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

Council on Aging activities in December

bemisLincoln Academy with Jim Cunningham and Rick Detwiller: A Historical Architecture Journey and the Barrett Farm Restoration Project
December 1 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, Dec. 1 at 12:30 to hear Jim Cunningham and Rick Detwiller discuss “A Historical Architecture Journey and the Barrett Farm Restoration Project.” 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. 

Meet with an aide to Congresswoman Clark
December 3 at 1 p.m.
You are invited to Bemis Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. to meet with Natalie Kaufman, Constituent Service Representative for Congresswoman Katherine Clark. She will be available to assist residents with Social Security, Medicare, and MassHealth/Medicaid. You are also welcome to discuss other matters with her that she may be able to help with. [Read more…] about Council on Aging activities in December

Holiday happenings in Lincoln

christmastreeBoy Scouts selling Christmas trees and wreaths

Lincoln Boy Scout Troop 127 will once again be selling Christmas trees, wreaths (decorated and plain) and balsam garlands at the corner of Lincoln and Codman Roads on November 29–December 23 from 5-7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekends. Trees from 3 to 10 feet high will be available. Proceeds support Scout activities and a portion is donated to support local and regional charities.

L-S and Lincoln School choral groups perform on Dec. 4

[Read more…] about Holiday happenings in Lincoln

When the cows come home (Lincoln through the lens, 11/25/14)

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Jim, an English Lineback ox, takes a snack break during his recent walk from Minute Man National Historical Park, where he and some other bovins graze on open space, back to their home with the Travis family on Oxbow Road. Jim and another calf were a birthday surprise for George Travis 13 years ago; he now weighs about 3,400 pounds (Jim, not George). The Travises own several other English Linebacks along with some Highlands and Irish Dexters and periodically move them back and forth to the Minute Man land.  — 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 – 11/24/14

acornLatest issue of Lincoln Review now on the stands

The November-December issue of the Lincoln Review is out. In it, you’ll read the latest on Route 2 by Dan Boynton, a beautiful and moving memorial of Father Drennan by Sylvia Pelosi Kennedy, and an  interview with exhibit designer Marjorie Hilton, who created the fascinating displays at the Town Offices that put a face on Lincoln’s veterans from the Revolutionary War forward to Vietnam, plus a trip down the Elbe River, an article on the flu season, and more. The Lincoln Review is available now on newsstands in Lincoln (look for Harold Smith’s pumpkin photo on the cover).

Film on architect Oscar Niemeyer on Dec. 4

The Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln present an encore showing of “Oscar Niemeyer—Life is a Breath of Air,” a film about the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Oscar Niemeyer, on Thursday, Dec. 4 from 7-9 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library Tarbell Room. The documentary, made on the occasion of Niemeyer’s 100th birthday, reflects on his long career and prolific output, with a focus on his buildings in Brazil’s capital city, Brasilia. The film includes many images of signature structure—designs that infuse his favored material, reinforced concrete, with exuberant liquidity. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Please stay after the film for light refreshments and informal discussion. For more information, contact Virginia Rundell at vq@verizon.net or 781-259-0201.

A capella night expands to include four groups next Friday

The a capella benefit evening on Friday, Dec. 5 to benefit LEAP (the Lincoln Extended-day Activities Program) will now feature two groups each from Harvard University and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School: Harvard VoiceLab and the Harvard Callbacks, and Accent and the Acafellaz from L-S. At the event from 7-10 p.m. in Bemis Hall, there will be a cash bar, food provided by Aka Bistro, and a silent auction. Tickets ($20 in advance, $25 at the door) are available at LEAP and the Whistlestop Cafe. Babysitting is available at LEAP during the event. For more information, call LEAP at 781-259-0615.

LOMA acoustic music on Dec. 8

The next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mic Acoustic) evening on Monday, Dec. 8 from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell room will feature Glenn Pettit, who will perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30 p.m. Pettit’s genres include Piedmont blues, folk, jazz and Far Eastern in a style sometimes reminiscent of Tom Waits and James McMurtry. Along the way, Glenn has composed music for off-Broadway theatrical productions and movie soundtracks. His dynamic finger-style playing and song delivery is in full force on his live YouTube cover of Reverend Gary Davis’s Candy Man.

