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

news

Obituaries

Dorothy Cannistraro

Dorothy Cannistraro

Dorothy Ann (Moore) Cannistraro died on Tuesday, June 11, peacefully in her sleep at St. Patrick’s Manor in Framingham, where she had resided for six years. Dottie lived with deep faithfulness, good humor, and a commitment to sharing kindness with others.

Born in Framingham in 1934 and raised in Millis, Dottie enjoyed the company of a large extended family, including her parents Harold and Dorothy Moore and younger brother Louis Moore. Her strong will and determination gave her strength to buck the system and get the education she deserved in spite of her cerebral palsy. Her fighting spirit, coupled with unparalleled determination, made her an inspiration to those who had an opportunity to know her. Indeed, when Dottie graduated from Millis High School in 1953, long before the Americans with Disabilities Act or anything like it, no one who knew Dottie was surprised she accomplished that unlikely feat.

As a young adult, Dottie worked as a clerk librarian at the Millis school library. In the summer of 1962 she had the opportunity to attend Camp Freedom (now called Camp Jabberwocky) on Martha’s Vineyard. It was a fortuitous trip because it was there that she met Domenic Cannistraro. Dom and Dottie married in 1970. Their marriage was one of mutual love, respect, and cooperation. They made their home in Lincoln, where the sparkle in Dottie’s eye and her nurturing spirit made Dottie a favorite among neighborhood children, many of whom she cared for in her home-based childcare.

Dom and Dottie were faithful members of St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Lincoln for 34 years. A woman of deep faith, Dorothy was an active member of the Service League there. After moving to Framingham, Dom and Dottie joined St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in 2004. Much to their surprise and delight their daughter, the Rev. Julie Carson, became rector of their congregation in 2007.

Dorothy glowed with pride at the accomplishments of Julie, her son-in-law Phillip Carson, and grandchildren Natalie and Thomason Carson, all of Framingham. She also leaves a brother, Louis Moore, sisters-in-law who were more like sisters, and many nieces and nephews. Known as “Honey” to her extended family, it was a fitting nickname for someone as sweet and generous as Dottie. Dottie was preceded in death by her parents and beloved husband Domenic.

A service of thanksgiving for Dottie’s life will be held at St. Anne’s in the Fields Episcopal Church, 147 Concord Road in Lincoln, on Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 11:00 AM with interment of ashes to follow in the church memorial garden.

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to Camp Jabberwocky, 200 Greenwood Ave., Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.

(Obituary courtesy Concord Funeral Home)

Ernest Fisher

Ernest Fisher of Westwood, formerly of Milton and Lincoln on Friday, June 14, 2019. Husband of the late Doris (Riman) Fisher. Loving father of Candace Gustafson, Margo Fisher-Martin, Peter Fisher, Hynda Kleinman and the late Douglas and Jody Beth Fisher. Adored grandfather of Adam Gustafson, Amanda Greuter, Ali Martin, Dana Kleinman, Ruth Duff, Tobias and Tina Fisher. Great grandfather of Nicholas Fisher, Stephanie Fisher Levesque, Alex Fisher Levesque, Layla, Marley and Nora Gustafson, and Calder and Ava Duff. He was an Army veteran of World War II and a graduate of Harvard University’s class of 1943.

Services were held at the Levine Chapels in Brookline on June 17; burial was at the Beth El Cemetery in West Roxbury. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Jody Beth Fisher Dean’s Discretionary Fund at Harvard College, c/o Alumni and Development Services, 124 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (please make check payable to Harvard College with “Jody Beth Fisher Dean’s Discretionary Fund” on the memo line).

(Obituary courtesy Levine Chapels)

News acorns

Great Walden BioBlitz at Minute Man NHP

Join the National Park Service, Walden Woods Project, and naturalist Peter Alden in a mega-bio-blitz on Saturday, July 6 from 2–4 p.m. at the Hartwell Tavern lot area, 106 North Great Rd., Lincoln. Observe and identify plants, birds, insects, amphibians, and other living organisms, and learn to use the iNaturalist app and contribute to our goal of recording 2,000 species in a day. Naturalist-led tours in the park depart at 2 p.m. from the Hartwell lot. For more information, visit www.waldenbioblitz.org.

