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

Just two days left in the Lincoln Chipmunk fundraising drive

January 4, 2021

Last month we asked supporters of the Lincoln Chipmunk (Lincoln Squirrel’s sister publication for the arts) for help in defraying some of the $8,000 cost of creating the Chipmunk’s website. The Indiegogo fundraising drive ends on Wednesday, Jan. 6, so please consider making a contribution to a vital platform for Lincoln’s artists, writers, and photographers. As an incentive, you can get some Lincoln Squirrel or Lincoln Chipmunk merchandise as a thank-you for donating at various levels. Click on the image below for details:

Lincoln Squirrel subscribers have free access to the Lincoln Chipmunk, so please see what your artistic neighbors have been doing, and learn about how to contribute some work of your own.

Even if you don’t donate, have a look at our new store for all your Squirrel/Chipmunk merchandise needs, including clothing, drinkware, stickers, coasters, and of course face masks.

A huge thank-you to everyone who’s supported the Squirrel in various ways over the last eight years, and to those who waited patiently for the successor to the Lincoln Review to finally make its debut. And thanks in advance to anyone who’s able to donate to the Lincoln Chipmunk!

My Turn: Water Dept. always available in emergencies

January 4, 2021

By Ruth Ann Hendrickson

The Water Department has a system in place to serve you if you have need for immediate help. We do not have enough staff to personally answer the phone 24 hours a day, but we do have personnel who are assigned to be “on call.” If you have a leaking water meter or some other water leak that needs immediate attention, do not hesitate to call the Water Department at 781-259-2669 and select option #1 – “Emergency.” This will allow you to contact the on-call person who can arrange for quick resolution of your problem.

Ruth Ann Hendrickson is a member of the Lincoln Water Commission.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Lincoln Garden Club honors front-line workers

January 4, 2021

By Jane Herlacher

The Lincoln Garden Club recently honored the town’s front-line essential workers with holiday flowers. For the club’s December Zoom program a floral designer created arrangements which were later picked up at her Chelmsford home and delivered to four town departments and the post office. All the staff members have been on duty on site full time since the beginning of the pandemic. We are grateful for their continued service during unknown and changing times since last winter. Many, many thanks to every one of them.

Jane Herlacher is a member of the Lincoln Garden Club.

Town sees 27 cases of Covid-19 in last half of December

January 3, 2021

Lincoln’s Covid-19 caseload continues to climb, with a total of 27 cases during the last two weeks in December — the same number as recorded over the preceding four months.

Forty-four Lincoln residents tested positive for Covid-during the four-week period starting the week of December 10. The largest two-week total before this was nine cases for the fortnight ending on April 25. As of December 31, Lincoln had 19 active cases — fewer than Carlisle but more than Concord, where fully 40% of the cases were in residents age 20 and younger.

Earlier in the pandemic, many Lincoln cases cropped up among elderly residents at The Commons and elsewhere in town. More recently, as in the rest of the country, the virus has affected a greater age range of Lincolnites and the method of spread has more often been within households.

“In the last few months, we have definitely seen an increase in the number of cases in the one-to-25-year-old age groups,” Public Health Nurse Tricia McGean said in an email to the Lincoln Squirrel. “College students socialize in groups and live in congregate group settings like dorms, and the virus is very happy to spread in these types of settings. We did not have the college-aged cases back in March and April, as most of them were sent home to learn remotely. The younger cases we’ve seen recently in the local elementary and middle schools are usually related to household spread. If there is a family of four or six, we can usually watch it spread to each person.

“The holidays have also been a factor in increased case numbers. Despite warnings from public health officials, many people chose to be with friends and family members outside of their households. I have seen a few Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings result in a full family sweep of new Covid-positive cases,” McGean said.

There have been a few hospitalizations among the recent Lincoln cases, though these have been older adults and usually due to a comorbidity like a chronic respiratory disease.

On the bright side, “we have not seen any confirmed spread within the school community, so that’s fantastic news. Everyone is doing their job by keeping masked, maintaining social distance, and performing good hand hygiene, and we hope to get everyone back to school [this] week as planned,” McGean said. There have been no deaths or new cases at The Commons since December 23, and the facility expects to start its Covid-19 vaccine clinic for its residents as soon as this week.

