In the April 14 post headlined “Holy Week and Easter worship services in Lincoln,” an incorrect time was listed for the First Parish Church’s Good Friday service. It will be at 6:30 p.m. in the Stone Church. The original post has been updated.
News acorns
Dozens of bikes collected for Bikes Not Bombs
Louis D’Angelo, a volunteer from Bikes Not Bombs, and Ethan Webber, a junior at Lincoln-Sudbury, with the bikes collected in the Hartwell lot.
The Bikes Not Bombs collection in Lincoln on April 7 netted 83 bikes and monetary donations. Volunteers prepped the bikes for shipping during the day as well. The organization collects about 5,000 used bicycles and tons of used parts each year in greater Boston and New England; most are shipped to economic development projects through international partners in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Green burial information session
On Saturday, April 27 from 3–5 p.m. at the Ryan Estate (140 Lincoln Rd.), Lincoln resident Carol DiGianni will host an informational session on green burial with legal facts, logistical details, and a discussion of the personal benefits of caring for your loved one at home after death and having a natural or green burial with minimal environmental impact.
St. Julia Parish event marks 100 years
St. Julia Parish’s Centenary Gala will be on Saturday, May 4 in the St. Julia Parish Center Hall at 374 Boston Post Rd. in Weston (St. Joseph Church in Lincoln is part of the St. Julia parish). Dinner will be served at 7:15 p.m. with a cash bar. There will also be a raffle/silent auction. Tickets ($50 per person) will be on sale after Masses on March 30-31 and April 6-7 and in the parish offices until April 29. Ticket price is $50 per person. To reserve a table, please call 781-899-4734.
deCordova sponsors 5K trail run, Party for the Park
The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum’s annual fundraising gala, Party for the Park, will he on Saturday, May 11. The festive event—which includes cocktails, dinner, an auction of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and a dance party in the galleries—will celebrate deCordova’s integration into the Trustees of Reservations. The evening’s special guest is Anita Walker, Executive Director of Mass Cultural Council. Ticket and table proceeds from Party for the Park will help to make partnership with the Trustees possible while providing vital funds to support deCordova’s exhibitions, lectures, and programs. Tickets starting at $500 can be reserved by emailing rsvp@decordova.org or online at decordova.org/party.
The fourth annual Art and Nature 5K Trail Race kicks off at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 22. The course begins in deCordova’s Sculpture Park and continues through Lincoln’s conservation trails alongside Flint’s Pond (note that this is a trail run with lots of rocks, roots, dips, turns, and some uphill terrain). Participants are welcome to run or walk the race, and everyone gets a deCordova 5K T-shirt.
There’s also a pre-race yoga session from 8:45–9:15 a.m. New this year: children 9 and under can participate in a free 50-yard dash at 10:15 a.m. (space is limited; registration required). Register online by Tuesday, April 30 for a $5 early-bird discount. Organizers are also looking for volunteers to help with check-in, water stations, trail wayfinding, and general assistance for runners and their families. Please contact Sarah Oh at soh@decordova.org.
Margaret Ramsey honored for philanthropy
Margaret Ramsay
Foundation for MetroWest, the community foundation serving the 33 cities and towns of MetroWest Boston, has announced that Lincoln resident Margaret “Meg” Ramsey will receive the Community Philanthropist Award.
In addition to being a trustee for the Foundation for MetroWest, Ramsey is a past board member of Belmont Day School and a past chair of the Lincoln Scholarship Committee. She also serves as a board member at the Discovery Museum in Acton, chair of the Lincoln Cultural Council, and a member of the Parents’ Council at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She is founder and managing trustee of the Ramsey McCluskey Family Foundation, which funds projects in arts education and general education in eastern Massachusetts.
Ramsey, who has degrees in computer science and electrical engineering, spent 20 years in software research, development, and consulting, including research positions at Bell Laboratories, teaching at Rutgers University, and co-founding a software startup company.
“Meg has been involved with the work of the Foundation for more than 15 years, originally getting involved through our Youth in Philanthropy program,” said Judy Salerno, executive director of the Foundation for MetroWest. “She has always had an interest in philanthropy education, and she truly represents what it means to be not only a philanthropist and a board member but also a caring member of the community. She has been a wonderful friend to the foundation and an asset to our region.”
Mary Gordon, founder and president of Roots of Empathy, will be the 2019 keynote speaker at the Spring Inspiration Breakfast, where Ramsey will receive her award. The event will be held on Thursday, April 25 from 9–11 a.m. at the Wellesley Country Club, 300 Wellesley Ave.
Holy Week and Easter worship services in Lincoln
St. Anne’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church
April 18 (Maundy Thursday)
- 7 p.m. — Holy Eucharist with foot washing and stripping of the altar. We commemorate the last night of Jesus’ life, including the Last Supper, when he washed his disciples’ feet (you can attend the service without participating in the foot washing). We strip the altar, and the consecrated body and blood of Jesus Christ is removed from the sanctuary.
