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

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Stanley won’t be Lincoln’s representative after January 2023

As the dust settles from redistricting after the U.S. census, one thing is clear: Lincoln will no longer be represented on Beacon Hill by Waltham resident Rep. Thomas Stanley after January 2023.

Rep. Thomas Stanley

Stanley (D-Waltham) has been the state representative for the 9th Middlesex district, which comprises Lincoln and part of Waltham, since 2001. But the new House maps split Lincoln between two districts along the town’s voting precinct line: the 13th Middlesex (Precinct 1 in the western part of town) and the 14th Norfolk (eastern Lincoln). The precinct line within Lincoln is not changing because the population in town did not shift enough to warrant an adjustment.

In the state Senate, Lincoln will still be in the 3rd Middlesex Senate district (now represented by Sen. Michael Barrett), but that district has shrunk a bit geographically — it will no longer include part of Sudbury.

“I was very disappointed that I’m going to lose Lincoln in my district. I’ve made a lot of great relationships and really enjoyed representing the town and working with the elected and appointed people there,” he said in an interview with the Lincoln Squirrel. “Unfortunately for me, combinations had to be made to address other redistricting issues around the state, and they did a great job as a body with the majority-minority districts. But whenever you change one district, there’s ripple effects.”

The portion of the new House district map showing how Lincoln will be split between the 13th Middlesex (lighter green) and the 9th Norfolk (darker green). Click here to see the full Massachusetts map.

If the change happened today, Lincoln’s Precinct 1 would be represented by Rep. Carmine Gentile (D-13th Middlesex), who lives in Sudbury, and and Precinct 2 by Rep. Alice Peisch (D-14th Norfolk), a Wellesley resident. Before the next election in November 2022, voters will know whether they and other incumbent representatives decide to run again and whether they win their party’s nomination in the primary.

As for Lincoln being split between two districts starting in 2023, “a lot of towns might look at that as a negative, but I don’t,” Stanley said. “The fear is that [being] such a small part of a district means they won’t get attention, but it’s in the representative’s interest to treat every precinct as if they lived there. And just from a purely political perspective, it only helps the incumbent if they’re responsive to small towns.”

Stanley also noted that during the run-up to the next election, “Lincoln will have three representatives looking out for their interests” as Peisch and Gentile (assuming they run for reelection) learn about and meet people in town. “I think Lincoln will be very happy with Alice and Carmine,” he added.

Carol “Cici” Caswell, 1929–2021

Carol Caswell

Carol Bradley Caswell passed away on December 13 in Lincoln at the age of 92. Born Carolyn Fontaine Bradley in Washington, D.C., she attended the Potomac School, the Madeira School and Briarcliff Jr. College. After marrying John Caswell, also of Washington, they lived in Cambridge, Mass.for a short period and then moved to southern California for five years. She and John also spent two years on Kwajalein atoll in the South Pacific while John managed the Raytheon installation there.

Carol and John moved back to the East Coast and settled into Lincoln, where they raised their five children. Carol was active in the Junior League of Boston, loved her plants, and enjoyed playing and watching tennis. Her grandchildren love seeing the picture published from time to time in the Boston Globe of Carol hiding out of sight behind Julia Child on the kitchen set of WGBH, where she volunteered collecting and cleaning her cooking utensils.

She loved staying connected to her family both near and far, and for many years she and John spent a part of their winters on Longboat Key, Fla. As a child, she treasured her time at Rockywold-Deephaven Camps on Squam Lake, N.H., a tradition that has continued with her own family and her brother’s family ever since. The house in Westport Island, Maine, where she and John loved to visit, continues to nurture and grow the bonds of family.

As a volunteer, she was the assistant tax collector for the town of Lincoln for several years and volunteered for a number of other town organizations. She was an active member of the St. Anne’s Church Altar Guild and chair of the Commission of Trust Funds. Upon becoming one of the first residents of The Commons in Lincoln, she was active on the Residents Committee, continuing her tie to the town that lasted more than 64 years. 

“Cici” cherished her children and grandchildren above all else. Her greatest desire was to spend time with them and hear about their adventures and achievements. She was so gracious that she always asked about you and how you were rather than telling you about herself. Her self-deprecating humor and wry wit could catch you by surprise until you saw the mischievous twinkle in her eye. Her lasting legacy and one of the greatest joys of her life was annually hosting her family together for a week away, building a bond of love and caring throughout the generations.

