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

Spotlight on CCF volunteer Savannah Snell

Snell-sm

Savannah Snell and her porcine pals at Codman Community Farms.

The following item is reprinted from the Codman Community Farms newsletter with permission.

Savannah Snell, a Lincoln resident and senior at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, is a volunteer animal feeder at Codman Community Farms and has been coming in once a week for the last two years. Savannah connected with the farm when she participated in the Farmer’s Helper program through the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department in grade school.

As she got older and would stop by to buy eggs and milk for her family, she realized what a great community resource CCF is. One day she decided to check off the volunteer box on the payment envelope. Office manager Barb Rhines called and farmer Eric Robichaud trained her to work with the animals.

Savannah makes sure all the animals have food and water and has gotten to know them. Opal the Donkey is a favorite and she will spend up to half an hour scratching and playing with Opal. The pigs get to know her too and enjoy having their snoots rubbed. (Note to casual visitors: please don’t try this yourself; a finger through the fence can look like a carrot to a pig!)

At L-S, Savannah started the L-S Aid for Animals club, which raises money for local shelters and whose members volunteer at domestic animal shelters and farm animal rescue organizations. She rides horses and can’t remember a time when she didn’t love animals. Savannah is a great volunteer upon whom the Codman staff and animals depend.

Council on Aging activities in January

bemisFrom drawing to pastel painting with Juliet
January 5 at 10 a.m.
Express your most vibrant self with the brilliant colors of pastels in a new class with Juliet Rago! She will begin with a short introduction to drawing for those who feel they need it. The class will meet from 10 a.m. to noon on January 5, 9, 12, 23 and 26. No experience is necessary. All materials will be furnished. Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. Limit of six people. The fee is $20.

Lincoln Academy with Deane Ellsworth: “The Magic of the Steam Train Whistle”
January 5 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, Jan. 5 at 12:30 to hear Deane Ellsworth discuss “The Magic of the Steam Train Whistle.” Bring a bag lunch. The Council on Aging provides beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion. [Read more…] about Council on Aging activities in January

Ice etching (Lincoln through the lens, 12/30/14)

Winter light and reflections make this river ice and bare plants look more like an etching than a photograph. –Photo by Harold McAleer

Winter light and reflections make this river ice and bare plants look more like an etching than a photograph. –Photo by Harold McAleer

Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to news@lincolnsquirrrel.com. If your photo is published, you’ll receive credit in the Squirrel. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and names of any people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln Through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.

News acorns – 12/29/14

acornTown seeks candidates for boards and commissions

Looking for a rewarding if occasionally vexing way to feel more connected? Willing to undertake new challenges? Unafraid to speak up? Then run for local office! The annual Town Election will take place on Monday, March 30. Nomination papers are available at the Town Clerk’s Office starting Friday, Jan. 2 and must be returned no later than Monday, Feb. 9. The following offices will appear on the March ballot: Board of Selectmen (three years), Board of Assessors (three years), K-8 School Committee (two seats for three years each), Water Commissioner (three years), Board of Health (one seat for three years), Cemetery Commission (three years), Planning Board (one seat for three years), Commissioner of Trust Funds (three years), deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park Trustee (four years), Housing Commission (three years), Parks and Recreation Committee (three years), Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee (two seats for three years each), Trustees of Bemis (one seat for three years). For additional information, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 781-259-2607.

Seminar on campaign rules for local candidates

The Town Clerk’s Office will host a seminar with an overview of the rules for disclosing campaign activity on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. Jason Tait, Director of Communications and Public Education for the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF), will also address the proper use of town resources for a political purpose—for example, is it legal to use a town’s robo-call system to advocate for a Town Meeting warrant article?

The seminar lasts about one hour and is open to candidates and the public. For inquiries or to reserve a seat, please call the Town Clerk’s Office at 781-259-2607.

Coming up at the library

Starting next week, these regular children’s programs will resume at the Lincoln Public Library: Ed Morgan Singalong (January 2), Preschool Stories (January 6), Lego Club (January 7), Book Group for grades 4-6 (January 8), and Lapsit Storytime (January 15). Check the library web page for kids’ programs for times and other information.

Coming up for adults (all events are at the library unless otherwise noted):

  • The Lincoln Film Society kicks off “JaNOIRary—Film Noir All Month Long” on Tuesdays, Jan. 6 and 13 at 7 p.m. For more information,  call 781-259-8465 or email Lincolnlibraryfilmsociety@gmail.com to sign up for the mailing list.
  • Friday Morning Book Group (Friday, Jan. 9 at 9:30 a.m.) will discuss Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. Copies in various formats available at the front desk two weeks prior to the meeting. Coffee and refreshments.
  • Art gallery reception for oil painter Kathleen Manley (Sunday, Jan. 11 from 2-4 p.m.)
  • Lincoln Open Mike Acoustic (Monday, Jan. 12 from 7-10 p.m.) featuring the band Outrageous Fortune. Performers are asked to sign up in advance by emailing loma3re@gmail.com.
  • Write Stuff (Friday, Jan. 14 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Bemis Hall) — a writing group for sharing and discussion with a moderator to improve writing skills.
  • Classic Jazz (Friday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m.) featuring Dean Smith, Tickling the Ivories.

