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

News acorns

Dairy Day in its final year

Dairy Day at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary will take place for the last time on Saturday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This annual festival celebrates National Dairy Month, highlighting sustainable farming practices and the many products made using milk, from ice cream and butter to soap and lotion. Bring a picnic lunch and watch milking demonstrations with Drumlin Farm’s beloved dairy cow Jane (while milk supply and Jane’s patience lasts!) and try milking on your own at our practice stations. There will also be crafts and games for kids in our Get Moovin’ zone; cheese, butter, and ice cream-making demonstrations; up-close viewing of our heritage breed cattle; and hayrides to celebrate the crowning of the Drumlin Farm Dairy Princess. Click here for a detailed schedule.

“We’re just trying to think of new ways to keep things fresh at the farm,” said Drumlin Farm spokesperson Mimi Palmore, explaining the discontinuation of Dairy Day. Other programs will include element of the event, such as ice cream at an upcoming concert series.

Tickets are $10 for Mass Audubon members, $12 for nonmembers, and free for children under age 2 (walk-ins only; no advance ticket sales). Dairy Day will take place rain or shine.

Register for fall soccer by May 31

If you have a child entering grades 3-8 who’s interested in Lincoln Youth Soccer, please register for the Fall 2017/Spring 2018 as soon as possible, but no later than Wednesday, May 31. Timely registration is needed so we can determine the number of travel teams by age group. Click on this link and then click on “Registration” next to “Fall 2017–Spring 2018.”

Lessons on painting Codman Estate’s Italian garden

Join artist Dustin Neece, a classically trained Impressionist painter, for four sessions of en plein air painting in the setting of the Codman Estate Italian Garden at the height of its June blooming season. Learn how to capture shifting light and shadow, how to mix colors for quality and energy, and how to compose a landscape. This class is suitable for adult students from beginners to advanced.

The sessions are on June 12, 15, 19 and 22 at the Codman Estate Italian Garden at 34 Codman Rd. (rain dates TBD). A suggested material list will be sent with registration confirmation. Cost is $140 for Historic New England members, $180 for non-members. Registration is required. Call 617-994-6690 for more information or register online.

Upcoming public hearings

The Lincoln Conservation Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 31 at 8:30 p.m. in response to a Request for Determination of Applicability by A Blade of Grass, LLC for masonry and landscaping activities in the Outer Buffer Zone Resource Area at 67 Sandy Pond Road.

The Zoning Board of the Appeals will hold a public hearing on Thursday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. to hear and act on the following petitions:

  • St. Anne’s-in-the-Field Church, 149 Concord Road, for a special permit to demolish and reconstruct two existing buildings.
  • Kenneth Hurd, 21 Lexington Road, for a special permit for an accessory apartment.
  • Builder’s Club of Lincoln, Inc., 181 Lincoln Road, for renewal of a special permit.
  • Laura Berland and Jonathan Wyman, 15 Hillside Road, for a special permit to construct a deck at the back of the house.

The Lincoln Planning Board will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13 to review an application for site plan review. The applicant, John Crawford, 20 Old Concord Road, proposes to renovate and construct an addition to an existing home.

Lincoln softball ready to launch second season

The Lincoln Mohawks in an undated photo.

Lincoln softball enthusiasts are gearing up for the second season of the Lincoln Co-Ed Softball League, which now has a website with photos of town games from last year—and decades ago.

Returning in 2017 are the five teams from last year: the Chiefs, Coyotes, Grapes, Mohawks and Trailblazers, but more players are needed and a sixth team will form if necessary. Players—who must be 18 or over but needn’t be Lincoln residents—can register for $40 apiece ($50 after June 16) by going to lincolncoedsoftballleague.website.siplay.com. There will be games starting the week of June 17 on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays at the Codman Pool field; each team will play one or two games per week, plus playoffs.

Once the season gets going, the website will feature schedules, standings and rosters, and photos to supplement the pictures from last year—as well as historic photos from the Lincoln Mohawks baseball team, which played in the Paul Revere League from the late 19th century until the mid-20th century.

“I like the tribute to the old team—it gives continuity. I’m a history guy and I always try to at least nod to the past,” said league co-founder Richard Card. The historic pictures were photographed in the Lincoln Town Archives by David Elmes.

Teams must have at least one woman playing in the infield and outfield each inning (not counting the pitcher and catcher), and the batting order must have one woman for every two men.

“We’re trying to make everyone welcome, whether you’re a beginning or experienced player,” Card said, echoing the league’s mission statement proclaiming itself to be a “mildly competitive league dedicated to recreation, sportsmanship, gender equality, and community.”