Good Friday (April 19)
- Noon — service with Sung Passion Gospel. We mark the death of Jesus with a sung passion gospel and solemn venerating of the cross.
- 4 p.m. — Family service. A solemn and experiential Good Friday Service geared toward our younger parishioners, but parishioners of all ages are welcome. We’ll talk about Jesus’s arrival in Jerusalem, the last Passover meal with his friends, and his betrayal and death. We conclude with an activity that reminds us that Jesus died — and that Jesus is risen.
Holy Saturday (April 20)
- 7 p.m. — Great Vigil of Easter. We begin outside with the kindling of a new fire to represent Christ. We light a new Paschal candle and process into the sanctuary where, by candlelight, we read stories from the bible, remember our baptism, sing out the first Alleluia, and celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter.
Easter Sunday (April 21)
- 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. — Holy Eucharist with choir. We celebrate the resurrection with joyful songs, beautiful flowers, alleluias, and bells.
First Parish Church
Good Friday (April 19)
- 6:30 p.m. — Gather in the Stone Church to thoughtfully bear witness
Easter Sunday (April 21)
- 5:50 a.m. — Sunrise Service. Gather at Flint Field off Old Lexington Road (with or without dogs)
- 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. — All-ages traditional Easter Services
- 10 a.m. — Easter egg hunt for children
St. Joseph/St. Julia Churches
April 18 (Holy Thursday)
- 7:30 p.m. — Mass of the Lord’s Supper at St. Julia Church, followed by Eucharistic procession, prayer and adoration in the parish center until 9:30 p.m.
- No morning Masses
Good Friday (April 19)
- Noon — Stations of the Cross, St. Julia Church
- 3 p.m. — Stations of the Cross, St. Joseph Church
- 7:30 p.m. — Celebration of the Lord’s Passion with Holy Communion in St. Julia Church
- No Mass
Holy Saturday (April 20)
- 8 p.m. — Easter Vigil in St. Julia Church
- No morning Mass or 4 p.m. Mass
Easter Sunday (April 21)
- 7:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. — Masses in St. Joseph Church
- 9 a.m. and noon — Masses in St. Julia Church
- No 5 p.m. Mass
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Help build Lincoln’s “profile of a learner”
What skills and knowledge will our children need in the future? In an educational system that hasn’t changed in over 100 years in a world of Google, how can our schools evolve to give children the critical skills and knowledge they’ll need? How do we then task and support our faculty to teach these skills?
Join Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall and Assistant Superintendent Jess Rose for a chance to help construct a “Profile of a Learner” for the Lincoln Public Schools. on Wednesday, April 24 from 8:15–9:45 a.m. or Thursday, April 25 from 7–8:30 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room. This event is for parents, caregivers, and community members of all ages.
More dates may be announced for late spring or early fall. Anyone with questions may contact Janice Gross at jgross@lincnet.org or 259-9409.
Events on special-ed issues
The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) will host the following three sessions on special-education topics for parents. All events are free and open to the public. Check the SEPAC calendar for details. Please RSVP to lssepac.info@gmail.com to make sure there are enough materials for everyone.
- “Tips for Managing ADHD at Home and at School” with Brendan Mahan of ADHD Essentials — Monday, April 29 at 7 p.m., LSRHS Conference Room B.
- “Strategies for Parents of Teens with Mental Health Disorders” with author Deborah Vlock — Thursday, May 16 at 7 p.m., LSRHS library classroom.
New summer program for kids at Birches
Birches School in Lincoln is offering a summer program at its Bedford Road campus taught by Birches School faculty. Kids will enjoy nature-inspired fun through yoga, art, forest explorations, biomimicry, engineering, water play, vegetable gardening and more. Open to rising K-6 students. Weeklong programs ($525 a week) run on August 12-16 and August 19-23 from 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m.; sign up for one or both. Early and after care is available. Click here for more information and to register.
Patriots’ Day observances include Boy Scout hikes
Each year in mid-April, thousands of people flock to historic Lexington and Concord and Minute Man National Historical Park to celebrate Patriots’ Day, which falls on Monday, April 15 this year. Observances began on April 6 and the entire Patriots’ Day week is celebrated with parades, reenactments, and commemorative ceremonies.
Click here for details on all the events sponsored by Minute Man National historical Park, including the Captain William Smith House and the Hartwell Tavern in Lincoln, as well as sites in Concord and Lexington. Admission to all events is free except where noted. For more information, please call 978-396-6993.
Boy Scout troops from Maine, Cape Cod, and greater Boston will follow the historic trail of April 19, 1775 when the Minute Men pursued the British from Concord to Boston. They’ll trade in their troop numbers for “militia” names representing the towns along the route.
Not only is the hike an opportunity to learn more about this historic day, it fulfills a requirement of the Hiking Merit Badge. There is a 10-mile and a 20-mile option, both of which qualify for the badge. Scouts who wear their uniform and complete a questionnaire while at historic stops along the way can earn the Minute Men’s Pursuit Trail patch and/or medal after completing the trip.