Lincoln’s Moritz to appear as soloist with L-S Civic Orchestra

Michael Moritz rehearses the Mozart piano concerto.

Mike Moritz rehearses Mozart Concerto #23 with the LSCO on stage at L-S.

Lincoln resident Michael Moritz is usually a clarinetist with the Lincoln-Sudbury Civic Orchestra (LSCO)—but on January 11, he’ll man the keyboard as soloist in a Mozart piano concerto.

The concert at the high school opens the LSCO’s 42nd season. Managing Director William Nicholson conducts the orchestra, which will play the Peer Gynt Suite for Orchestra #1 by Edvard Grieg, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony #2 in C minor (“Little Russian”). Moritz will be the soloist for Mozart’s Piano Concerto #23 in A major.

Moritz has played piano since early childhood and studied with John Buttrick while he was pursuing his B.S. in mathematics at MIT. He appeared as soloist with the MIT Concert Band under the direction of John Corley, performing the Concerto for Piano and Winds by Igor Stravinski. He has also studied with Yasuo Watanabe and Theodore Lettvin of the New England Conservatory.

Moritz and his wife Kathy have lived in Lincoln for 22 years and raised four children, all of whom graduated from L-S between 2006 and 2011: Amanda, Megan and Manu, and Istvan. He joined the LSCO as a clarinetist in 2004 to play alongside his flutist daughter Amanda.

“Before Mike approached me to play the Mozart 23rd, I hadn’t realized how gifted a pianist he was,” Nicholson said. “He has been a great contributor in the clarinet section of the orchestra for ten years now, and during every rehearsal break, he races over to the piano to play Chopin and Brahms, so we knew he was dedicated and passionate about the piano. In the spring, we traditionally feature graduating student members in concerto performances, but it’s exciting to use the winter concert to showcase the unique artistry of our adult members.”

“I took up clarinet in my 30s when my piano was in storage while Kathy and I were remodeling our place in Cambridge,”Moritz said. “She knew I was going nuts not playing music, and my mother told her I had played clarinet as a kid, but stopped before high school. So I came home from work one day to find a Buffet clarinet and a BU graduate student, my new teacher, waiting for me.

“It was a revelation playing a melody instrument,” Moritz continued. “A piano is a percussion instrument—you hit strings with hammers and the sound decays as soon as it begins. The legendary Myra Hess talked about creating the ‘illusion’ of the singing tone. But the clarinet, and all the other wind and string instruments, can sustain its sound, making crescendo and decrescendo on any note and truly making a singing tone. I believe playing each instrument has made me better at the other.”

Admission to the January 11 concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m., is a suggested donation of $10. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School is located at 390 Lincoln Rd in Sudbury.

Letter to the editor: PTO thanks Community Partners

letter

To the editor:

On behalf of the Lincoln PTO, I’d like to extend our deepest thanks to our PTO Community Partners whose contributions have helped make possible our many enrichment activities at the Lincoln School in 2014-15. These activities include visits to the school by poets, dancers and puppeteers, as well as science, nature and engineering workshops, historical reenactments and more (see the “What We Do” page on the Lincoln PTO website). Our Community Partners include:

Our children’s education is richer because of the help these Community Partners provide, so I hope you’ll join me in thanking them for another great year at the Lincoln School.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Bodnar, Lincoln PTO Chair/President

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

News acorns – 12/22/14

Kids’ craft activities at library this week
On Tuesday, Dec. 23 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Wednesday, Dec. 24 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., a winter craft table will be set up for children of all ages at the Lincoln Public Library.
Conservation Commission back to full strength

In response to an appeal from the Board of Selectmen, a number of residents expressed interest in filling vacant slots on the seven-member Conservation Commission, and the vacacies have been filled by Jordan McCarron, Stephen Johnson and Richard Selden.

First Day at Pierce House a year ago. Photo by Harold McAleer.

First Day at Pierce House a year ago. Photo by Harold McAleer.

Come to Pierce House for “First Day”

Whether you’re new to Lincoln or have lived here forever, come to historic Pierce House (17 Weston Rd.) on January 1 to celebrate the new year together at the town’s 16th annual First Day gathering. Start the year right with legendary soups, lively music, and congenial company! Complimentary admission for Lincoln residents, but donations are gratefully accepted for the upkeep of this special town resource. For more information, call 781-259-9757.

Self-defense classes for women in the new year

The Lincoln Police will be running three women’s classes in 2015: one in January, one in February and one in November. The January and February classes are now open for enrollment.

