After seeing these “marshmallows” after a recent haying at the corner of Codman Road and Rte. 126, it seems all we need is a camp fire. (Photo and illustration by Alice Waugh)
features
Historic but dilapidated Flint homestead plans public event to raise awareness
The Flint homestead on Lexington Road.
By Alice Waugh
One of Lincoln’s founding families is hoping to maintain their centuries-old farmstead for years to come by raising money to turn it into a museum and education center — an effort that will launch with a public event in September.
A few years ago, Tom Flint and his sisters — the 12th generation of Flints who’ve farmed and lived in Lincoln — inherited the original Flint home on Lexington Road, along with about $125,000 earmarked for that building’s property taxes and maintenance. They’re direct descendants of Thomas Flint, who arrived in 1636 as one of the first European settlers in what would later become Lincoln. Some time around 1700, Ephraim Flint built the house on the west side of Lexington Road next to Flint’s Field. Tom and his wife Eri and young daughter, together with his mother Margaret and sisters Sarah and Sue and Sue’s husband Corey, live in a larger 100-year-old farmhouse across the road.
Over the last 400 years, Flints have been central to Lincoln’s history. But now the original home is in dire need of repairs. A study done five years ago said it would cost about $300,000 to get the house and barn (which dates from about 1750) to “a maintainable minimum level to keep it surviving,” said Flint, a filmmaker and educator. “This is not to renovate or restore it for modern living — just repairs and maintenance.”
Meanwhile, after a few of the most urgent repairs were done, the estate’s maintenance fund had dwindled to about $60,000, and rental income covers only about half of the building’s annual costs. “By this time it’s become pretty much a white elephant, unusable and virtually uninhabitable,” said Rick Wiggin, a Lincoln historian who has spoken at events outlining the homestead’s past and possible future.
The Flints hope that future includes a new life for the homestead and barn as a nonprofit entity devoted to educational programs on history, agriculture, and land conservation that includes a museum and antiques shop, and might also serve as a destination for weddings and other events. The family hopes to maintain its direct connection to the property, perhaps with a long-term lease arrangement, but the legal and fundraising issues are complex.
“There are a lot of pieces for this, and frankly we’re still trying to fit them all together,” Wiggin said.
Last October, the Flints hosted a pumpkin-picking event at the farm as a way to “strengthen our connection to the community, a growing portion of which is unaware of the unique history that has helped mold the town into what it is today,” Flint said. The success of that venture inspired them to move forward with bigger plans for making the property more accessible.
On September 15, the family will open up the homestead, barns, and fields for free public tours and attractions, including a reenactment by the Lincoln Minute Men. There will be an antiques market in the barn selling some of the thousands of family belongings that have accumulated over the centuries, ranging from farm equipment and furniture to alligator purses and top hats. There may also be an auction, but the Flints will keep a selection of historic items for future public display and as “props” for use by groups that rent the property for events.
Flint envisions a museum that will illustrate the evolution of a house, farm, and family over hundreds of years by exposing structural elements, furnishings, and even layers of wallpaper from many different historical periods (with echoes of the Tenement Museum in New York’s Lower East Side), as well as pointing out features that need repairs. “I want to preserve this historical and cultural relic for both my family and the town of Lincoln,” Flint said.
“We believe the Flint Farm is the oldest farm in New England and perhaps anywhere in the nation that has been continuously farmed and owned by the same family dating back to the 1600s land grants,” Wiggin said. “This property and the family that’s farmed it represent the heart and soul of the town of Lincoln — the living link between the town’s origins and the modern day.”
The Flints through the centuries in Lincoln
1636 — Thomas Flint arrives in America and settles in Concord in 1640s on about 1,000 acres of land that would eventually become Lincoln’s town center (now Five Corners), as well as Flint’s Pond.
About 1700 — Ephraim Flint builds the farmhouse near the end of the North Field, west of Lexington Road.
1745 — Edward Flint donates land for a meeting house. Shortly thereafter, his nephew Ephraim Flint donates land for a village cemetery next to what is now Bemis Hall.
1754 — The town of Lincoln is incorporated from parts of Concord, Weston and Lexington. Ephraim Flint is elected town clerk, selectman, and treasurer at the first Town Meeting that year.
1775 (April 19) — Mary Flint Hartwell (wife of Samuel Hartwell, a farmer and Lincoln Minute Man) plays a crucial role in passing the word about the British troops marching from Boston. Ephraim Flint and his son John march from their homestead to fight the British and return at end of the day with a British prisoner of war. Five dead British soldiers are buried in Lincoln’s cemetery.
19th century — The Flint farm grows and sells produce for the Boston market.
Early 20th century — The Flints are still farming and serving in leadership roles in Lincoln. They build four greenhouses to expand the growing season, but two are destroyed in the Hurricane of 1938 and a third by another hurricane in the 1940s.
1960s — Faced with development pressures and the economic decline of family farms, Warren Flint Sr. and the town create the Rural Land Foundation, selling some of the Flint land to the town to preserve it for agriculture and conservation. Ten lots are also sold privately
1989 — Two parcels now known as Flint Field are donated or sold to the town.
