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

Survey is part of town vulnerability and resilience project

Residents are invited to take a survey to help the town team better understand the impact and vulnerabilities that community members may experience.

The survey, which is open until April 30, asks about community priorities such as food and water, housing, transportation, and ecosystems. It asks respondents to choose among several possible measures including a communications platform, an intratown shuttle service, or projects involving food insecurity or local agriculture. Survey participants can enter a drawing for drawing to win a gift card to one of Lincoln’s businesses.

The survey is part of the MVP (Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness) 2.0 pilot program. MVP is a state-funded grant program that helps Massachusetts communities adapt to the changing climate and implement projects that build community resilience. MVP 2.0 aims to build on the work done during MVP 1.0 by convening a community team to do equitable climate resilience work and get coaching on strategies for building resilience, equity, and climate justice.

In 2023, Lincoln (along with 32 other communities) was selected for MVP 1.0, which resulted in an initial community resilience study and led to a $100,000 grant that enabled the town to create its Climate Action Plan. The new $95,000 will culminate in a seed project that will advance the town’s climate resilience priorities.  

The latest work is being done by a core team of four town staff members and volunteers Karen Boyce, Tom Flint, and Mary Stechschulte.

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Lots of thing to choose from at the Trash to Treasures event.

“Trash and Treasures” sale

The First Parish in Lincoln’s May Market takes place on Saturday, April 12 from 9:00am to noon. The church will be brimming with jewelry, antiques, artwork, furniture, garden needs, housewares, and more. When the sale is over, a truck from Household Goods in Acton will pick up usable items for their clients in need. It truly is recycling at its best. Free admission and coffee.

Six students qualify for history competition

Lincoln School students competing in the state history competition are (left to right) Maya Iluri, Miles Wang, Jaida Fishbone, Josh Murphy, Graham Onigman, and Samir Stauffer.

Six Lincoln School students in grades 5–8 have qualified for the Mass. History Day state competition on Saturday, April 12 at Winchester High School. This competition brings together top finishers (roughly 350 total students) from the regional history day competitions, including six from the Lincoln School. Left to right: Maya Iluri, Miles Wang, Jaida Fishbone, Josh Murphy, Graham Onigman, and Samir Stauffer. The topics of their exhibit, paper, and documentary film were The French Protectorate over Cambodia, The Story of the Miranda Rights, and Climbing Towards Equality. Winning state entries move on to the National History Day in June.

Donate craft materials for the Great Create

The Lincoln School Foundation is seeking materials for its fourth annual Great Create. Families in grades K-5 are invited to gather on May 18 from 1:00–3:00pm to create a vibrant, rainbow-inspired sculpture that will live permanently on display inside the school. Items sought include small wood pieces or clothespins to make peg people, figurines, and blocks; 3-to-4-inch pieces of paper, cardboard, and packing materials that can be painted; yarn and wool roving; ribbon, twine, wire, and floss; beads; pipe cleaners; and small strips of fabric. Donations are being accepted in the school’s main office, the Lincoln Public Library, and at the First Parish in Lincoln until May 1. Contact carolinesmart20@gmail.com with any questions about suitable materials. Click here to register children and families.

Get ready for lots of events — and visitors — on Patriots’ Day weekend

The 250th anniversary of the first battles of the American Revolution is just around the corner. Here’s what you need to know about getting around and what’s happening in and around Lincoln.

Getting around

Road closures — Road closures in Lincoln will begin on Saturday, April 19 at 5:00am and will remain closed till 5:00pm. Click here to learn more. 

Train — Trains will run once an hour outbound beginning at 4:30am. The first train stops in Lincoln at 5:04am, just in time for the 6:00am dawn salute in Concord. See the train schedule for details (note: bikes will not be allowed on the trains. Residents and visitors planning to ride the train from Lincoln are strongly encouraged to park in the non-paved lot first (approximately 45 spots available). The paved lot should only be used once the non-paved spots are full. 

Bus — A school bus will make continuous loops from the Lincoln School K-4 (Smith) parking lot to the Concord Museum with a stop at the Walden Pond parking lot. This free service runs from 6:00am – 9:00pm. There are not set pickup times at the school; bus frequency will depend on many uncontrollable factors, so allow plenty of time.

