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

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Plenty to do this weekend in Lincoln

pumpkinStonegate Gardens pumpkin festival

Saturday and Sunday, October 12 and 13
11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Stonegate Gardens

The weekend of fun and games to celebrate fall includes a pumpkin hunt, where kids search for baby pumpkins around the nursery and gardens. There will be snacks and prizes for everyone. There’s also pumpkin painting—Stonegate will have paints and decorations so visitors can create scary, pretty, wild, or wacky pumpkin people.

Lincoln Fire Department open house

Saturday, October 12
10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Lincoln Fire Department

In recognition of Fire Prevention Week next week, the Lincoln Fire Department will host an open house on Saturday, October 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event, which is open to all area families, includes opportunities for kids to check out the fire station, the fire equipment, and fire trucks as well as snacks, pizza and drinks. This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme, “Get Cookin’ with Fire Safety,” emphasizes the dangers in the kitchen and how to avoid them.

Used book sale

Saturday, October 12
9 a.m. to noon, Bemis Hall

Fill a paper grocery bag with adult and children’s books for only $10! (sales tax is now included) at the Friends of the Lincoln Library’s monthly used book sale. They also have a selection of individually priced special books. We always need more books so donations may be left in the wooden boxes in the entrance of Bemis Hall Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (no textbooks, magazines or no books that are musty or written in, please.)

ARTfull Explorations at deCordova

Sunday, October 13
1-3 p.m. drop-in, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum

Celebrate the opening of the 2013 deCordova Biennial as a family. Close-looking questions will guide you through the galleries to discover several Biennial artists who work with film and then create your own animation using old and new techniques. This monthly program is designed for families with children ages 2-12, but all are welcome.

Meeting to look at community facilities, Lincoln Station, electricity

stateofthetown-croppedBy Alice Waugh

Community facilities needs, the future of Lincoln Station, and the possibility of Lincoln getting its own electrical utility are the topics that will be discussed at the annual “State of the Town” meeting on Saturday, November 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Brooks Auditorium.

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Lots of activities for kids coming up

scarecrowflyer2013Scarecrows at Stonegate

Bring the kids to the third annual Build-a-Scarecrow weekend at Stonegate Gardens on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to benefit the Lincoln School. For $15, Stonegate provides hay, twine, markers, stakes, instruction, and refreshments! You provide a pillowcase for the head and some old clothing and accessories to dress your scarecrow. 100% of the proceeds go to the Lincoln PTO. You can also browse through Stonegate’s wide selection of mums, pumpkins, fall perennials and a fabulous assortment of Halloween decorations.

Rain or shine. Parental supervision required.

Trunk or Treat

The Lincoln Parks & Recreation Department is running “Trunk or Treat” on Wednesday, October 30 at 5 p.m. Individuals or groups can decorate their cars for Halloween and park them in the Codman lot behind the Brooks gym, where young children can trick or treat from car to car in a safe environment. Download this flyer for details.

Space is limited, so register soon. If you can’t participate but would like to donate candy, you can drop it off at the Parks and Rec office during normal business hours. For more information, call Stacey Mulroy at Parks and Rec at 781-259-0784.

Library events

Three children’s events are on tap at the Lincoln Public Library this week. These and many other children’s activities take place regularly; for more information, see the library kids’ activities web page.

Kids’ Lego Club
Wednesday, October 2 from 4:00–4:45 p.m.
Drop-in activity for kids ages 5 and up to build and create structures. We provide the Legos—you provide the creativity!

Sing-along with Ed Morgan
Friday, Oct. 4 at  3:30 p.m.
Singing and dancing for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. No registration necessary.

Super Saturday Stories
Saturday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m.
Stories are read to children in grades K-1. No registration necessary.

All events sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

Seniors warned about Medicare scam; info session on Oct. 25

Police report that scammers have been calling older residents in towns in the region saying they are from Medicare and trying to set up home visits. If you get such a call, try to get a phone number and report it to the Lincoln Police. Medicare does not call beneficiaries to set up home visits.