Statewide, Lincoln is now in the moderate risk category, where it moved from low risk during the period from November 22 to December 5 (click here to see how the state’s risk map has evolved for towns since October 18).

Although vaccines are on the way for everyone, the immediate threat is very real, especially since Covid-19 is sneakily contagious. “The most infectious period of the virus is 48 hours prior to symptom onset, so by the time you get the headache, cough, and achy feeling, you have already unknowingly spread the virus,” McGean said.

New skating rink to offer another winter diversion

December 31, 2020

This winter will be more isolated than most because of Covid-19, but there’ll be one new bright spot: a town skating rink.

The Parks and Recreation Department is using $3,500 from its celebrations fund to purchase a 30-by-60-foot skating rink and expects it to be delivered in January. Staff will set it up behind Town Hall adjacent to the soccer field and, weather permitting, they’ll fill it with water to make it available for skating as soon as possible.

Details are still being worked out, but there was discussion of requiring visits to be reserved online to limit capacity as demanded by the pandemic. The rink will be used for both hockey and figure skating, though players will have to bring their own nets.

As far as maintenance goes, “it will be very similar to how backyard rinks are maintained — a labor of love by a group of volunteers,” said Parks and Recreation Commission member Rob Stringer. “When it snows, we’ll shovel it off; when the ice gets uneven we will spray it with additional water to freeze in a smooth surface.

The rink will have its permanent home once the sport court and parking lot next to the Brooks gym are not in use by the school construction project. The sport court has lights so residents can use it after dark.

“We’re excited to use the ice rink for this winter and many years to come,” said David Sequeira, acting director of Parks and Rec.

“We’re looking forward to having a rink now that the weather is cold enough, and I hope the community enjoys it enough to make it an annual facility,” Stringer said.

News acorns

December 31, 2020

Christmas tree pickup benefits Fire Dept.

The Lincoln Fire department will pick up Christmas trees on Saturday, Jan. 9 from residents who’ve made a $20 donation toward their fundraiser. For details, contact Caleb Hagerty at hagartyc@lincolntown.org.

Send in suggestions for next talent show beneficiary

The deadline is Thursday, Jan. 7 for submitting nominations for a charitable cause that will benefit from the next Lincoln youth talent show. Organizers will keep all suggestions anonymous. Two options have already been presented:

Marc Day, a 2018 L-S graduate who is battling Stage 4 cancer
The Lincoln chapter of St. Vincent de Paul Society, which runs a food pantry and emergency fund to help people in the community who are having trouble financially

Please email achlagandhi24@gmail.com or kids4covid.19@gmail.com with ideas. Organizers will send out a survey on LincolnTalk next week to let the community can vote. Here are links to videos of the first talent show on December 23: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Event looks at domestic abuse survivors from South Asia

On Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 3 p.m., the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable will host a talk by Divya Chaturvedi and Rita Shah, co-executive directors of Saheli, about the organization’s work supporting domestic abuse survivors from South Asia. They’ll highlight how Saheli focuses on people’s unique cultural beliefs and backgrounds when offering programs and services. The presentation will include:

A closer look at some of the specific cultural factors — such as acculturation stress, limited support structure in the U.S., and limited English proficiency — that make it more difficult for people who have immigrated from South Asia to access support
The hows and whys of Saheli’s focus on economic empowerment, awareness of legal rights, reducing isolation, and fostering healthy relationships.
Suggestions on how friends, neighbors, and family members can best support people from South Asia who may be living with abuse.

To get the Zoom link to the program, please register here or through the Roundtable’s website. Over the course of the year, the Roundtable will be presenting several programs in its Spotlight Series focusing on segments of our communities that face additional barriers when considering if and how to seek help or support. For questions, please email infodvrt@gmail.com

Police log for December 15–23, 2020

December 30, 2020

December 15

Granville Road (6:38 a.m.) — Officer on patrol found a package that had fallen off a delivery truck. Package was delivered to the residence.

December 16

Pierce House (3:36 a.m.) — A vehicle was seen with its lights left on belongs. It belongs to the caretaker, who was contacted.

Tower Road (9:00 a.m.) — Officer on a work detail reported a strong odor of natural gas. Fire Department and National Grid contacted; National Grid to handle.

Ashland, Mass. (9:28 a.m.) — A Fire Department member responded to Ashland for a dive team activation.