She was predeceased by her younger brother Frederick Bradley and her husband of 60 years, John Ross Caswell. She leaves her dear friend Dr. Jerome Perry and his family ,who have added years to her life and life to her years after the passing of her husband John.

Carol is survived by her brother Thomas Bradley and his wife Anna (Washington, D.C.); her children Brad and Fran (Pennington, N.J.), Chris and Patricia (Sarasota, Fla.), Fred and Pam (South Freeport, Maine), Wally and Brenda (Randolph, Vt.), Carolyn and Jonathan Dwyer (Lincoln); 14 grandchildren and two great-children; niece Christina Bradley and her husband Larry Sampas; and nephews Tom Bradley and Philip Bradley and his wife Susan Bradley.

Donations can be made in her memory to the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging & Human Services, PO Box 143, Lincoln MA 01773. Services will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the care of Concord Funeral Home. To share a memory or offer a condolence, click here.

Obituaries

Margaret Boyer, 85

Polaroid employee and Historical Society member. Full obituary.

Michael Maddox, 74

There will be a memorial gathering Michael Maddox, who died in Jacksonville, FL on December 8, at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square on Jan. 9 from 2-4 p.m. Full obituary.

Melvin L. Stone, 96

Longtime electrical engineering at MIT Lincoln Lab. Full obituary.

Christopher “Cricker” Williams, 58

Lincoln native who was a truck driver and peace officer in Palestine, TX. Full obituary.

Editor’s note: Whenever possible, the Lincoln Squirrel contacts the funeral home and offers to run full obituaries (with photo when available) as a paid service. In other cases we post a link to obituaries on Legacy.com. 

Eagle Scout builds birdhouses for hospice house

Nancy Zheng, Care Dimensions Hospice House clinical director, and Richard Kelleher with one of the birdhouses he built and installed on a patio post outside a patient room.

Patients, visitors and staff at the Care Dimensions Hospice House on Winter Street should soon see some new winged wildlife thanks to Lincoln Boy Scout Richard Kelleher.

For his Eagle Scout project, Richard (a sophomore at Lawrence Academy in Groton) built and installed five birdhouses on the property. With help from other Scouts, Richard developed the project in memory of his grandmother, Nancy Dickinson, who passed away at the Care Dimensions Hospice House in 2019.

“She was very into nature, and we saw a lot of birds around when we visited her” at the hospice house, said Richard, adding that she had a bird book on her bedside table. “So I thought building and donating birdhouses for the hospice house would be perfect.”

“It’s a wonderful memorial for his grandmother and an attraction for patients, their families and our employees to enjoy the birds on the property,” said Nancy Zheng, Care Dimensions Hospice House clinical director. “We’re grateful for Richard’s thoughtful donation.”

The Commons to be sold; town seeks assurance on tax payments

The Commons in Lincoln

Lincoln’s biggest taxpayer is changing hands for the second time, but the new owners have agreed in principle to negotiate an arrangement for paying property taxes or a PILOT agreement (payment in lieu of taxes).

The Commons in Lincoln is currently owned by Benchmark Senior Living and a private equity firm. The Groves in Lincoln, as it was called when it opened in 2010, was owned by the New England Deaconess Association and Masonic Health Systems of Massachusetts but had an occupancy rate of only 59% in 2013, when it filed for bankruptcy after defaulting on payment of $88.4 million in tax-exempt bonds.

After the sale goes through, the new owner and Benchmark will sign a long-term contract to retain Benchmark as the manager of The Commons, said David Levesque, Benchmark’s Senior Director of Corporate Communications, in an email to the Lincoln Squirrel. “This ensures that The Commons’ residents continue to receive the same level of care and services provided by current Benchmark employees.”

According to the terms of the project’s original approval from the town, the Select Board must sign off on any sale of the property, but that process hit a snag this week over the question of whether the new owners would continue to pay property tax. As a nonprofit entity, they would legally’ be exempt from paying any taxes on the property.

“You may well lose the tax revenues you’ve been benefiting from the last several years,” attorney Shirin Everett told the Select Board on December 13. Everett works with the KP Law, the town counsel.

Benchmark, a for-profit entity, has a fiscal 2022 property tax bill of $1.38 million on an assessed value of $9 million, or about 4% of Lincoln’s $34.57 million in total assessed property, according to the Assessor’s Office.

