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

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Storyteller presents Kurdish folk tales

Diane Edgecomb

Diane Edgecomb

All Lincoln residents middle-school age and older are invited to a free performance on Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m. at Bemis Hall of “One Thousand Doorways: Journey among the Kurds of Turkey,” the true account of storyteller Diane Edgecomb’s decade-long quest to document the vanishing folk tales of the Kurds of Turkey. This solo performance, based on true events, sheds light on the Kurds’ struggles and their ancient culture.

A chance meeting with a young Kurdish refugee set Edgecomb on a quest of danger and discovery to bring to the world the ancient legends of this oppressed culture. This is a deeply moving, richly entertaining story of her journey through the remote mountains of Turkey and of the extraordinary people who shared their lives and their stories. Share her experiences from her first humorous meetings with carpet dealers and chain-smoking elders to her travels up sheer mountain passes to remote villages usually forbidden to outsiders.

A featured performer at festivals and theaters throughout the country, Edgecomb is known for her ability to embody the various characters in her pieces. She has been hailed by Publisher’s Weekly as “a storyteller in the grand tradition, a virtuoso of the spoken word…an entire cast rolled into one.” Her storytelling was recently featured on NPR’s “Living on Earth” program.

This event is 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. For more information, call the Lincoln Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.

Community center on Hartwell campus would cost $13 million, panel says

The Community Center Study Committee's "preferred option." Click on the image for more options and interior design ideas.

The Community Center Study Committee’s “preferred option.” Click on the image for more exterior and interior design ideas.

By Alice Waugh

Residents on Saturday will have the chance to hear the final report of the Community Center Study Committee (CCSC), which proposes a community center to be built on the Hartwell campus at a total cost of about $13 million, including roads and other site work.

[Read more…] about Community center on Hartwell campus would cost $13 million, panel says

Council on Aging activities for March

bemisArabic Conversation
March 2 and 16 at 9:45 a.m.
Ms. Azza Omer from Sudan has generously offered to teach a free informal, light and easy conversational Arabic language class on Monday, March 2 and Monday, March 16 at 9:45 a.m. at Bemis Hall. Learning something completely new is great for brain fitness and for having fun. You’ll learn the alphabet and some common words and phrases. Come give the class a try!

Meet with an Aide to Congresswoman Clark
March 4 at 1 p.m.
You are invited to Bemis Hall on Wednesday, March 4 at 1 p.m. to meet with Natalie Kaufman, Constituent Service Representative for Congresswoman Katherine Clark. She will be available to assist residents with Social Security, Medicare, and MassHealth/Medicaid. You are also welcome to discuss other matters with her that she may be able to help with. [Read more…] about Council on Aging activities for March

Rescheduled Council on Aging events

bemisTwo previously announced COA events have been rescheduled to the following dates and times.

Throw off the winter doldrums

Join Jai Kaur Annamaria San Antonio on Wednesday, Feb. 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bemis Hall (rescheduled from Friday, Feb. 13) for a delicious and auspicious time (just past the Valentine’s Day/midwinter mark), sure to warm the cockles of your heart and throw off the winter doldrums! According to Ayurveda (the traditional health care system from India) and yogic philosophy, a holistic approach to heart health requires you to nourish the emotional heart as well as the physical heart. The heart is not just a pump — it’s the fountainhead of all emotions, whether it’s joy and exhilaration or sadness and frustration. Mental and emotional stress can disrupt the emotional heart. Both modern medicine and Ayurveda concur that there are things you can do every day to keep your heart healthy. Practicing meditation daily has been shown in research studies to help in lowering blood pressure, reversing arterial blockage and enhancing resistance to all types of stress. Share heart wisdom, lore and meditation that focuses on healing and opening the heart. Delicious heart-healthy treats and a sweet will be served. If you are so inclined, bring a favorite poem or song to share sure to pluck the heart strings and keep love in your heart at all times. May the great thaw begin!  Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. A donation is requested to cover the cost of the food.