2003 — The Flint homestead is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the family agrees to preservation restrictions on the homestead property. The original home is occupied by Henry Flint, who continues to live there and farm the land until some time before his death in 2012 at the age of 95.
2014 — A study funded by the town’s Community Preservation Act produces a large maintenance and repair to-do list with cost estimates. Using some of the money left for this purpose by Henry Flint, a few of the most urgent repairs are made, including the roof of the 1750 barn. Still high on the triage list: $184,000 for basic repairs to the homestead and $155,000 for the barn, whose floors are unstable. If the homestead is opened to the public as a nonprofit, it will need lead paint removal, new wiring and other work costing more than $1 million.
2019 — The Flint family looks into turning the homestead and barn into a nonprofit entity that would serve as a museum and historical education site, an antiques market, and a location for weddings and other events.
Spencer wields pencil and pad for police work
Lincoln Police Detective Ian Spencer.
By Alice Waugh
Detective Ian Spencer is the Lincoln Police Department’s Juvenile Officer, but sometimes he draws a different kind of duty: creating forensic sketches of crime suspects.
Spencer is a trained police artist who interviews crime victims about what a suspect looked like. The sketch emerges after conversation and continual revisions of his drawing as he goes along to make sure he captured the victim’s visual memory as accurately as possible. His work recently paid off when one of his sketches resulted in the arrest of a suspect in a stabbing in Everett.
After graduating from the fine arts program at Burncoat High School, a magnet school in Worcester, he studied sculpture at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, a path that wasn’t too surprising given his family background — his sister is a music teacher and his brothers are an artist and a dancer who went to the Juilliard School.
“My dream job was a position in movie special effects, but that clearly did not happen,” Spencer says with a chuckle. When he didn’t get into a computer animation program he was aiming for, he finished his degree at UMass-Lowell and went to Plan B: a career in law enforcement. “Police work was something I always wanted to do — I just didn’t realize it was something I could have done earlier on,” he says.
Shortly after Spencer was hired in Lincoln in 2005, he encountered Concord Police Department inspector Jack Skinner, also a forensic artist, and with then-Police Chief Kevin Mooney’s blessing, he began looking into further training in the field. He eventually graduated from the FBI’s intensive three-week Forensic Facial Imaging Course in Quantico, Va., and is now one of the only FBI-trained forensic artists in New England.
As part of a small network of forensic artists nationwide, Spencer has applied his skills all over the country and trained with artists from as far away as Australia. His work has included creating sketches for the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, using his training an anatomy and age progression to try to visualize what a missing child might look like today.
“If a kid has been missing for years, you can look at photos of the mom and dad at the same age [as the child] and use that to estimate how getting older has changed the missing persons face,” he says. He’s also used some of the same techniques to recreate what an unidentified corpse might have looked like in life.
“Artistic ability is fine, but it’s really the ability to connect with someone who’s gone through a trauma and how quickly we can get on the same page,” said Spencer, noting that many of the people he’s worked with were victims of sexual assault.
Spencer’s sketch that resulted in an arrest in Everett.
The process requires Spencer and the victim to establish a rapport, “letting that person know they’re 100% in control and I’m a resource to them,” he says. “To sit down with someone and ask that person to go back in their mind and think of the worst possible day of their life, sitting in close proximity to another male they’ve never met—that gets really difficult, but sometimes those are the most effective images, “ he says. “In a way you’re revictimizing them, but their memory for this event can be the catalyst for capture, and there’s an empowering component to that.”
Over the years, Spencer has done about 100 police sketches, and perhaps a quarter of them have resulted in identification of a suspect and/or an arrest (though visual identification is not enough in itself), he says.
The sketch work has also broadened Spencer’s reach as a detective. “I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to bring that art component into police work. It’s paid such amazing dividends,” he says. ”That’s 100 cases I never would have gotten a chance to investigate otherwise. It sharpens your ability to talk to people. A pencil and paper can sometimes be as effective than whole team of investigators.”
“Ian is a tremendous resource not only to the Lincoln Police, but other police departments as well. It’s invaluable as an investigator to have that tool available,” said Lincoln Police Chief Kevin Kennedy.
Spencer is currently working toward a master’s degree in criminal justice and hopes to be able to teach forensic sketching in the future. In the meantime, he talks to high school students all over the state about topics such as vaping, drugs and online behavior, but he also tells them about his unusual hybrid career. If a student is interested in more than one field, “I tell them to look at it, examine it, and see if the two or three can be tied in together.”
Library books beckon readers with tantalizing outfits
The display inviting library patrons to “fall in love” on a blind date with a book.
Sometimes a book isn’t just a book — it’s a promising blind date or a ticket to a faraway land.
Since Valentine’s Day, the Lincoln Public Library has been offering a selection of “mystery books” — not whodunits, but rather books concealed in wrapping paper with only a couple of clues to help you decide whether this could be the book for you. They’ll be on offer until midweek.