Watch the GearTicks robot in action

The Lincoln GearTicks “Rover Ruckus” machine.

There’s now video available of the Lincoln GearTicks robot that recently competed at the FIRST World Championship in Detroit. Students from teams all over the world had to design robots that could deliver “minerals” (gold cubes and whiffle balls) from a “crater” into the “lander” (an elevated box with separate containers). Click here to watch on YouTube (the GearTicks segment begins at 1:23:00 and the GearTicks “Rover Ruckus” robot is labeled 6055), or click here to download a 30-second video. The original story has been updated to include these link.

Summer hours at the library

The Lincoln Public Library will be open on Saturdays during July from 10 a.m.—1 p.m. (weekday hours remain the same), and the library will be closed on Saturdays during August. Regular Saturday hours (10 a.m.—5 p.m.) will begin on September 7.

Mass Audubon photo contest under way

Picture This: Your Great Outdoors, the Lincoln-based Mass Audubon’s annual statewide photo contest, invites shutterbugs of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of experience to share the natural beauty of the Bay State through their photography. The competition, which continues through September 30, has two age divisions (18 and older, and under 18) and six subject areas: people in nature, birds, mammals, other animals, landscapes, and plants and fungi.

Contestants may submit up to 10 images apiece. Photographs must have been taken any time prior to or during the 2019 contest period, but must have been shot in Massachusetts or at Mass Audubon’s Wildwood Camp in Rindge, N.H. One Grand Prize winner will be awarded a $250 gift card and will be featured in Mass Audubon’s member newsletter, Explore. Eleven winners will receive $100 gift cards, and at least six honorable mentions will receive $50 gift cards. Additional honorable mentions may be awarded at the discretion of the judges. To enter and to review contest information, including rules and how to submit photos online, visit massaudubon.org/picturethis.

Free mental health clinics, social worker now available in Lincoln

Emily Morrison, the town’s social worker.

Lincoln residents of all ages can now consult with a social worker at several locations in town and get free 45-minute appointments with a mental health counselor.

Social worker Emily Morrison was hired in January and works alongside Council on Aging (COA) co-assistant director Abby Butt, who primarily handles issues with seniors age 60 and older. “About a year and a half ago, we began to notice a significant increase in households with people of all ages in crisis,” COA Director Carolyn Bottum said. Many were at risk of homelessness or having their utilities shut off, insufficient food, and  issues with family dynamics. The COA caters only to seniors, “but because we’re the only social service department in town, everyone was coming to us.”

Morrison can refer residents to the many area services that are available to them at little or no cost, such as emergency housing, fuel assistance food stamps, etc. Residents can also see a counselor from Eliot Community Health Services to discuss issues related to anxiety, depression, joblessness, loss, or any other issue. The counselor can also make referrals for longer-term treatment. Eliot may be able to bill insurance, but clients are not responsible for any copays if they can’t afford them (the Board of Health provided a small grant for copays and fees for those without insurance).

The social worker position was created with the help of grants from the First Parish in Lincoln, St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, and the Ogden Codman Trust. The funding will allow the clinics to run for two or three years “while we gather data show how important they are; then we hope to go to another source for more stable funding such as the town or a group of private citizens,” Bottum said.

Morrison began working in Lincoln in January after earning her social work degree after being a stay-at-home mother for her five children. She did her internship at the Belmont COA and is particularly interested in disability and inclusion, older adults, and hospice.

Morrison is available from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of the month and Tuesdays from 8–11 a.m. at Bemis Hall. She also has hours on the other two Mondays of the month at Lincoln Woods, at Battle Road Farm, and (during the school year) at LEAP for parents picking up their children after school. Call her at 781-259-8811 to set up an appointment with her or a mental health counselor.

News acorns

Hospice volunteers come to Drumlin Farm

Care Dimensions volunteers at Drumlin Farm (click photo to enlarge).

More than a dozen Care Dimensions employees recently volunteered at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm in Lincoln to plant vegetables, herbs, and flowers that will the farm will go to CSAs, farmers’ markets, and cafeterias. The farm day was part of the company’s employee volunteer program in which selected employees volunteer with a community organization located within the company’s service area. Last year, the Care Dimensions company opened an 18-bed hospice house in Lincoln, and it also has offices in Waltham and Danvers.