Coffee with artist Ed Koehler

Join Lincoln illustrator and muralist Ed Koehler on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 2:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall (rescheduled form January 27) for “Coffee with the Artist” to celebrate his exhibit, which will end after the coffee, in the Bemis Hall Artists Gallery. Koehler has been drawing since he was eight years old. His commissions include architectural and artistic projects such as murals, portraits, historic scenes and varied drawings. He was an architect in Boston and Cambridge for 55 years while maintaining partnerships and independent commissions. A veteran of the Korean War, he is presently working on murals at the VA Hospital in Bedford.

 

News acorns – 2/2/15

Left to right: Evan Lee, Katherine Feng, John Dale and Jada Edwards.

Left to right: Evan Lee, Katherine Feng, John Dale and Jada Edwards.

Lincoln School students excel

At a January 31 audition, four Lincoln School music students qualified for the Eastern District Music Festival in March: violinist and concert mistress Katherine Feng and second violinist Evan Lee (orchestra), second trumpet John Dale (band) and soprano II Jada Edwards (chorus). Also auditioning were Kent Mashimo, Kevin Sheppard, Tara O’Malley, Jaelynn Rodney and Colin Christian.

Students in the Lincoln School’s Model UN extension were recognized for excellence at events in recent weeks. At the United Nations Association of Greater Boston (UNAGB) conference at Northeastern University for over 450 students, Lincoln seventh-graders Tara O’Malley and Darcy Flaherty were assigned to the World Health Organization (WHO) committee. As delegates from South Korea, they received a perfect score for their position paper on pandemic response. Eighth-graders Elena Christenfeld and Irene Terpstra and seventh-grader Keith Hylton, representing Nigeria, were also in the WHO committee. They earned Best Delegation award—the highest award possible—for a combination of the work they did on their position paper and negotiating skills during the conference. Then at the December Invitational Model United Nations (DIMUN), 80 students from all over New England had to respond to a pandemic outbreak using real-time information that would change the experience throughout the day for students. At the end of the day, Irene received one of six awards for Best Negotiator.

Six Lincoln School students made honor roll in the AMC-8 exam sponsored by the American Mathematics Competition. The Lincoln School also made the the School Honor Roll, which is unusual for such a small school. The awardees were seventh-grader Zachary Tam (distinguished honor roll); honor roll awardees were eighth-graders Irene Terpstra and Howie Tsang, and seventh-graders Laura Appleby, Piper Bau and Collin Graf.

Downton Abbey finale screening at Pierce House on Feb. 22

For the second year in a row, the pleasure of your company is requested by the Pierce House Committee at a screening party for the final episode of Season Five of Downtown Abbey on Sunday, Feb. 22 from 7-10 p.m. Join your fellow Lincoln Downton-ophiles to watch the popular drama together in the elegant parlor of historic Pierce House. Hats and gloves optional; tea, champagne and sweets will be served. Admission contribution is $10 at the door. Seating is limited, so contact Virginia Rundell (vq@verizon.net or 781-259-0201) to reserve your place now.

News acorns – 1/29/15

acornCouncil on Aging events rescheduled

The Better Business Bureau presentation scheduled for Friday, Jan. 30 has been canceled due to the predicted snow. We will reschedule for the spring. The Artist’s Coffee that was canceled on Tuesday, Jan. 27 has been rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 26 at 2:30 p.m.

Coming up at the library

“Orcadian Rhythms: The Films of Margaret Tait”
On Tuesday, Feb. 3, the Lincoln Library Film Society presents a night of short films by pioneering filmmaker Margaret Tait, whose transcendental, homemade films speak of the poetry of Scotland, and specifically of Orkney (a bit of Scottish and a bit of the Norse). Then, after a two-week break, the group will reconvene on February 17 to begin a six-part retrospective of Ukrainian poetic cinema. For more information, email lincolnlibraryfilmsociety@gmail.com.

