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

Residents invited to join Fourth of July parade

flagThe Parks and Recreation Department’s 2o14 Events Subcommittee Parade Crew is inviting all Lincolnites to participate in the annual July 4 parade. This year’s parade theme is “Lincoln: Something to Crow About!” to celebrate Lincoln’s pride in its agricultural heritage that continues today with numerous farms and hundreds of farm animals.

The parade marshal will be retiring Police Chief Kevin Mooney. After 36 years of service, Chief Mooney is stepping down on June 30, but he’ll make one last appearance in uniform for the town during the parade, when spectators will have the chance to salute his service to Lincoln.

Residents are also invited to create a float or creative entry that has some fun with the parade theme theme or our marshal. Prizes will be awarded for the most creative floats as participants march in the parade. Download a parade application here and email the completed form to eventssubcommittee@gmail.com or mail it to the Parks and Recreation Department, 16 Lincoln Rd. On the morning of July 4, please meet on Ballfield Road before 9:45 a.m.

Parade organizers remind paraders that  throwing candy along the route is not allowed, because children are prone to running into harm’s way in pursuit of treats. Handing candy out alongside your float will be just as appreciated and much safer for all.

Parade subcommittee members are Maggie Dwyer, Michela Eckhouse, Sam Kupperstein, Riley McCabe, Eve Montie and Nick Virkler.

Letter to the editor: Thanks for car wash help

letter

Dear Lincolnites,

On behalf of the Lincoln School 8th-grade class and the parent committee working with them to plan graduation activities, I want to thank you for your incredible generosity at last weekend’s car wash at Town Offices. The students were able to raise a record $1,900! This money will be used to purchase spectator benches that will go on the Codman and Smith Fields, where at present there is no place for fans to sit. Any money that is left over will be donated to the Legacy Fund, which helps to ensure that all children, regardless of financial circumstance, are to go on class field trips to the Museum of Science and Washington, D.C.

Thank you for getting your cars washed, buying our baked goods and simply making donations.

Sincerely,

Julie Dobrow
103 Conant Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.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.

Intergenerational crafts workshops in July

palette-smThe Old Town Hall Exchange is offering four intergenerational crafts workshops at Bemis Hall featuring artists associated with the Exchange. The workshops are for middle or high school students and adults. Each workshop costs $15 per person. Please sign up by calling the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.

Precious Metal Clay Jewelry — Join Hilary Taylor of Merlin’s Silver Star Studio on Wednesday, July 2 from 1- 2:30 p.m. to make a pendant or pair of earrings using clay embedded with fine silver. After firing, the clay burns off, leaving the piece in silver. Bring items with texture (bits of nature, lace fabric, a piece of metal with a texture) to use in your piece. No experience is needed and we are sure you will enjoy your finished piece! You’ll receive your piece 10 days later.

Mixed Media Collage — Learn to make a mixed media collage with artist Laurie Bogdan on Wednesday, July 9 from 1-2:30 p.m. Laurie will show you how to take everyday objects—game set pieces, magazine and catalog pictures, fabric, photos, and more—and combine them into a beautiful, sometimes whimsical collage using glue, paint, markers, and anything else you can imagine.

Chain Maille Jewelry — On Wednesday, July 16 at 1 p.m., Shing Hsieh will show you how to create chain maille jewelry by weaving together metal jump rings in a 2-1/2 hour workshop. She will demonstrate two different techniques: the byzantine and mobius weaves. Participants will leave class with a pair of earrings and, time permitting, the option to start a bracelet. Participants should bring two pairs of flat nose or needle nose pliers, preferably without teeth, but bring what you have and we can modify at workshop.

Instant Books — Learn how to make a book out of one piece of paper in a matter of minutes with Suzette Durso on Wednesday, July 23 from 1-2:30 p.m. Each page of this book will have a pocket where small photographs or business cards can be stored. This book is small enough to fit in a pocketbook or a back pocket. Books can be decorated with flowers and ribbon.

These workshops are supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Donelan’s receipts yield treasure trove for school

Some of the educational materials that the Lincoln School bought via redeemed Donelan's receipts.

Some of the educational materials that the Lincoln School bought via redeemed Donelan’s receipts.

Students at the Lincoln School will have a pile of new educational games, puzzles and other items to work with, thanks to residents who saved their Donelan’s receipts during the year.

