofits, reviewed their grant applications, conducted site visits to three nonprofits, and voted on the final grant recipients.

Although the students chose the nonprofits themselves, the money was actually donated by Lincoln’s Ogden Codman Trust, which funded a three-year program for students who live and/or learn in Lincoln. High school students who participate in YIP raise money themselves (Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School as well as schools in Concord, Wellesley, Hopkinton, and Natick have chapters). Since YIP’s inception, 1,100 area students have raised more than $1 million for the causes they’ve chosen. YIP also runs a four-day Summer Institute for Youth Leadership in Framingham in late June for middle and high school students.

For nearly 20 years, the Sudbury-based Save A Dog has rescued and re-homed abandoned dogs. “What we really liked about it is that it’s not just a kennel situation. They had a foster program as well, so people could see what [the dogs] were like,” said eight-grader Sonya Carson.

“This will greatly enhance our summer program for teens and allow us to keep the current teen coordinator as well as bring in an additional helper, who started at Save a Dog several years ago as a freshman volunteer,” said Shirley Moore, president and founder. “These teens will inspire others to continue volunteering in this program, providing enrichment for shelter dogs, and helping us find permanent homes for abandoned animals. We want to thank the Foundation for MetroWest and the Youth in Philanthropy students at the Lincoln School for allowing us this tremendous opportunity to enrich the lives of both young people and homeless dogs.”

Lucy’s Love Bus works to deliver comfort and quality of life to pediatric cancer patients by providing funds for free integrative therapies. It’s named for Lucy Grogan, who died of complications from leukemia at age 12. During her illness, friends and family raised money to help pay for therapies such as massage, acupuncture, art therapy, and therapeutic horseback riding. She dreamed of starting a program that would provide free integrative therapies to all children with cancer to help manage the side effects and late effects of traditional cancer treatment.

“It’s an honor to have been chosen by the Youth in Philanthropy students at the Lincoln School to receive this gift. I would like to thank them for their vision and generosity that will allow Lucy’s Love Bus to provide gentle integrative therapies to children who are coping with cancer in our region,” said Beecher Grogan, executive director and founder.

In addition to the grant giving ceremony at The Lincoln School, students involved in YIP programs at schools and communities across MetroWest are also making a positive impact on the region. Read more about the YIP program and their efforts here.

“It showed us you don’t have to be an adult to help; you can make a big difference even in middle school,” one of the students said.

New group invites residents to ‘tag’ gas leaks

Lincoln Mothers Out Front Gas Circle members (left to right) Staci Montori, Kate Dahmen, Trish O’Hagan, Sue Michener, Carol Michener Card. Missing from photo: Emily Haslett, DJ Mitchell, Jackie Lenth and Stacey Parks. (Photo from Mothers Out Front – Lincoln)

As one of its first actions to take on local and global environmental challenges, the new Lincoln chapter of the group Mothers Out Front invites residents to a rally and artistic event on Sunday, May 7 to raise awareness of natural gas leaks in town.

The event starts at 1 p.m. at the Lincoln Town Office Building with a welcome address and kickoff rally. Teams of “taggers” will then disperse to mark over 45 known gas leaks throughout Lincoln and hang doorknob information sheets to alert neighbors about the harmful and costly effects of leaking natural gas. Anyone interested in joining is welcome; please email LincolnMOF@gmail.com to sign up for a tagging team.

Natural gas is 95 percent methane, a potent greenhouse gas that speeds up climate change, harms trees, and is linked to health issues including asthma. The Cambridge nonprofit Home Energy Efficiency Team maps gas leaks in more than 200 Massachusetts cities and towns. There are more than 20,000 gas leaks in Massachusetts;Mothers Out front cites a recent Boston University survey of 100 of those leaks that were identified seven as “super-emitters” and 15 as potentially explosive.

Utilities charge consumers for the leaked gas they never use, and the Lincoln campaign is part of a statewide movement to enact gas leaks legislation. A law signed in 2016 requires gas companies to address “environmentally significant” leaks, or the ones leaking the most gas, while other pending legislation would pass the cost of lost gas from consumer bills to the utilities over a period of time. Senate Bill 1845 is currently before the state legislature’s Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy co-chaired by Lincoln’s state senator, Michael Barrett.

