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

Peek into the lives of “All the President’s Women”

Presidentswomen-smSometimes what happens behind closed doors at the White House is more fascinating than what goes on in public view. Peek into the lives of some U.S. presidents, their wives and their mothers when the Council on Aging presents a free performance of the Delvena Theatre Company’s All the Presidents’ Women at Bemis Hall on Sunday, May 19, at 2 p.m.  All ages are welcome.

Have we already had a female president?  Could one of our First Ladies have murdered her husband while he was still in office? Find out which of our most famous First Ladies was committed to a mental institution by her own son! These intriguing stories are lively entertainment and promote post-performance dialogue after the performance between the cast and the audience. All the Presidents’ Women, written by Fran Baron and directed by Joseph Zamparelli Jr., features Lynne Moulton and Fran Baron in multiple roles.

The Delvena Theatre Company was founded in 1992 and has performed at various venues, most often at the Boston Center for the Arts. The company was nominated for five Independent Reviewers of New England awards.  Its production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was on Theatre Mirror’s Best List for acting, directing and production. Presentations of Anna Weiss and Beyond Therapy were included on Theatre Mirror’s best play list, and Blue Heart was placed on Aisle Say’s best list.

All The Presidents’ Women is 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. For more information, please call the Council on Aging at (781) 259-8811.

Order a rain barrel for your garden by May 16

barrel-colorThe Lincoln Water Department has teamed up with Upcycle Products Inc. to offer 55-gallon plastic and oak rain barrels for sale to residents. Using rain barrels to water your garden reduces the water drawn from the town’s drinking water supply, allowing Lincoln to meet the state’s water conservation goals while simultaneously saving you money—and the soft, chemical-free water is very good for grass and other plants.

The plastic rain barrels were originally used for transporting food products to the U.S. from overseas while the oak barrels were used for whiskey—so this program not only promotes water conservation but also diverts large quantities of material from the waste stream.

To see colors, styles and prices for the barrels, go to the Upcycle Products webpage for Lincoln. Order barrels by May 16 and pick them up at Stonegate Gardens on May 22 from 4-6 p.m. Tell your out-of-town friends they can order too!

 

Cabaret Night tonight at L-S

sax Come hear excellent performances in an intimate setting by Lincoln-Sudbury’s instrumental and vocal jazz ensembles, as well as featured vocal soloists. The concert starts at 7:30 in the L-S Jazz cafe. Tickets are $5, with a $20 cap for families. Snacks and beverages will be sold by the L-S Friends of Music.

There will be vocal performances by the Acafellas, Achoired Taste, and Coro de Chicas. The evening will also feature vocal solo and duet performances of popular and musical theater selections. Performing instrumental groups include the Concert and Symphonic Jazz Ensembles (big bands), Jazz Warriors Combo, and Select Jazz Combo.

For more information, call the L-S Music Department at 978-443-9961 x2220 or x2210.

Obituaries

candle2Following are obituaries of current or former Lincoln residents as reported in the Boston Globe since February, listed in chronological order of their date of death. Click here to see previous obits in the Lincoln Squirrel.

Rose M. McMurtry, 97 (April 7, 2013) – Lincoln resident from 1958-1972, sang in St. Joseph’s Church choir

Ruth R. Walkey, 85 (April 1, 2013) – Old Town Hall Exchange volunteer, 50-year member of Valley Pond

Shirley G. Beaton, 88 (March 28, 2013) – secretary in Lincoln Public Schools

Wayne D. Mount, 85 (March 25, 2013) – atmospheric physicist and pioneer in chaos theory

William R. Cummings, 82 (March 25, 2013) – father of William R. Cummings Jr. of Lunenburg and Thomas R. Cummings of London

Lorraine S. Torode, 92 (March 11, 2013) – longtime physical education teacher in Lincoln Public Schools

Nest-watching opportunities (and the times for those nature walks)

A female cardinal in her nest. (Photo courtesy WIkimedia Commons)

A female cardinal in her nest. (Photo courtesy WIkimedia Commons)

First of all, a clarification on our earlier nature walks article: they take place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

And now for nesting… Drumlin Farm is looking for volunteers to train in the fine art of nest-watching. The farm is a chapter of the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch, a citizen science project that collects data on the breeding activities of birds across the country. Scientists use this data to track bird population trends and subsequently decide what conservation measures are  most needed.

Volunteer training, which takes less than two hours, will teach residents how to look for bird nests, how to approach them and when to leave them alone, and how tor cord their findings in the NestWatch database, said Drumlin Farm volunteer coordinator Pam Sowizral. Nest-watchers don’t need to venture into the forest or scale trees; they can monitor nests that species including catbirds, cardinals, titmice, chickadees, and phoebes that build their nests close to houses and sometimes even on porches and other parts of buildings.

The collected information is useful for seeing how bird habitats and populations are altering over time, particularly in this era of climate change, Sowizral said.

“By recruiting volunteers all over the country in large numbers, we can do something that individual scientists can’t,” Sowizral said.

Anyone interested (even empty-nesters!) should contact Sowizral at 781-259-2205 or psowizral@massaudubon.org.

MassHealth: Learn more, even if you think you won’t need it

SHINElogoWhat do you know about MassHealth, and why should you care? Lincoln residents of all ages are invited to a special program at Bemis Hall on Monday, April 29 at 7 p.m. to learn more about MassHealth (Massachusetts’ Medicaid program). You might not think you need the information, but  that could change if you have an unforeseen financial crisis or need to be in a nursing home for an extended period.

The Lincoln Council in Aging program will feature Don Milan, Elizabeth Killeen and Arthur Budnik, all of Minuteman Senior Services’ SHINE health benefits counseling program, explaining what MassHealth currently covers, who’s eligible, how it coordinates with Medicare, and more. Carolyn Bottum, director of the COA, interviewed Milan, who is Lincoln’s SHINE counselor.

[Read more…] about MassHealth: Learn more, even if you think you won’t need it

See Lincoln by foot during Wednesday walks

Visit a different area of Lincoln’s open space each week on Wednesday walks led by Conservation Department staff on Wednesdays from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Walks are typically about 2.5 miles long. Wear sturdy shoes and always dress for the weather (walks are held rain or shine). Meeting places and descriptions are listed below.

trailwalks2