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

Mike Farny, 1934–2019

Mike Farny

Michael Holt Farny, loving husband of Ethel Farny and father of five children, passed away on September 26 at the age of 84. A man of deep faith, Mike was known to all as a passionate, engaging, and vivacious person. 

Mike was born on December 23, 1934 in Geneva, Ill., to Phyllis and Cyril Farny. His family moved to Craftsman Farms in Morris Plains, N.J., in 1946. He and his three siblings were raised to care for farm animals, run tractors, and ride horses and bicycles. Mike’s experiences working as a teenager with his brother Dave on ranches in the West, combined with his family’s love of the outdoors, shaped his life’s direction. 

As a young man, Mike had many adventures out west, including working as a stunt double in Western films, running a horse-guiding business in Aspen, and working for Dave at Ashcrofters, a mountaineering camp for boys. He received his AB in American history from Princeton University in 1956. Subsequently, Mike studied at the Harvard School of Design for two years before going to California to work for an architect. He later served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, first stationed in Okinawa and later training troops in winter warfare skills in northern California. 

Mike taught American history at the Pomfret School, worked in the Admissions Department at Princeton University, and led biking, hiking, and canoeing trips for students and peers. He received an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1968. Mike worked as a planner for the New England River Basin Commission from 1968–72 before starting his own business, Lincoln Guide Service, that operated from 1972 until 2000.

He formed the Charles River Canoe Service in 1973 and complemented it in 1974 by founding the Weston Ski Track, one of the first cross-country ski centers to make snow in an urban setting. Mike pursued these endeavors out of his love for human-powered vehicles and his passion for teaching outdoor skills to anyone he met. He believed that the triangular relationship of technique, fitness, and environment would lead to greater public health. Based on his group bike tours, Mike wrote a cycling guidebook, New England Over the Handlebars: A Cyclist’s Guide. In 1997 he founded Pro-Motion, a bicycle shop in Bedford. 

Mike met Ethel in Cambridge, where they were married in 1968. They raised their family in Lincoln and loved sharing the experiences of camping, hiking, biking, canoeing, and skiing. Mike also loved music. He grew up playing folk guitar and was proud to see his five children become classically trained musicians. Mike was an enthusiastic chaperone on their international youth orchestra tours. He sang for over 40 years in the Trinity Episcopal Church choir and later in the Concord Chorus. Mike and Ethel sang choral works in thirteen summer sessions with Berkshire Choral International in western Massachusetts and in Salzburg, Austria. 

Mike is survived by his wife Ethel; his daughter Suzannah Chalick and son-in-law David; his daughter Natasha Farny and her partner Adam Sikora; his son Nathaniel and daughter-in-law Vanessa; his son Caleb and daughter-in-law Natalie; his daughter Evelyn Wadkins and daughter-in-law Melanie; his brother David Farny and sister-in-law Sherry; and seven grandchildren: Gabriel, Aden, and Jocelyn Chalick; Bennett and Wesley Farny; and Cecilia and Miguel Wadkins. 

Funeral services will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church (81 Elm St., Concord) on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m. Officers of the Marine Corps will present military honors at the beginning of the service. Concord’s town flag will fly at half-staff on Oct. 12 in recognition of Mike’s honorable service to his country. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org). 

Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.  To share a remembrance or to send a condolence in Mike’s online guestbook, please visit this web page.

Police log

September 19

140 Concord Rd. (12:42 p.m.)
Suspicious person wearing a vest in the area of the caller’s residence. Person was a utility company contractor.

21 Deer Run Rd. (4:55 p.m.)
Caller received a suspicious phone call from an unknown person.

Donelan’s Supermarket (18:12)
Juveniles were reported on the roof. Police contacted the juveniles and their parents.

Lincoln Public Schools (4:09 p.m.)
Power failure at school; Eversource notified.

Lincoln Public Schools (4:18 p.m.)
Missing child under 12 — miscommunication between mother and daughter (daughter was at a play date). 

September 21

Sandy Pond Road at Five Corners (9:17 a.m.)
Bicycle violation — bicyclist was riding in and out of traffic.

September 22

57 Lincoln Rd. (12:07 a.m.)
Caller reported hearing loud music. Officers did not hear the music while checking the area.

342 Hemlock Circle (11:46 p.m.)
Caller reported receiving a suspicious e-mail and package. 

Trapelo Road (5:30 p.m.)
Waltham police reported multiple juveniles fishing at the reservoir; two juveniles moved along.

