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

Trails get new stone benches

The new stone benches near Flint's Pond.

The new stone benches near Flint’s Pond.

Thanks to the generosity of the Ory family and the help of the Lincoln Department of Public Works, some new stone benches have been placed along Lincoln trails by the Lincoln Conservation Department. The first two to be installed are in the Upper Pump House Field with views out to Flint’s Pond and across the small meadow above the pump station on Sandy Pond Road.

For those unfamiliar with this area, the trail comes from the schools, crosses the Muster Field and the Lower Pump House Field, and enters the wood to the north of the field. It  goes up a small hill, crosses the Upper Pump House Field and then drops down into the pine woods behind the Carroll School. To make a full loop, you can continue to Adams Woods, exit onto Granville, cross over to Land’s End and follow the trail back to the schools.

Letter to the editor: move stop sign at Trapelo Road

letterEditor’s note: This is a copy of a letter sent to the Lincoln Board of Selectmen.

To the editor:

I was nearly run into again at the five corners by a driver (obviously from out of town, not bred in the Lincoln way) who thought that she, having stopped at the stop sign on Trapelo Road, could roar through the intersection past the horse trough. I saw recently the Selectmen’s meeting explaining that this arrangement—placing the stop sign on Trapelo Road well before the intersection and not at the horse trough—is to preserve the historical character of the area, or some such argument. Of course, horses always stopped at the trough, and probably did not observe any stop signs that may have been placed elsewhere.

I think that public safety should trump historic concerns and believe that the selectmen have ample authority to place the stop signs for Trapelo Road at the horse trough under MGL Ch. 89 S. 9 (you “may designate intersections or other roadway junctions at which vehicular traffic on one or more roadways shall stop or yield and stop before entering the intersection or junction”). The normal rules about when to enter an intersection do not work when the stop sign is placed so far out of the intersection that drivers stopping there cannot observe other cars and other cars cannot observe them. Please remedy this arrangement before someone is seriously hurt.

Sincerely,

John Kimball
14 Hillside Rd.

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

Council on Aging events in June

bemisAn exploration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition
June 5 at 2:30 p.m.
The 19th-century Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky is an ambitious musical work in 10 movements, each inspired by a particular artwork at an exhibition he visited. Come hear a live performance and learn about how and why it was composed as well as about the artworks that each movement interprets when Abla Shocair plays and discusses this work on Friday, June 5 at 2:30 p.m. at Bemis Hall. She will also play Papillons by Robert Schumann, which is believed to have had an influence on the Pictures suite and Franz Liszt’s Rhapsody #6 as it relates to Mussorgsky’s piano training. Abla, a civil engineer originally from Jordan, started playing piano at age 4.

[Read more…] about Council on Aging events in June

News acorns – 6/4/15

Sam Bayer

Sam Bayer

Sam Bayer featured at Monday’s open mic night

Sam Bayer will be the featured performer at this month’s LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mic Acoustic) on Monday, June 8 from 7-10 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. He’ll perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30 p.m. Bayer has performed at First Night, Passim’s, Sally O’Briens, the Nameless Coffeehouse and other venues and has four CDs to his credit.

[Read more…] about News acorns – 6/4/15

The birds and the bees (Lincoln Through the Lens)

 

Some of Harold McAleer’s recent photo subjects include a hummingbird, a dandelion and bee, and a bluebird and her nest.
hummer

bluebird-adj

dandelion2

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 – 5/23/15

acornFarewell gala for Magic Garden teacher Peggy McSweeney next week

The Magic Garden Children’s Center will honor retiring teacher Peggy McSweeney with a “hoedown” featuring square dancing with barbecue and a live band and caller on Saturday, May 30 from 6-10 p.m. in the Codman barn. Proceeds will benefit the newly established Peggy McSweeney Enrichment Fund for programs at the preschool including fitness, Spanish, swimming and more. McSweeney has worked at Magic Garden for its entire 33-year history. All are invited (adults only, please). Tickets are $50 and may be purchased by visiting Magic Garden in the Hartwell building on the school campus or calling 781-259-8161.

Two events at the deCordova

Join Certified Advanced Rolfer Kevin Frank for a free walk through the Sculpture Park on Wednesday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m. that integrates rolfing, a movement system that improves bodily alignment by organizing the body in relation to gravity. Rethink what you know about balance, space, and gravity during this guided walk focused on waking up your movement intelligence and connecting to the natural world.

