A December 14 article headlined “Covid-19 cases in Lincoln see rapid increase” incorrectly stated that half of the V-shaped skilled nursing section of The Commons at Lincoln had been converted to a Covid-19 unit. According to Benchmark Senior Living, the skilled nursing neighborhood has isolated Covid-19-positive residents in seven of the area’s 32 rooms rooms with a staff dedicated solely to their care. Also, the staff in the skilled nursing area are tested every three days.
Police log for December 7–14, 2020
December 7
Old Concord Road (9:42 a.m.) — Officer responded to a minor two-car crash; no injuries.
December 8
Mackintosh Lane (9:50 a.m.) — Caller reported that a tree crew was blocking his driveway. Officer responded and spoke to the crew. If anyone needs to come in or out of the road, they’ll move.
Donelan’s Supermarket (12:25 p.m.) — Caller requested Fire Department assistance with opening her car with two dogs inside. Cancelled while end route; caller was able to get the door unlocked.
December 9
Davison Drive (3:43 p.m.) — Caller reported a man in a U-Haul van was going through their mail. Vehicle fled when confronted. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate. Investigation is ongoing.
December 10
Lincoln Road (8:56 a.m.) — A tree crew was taking down marked trees and the caller didn’t want a particular tree taken down. The tree was removed due to its condition and a notice of removal hearing had been on the tree.
December 11
Wells Road (3:52 p.m.) — Lincoln Woods management reported a that vehicle is parked next to the dumpster hasn’t moved for two months. Vehicle belongs to a resident.
December 12
Old Bedford Road (1:44 a.m.) — Officer reported an unoccupied vehicle parked by the loading dock of the building. No one was around and the building was secure.
Wells Road (3:59 p.m.) — Caller reported two kids with backpacks were knocking on doors in the area. Officers checked the area and spoke with two juveniles who denied their involvement. No contact with any other parties.
December 13
Virginia Road (1:18 p.m.) — A resident wanted the Fire Department to do a well-being check on their neighbor who is not feeling well. Neighbor was fine; units cleared.
Sandy Pond Road (3:17 p.m.) — Officer checked on two people at the pumping station. They were sent on their way.
Weston Road (7:57 p.m.) — Officer checked on vehicle pulled over to the side of the road. The party was making deliveries.
December 14
Hanscom Air Force Base Vandenberg Gate (7:25 a.m.) — Hanscom Security Forces reported a party is at the gate had a warrant. Officer found that the individual has a receipt for the fines paid; they were advised to call the court.
Conant Road (11:30 a.m.) — Caller believed a delivery driver opened their garage door and delivered a package to the wrong residence. The package was taken to the correct residence.
Lexington Road (10:24 p.m.) — Report of loud music playing in Flint’s Field. Officers checked the field and the cemetery but were unable to locate any noise.
Library helps connect far-flung families during pandemic
By Lucy Maulsby
Cathy Moritz reads over Zoom to her great-niece and great-nephew in California.
The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed all of us to imagine new ways of doing familiar things, including connecting with friends and family when being together in person is not possible. The Lincoln Public Library has been supporting the community in this effort in a number of novel ways that have stretched well beyond the boundaries of Lincoln to Alabama, California, and even Greece.
Since the start of the pandemic, the librarians have been helping Lincoln residents who are reading virtually to younger family members over Zoom. During the summer months before books were circulating, they recommended books and provided support in setting up and using digital delivery services like Hoopla.
Ruth Ann Hendrickson, for example, is reading to her grandchildren, the youngest of which is 9, in Alabama nearly every day. Earlier in the school year, her grandchildren, no longer as busy with after-school activities and then summer, had time for reading sessions, but their enthusiasm for a good story quickly exhausted her supply of books. Their recent favorites have included R.A. Spratt’s Adventures of Nanny Piggins, Robert McCloskey’s Homer Price, and Ann McCaffery’s Dragon Song.
“I’m enjoying it even more than they are, and they’re loving it!” Hendrickson said.
Cathy Moritz likewise started reading to her great-niece Sylvia and great-nephew Homer, ages 7 and 4, in California last spring shortly after schools closed, when she realized that regular visits would not be possible and that their parents, one of whom works very long hours, needed support. Their appetite for picture books has meant very regular trips to collect books in recent months — sometimes as many as three bags at a time from the library. Children’s librarian Denise Shaver has been especially instrumental in selecting books, focusing on the stories and subjects that interest the children and using those as a bridge to new material.