  • Session A: January 15 and 20 from 6:30-9:30 p.m., Recreation Department
  • Session B: February 3 and 10 from 6:30-9:30 p.m., Recreation Department
Each session will be two nights for three hours apiece. On the first night, you’ll go over basic safety and then learn basic self-defense tactics and moves. On the second night, you’ll practice the tools you’ve learned and then an officer will suit up in full pads and we will go through common scenarios where you will be “attacked” and need to fight your way out. The class is free, but you must pre-register. Please contact Jena Salon to sign up, or contact her with any questions or concerns at  215-514-5963 or jenasalon@gmail.com.

Letter to the editor: Lincoln Dems endorse “We the People” Act

letter

To the editor:

State Representative Thomas Stanley recently met with Waltham and Lincoln voters to discuss the We The People Act. This proposed bipartisan Massachusetts bill calls on Congress to propose a constitutional amendment to affirm (1) that rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of human beings only, not corporations, and (2) that Congress and the states may place limits on political contributions and spending. The second principle would overturn recent Supreme Court rulings in Citizens United and McCutcheon, both of which unleashed a flood of money into the electoral process.

This act also proposes that if Congress does not pass the amendment, the Massachusetts legislature will call for an amendments convention. In Article V of the Constitution, the Founders provided two routes for proposing an amendment to the Constitution: by a two-thirds majority vote of both houses of Congress or by an amendments convention called for by two-thirds of the states. The second route could be taken when a dysfunctional Congress blocks reform advocated by the people. In this case, state legislatures could petition Congress to call a convention—not for overturning or changing the Constitution, but for proposing an idea for an amendment. The threat of such a convention can force Congress to act, as it did with the 17th Amendment.

At the meeting, Representative Stanley enthusiastically agreed to co-sponsor the proposed bill and actively support its passage. He joins lead sponsor Representative Cory Atkins in the House and will help recruit more legislators from around the Commonwealth as co-sponsors. A growing coalition of citizens groups across the country also supports this bill.

Massachusetts has always been a leader in the fight for democracy. In 2012, a unanimous General Court passed a bipartisan bill to restore the 1st Amendment and fair elections to the people. However, more must be done. We need to take back the Constitution from private, wealthy power and get big money out of elections through a constitutional amendment.

Sincerely,

Gary Davis (chair, Lincoln Democratic Town Committee)
20R Indian Camp Lane

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Town expands limits on nicotine products

nosmokingBy Alice Waugh

The Board of Health has approved new rules restricting sales of electronic cigarettes in Lincoln and raising the age for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21.

The board amended the town’s existing tobacco regulations to include the phrase “nicotine delivery products,” which are defined as “any manufactured article or produce made wholly or in part of a tobacco substitute or containing nicotine that is expected or intended for human consumption,” including but not limited to e-cigarettes. The new rules go into effect on Jan, 1, 2015.

E-cigarettes heat a solution to deliver nicotine in a vapor-like aerosol that is inhaled, meaning the user and others nearby are not exposed to smoke.

The only retailer in Lincoln that sells tobacco products is Donelan’s, which told the Board of Health they were fine with whatever changes it made.

The move was prompted by a visit to the board several months ago by Westwood pediatrician Lester Hartman, one of two Massachusetts pediatricians who lobby local boards of health on behalf of the Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation to raise the minimum purchase age for nicotine products to 21. According to the foundation’s Tobacco21 website, 37 Massachusetts towns have done so, starting with Needham in 2005. Massachusetts currently has the second-highest cigarette tax in the nation at $3.51 per pack.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has regulatory power over cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco, but the FDA has proposed a new rule whereby it could also require national restrictions on electronic cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, certain dissolvables that are not “smokeless tobacco,” gels, and waterpipe tobacco.

 

Letter to the editor: Abraham seeks Water Commission successor

letterTo the editor:

I am writing to announce an upcoming vacancy on the Lincoln Water Commission in the Spring of 2015. Established in 1872, Lincoln’s Water Department provides clean, safe drinking water to its customers and fire flow protection throughout the town. Governed by three elected commissioners serving three year terms, the department is funded totally by user fees.

My service on the commission has been a great experience. I have been enormously impressed by the dedication, attention to detail, and depth of knowledge of the superintendent and my fellow commissioners, both past and present. I was asked to serve on the commission due to my chemistry and legal background. I found my legal training fairly useful in resolving the various issues that frequently arise, while my knowledge of chemistry has been less relevant. To paraphrase a favorite property law professor’s dictum, water law is not about regulating water; it is about regulating people’s relationship with water, a finite resource.

I have decided not to seek reelection when my term expires next year because my job circumstances have changed so that I cannot commit to another three-year term. While I love living in Lincoln and would very much prefer not to move, my commute is now substantially longer, and I wish to have the option to relocate if necessary.

Therefore, I encourage interested Lincoln citizens to attend some upcoming Water Commission meetings to get a sense of the day-to-day work of the commission. The meetings are generally held at 7:30 a.m. on the second Tuesday morning of every month at the pumping station at 77 Sandy Pond Road, with some quarterly Saturday morning meetings as needed. The times and frequency of meetings can readily be changed by consent of the group. Please contact Superintendent Greg Woods at 781-259-8997 for any questions.

Sincerely,

Ion C. Abraham
Farrar Road