Airport Road (8:43 p.m.)
FedEx truck parked at the end of the road unoccupied. 

6 Short Hill Rd. (9:21 p.m.)
Caller thought she heard someone trying to open her door (she was awaiting the arrival of a family member).

53 Stonehedge Rd. (6:20 p.m.)
Resident spoke to an officer at the station about a civil matter. 

September 23

Lincoln Road (12:10 a.m.)
Officer checked on suspicious vehicle parked in the 3-S parking lot; party checked out OK. 

Concord Road at railroad crossing (12:35 a.m.)
Caller said workers on the tracks had a loud radio. Officer made contact and workers were advised of the complaint; they were cooperative.

Lincoln Police Station (5:03 p.m.)
Resident spoke to an officer about getting assistance for a family member.

Concord Road at S curve  (8:41 p.m.)
Jeiby Castro, 38, of 95 Calvary St. in Waltham was arrested on an outstanding warrant for motor vehicle offenses.

September 25

South Great Road near Weston town line (5:16 p.m.)
Motor vehicle crash — driver crossed center line and struck vehicle heading eastbound. Driver was cited; minor injuries.

September 26

32 Indian Camp Lane (3:51 p.m.)
Report of overdue child — child is home and all is well. 

15 Wells Rd. (8:40 p.m.)
Officer assisted person with information regarding a civil matter.

Letter to the editor: show domestic violence awareness with purple

To the editor:

Why are those buildings purple? Purple, it is said, is the color of courage, survival, honor, and hope. It is also the color recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which takes place each October. During this month, domestic violence service providers use the color purple to raise awareness about the prevalence of domestic violence and the three to four women and girls who are murdered each day in our country within intimate relationships. Some people in witness and protest wear purple clothing, attach a purple pin, or tie a purple ribbon around a tree.

Last year, we at Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable (SWLDVR) , in collaboration with the Lauren Dunne-Astley Memorial Fund and First Parish Unitarian Universalist, went beyond that. We lit several faith and public buildings in purple. Some of you may have seen it. It was a beautiful and dramatic display that both honored those lost to domestic violence and brought awareness to the community that domestic violence has no borders. We want to do that again this year, bigger, brighter, and more powerful than ever.

There are two main ways to participate in the purple lights campaign. Those representing public buildings and faith communities may request to participate by emailing Lauren Montanaro, chair of the Program Committee for the SWLDRV, at lauren@reachma.org. Homeowners may also take part by installing purple bulbs in their door and porch lights and their lampposts. An effective 4.5-watt Feit purple LED electric bulb is available inexpensively and locally at Ace Hardware in Wayland.  

To learn more about the work of the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable, please visit our website at www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org.

Sincerely,

Susan Pettit (on hehalf of the SWLDVR)
Sudbury, Mass.

Popular Rappaport Prize lecture moves to Brooks Auditorium

Daniela Rivera

Daniela Rivera, the 20th recipient of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum’s Rappaport Prize, will deliver the Rappaport Prize Lecture in the Lincoln School’s Brooks Auditorium on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m.

The prize is presented to a contemporary artist with strong connections to New England and a proven record of achievement. “Rivera has deep ties to New England and the Boston area, and I’ve long admired her sophisticated site-specific installations with their fascinating intersection of politics, history, and perception. I can’t think of a more deserving recipient,” said John B. Ravenal, the Trustees’ vice president for arts & culture and artistic director at deCordova.

Rivera (born 1973 in Santiago, Chile) is a painter and installation artist, often working with immersive architectural forms on a monumental scale. Having grown up under the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile before moving to Boston in 2002, she addresses the specific history of repression that she experienced firsthand while also drawing her viewers into larger global narratives of dislocation and turmoil.

“The Rappaport Prize is an incredible honor to receive. It is such an affirming recognition of my work over the last 17 years in Massachusetts,” Rivera said. “It gives value to my experience as a U.S. and New England resident, as well as to the choices I’ve made and the life circumstances I’ve faced here. This prize also opens up so many possibilities for my work, including an opera on immigration that I have been wanting to create and can now begin planning as a result.”

Established in 2000, the Rappaport Prize is one of the most generous contemporary art awards of its kind. In 2010, the prize was endowed in perpetuity by the Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation. The foundation recently made an additional gift of $500,000 in order to increase the annual award amount from $25,000 to $35,000 beginning with this year’s prize.

