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

kids

Drumlin Farm family programs

sheepDrumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary has plenty of programs to keep you busy through this cold winter season. Check out this sampling of upcoming programs! For more information about our programs or to register, call 781-259-2200 or visit www.massaudubon.org.drumlinfarm.

Winter Wool Craft Series: Knitting II – Building Skills
Saturday, Feb. 8, 10 a.m. to noon
What can you make from wool?  Join other teens 13-17 interested in creating amazing projects and developing craft skills. Visit with the sheep and build on your basic knitting skills. $20 for members, $24 for nonmembers.

Chickadee Birders: Eagles and Owls
Sunday, Feb. 9, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The North Shore is a perfect place to go in search of all our favorite wintering birds, such as ducks, eagles, and owls. We will introduce elementary age children (ages 7-11 or grades 2-5) to the basics of birding, bird life, and seasonal migration. Birding is a lifelong skill that can lead to a greater interest in the outdoors and the environment as a whole. $30 for members, $36 for nonmembers.

Kinglet Birders: Owl Prowl
Sunday, Feb. 9, 1:30-3 p.m.
Share the exciting and fascinating world of birds with your 4-6 year-old child as we search for owls and meet some of Drumlin Farm’s owl residents. Meet some of Drumlin Farm’s birds up close and explore field, forest and wetland looking for the birds that make these habitats their home. Learn activities that you can take home to expand your experience, wherever you live. $10 for members, $12 for nonmembers.

Wondrous Wool
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 1-2:30 p.m.
Visit the soft and fluffy sheep all snug in their barn. After our visit share sheepish stories and make a woolly toy to take home. A great family program! $12 for members, $15 for nonmembers.

Owl Always Love Ewe
Friday, Feb. 14, 3:30-5 p.m.
It’s Valentine’s Day—what would Ewe want? Owl might have a different idea; mice are so very nice. Let’s visit with the sheep and make some wooly valentines. Perhaps Owl could teach us a Love Song to woo someone special. Whoo, whoo, who loves Ewe? A great family program! $12 for members, $15 for nonmembers.

Teen Birders: Eagles and Owls
Saturday, Feb. 15, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Birders aged 12-17 can travel with us to Newburyport and Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for a full day of searching for eagles, hawks, owls and more! $35 for members, $42 for nonmembers.

Naturalist Walk
Saturday, Feb. 15, 1-3 p.m.
Are you interested in the natural world around you? Join us on these Saturday afternoon excursions that will focus on observing, exploring and appreciating the world around us. We’ll cover wetlands to uplands, exploring all the habitats of the sanctuary, as we look for amphibians, reptiles, mammals, flowering plants, trees, shrubs, lichens, fungi, insects, and birds. We’ll follow the seasonal changes that occur on the sanctuary as the year progresses. Each walk will focus on a particular area or habitat as we build our understanding of ecological communities and our mutual interdependence. This program is open to adults or teens 16-17 accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is not required. $10 for members, $12 for nonmembers.

Library events postponed due to storm

snowcloudBecause of the impending snowstorm, the Lincoln Public Library has postponed the Kids Lego Club and the Photoshare events scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5.

The drop-in Lego Club for children age 5 and up will meet next on Wednesday, Feb. 12 from 4-4:45 p.m. The next monthly Photoshare meeting will be on Wednesday, March 5 at 7 p.m.

 

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

Ms. G

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).

Improv and stories for kids at library

bookwormThe Lincoln Public Library is hosting an improv group for kids in grades 4-6 as well as weekly storytimes for children in various age groups.

Improv sessions

Improv for kids in grades 4-6 takes place on Tuesday afternoons starting on January 14 and running through February 11 from 3:30–5:30 p.m. During improv exercises, participants create characters and stories and act them out. Learn acting games and skills. There are no lines to learn, no staging—just lots of fun, laughter and creativity. No previous experience needed.

The class will be taught by actor/teacher Sally Kindleberger. To register, visit or call the library at 781-259-8465.

Story times

Register now for Lapsit and Terrific Twos winter storytimes for children at the Lincoln Public Library by emailing Jane at jflanders@minlib.net or calling 781-259-8465 (note that story times are not held during school vacations or snow days):

Lapsit Storytime (infants to age 24 months)
Thursdays at 10 a.m. — January 16 to March 6

Terrific Twos Storytime
Fridays at 10:30 a.m. — January 17 to March 7

Preschool Storytime (ages 3-5) — no advance signup required
Tuesdays at 11 a.m.

Park and Rec announces winter activities

Winter 2014_Page_01

(click on image to download brochure)

The Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department’s Winter 2014 brochure is now available online at www.lincolnrec.com. Classes beginning next week include:

  • Ballroom Dance Drop-in for adults (Friday nights)
  • Latin Dance for adults (Thursday nights)
  • Open Studio for adults (Thursdays)
  • Chess Wizards for school age children (Thursdays)
  • Musical Theater for school age children (Tuesdays)
  • Music Together for preschoolers on (Mondays and Fridays)
  • Gymnastics for preschool and school age children (Wednesdays)

For more information, call the Parks and Recreation Office at 781-259-0784.

Correction on church events

correction-smIn a recent roundup of holiday religious events, the Lincoln Squirrel inexplicably forgot to include St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church.  The original post has been corrected to include this information. The Squirrel apologizes for the omission.

