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

Library offers Game Days, passes to Einstein’s Workshop

The board game Acquire.

The board game Acquire.

Do you love playing board games? Do you want to learn new games? We’re going to try another two Games Days at different times at the Lincoln Public Library.

  • What: Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, Acquire, and more (click on the links for more info about each game).
  • When:
    • Wednesday, Nov. 13 from 1-3 p.m.
    • Sunday, Nov. 17 from 3-5 p.m.
  • Where: Lincoln Public Library
  • Who: Age 8 through adult
Interested but can’t make the scheduled dates? Please send an email to Belinda Gingrich at belinda.gingrich@verizon.net.
The library is now offering free passes to Einstein’s Workshop, a Burlington-based academic enrichment center. As well as offering science project classes, it’s an amazing drop-in space for kids to explore the creative side of science, technology, engineering and math. Kids can build with construction toys such as Legos, K’Nex, Anchor Blocks, Kapla Blocks, and electronic workstations. For further information, visit the Einstein’s Workshop website. To book the library pass, visit the library’s online reservation system.

Kids dig the pigs at Harvest Weekend

Story and photos by Brett Wittenberg

Lying face down in the mud, snorting and rooting, were a bunch of stinking, lethargic and—if you asked kids visiting Drumlin Farm on Harvest Weekend—endlessly fascinating creatures.

Like changing leaves and cooler temperatures, Harvest Weekend has become an annual reminder that autumn is in full swing in Lincoln. On Oct. 19 and 20,  more than 3,000 visitors came from near and far to take part in the agricultural fun.

At the pig pen, Jen Sundstrom’s three kids took turns weighing themselves on a scale that told you, if you happened to be a pig, whether you’d be a piglet; a “finishing” pig, ready for market, a sow or a boar (see photos below). They climbed a stepstool to observe the real thing inside a wood-sided pen.

“The kids are loving the pigs,” said the Medford mom, covering her smile and her nose with her white turtleneck (her children didn’t seem to notice the odor).

The farm animals were a clear favorite with the younger visitors. Others explored the crop fields, went on hay rides, and picked their own fresh potatoes, squash and tomatoes to take home. Volunteers and staff circulated among the goat house, the horse barn, the chicken coop and the raptor and reptile houses to teach visitors about the farm’s year-round inhabitants.

“What I like most is actually this—seeing the people hang out, enjoying the simple activities, going out to the pick-your-owns… enjoying our fields which most people don’t get out to, getting to see the crops that we’re growing, and being able to harvest some stuff themselves. That’s my favorite,” a Harvest Weekend staffer said.

Heading down the hill from the front gate, visitors caught sight of kids laughing and darting in and out of the canopy of a flapping rainbow-colored parachute, gluing googly eyes and pom-poms to miniature pumpkins, kicking pumpkin-colored rubber balls, and “milking” wooden cows.

After stopping by the refreshment stand for glasses of cold apple cider, cookies from Concord’s Verrill Farm and sugar-dusted cider donuts, kids crowded around enclosures housing chickens, goats, pigs, cows, owls, and hawks. Even house mice drew a crowd as they skittered around a box of leaves while a staffer described their diet and habitats.

Two-year-old Avery of Lexington, sporting a ponytail and silver puffy boots, said excitedly that the pigs were her favorite part of Harvest Weekend, though she also liked the chickens, who were “climbing up the houses,” she observed.

Drumlin Farm is an interactive classroom of zoological facts for its youngest patrons, but older visitors seemed just as enthralled. “I like the raptors, all the owls and hawks,” said 47-year-old Ed Krasinski, who traveled to Lincoln from Salem, N.H., with his eight-year-old daughter and his wife, who said she used to visit Drumlin Farm when she was a kid.

“We just came to bring the girls to see the animals,” said Julie Fuller, 65, who drove six hours from New Jersey to accompany her three granddaughters, a 5-year-old and two-year-old twins, on their outing.

Hal Baker manned a booth of brochures, pamphlets and energy-saving light bulbs for Next Step Living, a New England residential energy efficiency company.  Although he was on the job last Sunday, looking to sign up passers-by for home energy audits, he seemed to be enjoying himself as much as any visitor. His personal connection with Drumlin Farm spoke to its enduring appeal.

“I came here almost 50 years ago,” Baker recalled. “The first time I came here is when I was a little kid with my parents back in the early sixties.”

A young visitor tries to pull a pony cart.

Girls decorate miniature pumpkins at the arts and crafts table.

A girl “milks” a wooden cow.

A scale in the pig barn tells a young visitor she’s a piglet.

A boy gets a kick out of Harvest Weekend.

“State of the Town” is this Saturday

stateofthetown-croppedWhat are your thoughts on a Lincoln community center, further development of Lincoln Station, and Lincoln creating its own electric company? Learn more and offer your opinions at the annual State of the Town meeting this Saturday, Nov. 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Brooks Auditorium.