The free lecture was moved from the museum after quickly reaching capacity. Doors open and a casual reception with complimentary snacks and nonalcoholic beverages will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Striking a blow for the planet (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Dozens of Lincolnites gathered on September 20 at the commuter train station before heading into Boston for the Climate Strike. There were individuals and members of groups including the First Parish in Lincoln, St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, Mothers Out Front, Indivisible, the Lincoln Meditation Group, the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee, and 350MA. Boston.com has a collection of some of the best signs. (Photos by Joan Kimball)

SJC rules against town in McLean Hospital case

Overruling an earlier Land Court decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a McLean Hospital residential facility for young men on Bypass Road property does in fact constitute an “educational use” of the property and is therefore not subject to town zoning regulations that would normally apply.

The September 23 decision is the latest chapter in the saga of McLean’s attempt to use the residential property as an expansion of its 3East transitional facility on the Belmont campus. The Bypass Road facility would house 12 boys aged 15–21 with “extreme emotional dysregulation” and give them classroom training in dialectical behavior therapy, teaching them social and emotional skills including mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and behavioral flexibility. Nearby homeowners said the residents posed a possible danger to the community.

The hospital argued — and neighbors disagreed — that the proposed use was primarily educational rather than medical or therapeutic in nature, meaning it qualified for zoning relief under the state’s Dover amendment, which allows exceptions for educational and religious uses of residential property. Appeals and other legal maneuvers followed.

Last year, the Land Court ruled in the town’s favor, saying that “the primary and predominant purpose of the (McLean) program is the treatment of a serious medical condition” — a decision that led to the current appeal.

Timeline of the case:

    • May 2016: Based on an opinion by town counsel Joel Bard, Daniel Walsh, Lincoln’s building inspector, says McLean Hospital’s proposal for bypass Road qualifies under the Dover amendment’s “educational use” clause and is permitted.
    • September 2016: A group of residents with homes near the Bypass Road property appeal the building inspector’s decision to the Lincoln Zoning Board of Appeals. The ZBA holds several public hearings on the matter.
    • November 3, 2016: The ZBA rules that the proposed use is not primarily educational and that McLean Hospital’s plans for the property are not allowed.
    • November 15, 2016: McLean Hospital sues the town and Walsh in Land Court.
    • October 22, 2018: the Land Court rules in the town’s favor, saying, “the primary and predominant purpose of the 3East Boys Program is the treatment of a serious mental condition.”
    • December 2018: McLean Hospital appeals the Land Court decision to the Supreme Judicial Court.
    • September 23, 2019: The SJC reverses the Land Court ruling, saying the Bypass Road proposal does in fact qualify for zoning relief under the Dover amendment.

“We conclude that, although not a conventional educational curriculum offered to high school or college students, the proposed facility and its skills-based curriculum fall well within the ‘broad and comprehensive’ meaning of ‘educational purposes’ under the Dover Amendment,” the SJC opinion reads.

The court relied heavily on an earlier case involving the town of Weston and Regis College. Regis claimed its plans for Regis East, a 362-unit on-campus retirement village, qualified as an educational facility by virtue of the fact that residents had to enroll in at least two courses per semester. In its 2012 decision, the SJC ruled that any Dover-qualifying use must have an “educationally significant goal that must be the ‘primary or dominant’ purpose for which the land or structures will be used.”

The Weston ZBA had unsuccessfully argued that  “the educational aspects of the project were mere ‘window dressing’ for what was in truth a luxury housing development,” according to a review of the case. However, despite its victory, Regis later dropped plans for the complex.

In this week’s McLean ruling, the SJC also noted that the Lincoln Residence, an existing transitional McLean transitional residence for adults in Lincoln at 5 Old Cambridge Turnpike in Lincoln, is a “protected educational facility.” Also, the fact that the Bypass Road facility would have medical staff on site is irrelevant, since public schools also have nurses, the court said.

“Despite the outcome, we are grateful to Special Town Counsel Jay Talerman who, along with Attorney Michael Fee on behalf of the Bypass Road neighborhood, worked to receive a favorable judgment at the Land Court and provide a vigorous and skillful defense before the SJC,” the Board of Selectmen said in a statement.

The board also thanked Special Town Counsel Jay Talerman for providing “a vigorous and skillful defense before the SJC,” and town boards for “their efforts to respond to McLean’s original application in a fair and professional manner.”

The town’s legal expenses in connection with the McLean case total $49,900 thus far. Selectmen will meet in executive session on Friday morning to discuss the decision.

