Mark your calendar for these Franklin Downtown Partnership Calendar of sponsored events for 2024

Save the dates!! 

Announcing the 2024 Franklin Downtown Partnership Calendar of sponsored events and general meetings! Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering at any of the events. Teamwork makes the dream work!

Mark your calendar for these Franklin Downtown Partnership Calendar of sponsored events for 2024

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Good weather set for Harvest Festival - Sunday, Oct 1 from noon to 4 PM

The 20th Annual Harvest Festival is reset for Sunday, October 1, from noon to 4 PM. 

Look forward to many booths and attractions filling downtown on Main Street, Dean Avenue, West Central Street, Depot Street, and the parking area behind Rockland Bank. 

Organized by the Franklin Downtown Partnership, more than 160 vendor booths will display their specialties. There will also be music, food, kids’ activities, balloons, special items from local merchants, artwork and crafts.

“The Harvest Festival is Franklin Downtown Partnership’s invitation to people to gather as a community, have fun, and shop local right here in town,” said Scott Martin, president of the Franklin Downtown Partnership and Harvest Festival chair. “The mix of activities and entertainment we have make this community event special for all ages. It showcases the wonderful shopping and dining opportunities in downtown Franklin,” Martin added.

Thank you to Harvest Festival sponsors!

Platinum - Dean Bank, RI Motorsports

Gold - Floor & Décor, Notturno Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Inc, PhysicianOne Urgent Care

Silver - Camford Property Group, Hockomock YMCA. 

Bronze - Beaux Regards Photographic Art, Chestnut Dental, LeafFilter Gutter Protection, MyFM

Shared from the Downtown Partnership page -> 

https://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2023/07/harvest-festival-preparations.html

Good weather set for Harvest Festival - Sunday, Oct 1 from noon to 4 PM

Harvest Festival shifts to Sunday, Oct 1 from noon to 4 PM

Due to the high probability of rainy weather on our Saturday event day, and the consistent forecast for a perfect sunny Fall day on Sunday, the Franklin Downtown Partnership's 20th Harvest Festival will move the event to its planned rain date on Sunday, October 1. The event will take place from 12:00 – 4:00 PM but, other than shortening the event end time by one hour, all other event logistics. 

Harvest Festival shifts to Sunday, Oct 1 from noon to 4 PM

 Shared from -> https://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/2023/09/due-to-high-probability-of-rainy.html

Franklin's Event Outlook: September 29, 2023 to October 5, 2023

Friday, September 29

2:00pm - Franklin Farmers Market (Franklin Town Common)

Yes, due to the rain canceled for today

2:00pm - Thrift Threads thrift shop (Franklin Federated Church)

5:00pm - Papalias Wood Fired Pizza (La Cantina Winery)

6:00pm - Freak Flag (live music)(La Cantina Winery)

Saturday, September 30

Harvest Festival (Downtown Franklin)

7:00am - Town wide, curbside event

9:00am - Friends of the Poor Walk (Franklin Town Common)

10:00am - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

Note Harvest Festival moved to Sunday

2:00pm - Sons of Sam Pizza (67 Degrees Brewery)

3:00pm - Red Apron Charcuterie (La Cantina Winery)

4:00pm - Matt Zajac (live music) (La Cantina Winery)

4:00pm - Michael Rivelis (live music) (Birchwood Bakery)

6:00pm - Sudden Odd Behavior (live music) (67 Degrees Brewery)

Sunday, October 1

7:00am - Town wide, curbside event

12:00pm - Harvest Festival (Downtown Franklin) (ends at 4 PM, instead of 5 PM)

12:00pm - Jamie Barrett (live music) (Franklin Historical Museum) ??