The meeting will include brief presentations and then open discussion—but not votes—on these three topics that have been the subject of preliminary discussion by town leaders. For more information about each, see the October 2 Lincoln Squirrel article or read the town-wide mailing that offers background and some options for dscussion.

Keep watching the Lincoln Squirrel and join the LincolnTalk email list (if you haven’t already done so) for further information about possible live-blogging or tweeting from the meeting.

Council on Aging events for November

For more information about an of these events, call the Lincoln Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.

November 4 — 12:30 p.m.
Lincoln Academy with Chuck Miller: Getting the most of the town’s new website

Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, Nov. 4 at 12:30 p.m. to hear Chuck Miller, Lincoln’s IT director, discuss “Getting the Most of the Town’s New Website.” Bring a bag lunch. The COA 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.

November 4 and beyond –10 a.m.
Like to walk with friends?
Walking is a great way to stay fit. Walking with friends is more fun and will help you keep motivated to get into a healthy walking routine. If you’d like to join with others who walk once a week, come down to Bemis Hall on Mondays at 10 a.m. A group will walk from there or drive to a trail or other walking path for a short walk. You may walk for as long or as short a time as you like. Give it a try!

[Read more…] about Council on Aging events for November

Tuesday: meeting on farming land in Lincoln

farm2The Lincoln Agriculture Commission (LAC) invites land owners, farmers, and others to an information session on its agricultural lands mapping project on Tuesday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Bemis Hall. This community-wide meeting will highlight the LAC’s new map of agricultural lands in Lincoln, which was developed using publicly available information, and will feature tips on leasing land to a farmer.

We are in the midst of an exciting period of opportunity for local agriculture due to a resurgence of interest in locally produced foods, However, a weak link in the revival of regional agriculture is access to land for the beginning farmer. New farmers are critical to sustaining our agricultural base and to replacing an aging farmer population. Those interested in starting agricultural careers are increasingly challenged as barriers to entry are significant and traditional venues for education are declining.

The LAC is a town board charged with protecting and promoting agriculture in Lincoln. To that end, the group is working to inventory  existing agricultural lands and uncover properties that have the potential to support agricultural production.  There are many properties in Lincoln that may have valuable soil and land characteristics that could help a farmer start or expand his/her business and produce food for the region. The LAC hopes that by providing information about farming opportunities in Lincoln, they can facilitate matches between farmers and landowners and increase agricultural production in the community.

For this land outreach project, the LAC is partnering with the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, a Tufts University program that assists people with an interest in small-scale commercial agriculture to begin farming in Massachusetts. New Entry provides services for beginning farmers such as locating and helping with leasing farmland, education, training, business/enterprise development, and production and marketing assistance.

Please contact Ashley Davies, Farmland Matching Coordinator, at adavies@comteam.org or 978-654-5738, or Christy Foote-Smith, Lincoln Agricultural Commission, at cfsmith@massaudubon.org or 781-259-2201 if you have any questions.

High winds lead to power outages

NStar workers removing a tree that fell on Lincoln Road.

NStar workers removing a tree that fell on Lincoln Road.

By Alice Waugh

High winds on Friday morning contributed to several power outages in Lincoln, including several brief interruptions at the Lincoln School.

Lincoln Road was closed between Ballfield Road and Peirce Hill Road for a time when a tree snapped and fell across the road, bringing down power lines on the other side. The police station also lost power and had to switch to its backup generator, according to Lincoln Police Chief Kevin Mooney.

There were a total of three tree-limb breaks in Lincoln that led to power outages in town, Mooney said, but by 3:30 p.m., “we seem to be getting back to normal here; the wind seems to have died down,” he said.

An NStar map showing towns with power outages as of 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1. Light yellows indicates less than 1 percent of customers affected; darker yellow indicates 1 to 10 percent.

An NStar map showing towns with power outages as of 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1. Light yellows indicates less than 1 percent of customers affected; darker yellow indicates 1 to 10 percent.

Several other towns west of Boston and on the south shore also had outages. At 3:30 p.m., 5 percent of Wayland customers were without power. Lincoln’s outage rate at that time was 0.5 percent, according to the NStar website.

Swap table volunteers needed

The Lincoln Recycling Committee is looking for a few good volunteers at the transfer station swap table to help keep items organized and out of the town trash at the end of the day.

Even if you only have an hour a month, we need you!  We offer flexible hours and first dibs on incoming donations as well as a friendly working environment. Students may also earn community service hours.

For more information, contact Laura Berland or Bernadette Quirk at lincolnrecycles@gmail.com, and check out the Lincoln Recycling Committee website.

Coming up in Lincoln

Film about Lincoln architect Henry B. Hoover – Oct. 25

At its members’ appreciation event on Friday, October 25 at 7 p.m. at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, the Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln (FoMA) will hold a premier screening of the film Breaking Ground: The Architecture of Henry B. Hoover.

Commissioned by Hoover’s children, Harry Hoover and Lucretia Giese, and directed and produced by Molly Bedell, the film features biographical background, interviews, and stills and footage of several Hoover houses. Hoover (1902-1998) received his M.Arch. from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1926 and was among the pioneers of modernism in Lincoln.