LOMA is a monthly event. Performers can sign up at the event or email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com before noon of the open-mike day for a slot. Names of those who are signed up by 7:15 will be drawn at random. We have a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups playing acoustic-style. Future performers will include:

  •   January 12—Outrageous Fortune
  •   February 9—Peter Fischman and Deb O’Hanlon
  •   March 9—Fishken & Groves (SAMW appreciation night)
  •   April 13—Amy Herrera
  •   May 11—Lisa Martin
  •   June 8—Sam Bayer
Forum on preventing domestic violence on Dec. 9

Please join the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable on Tuesday, Dec. 9 for a discussion on “What an Ideal Violence Prevention Program Should Look Like” in our communities. The forum will take place at 3 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room of the Wayland Public Safety Building (38 Cochituate Road, Wayland).

Since the murder of Wayland teen Lauren Astley in 2011 at the hands of her former boyfriend, 33 other women and girls in Massachusetts have lost their lives in a similar manner, and many more have dealt with nonlethal but traumatic abuse. In Sudbury, Wayland and Lincoln alone, there are a total of 91 restraining orders currently in effect. The December 9 forum will discuss questions such as what new information, skills, communication channels and services we need to provide, and how we can protect women and girls and teach our men and boys about safe and healthy relationships.

State of the Town clarifications and additions

stateofthetown-croppedA November 17 article in the Lincoln Squirrel about the State of the Town meeting originally gave the wrong first name for Dore and Whittier architect Jason Boone and misstated the purpose of a December 2 public forum, at which residents will help the SBAC and Dore and Whittier narrow down the school project options in preparation for a final report in January.

Since the article was published, the Squirrel acquired some of the documents handed out at the meeting:

The original article has been updated to reflect these clarifications and additions.

Residents delve into community center, school project at State of the Town

stateofthetown-cropped(Editor’s note: this article was updated on November 18 to include clarifications and additional document links.)

By Alice Waugh

At the State of the Town meeting on November 15, hundreds of Lincoln residents asked questions and heard cost estimates for two projects that are on parallel discussion tracks heading for Town Meeting in the spring: a school building project and a community center.

The Lincoln School needs millions of dollars in basic repairs as well as improvements such as cafeterias and other upgrades to improve education, while the Council Aging, now in cramped quarters in Bemis Hall, also urgently needs better space, town officials said.

“In both cases, doing nothing is not an option,” Selectman Renel Fredriksen said at the start of the meeting.
[Read more…] about Residents delve into community center, school project at State of the Town

deCordova gets new executive director

John Ravenal

John Ravenal

The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is expected to announce today that John B. Ravenal, curator for modern and contemporary art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Va., as new executive director starting in January. See the this Boston Globe article for details.

Katy Kline has been interim director since the departure of Dennis Kois last spring (see the Lincoln Squirrel, March 27, 2014).

Letter to the editor: The not-so-dulcet tones of autumn

letter

To the editor:

It’s that time of year again, when the leaf blowers are at play.

I won’t belabor the most obvious effect—the disturbing of the municipal peace. Rather, there is another concern regarding leaf blowers—less audible but equally important—which I, as a gardener and naturalist, feel strongly about. It is how they compromise the landscape. Nature intended for leaves to blanket the ground in the winter to nourish and protect the soil. Over time, scouring the ground with what amounts to a gale force wind comes at a considerable cost to soil, and to the very lawns which this whole process is intended to benefit and showcase.

Like many Lincolnites, I take great pride in my garden, but let me suggest another way to honor this endeavor. If you mow and mulch the leaves directly on to your lawn, you will produce the same happy result—minus the noise and plus this bonus: free fertilizer. Any leftover leaves can be raked under your shrubs and trees, providing further benefits—no store-bought mulch required. Furthermore, you can sit back and watch the grateful birds scratch through those leaves for sustenance.

I urge my clients not to confuse their gardens with their living rooms. Stray leaves and twigs are not an insult to good housekeeping. I’m told I’m a bit evangelical on this issue, but healthy landscapes and tranquil autumn moments are a part of the life that has drawn us all out here, and it is in our interest to protect this precious heritage

Sincerely,

Robin Wilkerson (member of the Lincoln Leaf Blower Study Committee)
31 Old Winter St.

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.

Witchy web (Lincoln through the lens, 11/13/14)

A spooky post-Halloween spider web. —Photo by Harold McAleer

A spooky post-Halloween spider web. —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.