Savvy diners at last weekend’s barbeque left with a belly full of good ole southern barbeque, accented with spicily secret sauces paired with sides of mild to fiery baked beans, crisp coleslaw and, of course, thick slabs of crusty yellow corn bread. The second annual Lexington Battle Green BBQ Festival, sponsored by LABBB Collaborative School and sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, wasn’t held for visitors with barbeque-stained shirts and fingers. Nope, this was a do-or-die-trying State Championship BBQ Cook-Off. Last Friday, May 18, 30 New England teams dragged black wrought iron…

  Massachusetts General Law states that public schools must have an American flag in every classroom and that all students must say the Pledge of Allegiance -- daily. The law and its practice weren’t in question this fall when a parent, who was attending an after school program in his child’s class, noted the absence of the American flag. He wondered if the Pledge of Allegiance was being said and sent his thoughts through cyberspace and onto the Lexington Listserve. Twenty-seven people had various thoughtful responses for and against the recitation.   More importantly, it begged a few …

The Festival of Lights, better known as Hanukkah, starts tonight and ends on Dec. 28. Hanukkah follows the Jewish calendar and starts on the same day, which is why the timing is different every year. For instance, next year it starts on Dec. 8 and in 2013 it starts in November.   “Tonight is the 25 of Kislev,” Temple Isaiah Rabbi Howard Jaffe said of the day and month in the Jewish calendar.  “This eight-day celebration is not the highest holiday in the Jewish religion, but is still sacred and still celebrated." It commemorates the victory of the Maccabees, a Jewish rebel army, after they …

Some people have holiday gifts bought, wrapped and ready the day after Thanksgiving. Others wait until the last minute. Well, with just hours before Dec. 25, last minutes are upon us. Fear not procrastinators, Lexington has lots to offer – everywhere and in every price range. Whether it’s a high-end piece piece from Valentines, a great cabernet from Busa Wine & Spirits or Berman's Beer, Wine & Liquor or stocking stuffers from Walgreens, CVS or Theatre Pharmacy, it’s all in here. You can shop for every age group, too. The Elephant Trunk Bookshop offers literary treasures to entertain babies, …

  The halls of Lexington High are usually empty on weekends. Last Saturday, however, they were filled with crafters, LABBB Collaborative teachers and students and Best Buddies, all there for the second annual Holiday Craft Fair. Most around here know LABBB is an acronym for the award-winning collaborative school that officially includes: Lexington, Arlington, Bedford, Burlington and Belmont. The five communities are part of a consortium that teaches children with special needs from childhood until they are 22-years-old.    The craft fair benefited LABBB's Best Buddies, a program that pairs …

Last year, Jonas Clarke Middle School students visited Costa Rica for a Spanish immersion program. Some might say, even though they are thousands of miles from the country, they are still part of that Costa Rican community.   Joe Blumberg, almost 15 and now a Lexington High School student, spoke about the experience and why they are raking leaves. Yes, raking leaves.   While in Costa Rica for 10 days last March, the students spent part of the day at school and the remainder on excursions. Those field trips brought them to a school in a less-than-affluent area with students who needed a little…

Wild turkeys started showing up in fields and conservation lands about 20 years ago.   They’ve multiplied, which is what Massachusetts wildlife experts wanted. Now, there are so many I’ve stopped taking pictures. Flocks of our feathered friends stop traffic as they slowly cross streets or just mingle and trade gossip in the middle of the road. Some traipse through my backyard and navigate neighborhoods in Lexington, Bedford, Burlington, Belmont and everywhere other wooded city or town. These are not Thanksgiving turkeys, and I’m sure if they knew what we were celebrating they’d be the ones …

Today is Thanksgiving, a holiday that started a few centuries ago when the Pilgrims and the Native Americans (who saved their butts from starvation) shared a meal -- or so the fairy tale goes. We asked a few people what made the day special or, more specifically, what they were thankful for. "I'm thankful for having such a wonderful family," Corinne Steigerwald said. She and her son-in-law will cook for 18 people. Three different families are coming together to share the holiday. And that, she said, is a blessing.  Rita Toivonen, who is on a Lexington Committee, but lives in Waltham said she …

The second annual Thanksgiving FEASTival, held at Seasons Four from noon to 4 p.m. yesterday was a success, and a great way to get the holiday turkey, a few veggies and herbs to complete the holiday meal. The kiosks, tables and tents were parked in and outside Seasons Four, which allowed visitors to think beyond tomorrow's turkey and into next month's festivities. Mid-afternoon, dozens of high school singers to visitors as they attempt to raise money for a trip to Europe in April 2012. There were other events and a lot to keep everyone busy and buying. What a great new Lexington tradition. …

Edward  “Eddie” Fitzgerald eased his car  toward the Hayes Lane entrance of the VFW about 8:30 a.m., put his car in “park” and popped the trunk before opening the car door.   Eddie, the quartermaster of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3007, asked a few of his buddies to help unload edible provisions, packed neatly in the back. Trays, bowls and bags of assorted foods were hauled from the trunk and carried into the old hall. As the men stored the food, Eddie measured fresh coffee and poured it in anoversized coffeemaker.   As the water heated and began percolating, Eddie started talking about …