Transfer station and library

The Transfer Station will be closed on Saturday, April 19 but will remain open until 6:00pm on Wednesday, April 16 (opening at the usual time of 7:30am) to provide additional flexibility for those who are generally unable to use the facility during the work week. The Lincoln Public Library will be closed Saturday, April 19 through Monday, April 21. It will reopen at 9:00am on Tuesday, April 22.

For more Lincoln information, click here. Questions? Email Lincoln250@lincolntown.org. 

Lincoln250 events

“Myths of the Battle of Lexington-Concord”
Thursday, April 10 from 7:00–8:00pm (Zoom)
Lincoln historian and Minute Man Rick Wiggin will talk about what truly happened in Lexington, Concord, and most importantly, Lincoln, on April 19, 1775 and how it became mythologized over time. Click here to register.

“The Forgotten Patriots of Color”
Friday, April 11 at 12:30pm (Bemis Hal)
Lincoln resident and biographer Ray Shepard will read from his work in progress, The Forgotten Patriots of Color: A Story of Local Brown and Black Patriots. Sponsored by the Lincoln Council on Aging & Human Services.

“Loyalists and Revolutionaries: Two Iconic Lincoln Properties at the Heart of a Changing World”
Monday, April 21 from 10:00am–2:00pm
Historic New England invites you walk Lincoln’s trails and visit two of its properties in Lincoln: the Codman Estate (once occupied by Loyalists Charles and Elizabeth Russell, who fled to Antigua when the war began) and the Gropius House designed by Bauhaus architect Walter Gropius and revolutionary in impact. The properties will be open to the public and docents will be on site to share information and answer questions.

“A Sense of Place: Lincoln Then and Now”
At the Lincoln Public Library through April 26
Five artists and photographers show scenes from around Lincoln that existed both in 1775 and now. At the center is Kerry Glass’s 1775 map with an overlay that traces the development of the roadways over the years. Sponsored by the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department.  

Other area events and information

 

Library offers seeds of knowledge — and now real seeds as well

The Lincoln Public Library’s seed library (click image to enlarge).

The Lincoln Public Library lands all sorts of things in addition to books and music, but now it’s giving something away: seeds.

The “seed library” on the ground floor offers packets of seeks stored in old wooden card catalogue boxes, as well as a notebook with instructions from the original seed packets on planting each type (visitors can jot them down or take a picture with their phone of the pages of interest).

The seeds were donated by Weston Nurseries of Lincoln and Russell’s Garden Center in Wayland. The selection focuses on easier-growing garden plants, “which is why there is more of a focus on fruits and vegetables rather than flowers, as they can be a bit finicky,” said librarian Alison Armstrong, who organized the project after hearing interest from some patrons and noting the idea’s success at other libraries.

Even though libraries are usually in the business of offering things to use in the building, or lending things with an expectation that they’ll be returned, the seed library squares with the institution’s mission. “Above all, the work of the library is providing access to resources and information that patrons may not otherwise have been able to utilize,” Armstrong said. “By connecting with our community partners to establish the seed library, we’re able to facilitate access to people who may have always been interested in building their own garden, but were unable to do so for whatever reason.”

The most important piece, Armstrong continued, “is being able to provide the Lincoln community with a hands-on educational resource, which is at the core of our mission to focus on life-long learning and sharing new knowledge and ideas.”

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Spring market on Saturday

LincFam will host a Spring Market at the Pierce House on Saturday, April 5 from 9:00am–1:00pm with local food, handmade jewelry and artworks, flowers, and folk music with Art Grossman. Click here for details on vendors.

COA&HS activities this month

For a full list of Council on Aging & Human Services events — including clinics, exercise classes, regular meetings of interest groups, and online chats with town officials — see the COAHS’s newsletter page. Call 781-259-8811 or email gagnea@lincolntown.org for Zoom links and other information.