At Monday’s meeting, Town Administrator Tim Higgins noted that New England Deaconess was also nonprofit but voluntarily paid property taxes,” so there’s a precedent.” Select Board member James Craig made a motion to approve the sale contingent on restrictions in the current agreement (specifically, that the 30 units in the Flint building will continue to be designated as affordable, “and that the town and buyer enter into an agreement for PILOT if property is not otherwise taxable.”

But Benchmark representative Melissa Solomon objected, saying she was “very concerned” with that wording. The stipulation was not part of the original agreement language, which was silent on the tax issue but said that the town’s approval for a sale couldn’t be “unreasonably withheld.”

“We want to memorialize somehow that the new owner will be willing to enter in negotiations to make voluntary payments if they’re operating under a not-for-profit status,” Craig said, adding that it was the town’s fiduciary responsibility to try to maintain the revenue from The Commons. “Verbal assurances are great but mean nothing.”

“We are happy to sit down and discuss this property tax dilemma but the regulatory agreement can’t be not granted because of a a property tax question,” said Sarah Laffey, Managing Director for Capital, Strategy and New Initiatives at OnePoint Partners, which is advising and representing the buyers (NELP-Commons LLC).

The motion’s wording was suggested by town counsel, Craig said, although Everett had to leave the meeting before that discussion took place.

Temporarily at an impasse, the board decided to defer its vote until a special meeting on the morning of December 16. In the interim, town officials asked the buyer to declare its intentions in writing. Laffey accordingly emailed Higgins saying that “immediately following the closing, the buyer intends to enter into good-faith negotiations” for a PILOT agreement (something that most universities and other large nonprofits have with their host communities). The board then voted to approve the sale without the PILOT language in the motion.

A map showing the assisted living and skilled nursing facilities built at The Commons by Benchmark on the northeast side of the campus (click to enlarge).

“The sale of The Commons by its current owners — a private equity group and a Benchmark Senior Living affiliate — is not unexpected. The investors’ business plan was to stabilize the then-bankrupt community and help the community meet its full potential, and that was accomplished,” said Levesque, who declined to disclose the sale price.

After taking over in 2013, Benchmark built a health center with memory care and skilled nursing units, upgrading The Commons to a full continuing-care retirement community (CCRC) in addition to the independent living it already offered. After the bankruptcy and sale in 2013, the town approved a plan to build those facilities on part of the campus that was originally intended for second-phase construction of more independent living units, complementing the 168 units in two apartment-style main buildings and 38 cottages.

“Within one year of opening the full campus, The Commons was over 90% occupied and has sustained that occupancy since. The Commons is now positioned for a new ownership structure that is more consistent with its industry peers, said Levesque, adding that “the vast majority of CCRCs throughout the country and in Massachusetts are not-for-profit.”

Lincoln’s newest firefighter wins top award from academy

Thomas Pianka with Richard N. Bangs, former chair of the fire training council for whom Pianka’s award is named, and State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey. (Photo by Jake Wark, Mass. Department of Fire Services)

Thomas Pianka, Lincoln’s newest full-time firefighter, received the Richard N. Bangs Award upon his recent graduation from the Massachusetts Fire Academy. More recently, he and his family got something even better — a baby boy.

Pianka, a Hudson resident with Lincoln roots, had been working as a per diem probationary firefighter in town since July 2020. He’s the third generation in his family to serve in the profession — his father Jaime, who grew up in Lincoln, worked as firefighter here until he got a position in Sudbury, and his great-great uncle was a Boston firefighter.

Tom had some basic training and experience as an on-call firefighter in Vermont that qualified him for the Lincoln per diem position until he graduated and was hired full-time. The Lincoln Fire Department had had a vacancy since Brian Young was promoted to fire chief in August 2020.

The MFA program is a high-intensity program that teaches essentials of fire and non-fire conditions, life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, hazmat, confined space, and pump operation. The Department of Fire Services offers this class free of charge to all Massachusetts fire departments. Every career firefighter must complete the career recruit class. The Bangs award is given to the top recruit in each class.

Most towns including Lincoln require firefighters to be certified EMTs as well. This is actually a big part of the job, since both fire and police personnel respond when there’s a call for a medical issue. Structure fires are fortunately few and far between in Lincoln since the advent in recent years of various successful fire prevention measures.

“I was always interested in firefighting growing up — it seemed like a natural course,” Pianka said in phone call with the Lincoln Squirrel. Asked what he enjoyed most about the job, he said simply, “Service to the community. I like meeting everyone and there are lots of opportunities to help out.”