Even though her young relatives are often busy drawing, sewing, or playing quietly as she reads, Moritz said she’s always “surprised by the intensity with which they listen.” The time she spends reading to Sylvia and Homer has created informal opportunities for conversation, bringing them closer together in a way that might not have been otherwise possible.
In a different vein, Lincoln resident and former library trustee Jenifer Burckett-Picker connected the daughter of a family friend, who was born in Boston and now lives in Greece, with the Lincoln library after their plans to travel Lincoln this summer were canceled as a result of Covid-19 travel restrictions. Erietta, nearly 7, participated in many of the library’s virtual summer programs, including story time, science programs, and virtual trivia. “She had a lot of fun while at the same time staying connected and enhancing her relations with the U.S.,” her mother Maria Kechri wrote. “The creativity and hard work of the people at the Lincoln Library helped to create an ‘open window’ to the world.”
“It’s been really special for us to help patrons during this isolating time in the small way we can — with books,” said Children’s Librarian Debbie Leopold. Indeed, although overall book circulation slowed dramatically after the closure of the library in March, the circulation of children’s books — driven in part by the new ways in which libraries are being used — is now about twice what it was a year ago, with over 4,500 books circulating per month.
As the holiday season approaches, the children’s librarians are putting together winter and holiday Book Bundles, which can be tailored to the interests of young readers, and encourage families to use books as a way to connect with loved ones near and far.
News acorns
McGean recognized by Boston Globe
Tricia McGean
The Boston Globe recently included Tricia McGean, the public health nurse for several towns including Lincoln, in its lineup of 2020 Everyday Heroes: “Tricia Emery McGean spends every day and night, including weekends, trying to keep local communities healthy… She handles contract tracing for local schools, sometimes working overnight to ensure the safety of the community.”
Annual First Day celebration canceled
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Pierce House Committee and manager Victoria Otis have reluctantly decided to cancel this year’s First Day celebration, an annal tradition where residents come together at the Pierce House on New Year’s Day for food, drink and entertainment.
Update from Drumlin Farm food effort
Renata Pomponi
Over the course of the 2020 growing season, Drumlin Farm has distributed over 17,000 pounds of veggies and 600 dozen eggs to people in need around eastern Massachusetts. We are grateful to the Lincoln Agricultural Commission for provided funding this summer to allow Drumlin Farm to begin making twice-a-month contributions of produce and eggs to the Lincoln food pantry. The Ogden Codman Trust then stepped forward with a generous grant to allow us to continue the program through the winter, with eggs from our chickens and greens coming soon from our hoop house.
Our hunger relief work in Lincoln has been a true community partnership, and we are honored to be part of making the connections from farm and farmer to those who truly need our food.
The December 3 article has been updated to include this information.
Covid-19 cases in Lincoln see rapid increase
Lincoln’s Covid-19 caseload has shot up recently, with 14 new cases in December thus far.
Thirteen of those cases are at The Commons in Lincoln, Public Health Nurse Tricia McGean told the Board of Selectmen on December 14. One resident there died of Covid-19 on December 13 — the pandemic’s first death in Lincoln since late May.
As of last night’s meeting, the town had recorded a total of 82 cases. Seven more cases have occurred at The Commons but were not counted toward Lincoln’s total because they were temporary rehabilitation patients transferred from facilities or homes in other towns, McGean said. The skilled nursing neighborhood has isolated Covid-19-positive residents in seven of the area’s 32 rooms rooms with a staff dedicated solely to their care, and staff in that portion of The Commons are tested every three days.
At the Lincoln School, which has been doing both five-day-a-week in-person and fully remote instruction, there are four classrooms now in quarantine (two in first grade and one each in second and fourth grade). Everyone in those classes must stay home for 14 days.
“It’s a really important time to stay in your bubble and stay in your household,” including avoiding extended family members who don’t live with you, McGean said. “It’s spreading like wildfire, especially through families, where one parent gets it, then the other, and then all the kids.” Fortunately, most of the Lincolnites who have gotten ill have experienced mild to moderate symptoms, especially aches and severe headaches, she added.
Although vaccines are starting to be distributed to health-care workers and other top-priority segments of the population, the general public won’t have access here until April or May, McGean said. The primary means of vaccine distribution will be through primary care providers and pharmacies. Officials are starting to plan how to vaccinate residents who are unable to get to either of those places.
“We’d love to be in a position to tell residents that [the town] can vaccinate 6,000 people but clearly that’s beyond our capacity,” she said.