Community center, school group both seeking more residents

The School Building Committee (SBC) is seeking volunteers for an Outreach sub-committee. The Outreach Team’s focus is to communicate SBC updates and key community forum details, but also to warmly welcome community input in all our outreach messages and encourage engagement from our residents. The time commitment of our committee members will vary and depend on the role the volunteer chooses, for there are many. Please volunteer if you…

  • Are interested in acting as a neighborhood “captain” to ensure SBC communications reach your neighborhood
  • Would like to be involved in hosting coffees or small group community sessions
  • Have an expertise in updating and managing website content
  • Have an expertise in photography or videography
  • Would like to be involved in communicating community forum details and listening sessions to encourage greater community engagement.

If you’d like to volunteer or just learn more about this subcommittee, please email SBC@lincnet.org.

Community center panel

Selectmen are still seeking candidates to serve on the CCPPDC who have experience in fields that are relevant to the committee’s work, such as architecture, planning or design, project management, or community engagement. There will be four at-large community members on the committee. More information on the committee’s duties can be found here.

Those interested should send letters of interest (mentioning relevant experience) to the Board of Selectmen via email to at ElderP@lincolntown.org by Friday, June 2. The board will appoint members of the CCPPDC at its meeting on June 12. The committee will hold its first meeting the following week and will present public updates (including at the fall 2018 State of the Town meting). If possible, there will be a final report and/or town vote at the spring 2018 Town Meeting.

Property transfers

  • 21 Blackburnian Rd. — Thomas C. Driscoll Jr. to Mary Alice Williamson for $1,619,500 (March 22).
  • 0 Conant Rd. — Maybelle Dean to Town of Lincoln for $25,800 (March 20).
  • 36 Bypass Rd. — Adam Knochowski to Li Baiqing and Han Mei for $1,112,500 (March 15).
  • 364 Hemlock Circle — Barbara Chin to Benjamin J. Parillo and Julia P. Craig for $432,500 (March 10).
  • 94 Mill St. — Haskel Straus to LSF9 Master Participation Trust for $898,829 (March 6).
  • 10 Brooks Hill — Fran Lipson to Li Lin and Judy Su for $980,000 (March 1).
  • 324 Hemlock Circle — Lynn Avery Gargill to Patricia Lewis for $459,000 (March 1).

Dozens of Lincolnites attend district Democratic event

U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark

More than 40 Lincoln residents attended the 3rd Middlesex Area Democrats’ annual spring breakfast in Waltham on May 13, when Gary Davis, co-chair of the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee, was re-elected co-chair of the Middlesex Area Democrats (MAD).

Also in attendance were about 175 Democrats from Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Sudbury, Waltham, and Weston, though Lincoln had the highest number of residents at the event. It was the best-attended 3rd MAD breakfast in recent memory.

In talks on the theme of “Moving Forward and Fighting Back in the Trump Era,” U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton and Katherine Clark stressed the critical importance of capturing Democratic seats in the House and Senate in 2018 and the central role of local grassroots organizations in doing so. Moulton identified ways in which he is trying to work across the aisle, particularly on veterans’ affairs, and Clark noted her efforts to search for shared values and sensible bipartisan solutions to problems. Their legislative work is being undertaken within the context of a vigorous pushback against the Trump policies damaging to education, health care, the environment, and institutional integrity.

Guests also heard from Lincoln’s state senator, Michael Barrett, who emphasized legislation he has developed to ensure transparency on the part of all Massachusetts candidates for elective office, as well as legislation focusing on prison reform. Gubernatorial candidates Jay Gonzalez, Bob Massie and Setti Warren, as well as state Sen. Jamie Eldridge and state Reps. Cory Atkins and Jay Kaufman, also made brief remarks.

State Rep. Michael Barrett

“Clearly, local Democrats are responding with energy and alarm to the policy proposals, executive orders, confusion and misrepresentations of the current White House,” said Lincoln attendee Barbara Slayter. “This atmosphere has generated commitments by Democratic activists to intensive advocacy for preservation of the environment, strengthening opportunities for affordable health care, building our educational programs and assuring the integrity of our institutions.”

Lincoln delegates will also be attending the Massachusetts Democratic Party 2017 Convention on June 3 at which a new Massachusetts Democratic platform will be approved.