Food donations needed in summertime

Summer is a particular time of need for donations to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. During the school year, students can get free or reduced-price lunch at school, but now that the academic year is over, more food is needed to compensate for the loss of these lunches. Please donate canned goods, cereals, spaghetti sauce, diapers, snack foods, etc.  The pantry is always looking for healthy treats, gluten-free, and reduced-salt items as well. Bring items to St. Joseph Church (side door, basket on the floor) or the Parish Center at St. Julia Church (374 Boston Post Rd., Weston).

Get free books at the library

Summer is actually spring-cleaning time at the Lincoln Public Library, where summer interns help process discarded books for the public to pick up for free. The library scans selected books to see if its used book re-seller will take them, then offer put them on the discarded books cart in the library’s lower stack level downstairs. Some of the books are in good condition; others have been well loved and will be replaced by newer copies. Note: The books aren’t meant to take the place of our Friends Book Sale Cart — those books are all in good condition, and sales support the library programs.

Residents can now apply for building permits online

The Lincoln Planning Department is updating its services to include online applications for building permits. Applicants may click here, create an account, and apply for a permit. Only building permit applications are available online, but electrical, plumbing and gas will be added in the future. Anyone with questions regarding the system may call Lincoln IT Director Michael Dolan at 781-259-2702.  

Two new outdoor installations at deCordova

“Sunday, Sitting on the Bank of Butterfly Meadow” by Wardell Milan.

Two new sculptures were recently unveiled at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum and will be on view until the end of December. In “PLATFORM 24: Wardell Milan, Sunday, Sitting on the Bank of Butterfly Meadow,” New York artist Wardell Milan adapts one of his lush, intricate photo-dioramas to a monumental scale. Working with photography, sculpture, drawing, and collage, he stages intricate maquettes of found imagery to create compositions of pastoral landscapes populated by bodies of diverse genders and racial identity. The PLATFORM series at the deCordova includes one-person commissioned projects by early- and mid-career artists that engage with deCordova’s unique landscape.

“Kitchen Trees” by B. Wurtz.

“Kitchen Trees” is the first large-scale, public work by B. Wurtz. Its trunk is composed of blue colanders stacked in a slender column with thin metallic branches leading to overturned pots and pans, out of which plastic fruits and vegetables appear to fall. The sculpture’s form is partially inspired by the bulbous bronze fountain in New York’s City Hall Park where “Kitchen Trees” was first displayed alongside four other sculptures from the same series. At deCordova, the whimsical piece evokes a tropical palm tree, in striking contrast to the towering pines and elegant beeches that thrive in New England.

Lincoln Squirrel offers discounts until July 4

The Lincoln Squirrel is now the only news source solely dedicated to our town, because the Lincoln Journal no longer exists (see the Lincoln Squirrel, June 11, 2019). Although the weekly Concord Journal will carry a few Lincoln items, that paper has no dedicated Lincoln reporter or editor, and it now costs $95 a year. To keep informed about what’s going on in Lincoln with near-daily updates for half the price, subscribe to the Lincoln Squirrel and get a discount until July 4.

If you’re not a subscriber and are reading one of your three free articles a month, or if you have a friend or neighbor who might be interested in subscribing, now’s the time. Until July 4, 2019, subscribe to the Squirrel for one year for only $43 (regular price: $48), or become a monthly subscriber for $3.99 per month and get your first two months FREE.

Sounds great! How do I get my discount?

To subscribe online using your credit card:

  • Click here (or go to lincolnsquirrel.com and click on “Subscriptions” at the top right).
  • On the “Subscription Checkout” page, click the link that says “Click here to enter your discount code” and enter 85C07545FB.
  • If you opted for an annual subscription, your credit card will be charged $43, and then automatically charged $48 one year later to renew. Monthly subscribers will get the first two months free and will then be automatically charged $3.99 per month.

To subscribe via check:

  • Send a check made out to “Watusi Words” (not “Lincoln Squirrel”) for $43.00.
  • Include a note with your name, telephone number and email address, and be sure to include the discount code of 85C07545FB.
  • Mail it to:

Alice Waugh
178 Weston Rd.
Lincoln MA 01773

  • Once I get your check, I’ll send you an email explaining how to log in. Or if you prefer a phone call or on-site visit, say so in your note or call me any time at 617-710-5542.