News acorns
Youth talent show to benefit Save the Children
To bring the community together in a time of isolation for a good cause, two L-S students are organizing a youth talent show. Performers will be pre-recorded and the show will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 5 p.m. Adults who watch will be asked to make a $10 donation to Save the Children, a nonprofit focused on helping kids impacted by Covid-19. The goal is to raise $1,000. Organizers hope to have prizes for everyone who participates.
To register for free as a performer, email kids4covid.19@gmail.com with your name, age, and talent by Friday, Dec. 11. A few ideas for performers include singing, dancing, instrumentals, group skits, magic tricks, stop-motion, and bike tricks. Click here to donate. All are invited to watch the show; to get the Zoom link, email the address above.
Food drive for St. Vincent de Paul
Residents are encouraged to donate items by Monday, Dec. 14 for a food drive organized by Lincoln resident Devon Das to benefit clients of the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry. Bring donations to the collection bin to the left of the main entrance to the Smith school building (drive through the bus loop to avoid any construction and please wear a mask). Any nonperishable food is welcome, but here are some specifics of what the food pantry needs:
- Spaghetti sauce
- Peanut butter
- Jam
- Mayonnaise
- Baked beans
- Canned corn
- Canned peaches
- Salad dressing
- Canned tuna
Questions? Email devondas3d@gmail.com.
Boy Scouts selling Christmas trees
Christmas trees are now for sale by Lincoln Boy Scout Troop 127 on the corner of Codman and Lincoln Road, across from the public safety building. Tabletop sizes up to eight-foot trees are available along with wreaths. Scouts will trim the trunk, wrap the tree and fasten it to the customer’s cars. The tree lot is open on weekends from 9 a.m.–7 p.m. and most weeknights from 5–7 p.m. Maximum three families at a time in tree lot.
L-S orchestral concert on Dec. 18
The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Music Department will present an Orchestral Winter Concert on Friday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. The concert will air in both Sudbury and Lincoln on Comcast channel 9/Verizon channel 32, with a live stream at this link. It will also be available to view on demand a few days after the concert.
L-S Orchestra Cohort A rehearses for the December 18 concert.
Due to COVID restrictions, student musicians were placed into two groups. Cohort A will perform a scene” from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” and “B Rosette” by Su Jin Kim. Cohort B will perform the viola concerto in G major (first and second movements” by G.P. Telemann featuring student soloists Richard Yao and Will Sotiriou, and then themes from the “American Quartet” by Dvorak. Selected movements from “Le Carnaval De Venise” by C. Dancla will also be performed by the L-S Music Violin Ensemble. There will also be video performances from the combined Concert Choir and Treble Choir, Chamber Singers, Guitar Class Level II students, and the combined Symphonic and Concert Bands.
To learn more about the L-S music program and how the community can support L-S musicians, please visit www.lfom.org.
Fridays at Farrington program
Farrington Nature Linc is offering a new Fridays at Farrington program for children from January 15 to February 12 from 2:15–4:15 p.m. Activities (all outdoors and socially distanced with masks) include hiking, art with natural materials, scavenger hunts, exploring around the pond, and more. Registration is open until Friday, Dec. 18. There will be also later series starting in March, April, and May. Click here for more information and registration materials.
Police log for November 30–December 6, 2020
November 30
Deerhaven Road (8:51 a.m.) — Caller reported someone was blowing leaves onto their property. Officer responded and spoke to the reporting party. The issue was unfounded; caller satisfied.
Trees, branches and/or wires down on Page Road (two calls), Trapelo Road, Codman Road, South Great Road, Old County Road, South Great Road, Bedford Road, Woods End Road, Beaver Pond Road, North great Road, Ridge Road- Several reported of trees down as a result of the storm. Eversource, DPW were in town dealing with the trees and wires.
December 1
Baker Bridge Road (1:24 p.m.) — Resident turned in old ammunition to be destroyed.
MassPort Civil Terminal, Hanscom Field (4:33 p.m.) — Fire Department units responding up to Hanscom for an Alert 2 for a plane with control issues coming in and burning off fuel. Fire units staged but then cleared after plane safely landed.
December 2
Brooks Hill Road (3:51 p.m.) — Report of fraud involving unauthorized charges on a party’s credit card.
December 3
Wells Road (12:59 a.m.) — Caller reported a loud vehicle running in the apartment complex. Officer checked the area; vehicle was gone on arrival.
Cambridge Turnpike westbound (1:42 a.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle pulled off to the side of the highway. Everything was OK; a party was being dropped off at a nearby residence.