Meanwhile, since this is school vacation week, the library is also offering prepacked bags with DVDs, books, and CDs focusing on particular destinations such as Florida, Italy and even outer space, even if this is a “staycation” for you. Reference librarian Laura Paryl, who’s been wanting to do this for a while, picked out and assembled all the materials.
As for the “mystery books,” the only clues for potential readers are genre, year of publication, and names of a couple of other “if you liked X” titles. Reference librarian Robin Rapoport chose them based on books that were successful at other libraries that have done similar “Blind Date with a Book” displays. Though she hasn’t read all the books on display, “there are definitely some personal favorites in there,” she said.
Rapoport eventually plans to post a list of the titles to relieve the suspense experienced by those who tried to judge a book by its cover (or wrapping paper), as well as response cards to find out what books people really enjoyed or didn’t.
Using film to build bridges between kids from different cultures
Tom Flint at home in Lincoln.
Film or video is often used as a tool to tell a story or record an event. But Lincoln’s Tom Flint is trying to expand that tool to bring together people from different cultures through the process of creating a video.
The goal of each program is not to teach students how to make films in the usual way (writing a script, creating storyboards, and shooting preplanned scenes)—“just executing what you’ve already decided,” Flint said. “I’m interested in other ways students can grow from the process, not focusing exclusively on making a good-looking product. It’s a discovery-based approach to filmmaking where the students don’t know what film they’re even making until they’re finished.”
Flint earned his master’s degree in art and design education from the Rhode Island School of Design last year after spending 13 years in Japan, where he taught English and film and did freelance film work. When he first arrived, he struggled to learn Japanese, but over time, he became immersed in the country’s culture and eventually married a Japanese woman. They now live with their two-year-old daughter on the Lexington Road farm where Flints have lived continuously since the 1600s (Tom’s mother, sisters, and brother-in-law also live there).
Last summer, Flint’s organization, Zoom-In, Zoom-Out, led a workshop where local high school students teamed up with some of his former students from Japan, shooting video at deCordova Sculpture Park, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, and Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Over the course of three days, the students got to know each other and then collaborated in planning, shooting, performing, and editing eight-minute videos. They used a video camera but no lights, tripods or special sound equipment, and did the editing on a computer.
There were just a few basic rules: the theme was “In Between,” and each film had to have a beginning, a middle and end, and had to have some kind of narrative twist. The story had to contain at least one identity-oriented memory from each member of the team, and the dialogue needed to incorporate each team member’s native language. The resulting films offer glimpses of how the students saw each other and the places they were in. They combine elements of cinema verité, scenic videography, and mood-creating story sequences with actors speaking in English or Japanese (usually without subtitles).
Checking the footage they just shot at deCordova are Mew Kano, Enzo Goodrich of Lincoln, and Keietsu Fukushima.
Along with Flint, the workshop was guided by Hiroyuki Oda from Gunma Kokusai Academy in Japan, and Paul Sarapas, the media and visual arts teacher at L-S.
Flint held a similar workshop at RISD over the summer where American high school students teamed up with teenagers from the Congo, Syria, and Afghanistan involved with the nonprofit Refugee Dream Center in Providence, which helps families who have been granted asylum to assimilate to life in Providence. “That turned out to be a fantastic experience as well, but so different from the one before,” he said.
Flint works with younger kids as well. This past fall, he led a film-making workshop at the Birches School in Lincoln. Eventually he hopes to offer after-school filmmaking programs for students in diverse communities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and eventually abroad.
“The overall goal is to break borders and build bridges among kids who would never otherwise meet each other,” Flint said.
Children’s librarian prepares to close Lincoln chapter of her career
Retiring children’s librarian Jane Flanders at her desk in the Lincoln Public Library (click to enlarge).
After serving as the Lincoln children’s librarian for half her life, Jane Flanders is retiring (no doubt to curl up with a good book), and Lincolnites are invited to contribute to a memory book and say farewell at a September 28 gathering.
Flanders, 62, said she “wanted to be a librarian since I was a little girl,” so the Lincoln job has been something of a dram come true. Assistant children’s librarians Deborah Leopold and Denise Shaver will take over her role in a job share—much as Flanders initially did with former children’s librarian Amy Govalis. “I just know that Amy’s and my legacy will go on with this awesome team here,” she said.
”It’s sad to leave. I love this place so much—I love the job and the community. It’s pretty great to come to work every day and just look forward to it,” Flanders said. “The patrons here are wonderful and so supportive. They’re more than just patrons—they’re really friends. I love that about this place.”
A point of pride for Flanders was co-founding a program where special-needs students from the Cotting School come to the library to help out. “We’ve learned more from them than they have from us,” she said. One of those students, Peter Garron, graduated and is now working at the library shelving books.
Being a children’s librarian for more than 20 years inevitably means that some of the babies and toddlers that Flanders read stories to are now returning and bringing their own children to story time with her. “At first I was kind of horrified,” she said with a laugh, ”but now it’s so great.”
Jane Flanders “in uniform” reading to children (click to enlarge).
Although digital technology has profoundly changed how and what libraries do in the last two decades, the children’s department has not been as much affected, she noted. ”Parents still want to read to their kids, and they still take tons of books out. We still have storytellers, music and so forth—we balance the technological life with basic but wonderful imaginative programs that don’t involve screens.”