Thanks, and happy reading!

Alice Waugh
Editor, Lincoln Squirrel

Letter to the editor: join the parade!

To the editor:

We are writing to invite you to join Lincoln’s Annual Fourth of July parade. This year, our quintessential small-town parade will be led by Parade Marshal Becky Eston, who’s retiring as a Lincoln School teacher and community treasure for the past 39 years. This is our chance to honor her dedication, compassion and talent as an educator, so please join us to send her off in style.

We expect the parade to include well-loved traditional groups such as the Lincoln veterans, the Fire and Police Departments, the Lincoln Minute Men, and the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, to name a few. But this year we also encourage new participation — we’re talking to you parade newbies! Come up with something you want to promote, something the town should be aware of or proud of, and roll on out!  Not sure if you have a good idea? Please give us a call and run it by us!

Download a parade application and return it either electronically to dpereira@lincnet.org or by mail to the Parks and Recreation Department at 16 Lincoln Rd. You’ll then receive detailed instructions about the event. Most importantly, on the morning of July 4, please meet on Ballfield Road before 9:30 a.m.  We look forward to seeing you in the parade!

Sincerely,

Lindsay Clemens and Ingrid Neri

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.

St. Anne’s appoints new rector

Rev. Garrett Yates and his wife Katie Yates.

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

Reverend C. Garrett Yates will begin serving in August as the new rector at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Lincoln.

Since his ordination to the priesthood in 2016, Garrett has served as assistant rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mt. Lebanon, Penn. Garrett, his wife Katie, and their boxer Hank will arrive in August, and Garrett’s first Sunday service will be soon thereafter. 
 
Of the many applicants that the Rector Search Committee considered, Garrett stood out as a gracious, wise, and energetic leader with a gift for rigorous preaching and a humble presence. The committee was impressed with his warm spirit and moved by his thoughtful approach to ministry. 
 
At St. Paul’s, Garrett developed a thriving Young Adult Group, as well as facilitated the Environmental Stewardship team and served as the chaplain to the St. Paul’s Episcopal Nursery School. Garrett was proud to be a part of St. Paul’s installation of solar panels on the church, as well leading an Education for Ministry group, group spiritual direction, and a men’s Bible study. 
 
Garrett is passionate about preaching, integration of faith into daily life, and helping faith communities recognize the abundance of God’s life already in their midst. A native of Alabama, Garrett earned his B.A. in classics at Samford University, where he met Katie. Garrett then earned his M.Div. from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where he wrote his honors thesis on “The Christological Shape of the Preaching of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.” When he’s not at church, Garrett loves spending time with his dog, running and hiking, playing board games, playing guitar, watching the NBA, and reading novels.  

Lincoln Journal absorbed by Concord paper as news industry continues to contract

By Alice Waugh

Lincoln no longer has a newspaper bearing the town’s name.

Subscribers to the Lincoln Journal were informed by letter late last month that GateHouse Media New England (GHMNE), which owns more than 100 weekly newspapers and several dailies in eastern Massachusetts, was merging the Concord Journal and Lincoln Journal into a single newspaper retaining the Concord Journal name.

It’s part of a broader consolidation whereby the company is merging 50 newspapers into 19 — in most cases removing local town names from the new titles. Three of the new publications combine four former newspapers into one, and another will cover five towns previously served by separate papers in Hopkinton, Shrewsbury, Northborough, Westborough, and Southborough. WickedLocal websites for the affected weeklies will not change.

“This consolidation will reduce production expenses and represents a necessary next step in our evolution, while creating a stronger product for both our subscribers and advertisers,” GateHouse Media New England executives Peter Meyer and Lisa Strattan said in a May 31 letter to company staff. “Our readers will continue to receive the same in-depth local news coverage of their town plus additional reporting from nearby communities, giving them up-to-date news on what’s happening in their region.”