News acorns

Beth Taylor

Screening of documentary “13th”

There will be a screening of 13th, a documentary exploring the intersection of race, justice and mass incarceration by acclaimed director Ava DuVernay, on Sunday, June 11 at 3 p.m. in Bemis Hall. State Sen. Mike Barrett will be on hand to discuss current criminal justice reform legislation in Massachusetts. Clarence Blevins, a reformed ex-felon and advocate for justice reform, will speak about his personal experience of incarceration and adjustment to life after prison. This is a free event, but donations to support criminal justice reform are appreciated. Sponsored and supported by the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee. For more information, email lauraberland@comcast.net or call 617-320-9749.

Globe features Beth Taylor obit

The Boston Globe ran an obituary on May 19 for Beth Taylor, who died on April 10 at age 87. Taylor was co-founder of the Mission Hill School in Roxbury and board president of the Codman Community Farms. An earlier obituary ran in the Lincoln Squirrel on April 17.

News acorns

L-S art students host open house

In celebration of its students’ creative accomplishments, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s Fine, Applied and Technical Arts Department will be hosting an open house on Tuesday, May 23 from 6­–8 p.m. The AP studio art students will have a show and reception, and rockets, solar-powered water heaters, woodworking projects and more designed by the Technology and Engineering program students will be on display. Come see 3D printing and CNC routing in action, drive the 2017 Warrior Robotics robot, and hear music from the L-S Jazz Ensemble. The shows will be on the B200s level near the cafeteria.

Former minister Bill Gregory at appear at First Parish

Rev. Bill Gregory on a visit to the Galapagos Islands in 2015.

H. William (Bill) Gregory, senior minister at the First Parish in Lincoln from 1970–1984, will speak at the church on Sunday, May 28 at 10 a.m. Rev. Gregory will speak on the topic of “Reflecting: Saved from Regret for Gratitude.” His appearance kicks off the celebration of the congregation’s 75th Jubilee Year, marking the merger between the Congregationalist and Unitarian churches in Lincoln.

Now retired, he and his wife Nancy live in Yarmouth, Maine, where he leads spiritual growth groups and works for the health of Maine’s Royal River. They are the parents of Layne of Falmouth, Maine, Jay of Lincoln, and Jan of Westbrook, Conn.

“The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” on tap

The next screening by the Lincoln Library Film Society will be The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie starring Maggie Smith and directed by Ronald Neame (1969, rated PG) on Thursday, June 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the library. The film is about a headstrong young teacher in a private school in 1930s Edinburgh who ignores the curriculum and influences her impressionable 12-year-old charges with her over-romanticized world. Popcorn will be served.

Hear 1775 news at Hartwell Tavern

Minute Man National Historical Park will host “In the News” on Saturday, June 10 from 1–4 p.m. In colonial Massachusetts, taverns were hubs of news and communication.Travelers brought news and perspectives from far away places, and locals read newspapers, advertisements, and public notices. Current events were discussed and political issues were debated. What were local people talking about in 1775? Visit Hartwell Tavern, talk politics with local residents of 1775, and discuss the potential impact of events.

Alice Howe at next LOMA night

Alice Howe is the featured performer at the next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mike Acoustic) night on Monday, June 12. The event runs from 7-10 p.m., and Howe will perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30. Her musical sensibility springs from ’60s folk and ’70s Southern California songwriters, the pure, distilled sounds of artists like Joan Baez, Kate Wolf and Joni Mitchell.  LOMA is a monthly event. Admission is free and refreshments are provided.Performers can sign up at the event or email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com for a slot. There is a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups.

Dog art event benefits Phinney’s Friends

Come find the artist in your dog at Paws in Bloom at two Pet Source locations to benefit Lincoln-based Phinney’s Friends. We’ll dip your dog’s paw on washable, pet-safe paint and imprint it on artist paper canvas, then turn the paw prints into flower paintings. The resulting pictures cost only $20 and you take it home that day. All proceeds will go to Phinney’s Friends, which helps low-income people keep their pets by providing financial assistance and pet care. The events will take place on Saturday, June 10 from 11 am. to 3 p.m. at Pet Source at 1173 Main St. in Concord, and on Saturday, June 24 at the Pet Source at 1141 Boston Post Rd W. in Marlborough.

Talk by artist/activist/author at library

Lincoln Public Library presents a talk by Suzanne Hodes, author of Studio Days: A Memoir, on Saturday, June 10 from  2–3:30 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. “Studio Days” is about Hodes’ creative process in her 50-year career as an artist. She will share how she combined family life and peace activism with her art career despite having a serious illness, as well as several dozen images from her memoir as they relate to her story and the shared stories of our time, from the Kennedy and King Assassinations to the 9/11 attacks. She will also discuss the creation of Artists for Survival, which was devoted to supporting the nuclear freeze and several other social justice causes. A limited number of copies of Studio Days will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

Lincoln-Sudbury awards and honors

Six L-S faculty win FELS grants

Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury grant recipient for 2017. Left to right: Xin Dong, Nancy Dion, Samantha Parker, Nicole Frattaroli, Elizabeth Carver, and Thomas Grandprey (click to enlarge).

The Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury (FELS)—a nonprofit that awards enrichment grants to Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School faculty and staff to pursue their professional and personal interests and passions—announced six grant recipients for 2017. Recipients, their departments and projects are:

  • Xin Dong, World Languages —  Dong, who is completing her first year of the new Mandarin pilot program at L-S, will attend the MaFLA Proficiency Academy this summer. The four-day program focuses on curriculum design under the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages proficiency framework.
  • Nancy Dion, Special Education — Her grant will allow her to attend a week-long workshop at The College of the Atlantic in Maine that introduces photographers of all abilities to the art of conservation photography. She hopes print and frame the images for display at L-S.
  • Samantha Parker, Science (Physics) — Parker will travel to the Grand Tetons to witness the total eclipse of the sun on August 21. She hopes to use her explorations to enrich her teaching in astronomy and other sciences.
  • Nicole Frattaroli, Guidance Counselor — Frattaroli will take a 10-week course at The New England School of Photography to advance her strong interest in the art, allow her to contribute to the mindfulness curriculum and online resources, incorporate her photographs into presentations that the Counseling Department coordinates with Student Services for incoming families
  • Elizabeth Carver, World Languages (Spanish) — Carver’s grant will partially fund a four-week trip to Mexico this summer to explore the Mayan culture and study their language and art. She plans to document her work by maintaining a daily journal; recording interviews with Mayan people on their past and present culture; creating portraits, collage, and sculptures of Mayan people and their environment; and writing a narrative for each and of art in English, Spanish and some Maya.
  • Thomas Grandprey, Director of  Instrumental Music — he will visit museums and historic sights in Rome, Florence and other cities as well as music venues in Italy, exploring the jazz culture in Italy and make contacts for future professional and educational exchange.

FELS raises money through donations and also hosts an annual FELS Talk at the high school. Click here to see past grants.

Chess team is tops in Mass.

Left to right: L-S Chess Club members Jesse Sun, Sandeep Shankar, Greer Fried, Eric Feng, and Michael Isakov (click to enlarge).

The L-S Chess Team came in first at the state team chess championship in April, bringing home the Hurvitz Cup as two-time state champions. There were 12 teams with a total of 46 players at the championship. L-S team members were Sudbury residents Michael Isakov, Eric Feng, Sandeep Shankar, Jesse Sun, and Greer Fried. The team won all four of its matches to finish well ahead of the competition.

Ocean sciences team in #9 nationally

The L-S National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) team placed ninth nationally at the NOSB national competition held at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore., and won an all-expenses-paid trip to the competition after having won the Blue Lobster Bowl at MIT earlier in the year.

The NOSB competition is largely structured in “quiz bowl” style and covers all aspects of oceanography (biological, physical, chemical, and geological), maritime technology, and marine policy. The competition also required the team to take on the roles of stakeholders testifying in front of a congressional committee, with judges playing the parts of members of Congress, and advocating positions related to an actual and complicated piece of energy legislation. The students were required to submit written statements in advance, and they followed up with oral testimony and answered questions from the committee about the legislation at the competition. The L-S team placed sixth nationally in this portion of the competition.

Team members (all from Sudbury) are seniors Melody Phu, Steven Weiman, and Julia Wyatt, and juniors Michael Isakov and Avi Lepsky. Dr. William Pegram, an earth sciences teacher at the high school, is the faculty sponsor. The team also toured a large National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel based on the Oregon coast, went out on a small research boat to create temperature and salinity profiles of estuary waters and to sort out and classify the life forms found in a trawl of the same waters, and toured a large repository of marine sediment cores stored on the Oregon State campus.

Sobkowicz chosen to work with Apple on classroom technology

Mark Sobkowicz, a computer science and physics teacher at L-S, was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator for 2017, one of approximately 130 elementary, secondary and higher educators in the U.S. to be so honored. Individuals selected as ADEs work with Apple to develop new uses for technology in the classroom and share insights with educators and policymakers throughout the world.

With the recent improvements to the high school’s information technology infrastructure, technology has been integrated into classrooms across the curriculum. In addition, an AP Computer Science Principles course will be offered at L-S for the first time in 2017-18 with a curriculum was designed by Sobkowicz based on the introductory computer science course taught at Harvard University. A demonstration of how Apple computing is used in L-S classrooms can be found in his online application for the ADE award.