Somerville artist Emily Garfield will lead a workshop on Saturday, May 30 at 10 a.m. that will explore unconventional approaches to mapping in this watercolor workshop with Somerville artist Emily Garfield. Translate your walk in the Sculpture Park into imaginative landscapes. For ages 16 and up. $12 for members. $20 for not-yet-members. Register online.

LLCT sponsors wildlife photography for kids

The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust is sponsoring “WildlifePhotography for Kids” with Eric Smith, a two-session workshop geared towards kids in grades 5-8, on Sunday, May 31 and June 7 from 3-5 p.m. Both sessions will be held in the LLCT offices in the Lincoln Mall and will have classroom and field components. The first session will cover point-and-shoot camera settings, camera functions andphoto composition. The second session will cover in-the-field tricks andphoto editing. Equipment needed: a digital camera. Please dress for the weather with sturdy shoes and socks, and long pants. Preregistration is required by May 29 on the LLCT website. Eric is a nationally published wildlife photography along with being on the steering committee of the Menotomy Bird Club, a board member of Eastern Mass. Hawk Watch, runs a camera club, and teaches digital photography for Mass Audubon.

Gropius House event; free tours at Gropius, Codman Estate

The Gropius House is the focus of “Modest In Scale, Revolutionary In Impact,” a special house tour and discussion on the influence of Walter Gropius and the Bauhaus movement on today’s design presented by Design New England Magazine and Historic New England on Friday, June 12 at 5 p.m. Speakers will be Mark Hutker of Hutker Architects, Matthew Cunningham of Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design, and Bradley M. Cashin of New England Design & Construction, plus remarks by Wendy Hubbard of Gropius House. Parking is available at Carroll School (25 Baker Bridge Rd., Lincoln). Shuttles will run regularly between the Carroll School and Gropius House. Please RSVP to 617-994-5934 or events@historicnewengland.org.

Thirty-six of the region’s finest historic properties are open free to the public during Historic New England’s Open House on Saturday, June 6. In Lincoln, Gropius House and Codman Estate offer hourly guided tours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. From Maine to Rhode Island, from 1664 to 1938, learn about the people who lived in stone-enders, urban mansions, rural estates, and working farms and explore unique and personal family collections of decorative arts and household furnishings during free guided tours at Historic New England’s house museums. For more information, visit www.historicnewengland.org.

“The new phone book’s here!”

library-directories

The Lincoln Public Library hosted a “stuffing party” where volunteers put the phone books in envelopes and delivered them to the post office. Stuffing Party: Lindsay Clemens, Susan Pease, Elizabeth Cherniack, Susan Ludden, Agnes Wiggin, Nancy Styles, Connie Olsen, Bryn Gingrich, Katherine Mierzwa, Belinda Gingrich, Graham Walker, Susan Hallstein and Ian Gingrich.

Lincoln residents are sure to be as excited as Steve Martin about the new phone directory now hitting mailboxes published by the Friends of the Lincoln Library.

The group that worked to edit and produce the directory, which is issued every two years, included Judith Lawler, Barbara Low, Cathy Moritz, Susan Isbell, Patty Mostue, Julie Brogan, Patience Sandrof, Paul Gingrich, Mark Sandrof, Isabel Webster, and Tucker Smith. The updated cover was the work of Margie Chin and Katherine Mierzwa, with artwork by Peter Sugar.

The directory is supported by the advertisers in its yellow pages, so please let them know how much you appreciate them. Additional copies can be purchased at the Old Town Hall Exchange and at the library.

Belinda Gingrich and volunteers from the Friends of the Lincoln Library unload the 2015 Lincoln telephone directory at the post office on May 20 in preparation for delivery to every household in Lincoln.

Belinda Gingrich (left) and volunteers from the Friends of the Lincoln Library unload the 2015 Lincoln telephone directory at the post office on May 20 in preparation for delivery to every household in Lincoln.

Letter to the editor: Lincolnites have the “write stuff”

letter

To the editor:

To mark the 10th anniversary of “Write Stuff,” a writers’ group in Lincoln, there will be a public reading by several members in the Tarbell Room of the Lincoln Public Library on Wednesday, May 27 at 7 p.m. As a “Write Stuffer,” I thought it’d be interesting to talk to a few of the people who have made the group what it is today.

Barbara Myles, director of the Lincoln Library, reflects back on how it all began: “Jeanne Bracken, our reference librarian at the time, was a very talented published author. I thought that it would be a good idea if she started a writers’ group at the library, so I asked her to do it.” Jeanne agreed and the group took off running. “She did a fabulous job,” says Myles.