Lincoln School PTO members led by Kimberly Bodnar gathered and tallied many shopping bags packed full of receipts totaling $157,290—a 14 percent increase over last year’s $138,428 total. School principals Steve McKenna and Sharon Hobbs redeemed them through the Register Tapes for Education program to purchase the following item:

  • Solar Calculators (10)
  • Folding Geometric Shapes™ (4 sets)
  • Money Sudoku (4)
  • Match It Up™ Math Puzzles – Money (4)
  • Match It Up™ Math Puzzles – Time (4)
  • Fractions Sudoku (4)
  • Fraction Formula™ Game (4)
  • Fun-to-Know® Puzzle (2)
  • Guess Who?® (4)
  • Number Balance (4)
  • Modular Flip Chart: Money (4)
  • Hot Dots® Learn-to-Solve Word Problems Card Set for grades 1-3 (2)
  • Grape-scented Washable Stamp Pad (2)

WBUR remembers Dr. Keevil

candle2On June 10, WBUR aired a remembrance of Dr. Charles Keevil of Lincoln, who died on April 8 at the age of 88 (see obituary here). The piece was part of The Remembrance Project, WBUR’s series of broadcast obituaries about non-celebrities who led meaningful lives (“Alongside the famous deaths in the newspapers, there are the small print columns about the equally loved but lesser-known—ordinary people who have lived extraordinary lives,” its website notes). Dr. Keevil was also the subject of this letter to the editor.

There will be a concert in memory of Lincoln’s Bill Elliot on June 14 (see the Lincoln Squirrel, June 9, 2014).

 

 

Concert in Lincoln on June 14 for the late Bill Elliott

William Elliott

Bill Elliott

An organ concert in memory of former Lincoln resident William Elliott, who died on March 24 at the age of 82, will be performed in the First Parish Church in Lincoln on Saturday, June 14 at 11 a.m. on the church’s newly refurbished organ by music director Ian Watson.

Elliott worked with the space program to develop infrared missile launch detection from satellites, did heavy metals analysis on astronauts’ hair to determine physiological changes due to space flight and zero gravity, and invented a novel kind of analytical instrument that is the basis of many patents. Later in life he helped draft legislation to ensure safe drinking water for Massachusetts residents, and served as the chair of the Shutesbury Board of Health for many years.

Other recent obituaries:

Dorothy B. Foust, 87 (May 21)—former clerk of First Parish Church

Richard Dickie, age unknown (April 28)—World War II veteran and father of Willard Dickie of Lincoln

News acorns

Police warn residents of chimney repair scammers

A number of Lincoln residents have received calls or visits from the Lysco Chimney Maintenance and Repair Co. saying they’re in the area and asking if homeowners would like their chimneys cleaned. The Lincoln Police warn that this company has a long list of complaints against them for being very aggressive on the telephone and then, if the homeowner agrees to have them clean the chimney, wanting to perform other costly repairs that do not need to be done and are not done properly. The workers are using a white van with the word Lysco on it. If you have concerns or have had Lysco come to your home, please call Lincoln Police Officer Surette at 781-259-8113.

Drumlin Farm hosts Strawberry Day

Madeline in field Celebrate the strawberry harvest by heading to Drumlin Farm on Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dig in the dirt with our farm staff, meet some berry-loving animals, and pick your own strawberries to take home. Drumlin’s strawberries, like all of its produce, are grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.

All activities except strawberry picking are free with admission ($8 for adults, $6 for seniors and children 2-12, free for Mass Audubon members). Pick-your-own strawberries will be available for purchase from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting and while supplies last, with a limit of one quart per person picking.

Special programs during the day:

  • 10:30 a.m. — Garden Guests: Wonder who may be nibbling in your garden? Meet one of our animals and find out!
  • 11:30 a.m. — Wild Wetlands: Get an up-close look at what’s going on in our local ponds
  • 12:30 p.m. — Fields for Food: Visit with some of the wild birds and mammals that make fields their habitat
  • 2 p.m. — Foxes Love Strawberries: Learn more about our fascinating foxes as our wildlife care staff feed and care for them
  • 2:30 p.m — A Taste of Drumlin: Sample the first fruits (and veggies!) of the season
  • 3:30 p.m. — Seeing Seeds: Explore the magic of how a seed turns into a new plant
  • 3:45 p.m. — Turtles Love Strawberries Too: Meet one of New England’s turtles up close

Below are some of the other programs coming up at Drumlin. See the Drumlin schedule website for details on events, costs and ages.