  • Lincoln’s Doo Wop group will host a concert and cereal drive on Thursday, April 10 at 3:30pm in Bemis Hall. Please bring boxes of cereal to benefit the Lincoln Food Pantry
  • Ray Anthony Shepard, Lincoln’s representative to the Special Commission on the 250th Anniversary Celebration of the American Revolution, will read from his work-in-progress, The Forgotten Patriots of Color: A Story of Local Black & Brown Patriots, on Friday, April 11 at 12:30pm in Bemis Hall.
  • “The Nettle Dress: A Tale of Love & Healing” (68 minutes) will be shown on Thursday, April 25 at 12:30pm. After the death of his beloved wife, textile artist Allan Brown spent seven years making a dress by hand just from the fiber of locally foraged stinging nettles.

Two plant sales coming up

  • The ordering deadline for the Middlesex Conservation District’s 2025 Spring Plant Sale is Monday, April 21 with pickup and cash sale on Friday, May 2 from 4:00–7:00pm, and Saturday, May 3 from 9:00am–1:00pm at Farrington Nature Linc. Click here to order.
  • The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust will hold its annual plant sale on Sunday, May 18 from 11:00am–1:00pm at Lincoln Station. There will be a selection of native perennials and shrubs for (no pre-orders) — click here to see the list of available plants. LLCT membership contributions support the sale and planting efforts on conservation land.

Lincoln School Librarian Gwen Blumberg joined Saige at the MSLA award ceremony on March 30 in Plainville.

Third-grader wins statewide contest

xLincoln School third-grader Saige Hamilton has won the Massachusetts School Library Association’s statewide 2025 Bookmark Contest for second- and third-graders in Division 2. Saige is the daughter of Lincoln METCO director Marika Hamilton. Students from schools across the state submitted designs for a bookmark themed “Find Your Path in the Library.” It was the first time Lincoln School participated. 

Gropius House tour and walk

Come see “A New Kind of Architecture in Harmony with Nature” on a tour of the historic Gropius House (68 Baker Bridge Rd.) on Sunday, April 27 from 10:00–11:30am. Walter Gropius (1883-1969) founded the Bauhaus school that united art, nature, and technology. The tour of his 1938 Lincoln home followed by a walk in the grounds reveal design strategies that have returned to architectural importance for sustainable design in the 21st century. Click here for tickets.

Get ready for Club Codman

Dust off your wigs, platforms, and polyester because Club Codman is coming to Codman Farm on Saturday, May 31 at 8:00pm. It’s an adults-only dance party to benefit Codman Community Farms with great music and great drinks. Purchase tickets here.

Preschoolers pitch in for food pantry

Children and parents from the Lincoln Nursery School recently contributed to a food drive for the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry. See more photos on the SVdP Facebook page. Adults, left to right: Lauren Lane, Jenny Rogers, Bridget Healy, Melissa McDermott, LNS Director Nancy Fincke, Alison Young, and Robin Blesius.

Dozens of luminaries petition Healey to stop Hanscom expansion

More than 40 leading historians, scientists, and climate and environmental advocates sent a letter today to Gov. Maura Healey asking her to stop the proposed private jet expansion of Hanscom Field.

The airfield is close to Minute Man National Historical Park (MMNHP), Walden Pond, and nearby landmarks which the National Trust for Historic Preservation and has designated as among America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Those areas are ground zero for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War, with events that will draw thousands to the region.

Minute Man National Park, Walden, and their historic environs represent and reflect our nation’s ability to prevail, evolve, and enlighten in the face of extreme challenge,” the letter says. Signers include musician and Walden Woods project founder Don Henley, actor/activists Ed Begley Jr. and Ashley Judd, 350.org founder Bill McKibben, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, musician James Taylor, historian Douglas Brinkley Jr., former Massachusetts secretary for environmental affairs John DeVillars, and Ellen Emerson and Mark Thoreau, direct descendants of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Thoreau.

Last June, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper rejected the draft environmental impact report for the expansion and asked the developers to submit a supplemental report with additional information about climate impacts, among other things. The proposal would add 17 hangars that could accommodate more than 60 additional private jets.

Healey is also the target of petitions from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere; the letter has garnered 14,000 signatures so far. The state legislature and the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act office do not have the authority to stop a Massport project; only Healey has that power.

Click here to see previous news and opinion piece in the Lincoln Squirrel about this issue.