features

First Parish donates $25,000 to Waltham day shelter

June 25, 2014

Left to right: Dan Boynton and Susan Taylor, members of the First Parish Church Outreach Committee; Marilyn Lee-Tom, executive director of the Community Day Center; and Annie Preston Knowles, eldest daughter of Jean Wood Preston.

The Outreach Committee of the First Parish Church recently presented a check for $25,000 to the Community Day Center in Waltham to build a kitchen at their new site on Felton Street. This donation was made possible by a charitable fund established by Jean Wood Preston, a former member of the First Parish.

The Community Day Center of Waltham is the only day shelter in the MetroWest region. This drop-in center supports the homeless and those in need with legal, health, housing and job search assistance through counseling and case management. It also provides its guests with food, shelter and access to phones, computers and a mailing address.

First Parish Outreach contributed a total of $53,961 from the congregation this year to a variety of local and international charitable organizations. This is the result of the church’s commitment to donate 15 percent of its annual revenue to organizations that work to honor each person’s dignity and to cherish the living Earth.

Residents invited to join Fourth of July parade

June 16, 2014

The Parks and Recreation Department’s 2o14 Events Subcommittee Parade Crew is inviting all Lincolnites to participate in the annual July 4 parade. This year’s parade theme is “Lincoln: Something to Crow About!” to celebrate Lincoln’s pride in its agricultural heritage that continues today with numerous farms and hundreds of farm animals.

The parade marshal will be retiring Police Chief Kevin Mooney. After 36 years of service, Chief Mooney is stepping down on June 30, but he’ll make one last appearance in uniform for the town during the parade, when spectators will have the chance to salute his service to Lincoln.

Residents are also invited to create a float or creative entry that has some fun with the parade theme theme or our marshal. Prizes will be awarded for the most creative floats as participants march in the parade. Download a parade application here and email the completed form to eventssubcommittee@gmail.com or mail it to the Parks and Recreation Department, 16 Lincoln Rd. On the morning of July 4, please meet on Ballfield Road before 9:45 a.m.

Parade organizers remind paraders that throwing candy along the route is not allowed, because children are prone to running into harm’s way in pursuit of treats. Handing candy out alongside your float will be just as appreciated and much safer for all.

Parade subcommittee members are Maggie Dwyer, Michela Eckhouse, Sam Kupperstein, Riley McCabe, Eve Montie and Nick Virkler.

News acorns

May 29, 2014

Outdoor water use restrictions in effect

Under the annual mandatory restriction on outdoor water public water use, which runs from May 1 through September 30, outdoor water use is allowed only twice a week depending on your house number. Even-numbered houses may use outdoor water on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays, while odd-numbered houses may do so on Wednesdays and/or Fridays. All water use must take place between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Drip irrigation is allowed only on the specified days but may be done at any hour of the day. Restricted activities included:

Irrigating of lawns via sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems;
Washing vehicles except in a commercial car wash or for operator safety;
Washing exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways or sidewalks, except as necessary to apply surface treatments such as paint, stain, or stucco.

Exceptions include irrigation to establish a new lawn and plantings during the months of May and September and watering lawns, gardens, flowers and ornamental plants by means of a hand-held hose. For complete details, see this Lincoln Water Department web page.

Last LOMA open mike night of the year is June 9

The Creek River String Band (CRSB) will perform at LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mike Acoustic) on Monday, June 9 from 7-10 p.m. in Bemis Hall. CRSB has been making waves in the New England music scene with a mix of bluegrass,Tex-Mex, folk, pop and blues tunes! Band members are Stroker Rogovin (accordion, vocals), Jeremy Majewski (banjo), Doug Turnbull (mando, guitar, vocals), Fred Kosak (guitar, mando, vocals), Kim Patch (fiddle) and Eric Smalley (Bass). CRSB performs regularly at local venues, such as Sally O’Briens and Precinct. They recently released their first EP, Creek River String Band.