  • Fairies and Fireflies — Wednesday, June 11 from 7:30-9 p.m.
  • Evening Hayride and Campfire — Friday, June 13 at 4:30 p.m. or 6 p.m.
  • Morning Chores — Saturday, June 14 from 8-10 .a.m
  • The Bird Next Door Field Trip II — Saturday, June 14 from 3-9:30 p.m.
  • Great Blue Heron Rookery — Sunday, June 15 from 8-10:30 a.m.
  • Fungi Field Walk — Sunday, June 15 from 1-3:30 p.m.
Monthly book sale this Saturday

The Friends of the Lincoln Library’s monthly used book sale is on Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to noon in the basement of Bemis Hall. You can fill a paper grocery bag with adult and children’s books for only $10 (tax included). We also have a good selection of individually priced special books, as well as some CDs, DVDs and audio books.

We always need more books, so donations may be left in the wooden boxes in the Bemis Hall entrance on Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. No textbooks, no magazines or books that are musty or have been written in, please.

Berryfield Farm offers therapeutic programs

Berryfield Farm in Lincoln is offering Hooves, Paws & Claws (HPC) and Pony Partners. HPC is a  six-week program for young adults age 18-22 years with a focus on teaching adult social skills and accountability to the group and the horses. Appropriate students for this program are able-bodied, have receptive and expressive language, can follow directions, and are able to do simple tasks with minimal support. The six-student  program meets on Friday afternoons from 3:30-5:30 p.m. starting Friday, June 13 and costs $235 (limited scholarship aid is available) Fore more information, contact Director of Programming and Instructor Allie Richardson at friendsfortomorrow@gmail.com or 617-823-5271.

The Pony Partner Program is an experiential empowerment group for able-bodied girls age 8-10 who have a love of animals and are struggling socially, personally and/or academically. PonyPartners is not about learning to ride; it’s a chance to explore and develop knowledge of horses, the herd (both two- and four-legged) and the power of body language. The six-student program will meet on Friday afternoons from 3:30-5:30 p.m. for 10 weeks starting September 5 and costs $550. Limited scholarship aid is available for both programs. Interested parents should contact instructor and program coordinator Lucy Cornish at lucyfcornish@gmail.com or 781-538-6769.

Scholarship application deadline is June 16

Reminder: students who are already attending higher education institutions have until Monday, June 16 to apply for a need-based scholarship. These awards are available only to Lincoln residents who are currently attending a college, university, vocational school or community college. n institution of higher education. Application instructions and forms are available on the Lincoln town website.  Funding for this program has been provided by the Ogden Codman Trust. 

Drumlin Farm honored for science education work

Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm has been honored for its dedication to science education and their commitment to collaborative partnerships at this year’s Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS) annual meeting. MITS is an umbrella organization that brings together museums, nature centers, and other science and cultural organizations to provide professional development programs for educators with the goal of improving STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. The event spotlighted the role of informal science organizations like Drumlin Farm in increasing scientific literacy among both students and teachers.

Lincoln vets socialize at COA lunch
Lincoln veterans and their spouses enjoyed a special barbecue lunch at the Council on Aging on May 30. Photo collage by Howard McAleer.

Lincoln veterans and their spouses enjoyed a special barbecue lunch at the Council on Aging on May 30 (click to enlarge). Photo collage by Howard McAleer

Letter to the editor: Support hospice project

letter

To the editor:

I am writing to invite you to join me in supporting a meaningful and important project in Lincoln.

As you may know, Care Dimensions, a nonprofit organization with 35 years of experience in hospice care, has purchased land on Winter Street on the Waltham/Lincoln line to build a beautiful inpatient Hospice Center to provide medical, emotional, social and spiritual care for people in their final days of life.

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June events at the Council on Aging

bemisBelow are June events sponsored by the Lincoln Council on Aging. For more information, call the COA at 781-259-8811.

Coffee with artist Ellen Milan
June 5 at 2:30 p.m.
Indulge your senses in the grace and liveliness of paintings on silk, prints, pastels, and scratch board engravings by Ellen Milan in the Bemis Hall Artists Gallery this month. You are also invited to meet Ellen at the “Coffee with the Artist” on June 5 at 2:30 p.m.Ellen’s work has been included in public and private collections and shows in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New York, Israel and Europe. Locally, her work has been part of group shows at the Danforth Museum, Concord Art Association and elsewhere. Last year she had exhibitions at the Lincoln Library and the Harvey Wheeler Community Center. You can see the full scope of her work in various media, including wearable art, at www.ellenmilan.com.

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