It’ll be a few years yet before we know if a fourth Pianka generation will go into firefighting. The newest family member, a boy named Kai, was born on December 12, joining his six-year-old stepsister.

Police log for December 6–12, 2021

December 6

Carroll School, Baker Bridge Road (3:43 p.m.) — Fire Department assisted with a reported problem with an outdoor pellet stove.

December 7

St. Anne’s Church (12:27 a.m.) — Officer checking the parking lot noticed a parked vehicle with two people inside. He spoke to them; everything was fine and they left the area.

Indian Camp Lane (12:43 p.m.) — A family member requested a well-being check on the residents. Officer responded and found that they are staying at Hanscom due to a mechanical problem at the residence.

Wheeler Road (2:05 p.m.) — Officer driving by saw a motorist who appeared to be sick on the side of the road. The officer checked on the individual, who was nauseous but otherwise OK.

Donelan’s Supermarket (2:12 p.m.) — Caller reported a customer was yelling and causing a disturbance inside Donelan’s. Officer responded but the party left the area and they were unable to locate or identify them.

December 8

Sandy Pond Road (1:44 p.m.) — Caller reported an outside odor of natural gas. Fire Department checked the area with negative readings. National Grid notified.

Doherty’s Garage (2”17 p.m.) — Gas station owner reported a party appeared to have driven off without paying for gas, perhaps unintentionally. An officer responded and was able to locate the party via their registration plate. The officer followed up with the resident, who was unaware that the payment process did not go through electronically. They returned to the gas station to pay.

Concord Road (3:06 p.m.) — Resident called complaining about where a landscaping crew was parked. The caller said they’ll speak to the crew and call back if there’s an issue.

South Great Road (3:57 p.m.) — Watertown police called to report they found a purse in their town that belongs to a Lincoln resident. A message was delivered to the resident.

December 9

South Great Road (9:56 a.m.) — Watertown police called again regarding the purse. An officer went to the Watertown Police Department to pick up the purse as the resident was unable to retrieve it and delivered it to the resident.

December 10

Lincoln Road (8:49 a.m.) — Caller reported finding a dog near the railroad tracks. Attempts were made to contact the owner, who lives out of town. A party brought the dog home, awaiting contact from the owner. The owner called back and made arrangements to pick up the dog.

Laurel Drive (9:25 a.m.) — Report of an outside odor of natural gas. Fire Department found no readings. National Grid notified.

December 11

Tower Road (12:23 a.m.) — Officer located a parked vehicle with the interior lights on. Officer spoke to the homeowner.

December 12

Nothing of note.

News acorns

Screening of “Reconstruction” Thursday

The First Parish in Lincoln’s Racial Justice Journey group will screen episode 4 of “Reconstruction After the Civil War” by Henry Louis Gates via Zoom on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. Click here to join the Zoom meeting (passcode: 853751). The documentary segment looks at things that still have an impact today, including the establishment of the “Lost Cause,” the placements of Confederate monuments, regulations concerning what could and could not be taught to school children, Jim Crow and blackface, W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington, the movie “Birth of A Nation” and music. Half an hour will be allotted for discussion at the end. Click here to watch the entire series on Kanopy, courtesy of the Lincoln Public Library.

Town Clerk Fox wins recognition

Valerie Fox (photo from ColumbiaVotes.org)

Lincoln Town Clerk Valerie Fox recently qualified for the Massachusetts Town Clerks’ Association’s (MTCA) prestigious CMMC (Certified Massachusetts Municipal Clerk) designation and received her certificate and commemorative pin at the MTCA Fall Conference in Springfield in September. Currently, only 119 of the Commonwealth’s 301 active town clerks hold this designation, and Fox is one of only 30 Master Municipal Clerks in the Commonwealth, a designation awarded by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC).

The CMMC designation is achieved by attending MTCA-sponsored continuous education and professional development courses, and by passing an extensive examination measuring a municipal clerk’s knowledge of Massachusetts General Laws in categories such as elections and election procedures, vital records, campaign and political finance, town meetings, Chapter 40A (planning), Chapter 41 (zoning), ethics, and public records.

Fox serves on the Executive Board of the MTCA and as chair of the MTCA’s Education Committee. She is also on the Executive Board of the New England Association of City and Town Clerks and the Advisory Committee of the Northeast Document Conservation Center as well as being a member of the MTCA and the IIMC.