Lincoln Road (12:41 p.m.) — Minor two-car accident in the parking lot of the red commercial building; no injuries.

Town Hall (11:46 p.m.) — Officer saw two individuals walking near the front door of Town Hall. Officer checked the building and all was secure. The individuals went to a nearby home.

December 17

Oriole Landing, Mary’s Way (12:57 p.m.) — Caller reported a dog charged at him while at the residence. Animal Control Officer was notified to handle.

Sunnyside Lane (5:34 p.m.) — Council on Aging requested a well-being check on the residence. Officer responded and confirmed that the resident is OK.

December 18

Old Cambridge Turnpike (10:04 a.m.) — Caller reported an outside odor of natural gas. Fire Department responded and reported residual gas at the meter.

December 19

Old Concord Road (3:26 p.m.) — Caller reported a vehicle blocking the emergency gate on Old Concord Road. Cars were gone when officer arrived.

North Great Road (9:44 p.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle pulled over to the side of the roadway. The driver was fine; he had pulled over to gather something in his car.

December 20

South Great Road (9:32 a.m.) — Caller was looking for information from the Fire Department.

December 21

Woodcock Lane (12:37 p.m.) — Car hit a utility pole. The road closed due to pole damage and one person was transported to local hospital; vehicle towed from the scene.

Lincoln School (1:40 p.m.) — Caller reported that buses at the school had snow on their roofs which they considered dangerous. Officer responded and evaluated and found no danger.

December 22

North Great Road (3:08 a.m.) — An unoccupied vehicle was parked in the visitor’s center lot. No one was nearby.

Lexington Road (2:20 p.m.) — Caller reported a vehicle was parked at a neighbor’s residence when no one should be home. No vehicle was located when the officer arrived.

Hallett Hill Road, Weston (5:09 p.m.) — Weston Fire Department requested an engine to respond to a residence for a reported house fire. Lincoln firefighters were cleared by Weston 20 minutes after arrival.

South Great Road (7:16 p.m.) — A vehicle was parked in front of Stonegate Gardens with no one around.

December 23

Lexington Road (7:20 p.m.) — Paperwork was delivered to the residence.

Lexington Road [different address from above] (7:22 p.m.) — Paperwork was delivered to the residence.

Lincoln Police Department (7:49 p.m.) — Officer assisted Weston police in using Lincoln’s breath test machine for an arrest.

Council on Aging activities in January

December 28, 2020

Here are some of the January activities hosted by the Lincoln Council on Aging. Most events are open to Lincoln residents of all ages. For a full list, including exercise classes, regular meetings of interest groups, and online chats with town officials, see the COA’s calendar page or January newsletter. Contact the COA at 781-259-8811 or gagnea@Lincolntown.org for Zoom links to events.

Lincoln Academy: The “Boy and His Dog” statue

Monday, Jan. 11 from noon–1 p.m.
The talk will explore the life and work of sculptor Cyrus Dallin with a focus on his Lincoln masterpiece, Storrow Memorial, given to Lincoln in 1925. Known affectionately to those in Lincoln as “Boy and his Dog,” the statue stands near the entrance of the Lexington Road cemetery and is a great feature of both Lincoln and Dallin’s work. The presentation is in conjunction with the Cyrus Dallin Art Museum, the Lincoln Historical Society, the Cemetery Commission, the Lincoln Town Archives, and COA. Details to follow.

Learn to host meetings on Zoom with Andy Payne

Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 1 p.m.
Andy will present some basic lessons and give you a chance to learn and explore Zoom’s settings and features in a low-stakes environment. Zoom is a very popular system for video chats with groups and is supported on Mac, Windows, iPhone/iPad, and Android devices. Click here to download Zoom if you don’t have it on your device. Once you have it installed, just click on a Zoom link to participate in a meeting. Zoom meeting link: https://zoom.us/j/577144331

Lincoln Academy: The Story Behind the Greatest of Liberations

Monday, Jan. 25 from noon–1 p.m.
This session with Bernice Lerner, author of All the Horrors of War, follows Glyn Hughes, a high-ranking British officer, and Rachel Genuth, a teenager from the Hungarian provinces, as they navigate their respective forms of hell during the final brutal year of World War II. Their stories converge in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where Hughes finds himself responsible for an unprecedented situation: 25,000 of 60,000 war-ravaged inmates are in need of immediate hospitalization, and Rachel is among those at death’s door. Their narratives tell a larger story about the suffering of the victims, the struggles of liberators who strove to save lives, and the human capacity for fortitude and redemption. For more information, call 781-259-8811 x102 or email gagnea@lincolntown.org.