LOMA is a monthly event. Perform or just come listen to acoustic music and spoken word. Admission is free and refreshments are provided. Performers can sign up at the event or email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com before noon of the open-mike day for a slot. Names of those who are signed up by 7:15 will be drawn at random. We have a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups playing acoustic-style. Brad Meyer and Brent Clark ably handle the sound. We expect everyone will have a chance to perform, but in case of overflow, the first 20 performers to sign up will be given priority.

The fall lineup for LOMA will include Julie Dougherty on September 8, the Wednesdays on October 20, the Rafters on November 10, and Glenn Pettit on December 8.

Codman barbecue and campout coming up

Join other Codman Community Farms members for a fun family overnight to support the farm. Pitch your tent at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 14. Dinner catered by Blue Ribbon Barbecue, plus s’mores, games and an old-fashioned singalong around the campfire. There will be breakfast on Sunday with coffee, orange juice and bagels. A tent site is $30 and includes breakfast for all campers in the tent. Tickets ($25 for adults, $15 for children under 12) need to be purchased by all campers and are also available to those just wishing to come for the evening. Reserve online at www.codmanfarm.org, call 781-259-0456 or email info@codmanfarm.org.

Summer wellness clinics

Lincoln residents of all ages are invited to meet with a nurse through a free town service. Come to get your blood pressure and/or body mass index checked, ask questions, or learn about wellness resources. Clinics will be held at the Community Building at Lincoln Woods (50 Wells Rd.) from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, June 13 and Friday, July 11. These clinics are funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and provided by Emerson Hospital Home Care. For more information, please call the Council on Aging at (781-259-8811.

See “Snakes of New England” up close and personal

Rick Roth, snake expert and director of the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team, will talk about the lives and habits of his favorite snakes from New England and around the world on Saturday, June 14 from 3-4 p.m. in Hartwell Pod B. This show-and-tell will allow the audience to see these creatures up close… or at a safe distance. Co-sponsored by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and the Parks and Recreation Department. Suggested donation of $5, or $15 for a family of three or more.

Donate bicycles to Bikes Not Bombs

The Lincoln Recycling Committee is holding its third annual bike drive for Bikes Not Bombs on Saturday, June 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Hartwell parking lot. All types of bikes, adult or children’s, in any condition, parts, and/or condition are appreciated. The committee will partner with Bikes Not Bombs, which ships about 5,000 donated bikes to economic development projects in Ghana, Tanzania, Guatemala and Nevis Island each year. The remaining collected bikes are used in the organization’s Jamaica Plain location for the youth Earn-a-Bike programs, and others are repaired by teenage mechanics as part of their vocational training programs. Bikes Not Bombs requests a $10 per bike donation to defray storage, processing and shipping costs. The organization can provide a signed, dated receipt for the cash donation and the value of each donated bicycle. To learn more, contact Laura Berland at 781-259-8149 or lauraberland@comcast.net, or Bernadette Quirk at 781-259-3186 or quirkx4@msn.com.

Crafts workshops for kids and parents

The Old Town Hall Exchange is offering four intergenerational crafts workshops at Bemis Hall featuring artists associated with the Exchange. The workshops are for middle or high school students and adults. Each workshop costs $15 per person. Please sign up by calling the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.