St.-Anne’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church

Tuesday, December 24

  • Christmas pageant and family service — 3-4 p.m.
  • Holy Eucharist with choir and string quartet — 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Everyone is welcome.

Churches observe Christmas with services and pageants

nativity(This is a corrected version of the post that appeared on December 19.)

Churches in Lincoln  have the following Christmas observances lined up.

First Parish Church

Saturday, December 21 — Solstice service, 5 p.m.

Celebrate the longest night of the year and the return of the light as the days begin to lengthen. The service includes the Abbots Bromley horn dance, which has been preformed for more than 900 years. Traditional music, dancing, and candle-lighting in the dark make this a special part of the church’s religious winter celebration.

Visitors are also invited to walk a labyrinth, an ancient symbol of wholeness, which will be open in the Parish House for one hour before and one hour after this service. Walking the labyrinth is a special form of meditation that helps us focus on the connection of the inner self to the rhythmic patterns of the natural world. There will be refreshments after the service as well.

Sunday, December 22 — Christmas pageant, 11:30 a.m. 
Children will gather  at 10 a.m. in the Parish House for a quick run-through and then get into costumes and proceed to the auditorium, transformed into the inn in long-ago Bethlehem. The audience will watch the timeless story unfold and sing Christmas carols, accompanied by music director Ian Watson on First Parish’s newly refurbished organ.

Tuesday, December 24  — Christmas Eve service, 5 p.m.

Designed especially for parents with young children, this service features traditional carols, readings, and a story for all ages. Our Director of Religious Education, Ruth Owen, will lead the service, and Rev. Roger Paine will lead a guided meditation to close the service.

Tuesday, December 24 — Candlelight carol services, 8 and 10 p.m. 

A service of carols, readings, choral anthems, a Christmas prayer by Rebecca Hinds, and a homily and guided meditation by Rev. Paine. The two services are identical except that five high school students will be the readers at the 8 p.m. service, and five college students will be our readers at 10 p.m.

In a recent roundup of holiday religious events, the Lincoln Squirrel inexplicably forgot to include St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church.  The original post has been corrected to include this information. The Squirrel apologizes for the omission.

St.-Anne’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church

Tuesday, December 24

  • Christmas pageant and family service — 3-4 p.m.
  • Holy Eucharist with choir and string quartet — 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Everyone is welcome.

St. Joseph Church

Tuesday, December 24 — Christmas gospel pageant, 4 p.m. Mass

There is also a service at 6 p.m. with the choir (music begins at 5:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, December 25 — Christmas Day Mass, 10:30 a.m.

There will also be a Mass at 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. at St. Julia Church in Weston.

Library holiday activities and hours

The library's winter display by Barry Palu.

The library’s winter display by Barry Palu.

On Friday, Dec. 20, the Lincoln Pubic Library will host two children’s activities. Preschoolers are invited to “Movies and Muffins” at 3:30 p.m. with screenings of three short films based on the beloved children’s books The Snowy Day, The Bear Snores On and Little Bear. Recommended for ages 2 and up; no signup necessary. Also on Friday, children of all ages can stop by the children’s department and make a winter craft any time between 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, don’t miss the library’s annual winter display, courtesy of Lincoln resident Barry Palu. The display will be up through the month of December in the bay window of the reference room.

On Tuesday, Dec. 24, the library will close at 1 p.m. and reopen with regular hours (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) on Thursday, Dec. 26. The library will close at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31 and reopen with regular hours on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014, when children of all ages can celebrate the New Year by decorating a paper lantern and taking part in a light parade around the library from 4-5:30 p.m. Signup in advance is necessary; call 781-259-8465.

Gingerbread activities at library on Wednesday

gingerbreadOn Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m., come to the Lincoln Public Library to hear gingerbread stories and decorate your own gingerbread cookies. For ages 4 and up. 

Space is limited so please sign up in advance by calling 781-259-8465. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library, Inc.

“Gobble Wobble” on Thanksgiving morning

gobbleCome join your friends and neighbors on Thanksgiving morning for the fourth annual Gobble Wobble—an event for all ages and abilities where you can get a little exercise before the big feast and make a big difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

The entry fee—one bag of nonperishable groceries per runner—will be donated to Open Table in Concord and Maynard. They have come to count on Lincoln’s wonderful generosity from this event. Check out the Open Table website for items they  need the most.

On Thanksgiving morning, please arrive at Lincoln Mall with your bag of groceries between 7:30 and 8:15 a.m. for an 8:30 start. There will be two routes going along Lincoln sidewalks, crosswalks and back streets. One will be about 2.5 miles and the other will be about 3.5 miles. This is a fun run, not a race, so there will be no bibs, no times, and no first place (or last place!). It’s just an opportunity to get out and join your neighbors for some exercise and goodwill.

Note that roads will not be closed, so don’t leave young children to run or walk on their own. This is not a town-sponsored event, so you will be asked to sign a simple waiver to protect those who are organizing it. Your safety is your personal responsibility. Please walk, run or wobble safely!

We’ll provide  coffee, hot chocolate and munchkins, so an approximate head count would be helpful. If you know you’ll be participating, please email jen@flanagans.us. Also feel free to email with any questions. Spread the word—the more wobblers, the more people we can help!