Fischman and O’Hanlon at LOMA
The Friends of the Lincoln Library and Lincoln Open-Mic Acoustic (LOMA) will welcome featured performers Peter Fischman and Deb O’Hanlon at the next LOMA event on Monday, Feb. 9 from 7-10 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. They will perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30 p.m. The duo has several CDs including their latest, In His Own Words, featuring original songs on topics such as life, home, commuting and vegetables. To hear samples of their music, visit Reverbnation or see their website.

“Voices from the Back Stairs: Domestic Servants in 19th- and 20th-century New England”
Jennifer Pustz of Historic New England will speak about life for domestic servants, with special attention to the servants at the Codman Estate, on Sunday, Feb. 8 from 2-4 p.m.

ICA sculpture-making for kids
Artist educators will lead the sculpture making project related to the Institute of Contemporary Art’s architecture and design concepts on Wednesday, Feb. 18 from 2-3 p.m. for children ages 5 and up. Each child will leave with her or his own sculpture! Signup in advance is necessary; call 781-259-8465 x205.

Robots on the run: build a robot
The Rhode Island Computer Museum presents this workshop for kids ages 10 and up on basic circuits and simple robot making on Thursday, Feb. 19 from 2-4 p.m. You’ll learn programmable electronics and instructions for making a robot with working lights and sounds and a running motor. Learn about interactive software called Arduino and create your own sample robot. Registration in advance is required; call 781-259-8465 x205.

Jump into improv
Come and learn the joy of improvisation on Tuesday afternoons from February 24 to April 7 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. for kids in grades 4-7. During improv exercises, participants create characters and stories and act them out. There are no lines to learn—no staging, just lots of creative fun. Learn acting games and skills. No previous experience needed. Lots of fun, laughter and creativity involved. The class will be taught by actor/teacher Sally Kindleberger. To register: visit or call the library at 781-259-8465.

 

February activities at the Council on Aging

bemisHere is the list of February activities sponsored by the Council on Aging.

Do less, accomplish more, feel better!
February 3 at 10 a.m.
We’re all overwhelmed with information about what we should be doing that’s good for us. Simplify to be more productive with a six-week group led by Pam Mizrahi. The group will explore how to determine what you can do to do less while accomplishing more to make you happier and healthier physically, mentally, and spiritually. This free group will meet on Tuesday mornings at 10 a.m. beginning on Feb. 3 at Bemis Hall. You will benefit from this group whether you were in the fall group or not. [Read more…] about February activities at the Council on Aging

Winter Carnival kicks off next Thursday

Winter Carnival 2015 PosterThe Lincoln Winter Carnival, an annual event sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Committee, starts on January 29 and features a pancake breakfast, a snow sculpture contest, poetry, bingo, and lots of other events for both adults and kids.

The carnival is designed to foster a sense of community throughout the town of Lincoln, and all events are sponsored by Lincoln-based organizations. Please check individual event details for age limits, admission fees, pre-registration information, etc.

Weeklong events

[Read more…] about Winter Carnival kicks off next Thursday

Council on Aging activities in January

bemisFrom drawing to pastel painting with Juliet
January 5 at 10 a.m.
Express your most vibrant self with the brilliant colors of pastels in a new class with Juliet Rago! She will begin with a short introduction to drawing for those who feel they need it. The class will meet from 10 a.m. to noon on January 5, 9, 12, 23 and 26. No experience is necessary. All materials will be furnished. Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. Limit of six people. The fee is $20.

Lincoln Academy with Deane Ellsworth: “The Magic of the Steam Train Whistle”
January 5 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, Jan. 5 at 12:30 to hear Deane Ellsworth discuss “The Magic of the Steam Train Whistle.” Bring a bag lunch. The Council on Aging provides beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion. [Read more…] about Council on Aging activities in January