Hoover designed some 100 houses from 1937 to 1988, with his last important commission in 1972.  For Hoover, the site was all-important.  Writing about one house, he commented, “the design has been taken care of by the site… the view was hidden by a ledge outcropping. Distance and height were unseen until one climbed around the cliff side, when space seemed to burst open. It was superb.” His objective was to try to “preserve that surprise.”

FoMA is especially pleased to hold the event at the deCordova, which was founded in 1950 and was an important center for contemporary art during this period. Besides highlighting New England art, it was a community center for lectures, music, and studio art classes. “The kind of museum I believe in is a social force; I’ve always treated art as a celebration,” said founding director Fred Walkey, noting the importance that modernists placed on the idea of community. Modern architecture celebrated art and science and was meant to inspire community through thoughtful design that which was affordable and accessible to all.

Space for the event is limited; members are admitted free but must RSVP in advance. There is a $25 fee for non-members. To become a member, go to the FoMA website and follow the “Join” link at the top of the page. Hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer, and beverages will be served.

FoMA works to preserve Lincoln’s Modern architectural heritage. The town’s collection of Modern houses spans the range of a short-lived idealistic architectural period ranging from the 1930s through the 1960s.

Drumlin Farm Food Day – Oct. 26

Come for a day of tasty fun as Drumlin Farm celebrates statewide Food Day on Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Explore in the garden with farm staff, meet some native wildlife, and enjoy a taste from Drumlin’s farm stand. Farm teachers will be on hand to share the bounty of the fall harvest and help you learn how tasty sustainable agriculture can be. All activities are free with admission, which is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and children 2-12, and free for Mass Audubon members.

Special programs throughout the day:

  • 10 a.m. — A Taste of Drumlin: Sample the fruits (and veggies!) of the season.
  • 10:30 a.m. — Flying over Fields for Food: Visit with one of the wild birds that loves a farmland habitat.
  • 11:30 a.m. — Garden Exploration: Open your senses during a garden scavenger hunt.
  • 12:30 p.m. —  Beyond Butter: Shake the jar with us to find out how easy it is to make your own flavored herb butter.
  • 2 p.m. — A Taste of Drumlin: Sample the fruits (and veggies!) of the season.
  • 2:30 p.m. — Chickens and Eggs: Scramble up a few fresh eggs with us and meet one of the chickens that laid them.
  • 3:30 p.m. — Turtles Eat their Veggies: Meet one of our resident reptiles and watch him enjoy a favorite treat.
  • 3:45 p.m. —  Seeing Seeds: Explore the magic of how a seed turns into a new plant.

Lincoln Garden Club hosts talk on sustainable landscaping – Nov. 4

The Lincoln Garden Club and co-sponsor Greening Lincoln welcome Mark Richardson, the newly appointed Director of Horticulture at the New England Wild Flower Society, on Monday, November 4 at 7 p.m. in Bemis Hall.

Richardson, who oversees Garden in the Woods in Framingham and Nasami Farm in Whately, Mass., will update us on the new standards in sustainable landscaping. He will give examples in public gardens as well as our own Lincoln properties. He holds BS and MS degrees in urban horticulture and has lectured at Longwood Gardens and Brookside Gardens.

This is the Garden Club’s  biggest program of the year and the public is invited, so bring extra friends and family for this function you wouldn’t want to miss.

Lincoln’s Hatsopoulos brothers speak on Sunday

Long-time Lincoln residents George (left) and John Hatsopoulos

Long-time Lincoln residents George (left) and John Hatsopoulos

The Lincoln Historical Society presents “The Brothers Hatsopoulos: A Legacy of Science, Business, and Family” on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. in the Great Room of The Commons in Lincoln (formerly The Groves). The event is part of a series on Lincoln’s modern legacy of technology entrepreneurism.

Emigrating from Greece after World War II, John and George Hatsopoulos were students. In 1956, with a $50,000 investment from a fellow Greek businessman, the brothers founded Thermo Electron Corporation. Providing technical instrumentation to a diverse research community, the firm is now known as Thermo Fisher Scientific, enjoys a $32 billion a market cap, and employs nearly 40,000 people.

The remarkable story of the Hatsopoulos brothers is not limited to the success of Thermo Electron. The arc of time for this family shapes a legacy of science and entrepreneurism, courage and drive. Hear the story directly from featured speaker John Hatsopoulos. Come share your stories about the Hatsopoulos brothers, Thermo, and the technology entrepreneurs of Lincoln.

Note that this event will be held at The Commons in Lincoln (formerly The Groves), not at Bemis Hall.  From the intersection of Route 2 and Route 2A (Crosby’s Corner), go east on Route 2 and the entrance is immediately on the right (look for signs).  Note that there is no access from Sandy Pond Road except for residents of The Commons.  Some parking next to the front entrance of the Russell Building is available and additional parking is short walking distance away. The Great Room is located in the the Russell Building.