Andy Booth took a breath and tried composing himself before speaking to the crowd at Cary Memorial Hall. He hesitated, began talking and caught his breath a few times, forcing away tears held back for decades.        Booth haltingly recounted the story of his educational journey from Boston into and the Lexington School System. The crowd of about 100, gathered yesterday afternoon for Civil Rights in Lexington: Challenge and Change, heard about the differences between the rudimentary education in Boston and the academic challenges he found here. Through his and a teacher’s honesty over a …

An oversized oak broke from its Bedford base last Saturday and landed in Lexington, on Pine Knoll Road. One leafy branch stretched up and tugged the NStar wires that spanned both towns.    As one neighbor said after the early October nor’easter that left thousands without power and downed hundreds of trees, “The streets looked like war zones.” The equal-opportunity tree fell early Saturday morning, its roots inches from Lexington’s town line, but entrenched in Bedford soil. David Egee, the man who lives in that first Bedford house and who owns those infamous roots, kept getting visits and …

Saturday was one of those crisp, clean-smelling New England fall days, perfect for picking apples, taking a walk or visiting Lexington Fire Department for its annual open house. It’s a tradition here, one that parents, grandparents and their youngsters enjoy every year from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s not clear how many years the Lexington Fire Department has opened the doors of its Bedford Street Headquarters to the public, but it was already an annual event back in 1994 when my then 4-year-old son “oooed” and “ahhhed” over every truck, hose and piece of fire equipment. Firefighters, both on- and…

Estabrook’s dismissal bell rang a little before 3 p.m. last Tuesday. Within minutes the school was empty – almost. The voices of almost two dozen fifth- and sixth-graders echoed through the school’s vacant halls. Inside the cafeteria, Lori DeLiso was surrounded by those same students and a few parent helpers. They were standing, hands washed, properly aproned and energetically ready to prepare a meal for their parents -- all from a menu they created the week before. The students were participating in the Kids Cooking Green program, a series of five classes that teach youths the importance of …

Saturday afternoon I visited the Museum of Our National Heritage for the Seeds of Liberty exhibit, the museum’s permanent collection of early colonial Americana. Each time I see it, there’s more – or another piece, or something I missed at another visit. While there I ran into Masha Traber from the Liberty Ride. Dressed in colonial gear and standing beside her electric bicycle, she talked about the tour she was about to narrate to Staten Island visitors. Long Island tourists had just left a few minutes earlier in another bus. One-half hour before, I walked through the museum and chatted with …

Our gorgeous Cary Memorial Building is so authentic it’s outdated. Yes, unfortunately it’s true – and there is a 305-page report to support that fact. (It's posted to the right for your viewing pleasure. A few weeks ago, I told you about the Sept. 20 public hearing on the Cary Memorial Building, done by the Cary Memorial Building Study group, which includes Facilities Director Pat Goddard, Donald Mills from Mills Whitaker Architects and Lexington resident and Historic Preservation Architect Wendall Kalsow. Cary Memorial is nestled between the Town Offices and the Lexington Police Station. …

Despite this recent unseasonably warm weather, Lexington homeowners are looking straight at winter’s chilly winds, drafts and rising fuel costs. Sustainable Lexington Committee may have a few insulating answers and sage innovative advice that could save energy –and money – as we head toward the next season. They’ll share that information at the Better Buildings, Taking Action & Busting Myths forum tomorrow, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Cary Memorial Hall.   Formed by the Board of Selectmen last fall, the Sustainable Lexington Committee collaborated with Sagewell, a Woburn-based energy efficiency …

We all try and support our local businesses by frequenting Lexington shops and eateries. Of course, if those out-of-town restaurants are owned and operated by Lexington residents, that warrants leaving the town boundaries.  Jeff Goldberg and David Smerling are that exception. The two Lexington residents, born and raised in New York, own and operate the Boardroom Bistro on Middlesex Turnpike in Bedford. This month they are celebrating the Bistro’s first birthday and what some say is the best deli north of New York City. From Oct. 17-21 Boardroom Bistro owners are sharing the deli's birthday …

Lexington Symphony’s Sept. 17 opening night at Cary Memorial Hall, led by Conductor Jonathan McPhee was a success. How do we know? Here are a few reviews from local critics: Jeffrey Gantz from the Boston Phoenix wrote: “The performances were a testament to what a 'local' orchestra can achieve with a skilled conductor who focuses on expressivity rather than virtuosity, and who seems to be discovering the music rather than arriving at a predetermined destination." Susan Miron of The Arts Fuse said of Jonathan McPhee that he is: “the kind of conductor that makes an audience immediately feel …

Today isn’t about the bus issue or the Busa property’s future or any other news item. I do have a serious piece coming up on Sustainable Lexington, which you’ll see after I finish reading and making a few more phone calls, but not this morning.   Today is a "thank you" to – well, actually I have no idea to whom. I suspect three people, but it’s just a guess. Right about now you’re thinking, What the heck is she yapping about? Something special happened yesterday. It caught me off guard, put a smile on my face and made me love people here a whole lot more than usual. My phone rang yesterday …