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

Flashing lights have boosted intersection safety

A car drives ahead after stopping at the stop sign with flashing light on Codman Road.

The recently installed flashing red lights atop the stop signs at the intersection of Codman and Lincoln Roads have cut down on the number of accidents—and most likely removed any need for making it a four-way-stop intersection.

Police Chief Kevin Kennedy said there was a spate of serious accidents, some with injuries, in the area in front of the public safety building over a period of several weeks in 2017. The crashes usually happened when cars on Codman Road didn’t stop or give the right of way to crossing traffic because drivers thought all four roads into the intersection had a stop sign, he said.

“We were all kind of, ‘What’s this all about? This is something we need to take action immediately’,” Kennedy said. He subsequently asked Chris Bibbo, superintendent of the Department of Public Works, to install brightly colored flags atop the stop signs, which seemed to be helping, but they became tattered from the elements and were not a permanent solution.

Last fall, Bibbo suggested installing the solar-powered flashers, which went into place over the winter. “They’ve been extremely effective. Since the installation of the flags and then red flashing lights, the flow of traffic through the intersection has been much safer,” Kennedy said.

There was briefly talk of seeking Complete Streets funding to install an overhead flashing red light to make it a four-way stop, but Kennedy didn’t support it because of concerns about dangerous lines of stopped cars at rush hour (morning northbound traffic on Lincoln Road backing up onto Route 117, and evening southbound traffic backing up onto the railroad tracks).

Changing the traffic pattern by adding more controls, rather than just calling attention to the existing stop signs, would also require a traffic study, input from the Roadway and Traffic Committee, and approval from the Board of Selectmen. “It’s quite a process,” Kennedy noted.

In recent years, traffic rules were changed after much discussion at the southern Winter Street/Old Winter Street intersection, at Five Corners next to the library, and at the Silver Hill Road/Weston Road intersection.

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

News acorns

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:

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.

Property sales in February

219 Sandy Pond Rd. — Jason H. Chu to Eniana and Jacob Tabor for $1,017,000 (February 22)

22 Juniper Ridge Rd. (land only) — Peter F. Billings to Walter Scott for $20,000 (February 19)