Representatives of McLean Hospital and the Bypass Road residents could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

News acorns

Panel on Palestinian issues this Saturday

The GRALTA Foundation will host a meeting of the New England Network for Justice in Palestine on Saturday, Sept. 28 in Bemis Hall at 2 p.m. Speakers will include:

  • Anat Biletzki, professor of philosophy at Quinnipiac University and a founder of the Israeli human rights NGO B’Tselem, will discuss, interpret, and forecast the ultimate outcome from Israel’s Sept. 17 election.
  • Nidal Al Azraq, executive director of 1for3.org, will talk on “Hope and Struggle Under Military Occupation,” covering changes he recently encountered among Palestinian civil society in the West Bank.
  • Ayman Nijim, Solidarity Program Officer for the Middle East at Grassroots International, will discuss grassroots organizing and lobbying initiatives in the U.S.
  • Fidaa Ataya, a Palestinian actress, filmmaker, and traditional storyteller, will screen her 10-minute film “The Shepherdess” and tell a traditional Palestinian story.

There will be time for audience Q&A.

Lincoln Dems to discuss strategies for 2020

The Lincoln Democratic Town Committee will meet to launch plans for the 2020 election on Sunday, Sept. 29 from 4–5:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Residents are invited to contribute their thoughts on the issues and recommendations for action at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention (see the Lincoln Squirrel, Sept. 18, 2019). Facilitating discussion on the following topics will be:

  • Jerry Gechter and Jennie Morris — Green New Deal, climate change, sustainability
  • Ginny Welles and Joan Kimball — Building bridges, not walls; the real facts on immigration
  • Alisar Cohen and Travis Roland — Unpacking race in politics
  • Sasha Golden and Barbara Slayter — Addressing the racial wealth divide
  • Alex Chatfield and Chris Loschen — Spotlighting the work of coalitions and allies

Twisted Tree marks one-year anniversary on Sunday

Owen Maron and Lily Doyle man the counter at the Twisted Tree cafe.

To mark its one-year anniversary as Lincoln’s coffee shop, Twisted Tree is donating a portion of its proceeds to charity on Sunday, Sept. 29 — and the owners hope to make this type of “donation day” a regular thing.

Some of the sales on Sunday — which also happens to be International Coffee Day — will go to the Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation (ACCRF). ACC is a very rare, slow-growing but incurable cancer that Twisted Tree co-owner Christine Doherty’s brother has been living with for 19 years.

“I know we wanted to give back, and I’m hoping this is something we can do more frequently…  Hopefully this will lead to more connections in the community,” Doherty said. Similar events in the future might benefit Lincoln community and school organizations, she added.

There’s another charitable promotion going on this week. Through Saturday, Twisted Tree will donate 50 cents from every sale of its Moon Over Drumlin Latte (coffee with maple syrup and fall spices) to Drumlin Farm’s educational programs. (Moon Over Drumlin, the farm’s annual fundraiser, takes place Saturday, Sept. 28 from 4–6:30 p.m.) While supplied last, customers will also get a free Twisted Tree travel mug this week. Future refills using the mug earn a 10-cent discount.

Doherty and her husband C.J. opened the Twisted Tree about six months after its predecessor, Trail’s End, closed. A staff of 10 does the day-to-day work at the café while the busy couple continue in their day jobs (he owns a water/sewer excavation business; she works in corporate development at a biotech company). They’ve lived in Lincoln since 2015 and have three children at the Lincoln School.

During the Twisted Tree’s first year, “everyone has been so supportive. We really appreciate everyone coming along for the ride and helping us grow,” Doherty said. The business has slightly tweaked its offerings to match customer preferences — not many were interested in the “grab and go” pre-made sandwiches, but online ordering of everything from a single cup of coffee to lunch for eight has been a hit. Menu items featuring local produce or bacon and eggs from Codman Community Farms have also been popular.

“There won’t be any major pivots in what we’re doing,” she said.

News acorns

Fall community ed classes announced

Minuteman Community Education has announced its fall 2019 classes, many of which will be held at the recently opened $145 million Minuteman High School on the Lincoln/Lexington town line (758 Marrett Rd. in Lexington).

Classes are held in the evening and are geared mainly to either personal enrichment or professional development. Categories include career and training, around the house, kids, in the kitchen, business, computers and technology, fitness, hobbies and recreation, languages, personal finance, and creative arts. There are also several certificate programs.

“This fall, our programming has over a dozen new cooking classes, which will be held in our brand new, state-of-the-art kitchens, a new women’s self-defense class, and neat collaborations with Middlesex Community College,” said said Minuteman Director of Community Education Allison Cammarata.