Click here for a May 2021 profile of Fox and her work by Elena Christenfeld, a Barnard College student from Lincoln who worked as an assistant town clerk.

Christmas Mass schedule at St. Julia’s

St. Julia Parish of Weston and Lincoln will hold Christmas Masses at St. Julia’s Church in Weston  on Friday, Dec. 24 at 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and on Saturday, Dec. 25 at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. (there will be no Masses on Saturday evening).

Police log for November 28 – December 5, 2021

November 28

Concord Road (12:36 a.m.) — Officer checked on a party at the Walden Pond boat ramp. Party was looking to kayak and was advised that the pond was closed at this time.

Page Road (9:33 a.m.) — Caller reported landscapers in the area using leaf blowers. Officer responded and spoke to the workers.

Boyce Farm Road (3:14 p.m.) — Caller reported someone attempted to open up a credit card account in their name. Officer spoke to the party, took a report, and advised what precautions to take to protect themselves. There was no financial loos.

Wells Road (6:00 p.m.) — A walk-in to the station requested a well-being check of a resident. Officers went to the residence and everything was fine; the resident was sleeping and didn’t hear the person at the door.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound, Concord (7:25 p.m.) — Ambulance responded for a motor vehicle crash. One party was transported to Emerson Hospital.

Masonic Temple, Lincoln Road (8:06 p.m.) — A neighbor called reporting a light on inside the building and someone walking around inside. Officer checked and it was a member of the lodge.

Huckleberry Hill (10:26 p.m.) — Caller reported hearing gunshots. Officers checked the area but didn’t find anything.

Wells Road (10:45 p.m.) — Caller reported someone was ringing multiple doorbells. Officer checked the area but were unable to locate.

November 29

Concord Road (12:13 p.m.) — A walk-in to the station requested information regarding a harassment prevention order.

East Central Street, Natick (3:15 p.m.) — Det. Ian Spencer assisted Natick police with a forensic sketch regarding an investigation in that town.

Tower Road (3:29 p.m.) — Animal Control Officer said she got a call about a goat in the roadway on Route 117. While officers were en route, the owner was contacted and the goat was returned home to the fenced-in area.

November 30

Nothing of note.

December 1

Concord Road (12:17 a.m.) — Report of a vehicle parked off the roadway with its lights on. Officers arrested Ryan Barclay, 43, of Westford for OUI-liquor. He was later bailed to appear in Concord Court.

Concord Road (12:50 a.m.) — One-car crash near Walden Pond. No injuries; the vehicle was towed from the scene.

Todd Pond Road (2:22 p.m.) — Caller report that someone cut their cable wire. Officer responded and found that it was apparently caused by an animal and vandalism fear was unfounded.

Lincoln Road (3:54 p.m.) — Caller wanted to speak to an officer about suspicious activity. Officer responded and spoke to the party; nothing suspicious was noted.

December 2

Wells Road (12:21 a.m.) — Caller reported someone walking in an adjacent apartment making noise and keeping them awake. Officers listened and the sounds were not unreasonable.

Donelan’s lot (12:40 a.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle parked in the lot with no license plates. No one was nearby the vehicle.

Carroll School (4:39 p.m.) — Fire Department responded to the school for a vehicle on fire and extinguished the blaze.

December 3

Warbler Springs Road (6:58 p.m.) — Caller requested officers’ assistance regarding an ongoing problem. Officers responded and spoke to the reporting party and assisted them.

Lincoln Road (8:02 p.m.) — Caller requested assistance regarding a theft that occurred out of state. An officer spoke to the reporting party and advised them that Lincoln police could not investigate the matter due to the lack of jurisdiction.

December 4

South Great Road (12:57 p.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle pulled to the side of the roadway. The party had pulled over to light a cigarette; everything was fine.

I-95 South, Lexington (9:06 a.m.) — Lexington Fire Department requested an ambulance near Route 2. Lincoln firefighters responded and transported a party to Lahey Clinic.

Transfer station (3:35 p.m.) — Caller reported being involved in a minor motor vehicle crash. AAA was responding; the caller wanted to make sure the transfer station gates would be open. The involved parties exchanged paperwork.

South Great Road (4:48 p.m.) — Caller reported hitting a deer near Stonegate Gardens. The deer ran off and there was no damage to the vehicle.

December 5

Codman Road (12:57 p.m.) — A walk-in to the station reported finding a credit card at Codman Farm. The card was placed into lost and found.

