Wednesday, November 27, 2013

POST THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY WALK

Saturday November 30, 2013
1:00 PM until 3:00 PM 

Work off some of those Thanksgiving calories with CLC's First Annual Post Thanksgiving Walk. We will explore Whipple Hill and the new trail improvement structures built this past summer. Wear sturdy hiking boots and bring a walking stick if you have one, as trails are steep. Lexington is a great place to explore and late fall is the best time of year.

Heavy rain or snow cancels the walk. Meet at the Winchester Drive entrance.

Hope to see you all there!

Lexington has over 1,300 acres of conservation land, including 26 conservation areas with trail access. This conservation land creates a patchwork of forests, fields, and wetlands that provides habitat for plants and wildlife and adds to the quality of life for Lexington residents.

On Lexington's conservation land, visitors find the opportunity to walk, jog, picnic, birdwatch, cross-country ski, bicycle, and garden. Over 50 miles of trails cross our conservation land, many with boardwalks over wet areas.


Volunteers of the Lexington Conservation Stewards help to care for Lexington's conservation land and keep the trails open for everyone to enjoy.

More information about Lexington's Conservation areas can be found below:
Conservation Areas Maps >>

Walking your Dog on Conservation Land >>

Community Gardens>>
Open Space and Recreation Plan >>

Conservation Trust Funds >>

Conservation Land Regulations >>

ACROSS Lexington>>


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The Tradition of Thanksgiving

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

Thanksgiving at Plymouth
In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the New World. After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.

Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from an Abenaki Indian who greeted them in English. Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which would endure for more than 50 years and tragically remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.

In November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. Now remembered as American’s “first Thanksgiving”—although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time—the festival lasted for three days. While no record exists of the historic banquet’s exact menu, the Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow wrote in his journal that Governor Bradford sent four men on a “fowling” mission in preparation for the event, and that the Wampanoag guests arrived bearing five deer. Historians have suggested that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods. Because the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower’s sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a hallmark of contemporary celebrations.

Thanksgiving Becomes an Official Holiday
Pilgrims held their second Thanksgiving celebration in 1623 to mark the end of a long drought that had threatened the year’s harvest and prompted Governor Bradford to call for a religious fast. Days of fasting and thanksgiving on an annual or occasional basis became common practice in other New England settlements as well. During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country’s war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution. His successors John Adams and James Madison also designated days of thanks during their presidencies.

In 1817, New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday; each celebrated it on a different day, however, and the American South remained largely unfamiliar with the tradition. In 1827, the noted magazine editor and prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale—author, among countless other things, of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”—launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. For 36 years, she published numerous editorials and sent scores of letters to governors, senators, presidents and other politicians. Abraham Lincoln finally heeded her request in 1863, at the height of the Civil War, in a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day every year until 1939, when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales during the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s plan, known derisively as Franksgiving, was met with passionate opposition, and in 1941 the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.

Thanksgiving Traditions
In many American households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance; instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been on offer when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621. Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird—whether roasted, baked or deep-fried—on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. Other traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate.

Parades have also become an integral part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United States. Presented by Macy’s department store since 1924, New York City’s Thanksgiving Day parade is the largest and most famous, attracting some 2 to 3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route and drawing an enormous television audience. It typically features marching bands, performers, elaborate floats conveying various celebrities and giant balloons shaped like cartoon characters.

Information Courtesy of http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving






Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Holiday Marketplace

Looking for fantastic and unusual gifts for the holiday season?  Come to Temple Isaiah, 55 Lincoln Street, Lexington, on Sunday, November 17 from 10am - 3pm. Temple Isaiah hosts Holiday Marketplace with free admission.

Select a handcraft item for yourself, your child, grandchild, friend, or home.  This year's assortment is more distinguished than ever.

Many new and returning artisans will present their products for sale, including 15 new vendors.

Browse through the photographs.  Consider the ceramics, wooden products, fused glass, metal sculptures, and silk flowers.  Purchase a doll and hair accessories for the younger folks in your life.  Try on some of the many lines of children's, men's and women's clothing, knit and felt hats and scarves. View the dazzling display of jewelry, both vintage and contemporary.  Consider a pocketbook or purchase note cards.

Enjoy a stunning display of contemporary and traditional Judaica from our expanded Sisterhood Judaica Shop.  Purchase all your Chanukah needs including gelt, dreidals, menorahs, candles, gift wrapping paper, books, jewelry, toys, and so much more.

Take a break with a homemade lunch or snack.  Choose from the homemade soup, kugel, bagels, a variety of salads, some surprises, and soft drinks.  Savor the homemade baked goods.

Proceeds from Holiday Marketplace benefit many charitable organizations.  Admission and parking are free.  The temple is handicap accessible.

For further information, please contact Temple Isaiah at 781-862-7160. 


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

OPEN INVITATION TO LEXINGTON ARTISTS


The next LEXINGTON OPEN STUDIOS is APRIL 26 and 27, 2014

We've made some great growth in the last few years and we'd love to have you join us.

Prior to this we'd like to invite you to an informational gathering:
  • Whether you’ve taken part in LOS before or not…
  • Whether you’re an emerging artist or a well-established artist…
  • Whether you live or work in Lexington or whether you have another ‘Lexington connection'…
  • Whether you’re just interested to find out more or whether you’re ready to jump right in and help with planning… 

We’re eager to meet you!

We’d love to hear about your art, hear your questions & suggestions and tell you why we love participating in the town-wide Lexington Open Studios weekend.

Our goal in 2014 is to feature even more artists in our community.

So please join us for coffee, cookies & conversation on:

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

7-9 pm

Plummer Studio

Lexington Arts and Crafts Society,

130 Waltham Street.

If you have any artist friends/connections who might be interested in joining us for the next fun & successful LOS event, do forward this email along.