Courses are open to students 16 and older unless listed under Kids & Teens (those under 16 may enroll if a parent or guardian enrolls with them). Seniors and veterans are eligible for a 10% discount on all classes. Click here to view the catalog.

L-S Friends of Music to meet

The first Lincoln-Sudbury Friends of Music (LSFOM) meeting of the year will be held on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in Conference Room A at the high school. Open to all parents and guardians of students involved in the L-S music program. Meet the choral and instrumental directors and learn more about upcoming concerts and events. Your ideas, energy and enthusiasm are encouraged at any level and there are several open volunteer positions. To learn more, visit www.lsfom.org.

Film: “In the Last Days of the City”

Lincoln Library Film Society presents “In the Last Days of the City” on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. Arabic with English subtitles, unrated. The debut feature of filmmaker Tamer El Said tells the fictional story of a filmmaker from downtown Cairo as he struggles to capture the soul of a city on edge while facing loss in his own life.

Medicare open enrollment insurance update

Find out what changes could affect your Medicare coverage and how much you’ll pay in 2020 when Don Milan, Anne Meade, and Diana Chirita, Lincoln’s counselors from the Minuteman Senior Services SHINE health benefits counseling program, come to Bemis Hall on Friday, Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. Those of all ages and from all towns are welcome. This is the time to understand the changes for 2020, and  open enrollment — October 15 to December 7, 2019 — is your opportunity to make any changes to your Medicare coverage, effective Jan. 1, 2020.

Representatives from major health insurance plans serving Lincoln and surrounding towns will be present and have 2020 information of Medicare Supplement plans (Medigap) and Medicare Advantage plans. Also present will be Veterans Service Officer Peter Harvell. 

This program is designed to go over 2020 changes in basic Medicare, Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage insurance plans. On Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m., SHINE will present an in-depth “Medicare 101” to go over the basics of Medicare and the different types of insurance plans available to supplement coverage. For information about SHINE, call 888-222-6171 or click here. For information on the Medicare update event, call the COA at 781-259-8811.

Police log

September 18

145 Lincoln Rd. (7:49 a.m.) — Man with a Boston address (name withheld for medical privacy reasons) tripped and fell near the train tracks and the resident lot. Police were not sure if he was just wandering around or was awaiting the arrival of the train when he fell. After being seen by the Fire Department, he left via the train. 

145 Lincoln Rd. (2:06 p.m.) — Party reported her vehicle was struck sometime over the past few days (unknown where; possibly in Lincoln). Officer documented the damage.

Codman Community Farms (4:44 p.m.) — Resident reported that she believes her cane was taken from her car while parked in the lot at the corner of Codman and Lincoln Roads.

52 Stonehedge (4:59 p.m.) — Caller reported seeing a bobcat earlier in the area.

10 Garland Rd. (9:12 p.m.) — Caller reported seeing someone in the woods with a flashlight; it was found to be a neighbor.

September 17

90 Codman Rd. (10:24 a.m.) — Caller reported furniture had been moved from a storage pod into the house by someone unknown.

53 Wells Rd. (3:07 p.m.) — Person wanted to speak to a police officer in regards to ongoing family issue.

1 Harvest Circle  (3:47 p.m.) — Resident received a scam call claiming to be police with a arrest warrant if they didn’t pay money. No money was exchanged; resident was advised of ongoing scams.

South Great Road at Route 126 (6:16 p.m.) — Caller saw a deer near the roadway and was concerned for its wellbeing.

September 16

157 Bedford Rd (1:17 a.m.) — An area hospital notified Lincoln police of a dog bite. The information was passed along to the Animal Control Officer to handle.

Bruce Kirkcaldy, 66, of 75 Harrington Rd. in Waltham was stopped and arrested on Route 117  for OUI/liquor (second offense) and speeding.

82 Virginia Rd. (4:54 p.m.) — Caller reported a small brush fire in front of the residence.

September 15

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (4:31 p.m.) — Samantha Bradford, 25, of 5 Roseville Square in Lynn was arrested as a passenger in a car for an outstanding warrant for larceny under $1,200.

September 14

Old Sudbury Road (3:18 p.m.) — Minor car crash, no injuries. Seventeen-year-old male was issued a citation for a passing violation and a marked-lane violation. 

September 13 

30 Silver Hill Rd. (2:45 p.m.) — Resident reported someone applied for a loan in his name and the loan application was denied.