1:00pm - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

Monday, October 2

4:00pm - Pumpkin Patch & Sale (St John's Episcopal Church)

Tuesday, October 3

4:00pm - Pumpkin Patch & Sale (St John's Episcopal Church)

6:00pm - Franklin Garden Club - meeting (Franklin Public Library)

Wednesday, October 4

10:00am - Veterans Coffee Social (Franklin Senior Center)

1:00pm - Senior Scribblers (writing group) (Franklin Senior Center)

4:00pm - Pumpkin Patch & Sale (St John's Episcopal Church)

6:30pm - Franklin Art Association (Franklin Senior Center)

Thursday, October 5

2:20pm - Emergency Alert System Test

4:00pm - Pumpkin Patch & Sale (St John's Episcopal Church)

6:30pm - Franklin LGBTQ Alliance - monthly meeting (Franklin Public Library)

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The Franklin Art Association Art Gallery remains open during business hours at Escape into Fiction (Main St, Franklin)

Find the full Community event calendar  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

The Cultural calendar displays only the cultural events      https://www.franklinculture.org/things-do/pages/calendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found  https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26 

Franklin's Event Outlook: September 22, 2023 to September 28, 2023

It’s Here! Franklin Celebrates the Season Saturday, September 30 at the Annual Harvest Festival

Franklin’s Annual Harvest Festival is set for Saturday, September 30, 12 noon to 5 PM, with a rain date of Sunday, October 1, from 12 noon to 4 PM. 160 booths and attractions will fill Main Street, Dean Avenue, West Central, and Depot Street. 

Annual Harvest Festival

Visitors to the festival will enjoy musical entertainment, food from local restaurants, kids’ crafts, painting and balloon art, specials from downtown merchants, unique artwork and crafts by local and regional artists. Community groups will be there to tell you about their organization. 

“The Harvest Festival is always a great time for people to gather and socialize. They can experience what shopping and dining local is really like in our community,” said Scott Martin, Harvest Festival chairman and president of the Franklin Downtown Partnership. “The mix of activities and entertainment make this event special for all ages.”

The day’s agenda is full. This is what you get.

• Refreshments – Gelato, coffee, bakery, smoothies and many other food choices at Main Street restaurants. Food court vendors will be selling great fare including Italian sausage, pizza, hot dogs, barbecue chicken sandwiches, cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, fried dough, ice cream, apple cider, popcorn and cider donuts.

• Shopping - With more than 160 vendors, this festival is the perfect opportunity for residents to meet their local business owners and learn more about what they offer. Many local crafters will be selling everything from paintings and jewelry to handmade gift items.

• Franklin Historical Museum - Local entertainer Jamie Barrett will play music on the front porch of the museum at 80 West Central Street (route 140). Popcorn will be served from an old-fashioned popcorn machine, and Ladybug Trail maps and buttons will be handed out.

• Touch-a-Truck - The Franklin Fire Department will have its firetrucks out at its headquarters, and Sparky will give out plastic fire helmets to children.

• Art Show and Sale - The Franklin Art Association will host an art show and sale at its gallery located inside Escape Into Fiction bookstore at 12 Main Street. 

“Downtown Franklin is a busy social center for shopping, dining and entertainment. The Harvest Festival is the perfect time to get acquainted with local business owners,” said Lisa Piana, Franklin Downtown Partnership’s Executive Director. “We welcome friends from our town and beyond to experience the shops, restaurants, and many services Franklin has to offer.”

Piana added, “We love to acknowledge and thank our local business sponsors who make this event a huge success.” 

This year’s platinum sponsors: Dean Bank, Dean College, Middlesex Savings Bank, RI Motorsports; Gold sponsors: Floor & Décor, Notturno Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, PhysicianOne Urgent Care; Silver sponsors: Camford Property Group, Glen Meadow Apartments, Hockomock YMCA, Rockland Trust; Bronze sponsors: Beaux Regards Photographic Art, Chestnut Dental, DCU, D.G. Ranieri Real Estate, Keefe Insurance, MyFM, LeafFilter Gutter Protection, Turtle 2 Properties, LLC; and Friend sponsors: The Enclave of Franklin.

About the Franklin Downtown Partnership 

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is a non-profit 501©3 organization made up of more than 350 business owners, residents, and community leaders working to revitalize downtown Franklin. Residents can join the Downtown Partnership for only $25. The Partnership manages events like the Strawberry Stroll and the Harvest Festival, and initiatives such as beautification, streetscape design, greenspace, alley murals, and sculpture projects. For more information go to www.franklindowntownpartnership.org

Master Plan Update Committee plans for Harvest Festival

The Master Plan Update Committee met on Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023 and started 10 minutes late. Many of the committee were present in the room; at least 3 members were participating remotely, hence the vote to adjourn was via roll call.

The Franklin TV video is available at YouTube ->  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao36qN1NOnc

Quick recap

• Subcommittees meeting, reported on progress, some are scheduled out, some working to finalize times to meet
• Update from BETA and Barrett on the interviews they have been conducting (screen grab of summary slide shown below)
• Discussion on the range of interview participants, it appear that some set up on the listing (approx. 60) have not responded to the interview requests (just over 20 completed) so the data may not be fully representative of what is needed. Discussion on how to get more to improve breadth of response, separate from the surveys and outreach which will also provide value later on the drafts being used at that time
• Discussion on the Harvest Festival coverage, spot ready, some members of the committee there but covering other booths and available to talk on the Master Plan, seemed to conclude to use a gift card as an incentive to to get on the emailing list. Other gift cards offered would be used later to incent survey responses
• Discussion on the survey, what is the value of the responses? are the questions structured to get value? Many opinions shared

screen grab of summary slide

Agenda doc ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/master_plan_agenda_-_september_27_2023.pdf

Master Plan Update Committee - Agenda for meeting - Sep 27 at 6:30 PM

Franklin Cultural District: Farmers Market, Friends of Poor Walk, Harvest Festival & more

Wednesday, September 27

1:00pm - Senior Scribblers (writing group) (Franklin TV Studio, recording session)

2:00pm - Restaurant Expo (Franklin Public Library)

Thursday, September 28

12:00pm - Adult Flu Clinic (Franklin Senior Center)

5:00pm - Birchwood Bakery: End of Summer - oysters & lobster rolls

6:00pm - Open Mic Night (67 Degrees Brewery)

6:00pm - Brian Cabral (live music) (Raillery Pub)

6:00pm - Charlie Rock (live music) (La Cantina Winery)

Friday, September 29

2:00pm - Franklin Farmers Market (Franklin Town Common)

2:00pm - Thrift Threads thrift shop (Franklin Federated Church)

5:00pm - Papalias Wood Fired Pizza (La Cantina Winery)

6:00pm - Freak Flag (live music)(La Cantina Winery)

Saturday, September 30

Harvest Festival (Downtown Franklin)

7:00am - Town wide, curbside event

9:00am - Friends of the Poor Walk (Franklin Town Common)

10:00am - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

12:00pm - Harvest Festival (Downtown Franklin)

12:00pm - Jamie Barrett (live music) (Franklin Historical Museum)

2:00pm - Sons of Sam Pizza (67 Degrees Brewery)

3:00pm - Red Apron Charcuterie (La Cantina Winery)

4:00pm - Matt Zajac (live music) (La Cantina Winery)

4:00pm - Michael Rivelis (live music) (Birchwood Bakery)

6:00pm - Sudden Odd Behavior (67 Degrees Brewery)

Sunday, October 1

7:00am - Town wide, curbside event

1:00pm - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

Monday, October 2

4:00pm - Pumpkin Patch & Sale (St John's Episcopal Church)

Tuesday, October 3

4:00pm - Pumpkin Patch & Sale (St John's Episcopal Church)

6:00pm - Franklin Garden Club - meeting (Franklin Public Library)

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The Franklin Art Association Art Gallery remains open for viewing (and purchasing the art displayed) during business hours at Escape into Fiction (Main St, Franklin)

Visit the Cultural District page ->  https://www.franklinculture.org/

Find the full Community event calendar   https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:   https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found  https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26 

Franklin Cultural District: Arts are happening here!

Community Relations Subcommittee at Harvest Festival - Sep 30

Community Relations Subcommittee at Harvest Festival

Downtown Franklin

Shared from ->   https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/community_relations_harvest_festival_posting_2023.pdf

Note: one of the requirements of Open Meeting Law is to declare an agenda for a posted meeting where the committee members will be gathering for this kind of public event.

Community Relations Subcommittee at Harvest Festival - Sep 30

Harvest Festival Registration Closing - Friday, Sept 15 at 10 PM

Harvest Festival Registration Closes Friday, September 15 at 10 PM

Reminder: All vendors need to register online (this includes, downtown businesses and sponsors).

Payment needs to be received by Saturday, September 16 to secure your space. Go to the FDP website (https://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/). Look for the yellow "Donate" button to pay online or mail your check to Franklin Downtown Partnership, 9 East Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038 so it arrives by September 16.

If you have any questions, please contact our Vendor Relations Coordinators at fdpevent@gmail.com.

Please note: Set-up and maps will be emailed to vendors on Friday, September 22.

We look forward to a wonderful event!

Harvest Festival Registration Closing - Friday, Sept 15 at 10 PM

Jamie Barrett at the Historical Museum for the Harvest Festival - Sep 30

Looking forward to the annual Franklin Downtown Partnership Harvest Festival, Saturday, September 30th, we’re pleased to announce Franklin Music Educator, Jamie Barrett will be providing our musical entertainment on the museum’s front porch. 

Jamie Barrett

Check our website and Facebook page for exact times as we get closer to the event. Families can spread their blanket on the front lawn and enjoy Mr. Barrett’s music. Freshly popped pop corn is free to all visitors (outdoors only please). But do come inside and try your hand at our Scavenger Hunt and learn a little of our town’s history!

The Franklin Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street, we are wheelchair accessible and admission is always free. Come in and find your history!

Community Relations Subcommittee - Meeting - Sep 11 at 6:00 PM

Franklin Public Schools - Franklin School Committee

Community Relations Subcommittee

September 11, 2023 - 6:00 PM

Municipal Building - 3rd floor Training Room

AGENDA

"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law."

● Harvest Festival Planning

Agenda doc ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/events/community_relations_sub_comm_agenda_9_11_23.pdf

Community Relations Subcommittee - Meeting - Sep 11 at 6:00 PM

Master Plan Update Committee discusses timeline, outreach, survey and more in 2 hour session (audio)

FM #1048 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1048 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares the Master Plan Update Committee meeting held on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.

• The Master Plan Update Committee met in the 3rd floor Training Room/ RM 326

• Discussion on branding efforts complicated by heavy web presence of Franklin Tennessee and wanting to avoid confusion with them

• Will have booth at Harvest Festival, discussion on logo, branding desire to have something ready to handout or engagement with community at booth

• Proceeding with "Form Franklin's Future"

• Recommendations from multiple members to obtain input in map based form, for multiple good reasons to help visualize and work with qualitatively, if not quantitatively

• extended discussion on survey and use of an incentive to increase participation, action to run this by the Town Attny for 2 answers, one if the committee could do so (per meeting likely not); alternatively, might another non-town org (i.e. Dean College) run the survey (and include incentive) to enable the data to be used by the committee. Amy to get answers

• Amy to create spreadsheet for committee members to use to add orgs and other contact points for outreach effort

• The 2020 update to the Master Plan is the one to use for status of which of the prior plans objectives and actions items were completed or not. Ginelle has marked up the spreadsheet with color coding on completion status and will share to the drive from other members to work with

• Meeting adjourns

Listen to the recording of the Master Plan Update Cmte meeting held on August 23, 2023. The meeting runs about 2 hours.

Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1048-master-plan-update-cmte-mtg-08-23-23

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The agenda doc is rich with links to the prior master plan and associated materials     

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/master_plan_agenda_-_august_23rd_2023_0.pdf  

The Master Plan update Committee page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/master-plan-update-committee 

My notes captured during the meeting can be found in one PDF file ->

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aIOl7qtMIACVrUlp5-hYD6KkQRleMdo_/view?usp=drive_link 

The meeting video is available for replay ->   

https://www.youtube.com/live/1sLTy6XZK48 

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Master Plan Update Committee discusses timeline, outreach, survey and more in 2 hour session (audio)