Donelan’s lot (6:00 p.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle parked in the lot with no license plates. No one was nearby the vehicle.

News acorns

Senior news

COVID booster clinic

Click here to sign up for the Covid booster vaccination clinic for seniors on Monday, Dec. 6 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. in the First Parish Church Auditorium across from Bemis Hall. The clinic for residents 60 and over will offer Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J shots. If you do not have transportation to the clinic, please call 781-259-8811 by Friday and the COA&HS will arrange a ride for you. On the day of the clinic, please wear a short-sleeved shirt, and bring your COVID vaccination card and insurance card, if you have them. For more information or help with registration, please call 781-259-8811.

Free legal clinic

The Council on Aging & Human Services is offering s free legal clinic for residents 60 and older (adult children welcome to come along) on Monday, Dec. 6 from 2–4 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Call 781-259-8811 to sign up for a 30-minute consultation with elder law attorney Sasha Golden to answer your questions about estate planning, guardianship, or probate issues.

“Coping with Holidays After a Loss”

Mary Crowe of Care Dimensions Hospice House will discuss the impact holidays have on grief, practical suggestions for coping, and ways the holidays can heal on Monday, Dec. 13 at 11 a.m. Click here to register online by December 10 for this meeting via Zoom.

Caregiver support group

If you have a family member with memory loss, you’re invited to join Claire Gerstein, LICSW and other caregivers on Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 11 a.m. to learn about memory loss, talk about challenges, and create strategies for managing a difficult situation. Email gersteinc@lincolntown.org for more information about this group. Sponsored by The Commons in Lincoln.

Donate items for holiday gift bags

The COA&HS delivers gift bags full of basic necessities to homebound and needy seniors every December. They are collecting the following new, unopened items:

    • Gift cards
    • Stamps
    • Dish soap/sponges
    • Toiletries — deodorant, hand soap, body wash, shampoo, toothpaste/toothbrushes, lotion, tissues, razors/shaving cream
    • Paper towels
    • Laundry detergent
    • Kitchen trash bags
    • Socks
    • Coffee/tea

Drop off items in Bemis Hall Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Collection ends on Monday, Dec. 6. 

Boy Scouts selling Christmas trees

Lincoln Boy Scout Troop 127 will begin selling Christmas trees and wreaths on Sunday, Dec. 5 at 11 a.m. at the corner of Lincoln and Codman Roads and will be open on weekends until the trees sell out. There is a shortage of Christmas trees this year; the troop was unable to obtain the same quantity as in years past. To be sure of tree availability, shop early in the season.

DeCordova holiday doings

Outdoor ornament-making workshop

Cut, shape, build and decorate with ceramic colored clay ornaments on Saturday, Dec. 4 from 1-2:30 p.m. Instruction, tools, materials, seating, and work surfaces for building and decorating up to four Holiday ornaments will be provided during this 90-minute outdoor family-style workshop. Hot cocoa and cider will be served. The workshop will be held in a gated outdoor area adjacent to the Ceramics Sculpture Studio in the complex of brown buildings across from the main deCordova lot. A disinfecting station and courtyard public restrooms will be available.

Work will be fired and ready for pickup on the following weekend or by appointment after that. Hanging ornaments will receive a wire hanger, or participants may substitute holiday string or ribbon at home. An email address will be needed for communicating and coordinating pickup. Participants are advised to wear suitable garments for working with clay and glazes. Participants will be notified via email 48 hours in advance in case of cancellation or postponement due to inclement weather.

Click here to register in advance (no walk-ins). Ticket holders ages 5-15 must be accompanied by at least one registered adult.

Holiday market

Every weekend from Thanksgiving to Christmas, the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum  will host a rotating group of five local artists featuring a variety of beautiful, hand-crafted items for sale, along with other unique holiday gifts. Saturdays and Sundays, November 27 through December 19 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Members receive a 20% discount on all purchases, and all visitors get a chance to win a $100 gift card.

At the library

Film: “What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann”

The Lincoln Library Film Society will screen “What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann” on Thursday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. This documentary directed by Steven Cantor follows the creation of Mann’s new seminal work: a photo series revolving around various aspects of death and decay.

Apply to exhibit art

Applications for exhibits in the Lincoln Public Library’s main art gallery will be available starting Wednesday, Dec. 1. The application deadline is January 10, 2022. Copies of the application and art exhibitor agreement form can be found by clicking here. Copies are also available at the Reference Desk.