Betty Smith, publisher of the Lincoln Review, is a strong supporter of “Write Stuff.” Always in search of new material from Lincoln writers, she felt that a critique group could help both beginning and seasoned writers produce new work.

“Hardly an issue of the Lincoln Review sees the light of day without a contribution from one or more Write Stuff members,” says Neil O’Hara, who has been Write Stuff’s facilitator since the fall of 2006. “Being part of this group has given me an even deeper grounding in the basics of good writing.”

I’ve listened to the pieces of my fellow “Write Stuffers,” made my comments and read my own pieces, and after each meeting I leave with more confidence. “One of the rules was that we were not to be critical,” says Palmer Faran. “Not to have anyone say, ‘Oh, this is terrible’ but to always say something positive. What we’re trying to do is to help and not shut the person down.”

“After listening to all of the supportive comments, this group gave me the confidence to write more,” says Joyce Quelch.

I believe that my writing has improved, but I continue to be puzzled as to why it’s so difficult, so I asked Neil O’Hara. “I think one of the great quotes that encapsulates the problem of why it’s so hard to write is by Mark Twain: ‘I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.’ And it’s just fabulous, because that’s the essence of it.”

“Write Stuffers”Anita Harris, Rick Wiggen, Jean Risley, Susan Coppock and Bracken have all tackled the difficulties of writing and are now published authors. Advice for writers from Bracken: “My BFF (best friend forever) in Maine and I say this all the time, it’s my mantra: ‘Stay on the bus. If you’re not on the bus, you’re not going to end the journey’.’”

If you’re a writer or would like to write, consider becoming a “Write Stuffer.” We’ll help you stay on that bus, and believe me, it’s well worth it.

Sincerely,

Debbie Dorsey
17 Bedford Lane

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

Guests honor Domnitz (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Current and former members of the Planning Board, the Board of Selectmen, and other guests gathered on Sunday, May 17 at the Todd Pond home of Rick and Virginia Rundell in honor of Bob Domnitz's 12 years of service on the Planning Board. Pictured from top: John "JR" Robinson, Virginia Rundell, Frank Clark, Lynn DeLisi, Bryce Wolf, Margaret Olson, Rich Rosenbaum, Renel Fredriksen, Bob Domnitz (the honoree), Carolyn McQueen, Peter Braun, Bob Wolf, and Rick Rundell. Also attending but not in the photo were James Craig, Pam Gallup, and Ken Hurd.

Current and former members of the Planning Board, the Board of Selectmen, and other guests gathered on May 17 at the Todd Pond home of Rick and Virginia Rundell in honor of Bob Domnitz’s 12 years of service on the Planning Board. Pictured from top: John “JR” Robinson, Frank Clark, Virginia Rundell, Bryce Wolf, Lynn DeLisi, Renel Fredriksen, Margaret Olsen, Rich Rosenbaum, Bob Domnitz (the honoree), Carolyn McQueen, Peter Braun, Rick Rundell and Bob Wolf (far right). Also attending but not in the photo were James Craig, Pam Gallup, and Ken Hurd.

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.

At L-S, Ryan warns parents about providing alcohol to those under 21

(Editor’s note: This article is based on a press release from the Middlesex District Attorney’s office.)

In a May 11 talk at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan reminded parents that providing alcohol to anyone under the age of 21 endangers lives and makes the adult potentially liable in criminal and civil court.

“We all want to celebrate the end of the school year and usher in the summer for the teenagers in our lives,” Ryan said. “But good intentions can go wrong. It is never a good idea to have a get-together in which minors are going to be drinking alcohol. Adults cannot disregard the law about serving people under the age of 21 just because the alcohol is being served on private property or just because one parent gives permission for his or her child to consume alcohol.”

Under the state’s Social Host Law, adults and minors can be punished for furnishing alcohol to a minor, with penalties including up to one year in jail and fines of up to $2,000. Those charged with drinking and driving can also receive significant penalties. In Massachusetts, a first drunk-driving offense may result in a license suspension, a fine of up to $5,000, and/or imprisonment of up to 30 months.

Ryan also stressed that adults should think about the “life lessons” they are teaching young people. “Teenagers know they aren’t supposed to be drinking, so the message parents may be sending is that it’s fine to break the law in some cases,” she said. “Often young people who have consumed alcohol don’t have the maturity to resist risky behavior and to make good judgments.”

The “Social Host Responsibility” presentations are held at schools all over the county by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth (MPY). MPY is a nonprofit organization that provides prevention and intervention resources and training to school districts and communities in collaboration with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Ryan chairs the MPY Board of Directors.