News acorns

Climate justice series continues with ‘A Plastic Ocean’

St. Anne’s Episcopal Church will screen the feature-length documentary A Plastic Ocean on Tuesday, April 25 as part of the church’s ongoing series of films on climate justice. The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. with a light vegetarian supper and the film will start at 7 p.m.

A Plastic Ocean brings to light the consequences of our global disposable lifestyle. An international team of adventurers, researchers, and ocean ambassadors go on a mission around the globe to uncover the shocking truth about what is truly lurking beneath the surface of our seemingly pristine ocean. The film captures never-before-seen images of marine life, plastic pollution, and its ultimate consequences for human health. The movie was filmed over four years in 20 locations around the world to document the global effects of plastic pollution, and to introduce workable technology and policy solutions that can, if implemented in time, change things for the better. Click here to see the trailer.

Discussion will follow the screening as time allows. The film series is free and open to the public, but donations are accepted to defray the cost of screening rights. St. Anne’s climate justice ministry is working to raise up the issues of climate change and environmental justice and to build a community of concerned persons who can make a difference for future generations.

Lincoln Internet guru to give Bemis Lecture

Andy Ory

“The Next Big Thing: More, Faster… but Better?” is the title of the next Bemis lecture to be given by Lincoln resident Andy Ory on Wednesday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Ory was named as one of the Boston Tech 30 by Boston Magazine “the most influential movers, shaker, thinkers and connectors on the technology scene right now.” Ory was owner of Acme Packet (acquired by Oracle) and co-owner of the new startup 128 Technology, which aims to rethink Internet routing. After his talk, Ory will lead a conversation of the opportunities, threats and challenges in the fields of technology and entrepreneurship in the 21st century, and the impact on our everyday lives. The Bemis Lecture Series  is free and open to all.

Free wellness clinics for all ages

Lincoln residents of all ages are invited to meet with a nurse through a free town service. Come to get your blood pressure checked, ask questions, or learn about wellness resources at clinics funded by the Ogden Codman Trust  and the Pierce House. There will be clinics at Bemis Hall on Tuesday, April 18 and Tuesday, May 16 from 9 to 11 a.m., and at Lincoln Woods from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, May 9. Services for all clinics are provided by Emerson Hospital Home Care. For more information, please call the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.

Food Project fundraiser on April 26

The Food Project will kick off its 26th growing season with the Big Shindig on Wednesday, April 26 at 6 p.m. at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts (539 Tremont St.). The event raises over $250,000 each year to support The Food Project’s youth programming, sustainable agriculture on urban and suburban farms, system building to improve community economic strength, and distribution of fresh produce to fill gaps in food access. The Big Shindig will feature inspiring stories from youth speakers from The Food Project’s Dirt Crew and Root Crew, and a celebration of Leadership Award honoree Leah Penniman. Tickets are $175.

Since its founding, The Food Project has grown from a single two-acre farm in Lincoln to an organization that maintains 70 acres of urban and suburban farmland throughout greater Boston and the North Shore. Over 1,700 young people between the ages of 14 and 18 have served on The Food Project’s youth crews, and the organization has harvested almost 4.5 million pounds of sustainably grown produce.

Letter to the editor: help with bat house project

letter

Dear fellow Lincoln citizens,

My name is Nicholas Soukup, and I am a senior member of Lincoln Boy Scout Troop 127. I am working on an Eagle Project to benefit the Lincoln community. For this venture, I am proposing the construction of bat houses to increase the bat population here in Lincoln, with the added benefit of decreasing the number of mosquitos.

To undertake this project, I will build 7-8 bat houses and place them in strategic spots (elevated, sunny and near water) around Lincoln. Boy Scout guidelines require Scouts to present the project to the town and request donations to be put toward the purchase of materials. If you are interested in contributing, please send donations to Chris Bursaw (Lincoln’s troop leader) at 136 Tower Road, Lincoln, MA 01773. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Nicholas Soukup
6 Woodcock Lane

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.