December 4
Old County Road (7:37 a.m.) — Caller reported that a disabled person walked away from a group home in Waltham and the caller believed they’ve located the party on Old County Road. At the same time, Waltham police reported finding the party in their city. The caller was advised that the missing party was located in Waltham.
Lincoln Police Station (5:44 p.m.) — A party came to the station requesting to speak with an officer regarding clarification on a civil matter.
December 5
Cambridge Turnpike )1:51 a.m.) — Caller reported their electric stove was making an odd sound. Fire Department responded to check. Firefighters unplugged the stove but were unable to determine the cause of the noise.
Old Conant Road (2:03 p.m.) — Caller reported fraudulent charges on their credit card.
North Great Road (4:15 p.m.) — Report of a one-car crash near Sunnyside Lane. No injuries; vehicle towed.
Trees, branches and/or wires down starting at 4:49 p.m. on South Great Road, Tower Road, Sunnyside Lane, Stonehedge Road, Concord Road, Huckleberry Hill. DPW and Eversource responded.
Mill Street (6:30 p.m.) — Lexington police asked Lincoln police to close Mill Street at Lexington Road for traffic entering Lexington due to a large tree across the road in Lexington.
December 6
Wells Road (11:17 a.m.) — Caller asked to speak to an officer for assistance with a family member. Officers responded and assisted the party.
Read the latest Lincoln Chipmunk – and help if you can
The latest issue of the Lincoln Chipmunk has hit the stands (in the cloud, anyway), so be sure to check out the writing and visual artwork of your fellow Lincolnites:
(Remember, the link to the Chipmunk is always on the top righthand area of every page on the Lincoln Squirrel website.)
If you’d like to have your own work appear in the next issue, the deadline is January 22, 2021 — click here for details.
And now, here’s how you can help. Creating the Lincoln Chipmunk turned out to be a more time-consuming and expensive task than expected, so we’re launching a 30-day fundraising campaign to try to recoup some of the $8,000 cost. 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 about the campaign and swag.
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. Just what you need for that hard-to-shop-for person in your life!
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 finally make its debut. And thanks in advance to anyone who’s able to donate to the Lincoln Chipmunk. Happy holidays!
Alice Waugh
Editor, The Lincoln Squirrel and The Lincoln Chipmunk
lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com
617-710-5542 (mobile)
GearTicks fill a gap for kids with monthly STEMtastic Challenges
By Olivia Crisafi, Prerna Karmacharya, Amelia Pillar, and Victor Han
When the GearTicks, Lincoln’s high school robotics team, realized that the Covid-19 pandemic would make it impossible for First LEGO League (FLL) robotics teams to meet, they brainstormed alternative STEM activities to offer the town’s youth.
For the past 11 years, the GearTicks have mentored FLL robotics teams in Lincoln, Sudbury, and surrounding towns, making FLL and FLL Explore (a program for kids age 6-10) one of the most popular programs run by the town Parks and Recreation Department. Participating in programs such as FLL and FLL Explore provide students with the opportunity to learn about STEM hands-on through building LEGO robots to complete annual challenges.
Recognizing the lack of STEM activities for the town’s youth during the pandemic, the GearTicks brainstormed about how to best address this need. They developed a series of challenges for students that would expose them to STEM concepts with fun, educational activities for families to do together while also teaching them about the engineering design process. The result: teaming up with the Lincoln Public Library to offer STEMtastic Challenges.
Each month the GearTicks will release a new STEMtastic Challenges on their website. For each theme, the Lincoln Public Library will create a resources list, including books and websites that can be used for inspiration, instruction, and enrichment.
Lucy’s winning plan and build-out of Big Ben using marshmallows and toothpicks.
November’s theme was Marshmallow Architecture. Participants drew inspiration from books and their imagination to build marshmallow structures, which included everything from flying airplanes to earthquake-resistant buildings.
The GearTicks were impressed with the ingenuity and hard work of all the participants and are pleased to announce that the winner of November’s challenge is ten-year-old Lucy, who created a marshmallow-and-toothpick Big Ben. The high school students thought Lucy’s detailed drawing was great, and that she might enjoy learning to use some of the CAD tools they use to design robots.
The STEMtastic challenge for the month of December is Marble Runs. It’s a great opportunity for students of all ages to use materials they have around the house — anything from toilet paper rolls to disposable water bottles — and extra time from school breaks to participate in something fun and educational. It’s open to all ages, and participants are welcome to work together with family and friends over the holidays.
Submissions should be sent to stemsubmissions@gearticks.com by December 31. More challenge details can be found on the GearTicks’ December STEMtastic Challenge web page. To access the library’s resources, click here and scroll down to the blue GearTicks logo.