Precious Metal Clay Jewelry—Join Hilary Taylor of Merlin’s Silver Star Studio on Wednesday, July 2 from 1- 2:30 p.m. to make a pendant or pair of earrings using clay embedded with fine silver. After firing, the clay burns off, leaving the piece in silver. Bring items with texture (bits of nature, lace fabric, a piece of metal with a texture) to use in your piece. No experience is needed and we are sure you will enjoy your finished piece! You’ll receive your piece 10 days later.
Mixed media collage—Learn to make a mixed media collage with artist Laurie Bogdan on Wednesday, July 9 from 1-2:30 p.m. Laurie will show you how to take everyday objects—game set pieces, magazine and catalog pictures, fabric, photos, and more — and combine them into a beautiful, sometimes whimsical collage using glue, paint, markers, and anything else you can imagine.
Chain Maille Jewelry—On Wednesday, July 16 at 1 p.m., Shing Hsieh will show you how to create chain maille jewelry by weaving together metal jump rings in a 2.5-hour workshop. She will demonstrate two different techniques: the byzantine and mobius weaves. Participants will leave class with a pair of earrings and, time permitting, the option to start a bracelet. Participants should bring two pairs of flat nose or needle nose pliers, preferably without teeth, but bring what you have and we can modify at workshop.
Instant Books—Learn how to make a book out of one piece of paper in a matter of minutes with Suzette Durso on Wednesday, July 23 from 1-2:30 p.m. Each page of this book will have a pocket where small photographs or business cards can be stored. This book is small enough to fit in a pocketbook or a back pocket. Books can be decorated with flowers and ribbon.

These workshops are supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Cows try “Escape from Alcatraz”

May 7, 2014

The escapee cows as photographed by Old Sudbury Road resident Julie Brogan though her window.

A Lincoln police cruiser was on hand to keep order until the cows came home.

A group of adventurous bovines apparently took “spring break” to a new level, briefly escaping from their pasture on Old Sudbury Road before being returned to their enclosure with no harm done.

The cows were photographed by alert resident Julie Brogan after they apparently escaped from their enclosure and strolled down the road on a stormy day in late April. Lincoln police were called and responded quickly, though fortunately there was no need for a high-speed chase. Police arrived at about the same time as the cows’ farmer, who herded his charges back home.

“They decided to take a little nature walk in a rainy day,” said Lincoln Police Officer Ian Spencer. “I guess they needed a change of scenery and decided to break out.”

More things to do in Lincoln this month

May 2, 2014

Theater now, music later on at L-S

The LSB Players at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School will stage the final two performances of The 39 Steps tonight and tomorrow, May 2 and 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Kirschner Auditorium. Based on the classic Hitchcock movie, The 39 Steps is an hilarious farce of mistaken identity, who done it, and deadpan humor. Produced in conjunction with the English Department’s Drama in Production class, the show will incorporate complex stagecraft sure to be crowd-pleasing. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Go to the LSB Tickets webpage to reserve seats.

Also at L-S in May, the Lincoln-Sudbury Civic Orchestra (LSCO) will wrap up its 2013-2014 season with its spring concert on Friday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m. Interim Conductor Ray Daniels will direct the orchestra in the overture to Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute, Gabriel Faure’s Pavane for a Dead Princess, Alexander Borodin’s On the Steppes of Central Asia, and Felix Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony (#5). L-S senior and Sudbury resident Emily Liang is the featured soloist in the Concerto in A minor, RV 356, by Antonio Vivaldi. Admission is a suggested donation of $10 for adults or $5 for students and senior citizens. A reception will follow the concert.

LSCO is a volunteer community orchestra comprising high school students and adult community members who share a love for preparing and performing substantial orchestral repertoire. The members have classical music training at the intermediate to advanced level and rehearse weekly. Neither professional performing experience nor residence in Lincoln or Sudbury are requirements for membership. Daniels also serves as associate conductor for the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra and has conducted symphony orchestras throughout the U.S.

For more information about this concert or about participation as a performing member, contact the orchestra at lscivicorchestra@gmail.com.

Spring cleanup at Codman this weekend

Please join us for Codman Farm’s Volunteer Spring Cleanup Work Day on Saturday, May 3 starting at 8:30 a.m. Come for the day or come for an hour. Volunteers will be treated to a great lunch. We’ll find a task to suit your energy level and time commitment. Tasks include:

Barn cleanup
Refrigerator shelf cleaning
Brush burning
Wood pile moving
Wood chip spreading
Sugar shack cleanout
General trash pickup (tell the kids it’s a hunt!)
Painting

Dance Spot at deCordova.