Like most people at the close of their careers, Flanders looks forward to spending more time with family and friends and do a little traveling. She also plans to sing with the Mystic Chorale and get outdoors more—but one of her plans is closely involved with children: she wants to be a baby rocker for infants in hospital intensive care units when their parents can’t be with them. “It’s all about human contact—I’ve been wanting to do that forever,” she said.
Memory book and gathering
The library is inviting patrons past and present to send in up to two 8.5 x 11 sheets of well wishes or memories to her. Ideas include but are not limited to photos of children and families, stories involving Flanders, kids’ drawings, or titles of favorite children’s books that she helped you discover. The submissions will be inserted into clear sheet protectors and put into a three-ring binder.
The farewell reception is Friday, Sept. 28 from 4–6 p.m. with musical entertainment from 4:30–5:30 and refreshments sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.
News acorns
PMC Kids Ride is on April 29
The fourth annual Lincoln-Sudbury PMC Kids Ride to help raise money for the Jimmy Fund and Dana Farber Cancer Center will be held on Sunday, April 29 at the Lincoln School campus on Ballfield Road. Kids aged 2–12 ask for donations from friends and family and then ride their bikes around the center green of the schools (or for little ones, a “village” in the Hartwell lot). The event will take place from 7:30–10:30 a.m., with a bike ride, bouncy house, ice cream and other fun activities. Organizers also welcome volunteers to help with the event; to sign up, contact the Parks and Recreation office at 781-259-0784.
Preregistration is $20 ($25 on the day of the event), and each rider must raise a minimum of $30. For more information, see the Lincoln-Sudbury PMC Kids Ride website or email pattylevy.pmckidslincoln@gmail.com.
Barbershop chorus performs on April 29
The New Sound Assembly.
The New Sound Assembly will perform “The Spirit of America in Song” on Sunday, April 29 at 2 p.m. in Bemis Hall. The New Sound Assembly, a 23-man chorus of singers, presents musical programs all over the region and in England and Ireland. The free hour-long performance for all ages will be a mix of barbershop songs, patriotic, and modern favorites. All songs are sung a capella in four-part classical barbershop harmony.
This program is supported by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Hyltons honored at BU School of Law
Professors Maria and Keith Hylton.
Lincoln residents Keith Hylton, the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor at Boston University School of Law, and Professor of Law Maria O’Brien Hylton were honored with Trailblazer Awards from the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association (MBLA) at the organization’s 45th anniversary gala. The awards recognize “leaders who have enriched the legal profession and created career pathways for black lawyers,” according to the MBLA.
Keith Hylton is a prolific scholar across a broad spectrum of topics in law and economics, including tort law, antitrust, labor law, intellectual property, civil procedure, and empirical legal analysis. He has published five books and more than 100 articles in law and economics journals and is president of the American Law and Economics Association. Maria Hylton teaches courses on employment law, ERISA, contracts, and insurance law, and has numerous publications to her credit. She is the co-author of Cases and Materials on Employee Benefits Law and Using Civil Remedies for Criminal Behavior: Rationale, Case Studies, and Constitutional Issues.
The Food Project stages “Big Shindig”
The Lincoln-based Food Project will kick off its 27th growing season with the Big Shindig on Wednesday, April 25 at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts. This fundraising event, supported by presenting sponsors Bank of America and Linda and Bill McQuillan, aims to raise $400,000 to support the Food Project’s critical work with youth, food, and community.
This year’s event will feature youth speakers from the Food Project’s Dirt Crew and Root Crew and Leadership Award honorees Cassandria Campbell and Jackson Renshaw, alumni of The Food Project and co-founders of Fresh Food Generation, a Boston-based food truck and catering company..
Proceeds from the Big Shindig will support the Food Project’s youth programming, sustainable agriculture on urban and suburban farms, food system change, promoting community economic strength, and the distribution of fresh produce to expand healthy food access throughout the Boston and North Shore regions. Tickets are on sale now. Visit thefoodproject.org/bigshindig to purchase tickets, get event details, and learn about sponsorship opportunities.
Since its founding, the Food Project has grown from a single two-acre farm in Lincoln to an organization that stewards 70 acres of urban and suburban farmland throughout greater Boston and the North Shore. To date, over 1,800 young people between the ages of 14 and 18 have served on the Food Project’s youth crews, and the organization has harvested nearly 4.5 million pounds of sustainably grown produce.
Little League T-Ball registration now open
Youth baseball in Lincoln starts with T-Ball, which is open to boys and girls currently in kindergarten and those starting kindergarten in the fall. Players will meet on the Smith School fields in Lincoln each Saturday morning from 10–11:30 a.m., right after in-town soccer. The basic mechanics of baseball are taught, and each week features a practice followed by a game. Opening day is Saturday, April 28 and the season runs through June 16. Registration and more information are available at www.LSBaseball.org, or contact Chris Andrysiak at 781-259-3719 or chriscoach33@gmail.com.