My Turn: Drumlin Farm pitches in with produce during pandemic
By Renata Pomponi
Editor’s note: this piece originally appeared in EdibleBoston.com and is reprinted with permission. The last two paragraphs were added on December 15.
It all started with a half-ton of carrots.
In late March, with the world closing down around us from a global pandemic and all of our staff except farmers working from home, it soon became clear that Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln had more vegetables than customers. News stories from other parts of the country spoke of farmers plowing under their spring crops in response to the near standstill in sales due to shuttered restaurants, schools gone virtual and closed farmers markets.
At the same time, the Greater Boston Food Bank was beginning to report what would end up being more than twice the demand of their normal operations. With a root cellar stocked with a bumper crop of carrots, and a new hoop house in the crops field starting to produce fresh greens that needed to be harvested, we knew that we needed to get our food out to where it was needed most.
Drumlin Farm has long called our approach to agriculture “Community Based Farming,” and we felt strongly that our ties to the community should drive our food distribution strategy, particularly at this time when food insecurity was rising in our region.
With the practical reality that there are only so many deliveries we could make in a week, it also felt important to continue working within the communities in which we already had relationships in order to maximize our impact. When we learned that the Cambridge-based nonprofit Food for Free had taken on grocery delivery and daily school meal preparations for families in their city, it immediately felt like a natural fit; in ordinary times, we would have already been making weekly deliveries to the Cambridge Public School’s farm-to-school program.
A few emails and phone calls later and we were connected with a weekly drop-off to Food for Free’s refrigerated lockers, getting those carrots (along with fresh eggs and greens) out to many of the same children who would have been eating Drumlin Farm food in the salad bars of the Cambridge elementary, middle and high school cafeterias.
Similar ties drew us to a partnership with the Lincoln Food Pantry, in our home community of Lincoln, where their board felt strongly about including fresh produce from local farms in their bi-monthly distributions. One of our regular restaurant customers decided to do a Meal Day for health care workers; that became another easy fit for a donation that strengthened our ties with the people who understood and valued our approach to sustainable agriculture. Through these and other meaningful local partnerships, we quickly got to a point where we were donating about a quarter of what we produced each week in April and May.
While the root cellar supply dwindled, the costs of running our farm of course did not. The demand for local food definitely increased enrollment in our CSA program, but our major distribution channels—restaurants and farmers markets—remained at minimal levels compared to our target annual budget. We wanted to keep donating whatever we couldn’t sell, but we also faced the same harsh realities of every small business during these challenging times.
Enter the community.
Our entire food donation program would not be possible without the incredible generosity of a growing group of individuals who see the value in investing in their local farms while simultaneously doing good in their community. By supporting Drumlin Farm with their charitable donations, these donors are keeping our farm going and helping ensure the food they know and love out gets to the families and individuals who need it the most. The response to this outreach has been steady and inspiring, allowing us to continue meeting Drumlin Farm’s commitment to local partners while keeping our farmers employed. Some donors have made major gifts, while some have chosen to add $5 or $10 onto their weekly CSA orders. One has even made an extraordinary offer to match every donation, doubling the impact, up to a total of $25,000. Each and every person has made a difference.
The root cellar is empty now and some of our regular sales channels have rebounded. But as the bounty of our fields grows each week during the summer and fall, we will continue to donate a significant portion in order to help alleviate hunger in our region. The pandemic crisis has led us to closely examine how our model of sustainable community farming can do even more to sustain our neighbors facing food insecurity, and we hope to be able to continue this program even after the pandemic has subsided for good.
Addendum, December 15, 2020:
Over the course of the 2020 growing season, Drumlin Farm has distributed over 17,000 pounds of veggies and 600 dozen eggs to people in need around eastern Massachusetts. We are grateful to the Lincoln Agricultural Commission for provided funding this summer to allow Drumlin Farm to begin making twice-a-month contributions of produce and eggs to the Lincoln food pantry. The Ogden Codman Trust then stepped forward with a generous grant to allow us to continue the program through the winter, with eggs from our chickens and greens coming soon from our hoop house.
Our hunger relief work in Lincoln has been a true community partnership, and we are honored to be part of making the connections from farm and farmer to those who truly need our food.
Renata Pomponi is the Wildlife Sanctuary Director at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln. To learn more about the Drumlin Farm hunger relief project, including a matching challenge that will double the impact of your donation, please visit the Drumlin Farm Food Donation Program.
”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.