Although the Lincoln Journal had its own print edition and website, it hasn’t had an editor or reporter devoted exclusively to the town for several years. Most of its recent coverage has consisted of regional stories and photos shared by several other newspapers in the area. The changes reflect a growing “ghost newspaper” trend in the economically distressed news business.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Lincoln and Sudbury were covered by the Fence Viewer. Some time later, the Concord Journal covered Lincoln until the most recent version of the Lincoln Journal came along. Papers in the region have changed hands numerous times in recent years as the newspaper business has been decimated by free or cheap online news and classified ads, the rising cost of newsprint, and other factors.

A note to readers in the June 6 edition of the merged Concord Journal observed that “from minimalist millennials to Marie Kondo’s tidying to the tiny houses trend, everyone nowadays seems to be distilling their surroundings to their most essential purpose, streamlining and focusing only on what matters most. We’d like to think that’s what we’ve done with the edition you’re holding right now.” The paper features one inside page of Lincoln material comprising reprinted press releases and other submissions with no original reporting. 

Lincoln Journal readers were told in the May 24 letter that their subscription balances would be transferred to the Concord Journal. When subscriptions expire, they will be renewed at a new unspecified rate. As of Tuesday night, the GHMNE web page for newspaper delivery subscriptions still offered the Lincoln Journal for $93 a year, almost twice the price of the Lincoln Squirrel.

The Concord-only Concord Journal had a circulation of about 3,600 and went to about 50% of households in that town, according to Pamela Calder, an advertising account executive with WickedLocal Media Solutions/GHMNE. Calder added that she did not know the circulation of the Lincoln Journal, but “I don’t think it was very high,” and added that she did not yet know how the merger would affect advertising rates.

Calls and emails from the Lincoln Squirrel to Strattan (the vice president of news for GHMNE and senior vice president, executive editor and publisher of Wicked Local, the company’s online division) and to Kathleen Cordeiro, regional director of news and operations for GHMNE, were not returned.

Property transactions in April

14B North Commons — Kristin Swanson to Brianne Krupsaw for $435,000 (April 30)

314 Hemlock Circle — Thomas M. Healy Jr. Trust to Mary Ryan for $502,000 (April 26) 

3 Millstone Lane — Margo Selzter to Robert D. Valleau Trust and Pamela M. Valleau Trust for $1,800,000 (April 26)

54 Conant Rd. — Reihl Mahoney to Mary and Harrison Pope for $1,005,000 (April 26)

144 Lincoln Rd. — Tseng-Lin LLC to Lincoln Rd. Realty LLC for $700,000 (April 25)

82 Virginia Rd. #B410 — Mary Pilecki to Eileen Kern and Ellen McCullough for $423,000 (April 19)

11 Woodcock Lane — Hairen Zuo to Jayne Mundt for $1,150,000 (April 19)

51 Greenridge Lane — Ruth Sartori to David Cancian and Iris Hoxha for $475,000 (April 17)

225 Sandy Pond Rd. — Jonathan Prange to Caleb and Suzanne Baker for $810,000 (April 10)

26 Windingwood Lane — Matthew Garrigue to Idan and Yifat Rochell for $670,000 (April 8)

140 Lincoln Rd. #218 — William Weir to Mary and Harrison Pope for $485,000 (April 1)

 

Six L-S staff win FELS grants

FELS grant recipients Erica Wilsen, Shea Justice, Kelly Gaudreau, Rebecca Carr, and David Cole. 

Six faculty and staff members at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School have received grants from the Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury (FELS) to pursue their professional and personal interests and passions.

FELS was founded in 2000 to offer parents a tangible way to show their appreciation to the L-S professional staff for the unflagging dedication, tireless effort, and genuine caring they routinely offer our children. The 2019 grant recipients shared over $10,500 in funding, and FELS has distributed well over $100,000 in grants since its founding.  Funds are raised through a direct appeal to L-S families as well as the annual FELS Thanksgiving Pie Sale and Spring FELS Talk.

John Flynn of the L-S Counseling Department.

The 2019 recipients are:

  • Certified Auto Detailer — David Cole, campus aide
  • All Things British — Rebecca Carr, English Department
  • African American History Journey — Shea Justice, Fine and Applied Technical Arts Department
  • Tanzania: Reconnecting and Expanding — Erica Wilsen, Math Department
  • Twin City Tour — John Flynn, Counseling Department
  • Just Breathe:  My Dream to Become a Yoga Instructor — Kelly Gaudreau, English Department