Council on Aging activities in March
Lincoln Trad Jazz Band
March 2 from 12:30–1:30 p.m.
Come hear the Lincoln Traditional Jazz Band on Friday, March 2 at Bemis Hall. Enjoy old-time trad jazz that will have you up on our feet dancing and your hands a-clapping!
Painting in pastels with Juliet
March 5 at 10 a.m.
Express your vibrant self with the brilliant colors of pastels with Juliet Rago. She will begin with a short introduction to drawing for those who feel they need it. The class will meet from 10 a.m.–noon on March 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, and 23 at Bemis Hall. No experience is necessary. All materials furnished. Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. Limit of six. Cost is $40.
Lincoln Academy with Karin Flynn: A family divided by the Berlin Wall, 1961–1989
March 5 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, March 5 at 12:30 to hear Karin Flynn discuss “A Family Divided by the Berlin Wall, 1961–1989.” Karin will talk about the effect of the Berlin Wall on her family and how they held together despite political pressure trying to divide them. She will also read a few of her poems and tributes to people who helped her and her two brothers when they decided to come to the US and become American citizens. The COA 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. All ages welcome!
World hand drumming
March 6 at 9:30 a.m.
Hand drumming is a fun way to express yourself and enhance well being. Come learn the joy of drumming with acclaimed drummer Mike Connors from the Concord Conservatory of Music on 12 Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. beginning March 6. Cost is $156. Sign up now by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. No need to bring a drum.
Piano class with Wanda Paik
March 6 and 20 at 10 a.m.
Dust off your piano music books, and come to the piano class at the COA led by Wanda Paik. This class is open to all pianophiles, whatever your level, to play, share, and learn more about how to play and practice to help reach your goals. This class will meet for 6 sessions, every first and third Tuesday of the month (March 6 and 20) from 10–11:15 a.m. at Bemis Hall.
Mindfulness walks in nature
March 6 at 1 p.m.
Early spring can be a very special time to connect with nature through walking in a mindful way. Join naturalist John Calabria for a series of walks in some of Lincoln’s most beautiful places on Tuesdays March 6, April 3, and May 1 beginning at 1 p.m. Where the walks will take place are to be determined. Unplug, disconnect from the world for a while and let our senses come alive in nature. These are co-sponsored by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and the COA. For more information, including locations of the walks, go to lincolnconservation.org. If there’s snow on the ground, you may wish to bring pull-on grippers, walking sticks, or walking poles.
Surviving and thriving through life’s challenges
March 7 at 9:30 a.m.
No matter what your phase of life or what you have encountered in life, you can learn and apply the scientifically proven tenants of Positive Psychology to become more resilient and happier. Come to the COA at 9:30 on Wednesdays, March 7 and 21 and then every other Wednesday to learn practical strategies, share practices, build connections and support each other. Facilitated by Alyson Lee, social worker, life coach, certified and licensed facilitator of positive psychology. Funded by the Friends of the COA.
Declutter and get organized
March 7 at 10:30 a.m.
Decluttering and getting organized can seem overwhelming, but you can do it with some help. Come to a new decluttering group facilitated by Pam Mizrahi on March 7 from 10:30–11:30 a.m. at Bemis Hall to talk about why we clutter and learn strategies.
Selectman drop-in
March 7 from 2–3 p.m.
Drop by and visit with a member of the Board of Selectmen. Bring your ideas, feedback, questions, or favorite Lincoln anecdote. Whether you stop by for a minute or stay for the hour, the selectmen hope to see you between 2–3pm on Wednesday, March 7 at Bemis Hall.
Caring for loved ones at home after death and green burial
March 9 at 10 a.m.
For millennia families have cared for loved ones at home after death and buried them directly in the earth with simplicity and dignity. You can do the same today. Come to Bemis Hall on March 9 at 10 a.m. to hear Peg Lorenz discuss reclaiming these beautiful traditions. Did you know that embalming is not required; the deceased can be kept at home (two to three days is usual); a family can do the paperwork and transport the deceased; a cement vault is not required by law; both cremation and conventional burial have serious environmental consequences. Get the information you need to make an informed decision.
Proposed Town Meeting plastic water bottle and bag ban
March 6 at 3:10 p.m.
Students from the L-S Environmental Club will be at Bemis Hall on Tuesday, March 6 at 3:10 p.m. to discuss the two proposals they are sponsoring at the Annual Town Meeting to ban plastic bags and plastic water bottles in Lincoln. Get information about the impact of plastic water bottles and bags in our environment and why the students are proposing the bans, ask questions, and give your thoughts and ideas.
Town Meeting resolution on gas leaks
March 9 at 1 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Friday, March 9 at 1 p.m. to hear information about a resolution to be proposed at Town Meeting by Mothers Out Front Lincoln to support a bill before the state legislature, “Protecting Consumers of Gas and Electricity from Paying for Leaked and Unaccounted-for Gas.” If Lincoln passes this resolution, we will join many other Massachusetts towns which have also passed similar resolutions in an effort to motivate the utilities to fix the largest gas leaks.
Lincoln Academy with Steve Low—Jerusalem & At Tuwani: international law & local action
March 12 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to the Lincoln Academy on Monday, March 12 at 12:30 p.m. at Bemis Hall with Steve Low who will discuss “Jerusalem & At Tuwani: International Law & Local Action.” A retired business consultant, Steve Low’s frequent travels to the Holy Land have brought the Israel-Palestine conflict into sharper focus. His talk will address two timely questions: (1) Why is moving the American embassy to Jerusalem so contentious? and (2) Can Lincoln play a role in promoting peace? The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion. All ages welcome!
Free elder law clinic
March 12 at 3 p.m.
Got a question about issues such as estate planning, MassHealth, protecting assets for a loved one with a serious disability, guardianship, conservatorship, or probate? The COA is pleased to provide a monthly legal clinic with elder law attorney and Lincoln resident Sasha Golden on Monday, March 12 from 3–4 p.m. at Bemis Hall. There is no charge for the 30-minute consultation, but please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811.
Free wellness clinic for all ages
March 13 at 10 a.m.
PLACE: Lincoln Woods
Meet with a nurse at 50 Wells Rd. in Lincoln Woods on Tuesday, March 13 from 10 a.m.–noon. Blood pressure, nutrition and fitness, medication management, chronic disease management, resources, and more. Funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and provided by Emerson Hospital Home Care.
Explore what’s next in a new group
March 14 at 10:30 a.m.
Explore simple ways to have greater joy and meaning in your life in a new group, facilitated by Pam Mizrahi, that will be held every other Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. beginning March 14 in Bemis Hall. This group will help you discover what is truly important to you and how you want to spend the next chapter of your life. People in the group will share their in-depth knowledge and wisdom, do some brainstorming, and be supported in their endeavor to get more out of life. What you discuss in the group will be confidential.
“The Irish and How They Got That Way”
March 14 at 12:45 p.m.
Come celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Wednesday, March 14 at the Stoneham Theatre. Trip-goers will attend the matinee performance of The Irish and How They Got That Way by Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes). This revue is a celebration of a heritage that confronts adversity with determination, good humor, music, and love of life. It is a fabulous show, with excellent reviews, an uplifting musical that will leave you smiling. A comfortable air-ride bus will leave Donelan’s parking lot at 12:45 p.m., returning at approximately 5:30 p.m. This trip is rated easy, as it entails a short walk from the bus to the theater with no stairs to climb. Complimentary refreshments are served at intermission. The cost of the trip is $29 and is non-refundable. Space is limited. To reserve a seat, send your check made out to “FLCOA Trips” to Virginia O’Brien, 4 Linway Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773. Please include your phone number and email address. If you have questions you can call Virginia at 781-259-1291 or email her at vobrien39@yahoo.com.
Coffee with the candidates
March 14 at 1:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, March 14 from 1:30–3 p.m. at Bemis Hall, meet all the Lincoln Sudbury High School Committee Candidates who will speak about the issues facing our High School. Two LSRHS School Committee seats are up for election on March 26. This is your opportunity to meet the people who will be making the decisions that affect your life and that of your family and community before you enter the voting booth.
New group for spouses of veterans
March 16 at 10 a.m.
All spouses of veterans (whether the vet is living or deceased) are invited to join a group to be led by Priscilla Leach, Lincoln’s Veterans Service Officer. We hope that the spouses will benefit from getting to know each other, discussing common concerns, and having fun together. This month’s meeting will be held on Friday, March 16 at 10 a.m. at Bemis Hall, and subsequent meeting places will be at The Commons and Lincoln Woods. No need to sign up, but if you would like more information, please contact Priscilla at 781-259-4472 or leachp@lincolntown.org.
What you need to know about Oriole Landing and zoning proposals
March 16 at 1 p.m.
Important new changes related to planning and land use will be voted on at Town Meeting. Come find out more and have a chance to ask questions at Bemis Hall on Friday, March 16 at 1 p.m. Planning and Land Use Director Jennifer Burney and Assistant Director Paula Vaughn-MacKenzie will discuss a site plan review zoning amendment. Then, members of the Housing Coalition and Civico Development will give information about a bylaw amendment to establish a North Lincoln Planning Development Overlay District and a Preliminary Development and Land Use Plan. Civico Development is proposing Oriole Landing, a 60-unit mixed-income rental community adjacent to the Rt. 2 interchange, Mary’s Way and the Commons including 15 units (25 percent) reserved for those earning a maximum of 80 percent of the Area Median Income.
Lincoln Academy with Jonathan Ammen—Acupuncture and traditional Asian medicine: overview, modern research, and integration
March 19 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to the Lincoln Academy on Monday, March 19 at 12:30 p.m. at Bemis Hall with Jonathan Ammen who will discuss “Acupuncture and Traditional Asian Medicine: Overview, Modern Research, and Integration.” Acupuncture and traditional Asian medicine have become popular and enjoyed increasing acceptance in the western world over the last two decades. Today, many hospitals and academic medical centers are integrating acupuncture services with conventional care. This talk will include a quick overview of traditional Asian medicine followed by an up-to-date chronicle of the science behind acupuncture, how it works and what it can treat. Jonathan Ammen has practiced and researched traditional Asian medicine for 37 years. He currently sees patients and conducts research at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Lexington, and Peabody. The lectures last about an hour, including a Q&A period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion. All ages welcome.