Dance outside at deCordova on Sunday

Try out your moves on outdoor dance floors in the deCordova Sculpture Park on Sunday, May 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Multimedia artist Elisa H. Hamilton pairs colorful diagrams, site-specific dance routines and songs in her participatory installation Dance Spot. Free with admission or membership.

Also on Sunday at the deCordova: celebrate jewelry artist Wiwat Kamolpornwijit, Artist of the Month at the deCordova Store for May 2014, during a drop-in weekend reception at 2 p.m. Admission to deCordova Store is always free.

Garden Club fundraising sale is on May 10

Get out your trowels and potting soil—it’s time for the Lincoln Garden Club’s biennial fundraiser plant sale on Saturday, May 10 at the Codman Barn. There will be something for every type of garden including perennials from local gardens, rare and unusual specimens, patio planters, herbs and shade plants. This year we have an abundant number of peonies and unusual lilies and irises, as well as hostas, ornamental grasses, echinacea, daisies, geraniums, anemones, spirea, trillium, astilbe, bee balm, bleeding heart, coriopsis, rubeckia, and much more. To entertain the kids, the Garden Club has a fun hands-on craft planned that will make a perfect Mother’s Day gift.

Plants will be sold from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., so plan to spend the morning browsing for plants. This fundraiser supports the Garden Club activities such as the planter in front of the library, floral arrangements for home-bound residents, and public lectures on gardening topics. Questions? Email Belinda.gingrich@verizon.net. Learn more on the Lincoln Garden Club website and hear news about meetings and events.

A capella night to support LEAP

Join fellow Lincolnites for a night of a capella at Bemis Hall on Friday, May 16 from 7-10 p.m. to support LEAP (the Lincoln Extended-day Activities Program). There will be food, drinks and fun, as well as a silent auction and raffle to support LEAP, Lincoln’s longtime afterschool program. Prizes to bid on include dinner and a movie with babysitting, gift certificates to salons, a basket of wine, a loaf of bread every month for six months from Nashoba Valley Bakery, 18 holes of golf, Red Sox tickets, and more. Tickets are $25 ($30 at the door). Come to LEAP to purchase tickets in advance. Child care for the event will be provided at LEAP for $10 per child. Reserve a spot by May 14. To donate something to our benefit auction or raffle, please contact Kathryn Hawkins at978-505-8751.

Rev. Daniel MacDonald and Eva Elder of St. Anne’s show off their pie-baking skills.

Pie-baking competition at St. Anne’s on May 16

St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church is hosting a pie-baking competition as a fundraiser for the youth mission trip this summer. The event takes place starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 16 in Flint Hall. We’ll have pies for judging, pies for eating and pies for buying.

You can submit a pie to be judged in any one of four pie categories (fruit, custard and cream, savory, and exotic); prizes will be awarded for each category as well as Best in Show. Register online at www.stanneslincoln.org. There will also be a pizza pie dinner and live music with admission to this fabulous event. Come hear more about our mission trip to New York City in July, and help support its funding by entering a pie, or buying a pie, or just coming to enjoy the festivities.

“What Makes Me White?”

The Lincoln METCO Coordinating Committee (MCC) will present the 45-minute film What Makes Me White? on Monday, May 19 at 6 p.m. in the Brooks Auditorium. The documentary discusses the role of race in the daily lives of white people. Designed as a gentle tool for the classroom, boardroom, and house of worship, the film avoids blame, guilt, or “political correctness.” The hope is to inspire individuals to reflect on the invisible influence of whiteness on personality and life. The audience will engage in a discussion of the feelings and thoughts raised by the film. Students in grades 6-8 can also see the film on Wednesday, May 21 at 12:40 p.m. Lunch will be provided courtesy of the MCC.