Wanda Paik: Classical piano music recital

Monday, Feb. 1
Wanda Paik will present a recital of some her favorite classic piano pieces, anchoring it with a masterpiece: J.S. Bach’s “Toccata, Fantasia and Fugue in D major.” Also on the playbill are works by Frederic Chopin (“Impromptu in A-flat major,” “Nocturne in C-sharp minor,” and “Etude in A-flat major,” which was thought to make the piano sound like an Aeolian harp); Brahms’s iconic “Intermezzo in E-flat minor,” which weaves an ancient Gregorian chant throughout the piece; and Debussy’s luminously beautiful “Clair de Lune” from the “Suite Bergamasque,” followed by his sweeping, jazzy Prelude from the “Suite Pour le Piano.” For details, email gagnea@lincolntown.org.

Caring transitions: educate yourself before a healthcare crisis

Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m.
Join elder law attorney Sasha Golden and Emily Tamilio of Deaconess Abundant Life to learn about navigating healthcare in a crisis. These local professions will walk us through the continuum of care from skilled nursing to rehab and back home again. For details, email gagnea@lincolntown.org.

News acorns

December 28, 2020

Town-wide scavenger hunt runs through Jan. 3

Join the Lincoln trails scavenger hunt now until January 3. Go to the six locations in town, find a hidden QR code, and scan it — you’ll be taken to a Padlet page for that location, where you can post a selfie to prove you were there. Visit all six spots and claim a $10 gift certificate to the Twisted Tree Café or Something Special (one certificate er household while supplies last). Open to all who live, work, or go to school in Lincoln. Click here for more information.

If you’ve posted your photos from all six locations, send an email to selectmen@lincolntown.org with your name and address, and indicate which gift certificate you’d like (as of December 28, three groups had already finished the hunt and written in to claim their gift certificates. If you’re having trouble with the technology, take a selfie at each location and send them to the same email address.

Second youth talent show in the works

The Lincoln youth talent show hosted via Zoom on December 23 was a resounding success, and the organizers are planning to make it a recurring event, with the next show on February 12.

L-S seniors Achla Gandhi and Dasha Trosteanetchi dreamed up the event to boost community spirit during the holidays and raise money for Save the Children, a nonprofit currently focused on helping kids who have been impacted by the pandemic. Twenty-two groups performed and almost 50 families attended online. The original fundraising goal was $1,000 but as of December 28, the event was just $30 short of its new $2,250 target. Here are links to videos of the talent show: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

For the February 15 show, Gandhi and Trosteanetchi are letting Lincoln residents decide which charity or cause that donations should benefit. To send suggestions or to register to perform, email kids4covid.19@gmail.com (please include your name, age and talent if you’re an aspiring performer).

You can give Fire Dept. access to your home in emergencies

The Lincoln Fire Department participates in the Knox Box program, whereby residents may purchase a lockbox with a key to their home. The lockbox that mounts on the outside of your home can be unlocked only by the Fire Department with a master key. Click here to purchase a box. If you need one only for a short time, contact Ben Juhola at the Fire Department (781-259-8113) about renting one.

Also, if anyone in your household is on oxygen or other any other medical machine that would create a risk during a power outage, you may let the Fire and Police Departments know by calling 781-259-8113. They can then check on you when the power goes out or let you know of a scheduled outage.

Honor a teacher and staff this holiday season

The Lincoln Public Schools are one of the few districts in the state that has remained open for full-time in-person learning, and this has only been possible because of the efforts of LPS administrators, teachers, and staff. For a special way to thank a teacher, administrator, teaching team, or other staff member, consider giving an Honor a Teacher or Staff (HATS) certificate. The Lincoln School Foundation’s HATS program lets you recognize specific Lincoln educators while supporting the LSF. For a small donation, the LSF will prepare a certificate of appreciation with your personalized message, to be delivered by email. Click here for details. Donations support LSF’s grants to teachers and innovation in the classroom, which have been all the more important this year.