Lincoln Cultural Council awards grants
Ms. G, official groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, makes her annual prediction at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary as part of the Climate Action Day festivities sponsored by the Lincoln Cultural Council.
The Lincoln Cultural Council has announced ten grants totaling $4,700 to support cultural programs in Lincoln, Acton, Concord, and Sudbury.
The Lincoln Cultural Council (LCC) is part of a network of 329 local cultural councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth that will distribute more than $3.3 million in 2019. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.
This year’s grant awardees are:
- Gregory Maichack (“Sail Away on the Craft of Pastel Painting”)
- Naturalist John Root (“Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Beneficials”)
- Concord Women’s Chorus (“Searching Love” concert)
- Lincoln Council on Aging (dramatic reading of Herman Melville: “Sailing Towards My Father”)
- Historic New England’s Codman Estate lectures
- Lincoln-Sudbury Civic Orchestra (guest artist)
- Concord Museum (forums at the Lyceum)
- Discovery Museum (Open Door Connections)
- Audubon’s Drumlin Farm (Climate Action Day)
- Sudbury Savoyards (“The Yeoman of the Guard”)
Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of town-appointed volunteers. Lincoln Cultural Council members are Melinda Bruno-Smith, Catherine Coleman, Patrick Greene, Wendy Hubbard, Chris Loschen, Renata Pomponi, Diana Rich-Sheahan, and Meg Ramsey.
Applications and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program are available online at Applications for the next round of grants are due in October; go to www.mass-culture.org for details, or contact LCC Chair Meg Ramsey at meg.ramsey@verizon.net. The LCC strongly encourages anyone interested in supporting and promoting cultural events in Lincoln to volunteer to serve as a member of the LCC, and they welcome input and ideas.
Birds of a feather (Lincoln Through the Lens)
Property sales in February
Correction
Some of the kilowatt figures in the April 7 story headlined “Codman Community Farm to draw all its power from the sun” were incorrect. The story has been updated.
Codman Community Farm to draw all its power from the sun
These historic barns at Codman Community Farm will soon sport 21st-century solar photovoltaic arrays.
(Editor’s note: this story was updated with corrected figures on April 8.)
Codman Community Farms will install solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs of three barns and that will provide 100% of the facility’s electricity by this summer.
Work will begin soon on reshingling the barns (which were last replaced more than 20 years ago) at a cost of $110,000, paid for via Community Preservation Act funds approved at last month’s Annual Town Meeting. SunBug will design and build the solar photovoltaic array at a cost of $150,000, but two grants totaling $50,000 will offset some of that. Donations to CCF (including its ongoing capital campaign) will cover the rest.
The 54 kW system will generate all the electricity CCF needs. “With our conversion to a high-efficiency heat pump, we will no longer be reliant on fossil fuels and will effectively become ‘net zero’,” said David Alperovitz, president of CCF’s Board of Trustees.
CCF qualified for the $20,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for American Program (REAP) due to its robust farm activities, with more than 50% of its income derived from agricultural products. Codman is only the second nonprofit to receive a REAP grant and the first in many years. The other grant for $30,000 came from the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Resources.
The farm will also save or earn roughly $15,000 a year on electricity and Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program tariffs, Alperovitz said. The state’s SMART program is a long-term sustainable solar incentive program that offers compensation for lean energy usage calculated as a proportion of the kilowatt hours of the electricity that a solar-powered facility produces.
Codman Community Farms will be the first town-owned entity to go solar, but certainly not the last. The Rural Land Foundation is hoping to build a 250 kW solar canopy in the mall parking lot this year, and the rebuilt Lincoln School, with a 700-770 kW system according to 2018 estimates, will be net zero for energy use when it comes online in 2023. The First Parish Church is also planning a 20 kW array.
Other nonresidential solar arrays are already up and running at St.-Anne’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church and in the meadow behind Lincoln Woods.
Further down the road, officials are hoping for town-owned solar PV arrays on the Public Safety Building roof and atop the transfer station. That complex project is still tackling issues such as getting access to the grid through land owned by Minute Man National Historical Park. If and when the two projects are completed, they could generate up to 50% of the electricity used by town facilities.
“Working with the town of Lincoln has been amazing,” Alperovitz said. “[Town Administrator] Tim Higgins and [Town Facilities Manager] Michael Haines have been enormously supportive and helpful, and without them this would not have been possible. They pushed for funding for the shingles to be redone in a time frame that’s in keeping with our grant restrictions, and they’ve allowed us to thread a fine needle (still in process) through many obstacles and hurdles.”
The Historic District Commission has also been “wonderful and supportive,” he added.
“I’m reveling in the fact that the farm buildings will soon be powered by the sun (our eggs are already washed by water heated by the sun as well), and the fact that establishing this system will help to put the farm on better footing financially for the years to come,” Alperovitz said.