Thursday event to recruit help for South Sudanese women

February 19, 2014

The Circle of Giving for South Sudanese Women includes (top row) Janet Ready, Cathy Rogers, Nancy Fleming, Ann Helmus and (bottom row) Ellen Matathia, Susan Winship, Anne Doyle and Bean Nardi. Photo courtesy Sandy Storer.

By Alice Waugh

Lincoln women are invited to an open house on Thursday hosted by the Circle of Giving for South Sudanese Women, a grassroots organization that grew out of efforts several years ago by Lincoln resident Susan Winship and others to help the “lost boys of Sudan.”

Financial help with winter fuel, other emergencies available

February 7, 2014

If you need help paying your winter fuel bill, the Commonwealth’s Fuel Assistance Program may be able to help. The program provides a cash benefit (payable to an authorized fuel provider) for both home owners and renters whose incomes are eligible. How much you receive depends on your household income, how many people you have in your household, and your heating costs. Recipients may also be eligible for other benefits, such as weatherization services, heating system repairs, discount utility rates, and Citizens Energy heat assistance programs.

To apply for fuel assistance, residents of all ages should call Pam Alberts of the Lincoln Council on Aging at 781-259-8811 to set up an appointment. The Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) will review the application to determine whether you are eligible or not.

For Lincoln residents who have an unforeseen and extreme financial emergency that threatens their wellbeing, the Lincoln Emergency Assistance Fund (LEAF) and the Small Necessities Project may be able to help. LEAF provides assistance of up to $700 per year or $1,000 per lifetime in those situations where that amount will allow someone to stay in our community. LEAF is supported entirely by the Ogden Codman Trust, the First Parish Church, and donations.

The Small Necessities Project can provide immediate help if a resident has no food in the house, needs emergency medication, needs a night or two of lodging due to a fire or flood, or has a similar need. This project is funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and donations.

For more information or to ask for assistance, call Pam Alberts at the COA at 781-259-8811.

Lots of opportunities to donate stuff

January 22, 2014

Several organizations in town are collecting items for charitable causes.

Children’s items for Cradles to Crayons
The Lincoln Family Association (LFA) is collecting gently used children’s clothing, coats, shoes, boots, books and toys for Cradles to Crayons. Sizes needed: infant through Adult Small (appropriate for 12-year-olds). We also need books from board/baby books up through sixth grade. Items can be dropped off through January 31 at the Lincoln Public Library lobby or at Sarah Liepert’s house at 108 Trapelo Rd. (leave bagged items by garage door). Contact Sarah Liepert at sarahliepert@hotmail.com with questions.

Toiletries for people in shelters
Women and children who are in shelters remaking their lives after experiencing domestic violence need toiletries like shampoo, soap, toothpaste, hand and body lotions, and more. If you have unopened toiletries from hotels or stores that you can’t use, please bring them to Bemis Hall by Friday, Feb. 7. A Council on Aging volunteer will take them to local domestic violence organizations for Valentine’s Day distribution.

Knick-knacks for school art projects
To help Lincoln School second-graders who are starting a puppet project, art teacher Colleen Pearce is looking for donations of toilet-paper tubes as well as interesting sewing notions such a zippers, trim, odd earrings or jewels. Meanwhile, the fourth-graders are starting a weaving unit, so check your knitting basket for thick yarn you could donate. Any amount is fine, but please no thin-gauge yarn. Please leave donations in the Smith office.

Donelan’s receipts
The Lincoln PTO is collecting receipts from Donelan’s (Lincoln and Acton stores only). Through the Register Tapes for Education program, schools earn points for every receipt dollar, which can then be redeemed for free equipment and supplies including pens, pencils, computers, sports equipment, flat screen TVs, and more. Last year the PTO redeemed receipts for a markerboard, simple machine kits, activity table and more. Receipts dated no earlier than September 1, 2013 can be dropped off at the Whistlestop Cafe, Something Special, the Smith School lobby or the Brooks School office, You need to do nothing with your receipts other than just drop them off. This program runs though the end of March.