Senior dining is free in your birthday month
March 20 at 11:30 a.m.
Lincolnites 60 and older are invited to enjoy a delicious gourmet meal with new friends and old at 11:30 on Tuesday, March 20 at St. Anne’s Church. Please reserve by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. The cost of each meal is $5. Caregivers are welcome to come with those for whom they are caring. Let them know when you call if you need transportation or a seating partner. The lunch is co-sponsored by the COA, the Friends of the COA, Minuteman Senior Services, Newbury Court, St. Anne’s, and the Lincoln Garden Club. Enjoy a lunch free during your birthday month—just let them know!
Coffee with artist Owen Beenhouwer
March 20 at 2:15 p.m.
Come have coffee with Lincoln artist Owen Beenhouwer on Tuesday, March 20 at 2:15 p.m. to celebrate his exhibit of photographs in March and April in the Bemis Artists Gallery. Born in Amsterdam, Owen has lived in Lincoln for 45 years, as well as New York City and four other New England states and taught architectural design at the University of Washington. Owen has done photography in black and white, then color, then slides, and now digital. He has been fascinated with patterns and structure and their beauty, both in nature and man-made, and urban oddities including water tanks, and reflections. So come see shots of buildings, bridges, stairs, flowers, glass and windows, overhead wires and more.
Coffee with the candidates
March 23 at 10 a.m.
Get to know the candidates running for local offices at the March 26 election by coming to Coffee with the candidates Ask them your questions, and hear their approaches to the issues facing our community. Come to the Bemis Hall on March 23 at 10 a.m. to meet with candidates for Lincoln offices including Board of Selectmen, Board of Assessors, Board of Health, Housing Commission, Parks and Recreation Committee, Planning Board, School Committee, and more. This is your opportunity to meet the people who will be making the decisions that affect your life and that of your family and community before you enter the voting booth.
Donating your stuff locally after you declutter
March 23 at 1 p.m.
Your 2018 decluttering resolution can be easier than you think. Come learn the best choices for giving your possessions a local home while making great strides to de-clutter your home at a panel discussion on March 23 at 1 p.m. at Bemis Hall. Hear about the transfer station with Laura Berland, the library book sale with Sally Kindleberger, Old Town Hall Exchange with Dot Taylor, and Household Goods Recycling in Acton with Linda Svetz.
Lincoln Academy with Evelyn Harris—Music: understanding the art of repetition
March 26 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, March 26 at 12:30 to hear Evelyn Harris discuss “Music: Understanding the Art of Repetition.” Evelyn Harris invites you to spend an hour with her as she discusses (mostly performs) music by four different composers (Beethoven, Liszt, Debussy, and Gershwin) and their creativity regarding repetition. The COA 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. All ages welcome.
Access investment information free through the library
March 27 at 2:15 p.m.
Did you know that all you need to access subscriptions of investment information worth hundreds of dollars for free is a library card? Having a card allows you to get information at your home computer on mutual funds and stocks from Morningstar, Valueline ratings, reviews of stocks, and more! Find out what’s available in the Minuteman Library Network databases and how to use them when Lincoln Reference Librarian Laura Paryl comes to Bemis Hall on Tuesday, March 27 at 2:15 p.m.
The Fireside Chat: coping with grief, sadness and disappointment
How do you handle grief or deep sadness, disappointment? Do you have any strategies to share, or tips to help others who may be struggling? Come to the Fireside Chat on Wednesday, March 28 from 10–11:30 at Lincoln Woods and engage in a lively conversation. Sharon Antia will facilitate the discussion.
School Building Committee update
March 30 at 10 a.m.
Please join the School Building Committee on March 30 at 10 a.m. at Bemis Hall for an update on the latest building concepts and cost estimates as well as a review of the SBC’s presentation at Town Meeting. The gathering at Bemis provides another important checkpoint for our community in moving collectively closer to a town-wide vote on June 9 for a preferred school building concept. For the latest information on the Lincoln School project, visit www.lincolnsbc.org. Questions or comments, email us at SBC@lincnet.org.
Healing motion for life: a free movement workshop
March 30 at 1 p.m.
Being in touch with the way our bodies move, and working to keep our movements unrestricted and fluid help bring health and clarity to every aspect of our lives. Join Susanne Liebich on Friday, March 30 at 1 p.m. at Bemis Hall to experience a variety of sustainable exercises including expressive movement, breathing and relaxation in a program sponsored by Deaconess Abundant Life Services and Newbury Court. Susanne’s movement practice helps you achieve body awareness, presence, physical strength, balance, focus, and serenity.
The International Museum of World War II in May
In May, the COA will have a trip to the International Museum of World War II in Natick with lunch at a delicious Thai restaurant. The museum hosts over 500,000 artifacts, letters, and documents including the famous enigma machines, letters, diaries, magazines, photos, secret items used by the resistance, and much more. Check the April COA newsletter for more information.
Couple at The Commons celebrates their 70th
Tony and Peggy Zarella hold a photo from their early days of marriage as they celebrate their 70th anniversary at the Colonial Inn in Concord.
A stolen date and a motorcycle begin a 70-year romance for the Zarellas—Tony, 94, and Peggy, 92 years old, residents at The Commons.
It was 1946 and Tony was on leave from the U.S. Navy. He was looking for a fun night out and convinced his brother to give up his date for the evening and allow him to go in his place. Pulling up on his brother’s motorcycle, Tony rang the doorbell to meet Peggy at her home.
Happily surprised by the unconventional vehicle choice for a first date, Peggy’s mother quickly took a picture, and Tony and Peggy were on their way for a long ride in the Massachusetts countryside. According to them, they “hit it off instantly,” but the budding romance was abruptly put on hold when Tony returned to the Navy to complete his service.
Peggy vividly remembers the day he came home. “I was out on the Arlington Reservoir on a row boat my father had built and I noticed something on shore. I looked closer and it was Tony, in his Navy whites, waving his hat to get my attention.”
Tony and Peggy were married on January 18, 1948 in Pepperell, Mass.
Tony and Peggy pose for a picture taken by her mother on their first date.
They began their lives like many of their peers, starting careers and looking for opportunities to become homeowners. Their lives were interrupted again when Tony was called back to the Navy to serve in the Korean War. Peggy was left on her own to work at a music shop in Lexington Center. When Tony returned, they had their children, Nancy and Neil.
Tony began a career as the chief engineer at Middlesex Hospital, and the Zarella family took to sailing on the weekends and enjoying the New England harbors. They eventually moved from their home in Massachusetts to Dorchester, N.H., in search of the great outdoors. They enjoyed exploring together, taking photos, and traveling to Florida during the winter months.
Tony and Peggy with family on their wedding day.
As the years have gone by—and if you ask them, those years flew by—they’re thankful for the amount of time they’ve had together and watching their family continue to grow. Now with three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, Tony and Peggy are enjoying the simple life—spending time with the family, not worrying about cooking and cleaning, and enjoying the programs offered at The Commons.
Seventy years together has taught them a lot. “We always tell aspiring couples to take every day as it comes and try not to get upset over too many things,” Peggy said. She and Tony spent Valentine’s Day together, organizing the photos from their 70th anniversary party and creating albums for their loved ones.
— By Rebecca Skahen, The Commons
Lincoln women rally on one-year anniversary of 2017 event
(Editor’s note: Click here to see Lincoln Squirrel coverage of the 2017 women’s marches in Boston and Washington, D.C.)
To the editor:
Last Saturday, four women from Lincoln—Lucretia Giese, Julie Hibben, Suzy Karl and I—joined the throngs of marchers on the Cambridge Common to commemorate and advance the goals of the first anniversary of the extraordinary Women’s March of January 21, 2017.
It was an unexpectedly mild January afternoon, and the crowd was a cheerful and lively mix of families, students, women and men, young and old (though predominately young), and even pets. There was not an actual march. Rather, one might call it a rally or gathering featuring several speakers from diverse backgrounds, including Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, and Cambridge Mayor Mark McGovern.
Two of the signs seen on Cambridge Common. (Photos courtesy Barbara Slayter)
We four Lincolnites largely milled around the Common with others trying to inch ever closer to the platform so we could hear the speeches and see Healey’s “The Future is Female” T-shirt. While we heard only parts of her speech praising activists for standing up for immigrants, safe communities, health care and civil rights, we had ample opportunity to marvel at the clever signs and posters and enjoy the presence of children clad in pink jackets, hats or mittens, and the many dogs with pink (even pink plaid) woolen coats. I had dusted off my pink “pussy hat” from last year’s march and joined the ranks of pink-hat-clad women!
Organizations touting their advocacy roles ranged from Jamaica Plain’s Grandmothers for a Brighter Future (of which there is an active contingent in Lincoln) to the Boston Mayday Coalition, which focuses on protecting undocumented immigrant workers from the threat of deportation. Issues were also well represented on numerous signs: “I March for 100% Renewable Energy,” “Save DACA Now,” “Resist Deportation,” and “Black Lives Matter.”
Left to right: Suzy Karl, Lucretia Giese, Julie Hibben, and Barbara Slayter.
The expansion of the continuing Women’s March agenda was reflected in the sign saying “We rise by lifting others, all genders, all abilities, all races, all religions.” Noteworthy was an emphasis on respect, dignity, and full equality for all people, which was reflected in speakers who represented not only women from minority groups but also those concerned about prison reform and violence.
Is last year’s Women’s March morphing into a movement? Is women’s activism, whether on specific issues or in seeking office, emerging into a significant political phenomenon? This remains to be seen, but the continuing energy exhibited by women activists is heartening. Posters such as “Grab ‘Em by the Polls,” “First We Marched, Now We Run,” and “See You at the Polls” suggest that we’ll be hearing more from the marchers of 2018.
Sincerely
Barbara Slayter
7 Trapelo Rd.
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.