Learn more about Medicare and supplemental insurance coverage for 2014 at a Council on Aging informational session on October 25 at 10 a.m. in Bemis Hall with Don Milan and Anne Meade, Lincoln’s counselors from the Minuteman Senior Services SHINE health benefits counseling program. This is an especially important time to be sure you understand and are satisfied with your benefits. This year’s Medicare open enrollment period from October 15 to December 7, 2013 is your primary opportunity to change your plans, effective January 1, 2014. Representatives from the major supplemental health insurance plans serving Lincoln (Harvard Pilgrim, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Tufts, Humana, Fallon, and AARP/United Health Care) will give 2014 information. It’s a unique opportunity for you to learn about their products and get answers to questions. Also present will be representatives of Prescription Advantage (the state’s secondary prescription assistance program) and Priscilla Leach (Lincoln’s Veterans Service Officer). This program was very helpful to many Lincoln residents last year.

Seniors should also note that there will be a free flu shot clinic on Saturday, November 2  from 9-11 a.m. at Bemis Hall. In accordance with federal CDC and state Department of Public Health guidelines, this clinic is for those 60 and over. Please wear a short-sleeved shirt. Vaccine supplies may be limited, so come early. A $2 donation to the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging is requested. Those who attend are also invited to bring non-perishable food that is not past its shelf life expiration date for the St. Vincent de Paul Grocery Distribution Program at St. Joseph Church.

Nobel laureate David Hubel of Lincoln dies at 87

David Hubel

David Hubel

David Hubel of Lincoln, a Harvard scientist and Nobel Prize winner, died of kidney failure on September 22 at the age of 87.

Hubel and two other scientists won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1981 for discoveries in visual processing and development that ushered in the modern study of the cerebral cortex and changed the way childhood cataracts and strabismus (“cross-eye”) were treated, according to his obituary in the Harvard Crimson. A news release from Harvard Medical School discusses his work in more detail.

Obituaries for Hubel have also appeared in  newspapers including the Boston Globe (which has a 1981 photo of him with his wife Ruth and son Eric), the New York Times and the Washington Post. Ruth Hubel died earlier this year at the age of 83.

The Nobel Prize website includes Hubel’s autobiographical essay and a 2009 video interview with him.

Letter to the editor: Vote for Koutoukian

letter

Editor’s note: The Lincoln Squirrel is happy to publish letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and sent to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com by a verifiable Lincoln resident. Letters containing personal attacks, profanity, gross distortions of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. The editor reserves the right to correct spelling, grammar, capitalization and punctuation, etc.

To the Editor:

On October 15, voters will elect Democratic and Republican candidates in a special primary election to fill Ed Markey’s seat from Massachusetts’ Fifth Congressional District.

We need progressive Democrat Peter Koutoujian to be our next representative to Congress. Whether it may be women’s rights in health care and the workplace, responsible gun violence prevention, public safety, protecting the environment and addressing climate change, education from preschool through adulthood, and building a strong 21st-century middle-class economy, Peter is hands-down the right person for the job.

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Lincoln site being considered for new cell tower

celltower

A map showing the site of the proposed cell tower (click to enlarge).

By Alice Waugh

AT&T Mobility is investigating the possibility of building a new cell tower on property just east of Stonegate Gardens on Route 117.

“It’s an area where I think everyone knows cell phone signals are either very weak or nonexistent, and carriers are interested in trying to locate there,” said Larry Morgan, a site acquisition consultant for Tilson Technology Management. Tilson is under contract with several cell-phone service providers to investigate potential sites for new cellular antennas, which can be put on top of cell towers or existing structures such as rooftops or church steeples.

According to a legal notice, AT&T Mobility is proposing a 120-foot monopole tower inside a fenced leased area on property at 345 South Great Road on land owned by Ronald Christensen. However, Morgan said that there is no leasing or purchase agreement in place with the property owner. The idea is “very much in the preliminary stage—it’s not even close to being presented to the town,” he said.

“They would have to go through a pretty extensive process from A to Z to get that approved,” said Director of Planning and Land Use Chris Reilly. Among the requirements would be a permit from the Historical Commission to allow demolition of one of the buildings on the property, as well as town meeting approval, a special permit from the Planning Board, and a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals. However, federal provisions might override some of the local zoning regulations, Reilly said.

The tower would be located about 100 feet south of Route 117, according to a preliminary drawing. Its 120-foot height would be sufficient to accommodate other cell-phone carriers in addition to AT&T Mobility, Morgan said.