Drumlin Farm’s Ms. G goes for statewide groundhog status

January 21, 2014

Ms. G

By Alice Waugh

Ms. G, Drumlin Farm’s resident groundhog, will soon be called on to predict the weather for the rest of the winter—something she hopes to do in future years as the official state groundhog.

Ms. G will make her prognostication on Groundhog Day at Drumlin Farm on Sunday, Feb. 2, when local meteorologists from WBZ-TV, NECN, and the Blue Hill Observatory will be on hand from 10 a.m. to noon to talk with families about the weather wonders of the seasons as part of Drumlin’s weather science fair.

At last year’s event, just days before the Blizzard of ’13, Ms. G saw her shadow, indicating six more weeks of winter.

Sometime this spring, the state House and Senate should vote on House Bill H2864, a measure proposed by Rep. Alice Peisch that would designate Ms. G as the official state groundhog to encourage students to study weather. The move should also put Lincoln on the map as the go-to Groundhog Day site for predicting the course of the remaining winter season. Also, Ms. G is easier to spell than “Punxsutawny Phil.”

Legislators got an in-person pitch from lobbyists (most of whom were not of legal voting age) during a public hearing on January 8 in Wellesley, where students from the Hunnewell School and staff from Mass Audubon, which oversees Drumlin Farm, testified in support of the bill. They’ve had help over the past year or two from Wellesley resident Mish Michaels, a former TV meteorologist. State residents of all ages can express their support online at MAStateGroundhog.com/vote.

On Groundhog Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ms. G spectators can also visit with other resident wildlife and farm animals, explore the trails, attend special nature and farm programs, warm up by the fire with a story and cocoa, and make some winter crafts to take home. The Drumlin Farm event is free with paid admission of $8 for adults and teens or $6 for children 2-12 (free for seniors and Mass Audubon members).

Conservation group announces events

December 26, 2013

Here are films and other events sponsored by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust in the coming weeks.

Wednesday, January 15

The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust will show The Legend of Pale Male as a part of its winter environmental film series at 7:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust Office (above the post office at the mall). The Legend of Pale Male is the story of a red- tailed hawk that lived overlooking Central Park in New York City and became a celebrity. This heartwarming tale chronicles how this wild creature captured the curiosity of thousands. Come find out if that can save him from harmful intent of others.

Sunday, January 26

Joan Walsh from Mass Audubon will give an illustrated talk about the recently released “State of the Birds 2013” and the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas II. Come learn about which of our bird species are thriving, which are not, and what we can do about it.

Thursday, February 27

Lincoln resident Julie Dobrow and students from her 2013 Tufts University course “Producing Films for Social Change.” will discuss two of their films, Turning the Tide and USDA Incorporated, as part of the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust’s winter environmental film series.

Turning the Tide looks at how climate change threatens East Boston with the risk of severe flooding. This imminent crisis is overlooked due to apathetic and otherwise preoccupied residents. Chris Marchi is an East Boston resident who aims to raise awareness of this issue. Through his own dedication and the help of local volunteers, Chris develops a project that he hopes will spark discussion in the fight against climate change.

USDA Incorporated shows how the miraculous possibilities of genetic engineering are being methodically ignored, as the argument spurred by the organic food movement, under the banner of health concerns, seeks to undermine some of the world’s largest corporations. The corporations remain unperturbed as they continue their greedy practices. The small farmer, who tries to maintain sustainable practices amidst these conflicting opinions, has to keep one foot in each world in order to survive.

Sunday, March 2

Naturalist and author Mary Holland will give an illustrated program, “Naturally Curious,” taking viewers through the most memorable natural history events occurring in each month of the year. Her books will also be for sale and on display will be collected items from her forays into New England habitats such as skulls, scat, feathers, and antlers. Sponsored by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust.