What's happening in Franklin, MA: Friday, Tuesday, January 20, 2026 ???

Tuesday, January 20

6:00pm Table Top (Franklin Public Library)

For additional details on Library events -> 

https://www.franklinma.gov/942/Calendar-of-Events

For additional details on Senior Center events ->   

https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar.aspx?CID=37,24&showPastEvents=false

*** Town Meetings today   ***

2:30 PM   GATRA Public Meeting  LIVESTREAM  at the Senior Center

or 

Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel  (Comcast 9, Verizon 29)

Design Review Meeting

Tuesday, January 20 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01202026-2099 

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Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx
The School district calendar is found  https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendar

Jigsaw Puzzle Tournament and Sale - Fri, Jan 23 & Sat, Jan 24

Team Tournament: 

Enter your team to puzzle against other teams in a friendly and fun competition on either Friday night or Saturday morning. Each team receives the same 500 piece puzzle and races to finish first. 

Prizes given for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place.  It’s only $40 per team. Each team can be up to four people and your team goes home with the completed puzzle. 

The Team Registration signup and puzzle tournament rules can be found at FUSF.org/events. For questions call Vicki @ 508-654-6740.  

Cash, check or electronic payment accepted.  

Jigsaw Puzzle Tournament

Friday, January 23, 2026 6 pm to 8 pm

OR

Saturday, January 24, 2026 10 am to Noon

Puzzle Sale:   Hundreds and hundreds of Jigsaw puzzles will be for sale both Friday and Saturday. 

You do not need to enter the tournament to shop. Most puzzles are priced between $4 and $6 - Some are brand new! 

Be sure to stock up for all those puzzlers in your life (or yourself). 

Cash, check or electronic payment accepted.  

Jigsaw Puzzle Sale

Friday, January 23, 2026 5 pm to 8 pm

OR

Saturday, January 24, 2026 9 am to Noon

Jigsaw Puzzle Tournament and Sale - Fri, Jan 23 & Sat, Jan 24

The First Universalist Society in Franklin (FUSF) is an Unitarian Universalist Welcoming Congregation located at 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin. For more information, please contact us at info@fusf.org or call 508-528-5348.  

Creative After School Art Options for your Creative Kiddos!

Creative After School Art Options for your Creative Kiddos!
www.creativecornerartstudiofranklin.com

Department of Public Works | Infrastructure & Costs

The Franklin Dept of Public Works (DPW) is scheduled to present on their operations which cover a bunch of our infrastructure.

The presentation PDF can be previewed here

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8133/Town-Council-Presentation---January-21-2026

or viewed here

Department of Public Works | Infrastructure & Costs

Town Council Meeting

Wednesday, January 21 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01212026-2101

FHS boys hockey top Natick on Monday (video)

Via Instagram, Franklin TV, and our subscription to HockomockSports.com, we share the results of the Winter sports competition for Franklin High School on Monday, January 19, 2026

Boys Hockey = Franklin, 2 vs. Natick, 1 – Final 

– Franklin rallied for a pair of goals in the final five minutes to grab a win against Natick. The Red Hawks scored their lone goal of the game in the first period and carried that lea all the way past the halfway mark of the third. Natick went on the power play but it was Franklin senior Rocco Lampasona that won a battle at his own blue line and then went in alone on a breakaway, firing a shot past the goalie to make it 1-1. Junior Colby Yagnesak came through with his first career goal for the game-winner with two minutes to go, finishing off a pass from Thomas Quinn on the power play. Drake McAlpine also had an assist for Franklin.

Franklin TV video is available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmXSt0z6Fn4

Gymnastics = Franklin, 131.75 @ Attleboro, 140.95 – Final

For other results across the Hockomock League (subscription required)  

https://hockomocksports.com/mondays-schedule-scoreboard-01-19-26/

FHS Panther sports results shared via Twitter & subscription to HockomockSports.com

DPW update on snow storm response; parking tickets issued during storm

Email from DPW Director Brutus Cantoreggi from earlier in the day (Monday, 1/19/26):

Just want to give you all an update on the snow and ice removal operations in case you get some calls.

Yesterday around 2PM, Waste Management called to inform us that trash and recycling would not be collected on Monday (today) as planned due to predicted weather. So curbside pick-up would be delayed one day. This is allowed in our contract with them. We immediately posted on websites and social media.

DPW personnel reported to work yesterday at 4 PM to work the storm based on weather reports that we received. We had pre- treated the Town the day before.

It was anticipated that we would get around three inches as reported by our weather folks and local media stations.

All DPW workers showed up on time.

Pretty much started snowing around 1PM with little accumulation.

Extremely cold, temp was 14 degrees.

Senior Center parking lot cleared when I went sledding with the kiddos on the hill to ECDC/Middle School

At 10PM we called in contractors as we had 3 inches of snow on the ground.

The contractors provided all equipment, much better than the last 2 events.

Vehicles parked on the road during the overnight parking ban continue to be a problem.

We worked with the Police and 35 to 40 tickets were issued.

As of right now, it is still snowing and over 6 inches of snow has fallen. The Town is looking pretty good, folks can travel throughout town on this holiday.

We will commence plowing sidewalks once the snow stops.

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14V2BMgpGpr/

Franklin Skate night at Patriot Place - Jan 27

Franklin Skate night at Patriot Place - Jan 27

Join Patriot Place for a night all about hometown pride, local spirit and making memories with family and friends on the ice! Wear your finest Franklin gear and enjoy an evening of outdoor fun at Winter Skate.

Date: 1/27/26

Time: 4-7PM

Location: Winter Skate at Patriot Place

Wear your Navy, Sky Blue and White to Winter Skate and receive FREE admission for a future visit! Plus, the first (20) guests representing their town will receive a special thank you from Patriot Place.

Don’t miss this chance to celebrate your community, take advantage of fantastic perks, and enjoy the ice. See you on the rink!

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/events/2779255459092505/

Dean Softball Fundraising Craft Fair, Sunday, Jan 25

Dean Softball Fundraising Craft Fair, Sunday, Jan 25

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C6YH2NstP/

Panther Cheer Clinic scheduled for Feb 17 (ages 9-14) and Feb 18 (ages 6-8)

Shared from -> https://x.com/i/status/2012515921856717290

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm Schedule for Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Yes, Franklin has it's own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin Public Radio has a brand new schedule for the locally produced shows that fill our air waves. 

It is available anywhere, anytime at wfpr.fm or in the local Franklin, MA area at 102.9 on the FM dial.

Tune in to listen to the following:

wfpr.fm Schedule for Tuesday, Franklin Public Radio

Tuesday

SAFE Radio – Jim Derick and Dr. Anne Bergen Addressing issues of Drug Abuse Disorder 

Jazz Journey – with Pamela Hines - An insightful tour of Jazz Greats in a golden era

Franklin Public Radio wfpr.fm Schedule for Tuesday

Franklin TV schedule for Tuesday, January 20, 2026 (Your local Public, Education & Government "PEG" station)

• Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 6, Verizon 26) = TUESDAY

7:00 am Battleship Cove: Inside the History Pt. 2

7:30 am     Once Upon A Town: The Rome Block

9:00 am ArtWeek: Theater in the Open

10:00 am Frank's Musings: Venezuela

12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin: Meatballs

12:30 pm Cooking with Linda: Broccoli Salad

1:30 pm     Pizzapalooza: Emergency Pizza

2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Summer 2019 Show 4

3:00 pm Candlepin New Generation: Show 9

3:30 pm Winning Ways with the MIAA: Shaun Hart Pt 1

5:30 pm Metrowest Symposium: Equity & Access in Arts & Culture

6:30 pm Sons & Daughters of Italy: Italian Immigrants

8:00 pm Jon Mitchell & Randy LaRosa: 12-Tone Music

9:00 pm U. S. Army: Jazz Ambassadors 04-01-19

• Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel        (Comcast 8, Verizon 28) = TUESDAY

7:00 am Public School Event: Concert Hour Day 1

8:30 am FHS Winter Jazz 01-29-25

10:00 am ArtWeek: Theater in the Open

11:00 am Lifelong Music: Strings School 01-22-25

1:30 pm     FHS Girls Varsity Hockey v Mansfield 01-07-26

4:00 pm FHS Varsity Swimming v Taunton 01-09-26

8:30 pm Winning Ways with the MIAA: Shaun Hart Pt 1

9:30 pm Franklin Footlighters: High School Musical Jr.

• Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 9, Verizon 29) = TUESDAY

8:00 am School Committee 01-13-26

2:00 pm School Committee 01-13-26

2:30 pm  GATRA Public Meeting  LIVESTREAM  at the Senior Center

6:30 pm Finance Committee 01-14-26

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Watch Listen Read all things that matter in Franklin MA

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Monday, January 19, 2026 ???

Monday, January 19

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Town offices, Library, Senior Center & Schools closed today

**  NO Town Meetings today   **

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Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx
The School district calendar is found  https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendar

Letter from Birmingham Jail - by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

From the Birmingham jail, where he was imprisoned as a participant in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote in longhand the letter which follows. It was his response to a public statement of concern and caution issued by eight white religious leaders of the South. Dr. King, who was born in 1929, did his undergraduate work at Morehouse College; attended the integrated Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, one of six black pupils among a hundred students, and the president of his class; and won a fellowship to Boston University for his Ph.D.

16 April, 1963

While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities “unwise and untimely.” Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.

By Nobel Foundation - Description page (direct link), Public Domain, Link

I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against “outsiders coming in.” I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. Frequently we share staff, educational and financial resources with our affiliates. Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct action program if such were deemed necessary. We readily consented, and when the hour came we lived up to our promise. So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here.

But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus saith the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.

Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.

You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city’s white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative.

In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action. We have gone through all these steps in Birmingham. There can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community. Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of brutality is widely known. Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation. These are the hard, brutal facts of the case. On the basis of these conditions, Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. But the latter consistently refused to engage in good faith negotiation.

Continue reading the letter -> https://letterfromjail.com/

MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau Announces Annual Tourism Summit on February 26

The MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau (MBVB) will be holding their Annual Tourism Summit and Legislative Breakfast, entitled “The World Is Coming: Preparing for Visitors, Impact & Opportunity”, on February 26 from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the newly renovated and rebranded Renaissance Framingham Hotel & Conference Center. 

Stacey David, Executive Director,
MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau

The event is open to everyone, and will include a travel and hospitality industry update, both at the regional level delivered by MBVB Executive Director Stacey David, as well as at the state level, given by Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism Executive Director Kate Fox. 

Additional speakers include Kerrie Tripp from Discover New England, who will update on the expectations for international travelers for World Cup, and Senator Becca Rausch, who will speak about the power of arts, culture, and the creative economy to drive tourism and uplift our communities. 

The second half of the program will include an update on World Cup expectations for the area, including plans for a MetroWest Regional Fan Zone in multiple communities, as well as a panel discussion on creating pop-up businesses in your town for economic development, both to capitalize on World Cup travelers and year-round. 

The event will end with optional tours of the newly renovated and rebranded Renaissance hotel (formerly the Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center). All businesses in MetroWest and the surrounding communities are invited to attend, including hotels, restaurants, attractions, non-profit arts & culture organizations, retailers, town administrators, and more. Registration is required. 

To view the full agenda and register, please visit www.metrowestvisitors.org/annual_meeting.

www.metrowestvisitors.org/annual_meeting

AGENDA:

Stacey David

Executive Director, MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau

Stacey will give a year in review on MetroWest, including visitor data and a recap of last year’s MBVB marketing results, followed by this year’s plans for promoting MetroWest to various market segments, including World Cup travelers…and how you can benefit.

Senator Becca Rausch

Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex District

Senator Rausch will speak about the power of arts, culture, and the creative economy to drive tourism and uplift our communities.

Kate Fox

Executive Director, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism

An update on the domestic and international destination marketing strategies underway at the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, plus stats and data on MA’s visitors.

Kerrie Tripp

Director of Products & Sales, Discover New England

Kerrie will offer insight into international traveler profiles, trends, and predictions, and the best ways to capture World Cup and other international tourists, including how to work with receptive tour operators.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is Coming!

Learn about Boston World Cup’s plans and predictions regarding travelers for World Cup, hear about MetroWest’s plans for fan zones and watch parties, and how you can get involved for this worldwide event that will bring 2 million visitors and $1B of economic impact to Massachusetts.

Panel: How Pop Ups Drive Economic Development

Learn about the benefits and logistics of creating pop ups in your town for economic development. Lindsey Jaworek of the Marlborough Economic Development Corporation will talk about their permanent seasonal pop up shops. Beth Reynolds, Assistant Town Manager in Ashland, will discuss how Ashland uses pop ups at events to drive foot traffic and enhance special events. Cory Shea, Franklin's Director of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy, will share how to revitalize downtowns by creating pop up shops in empty storefronts. We will also explore how pop ups allow local artists and retailers to launch new businesses with minimal investment, and how you can create these opportunities in your community in time for World Cup visitors.

Hotel Tour

Join GM David Laurent and his team on a tour of the newly renovated and rebranded Renaissance Framingham Hotel & Conference Center

The MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting economic development through travel and tourism throughout the 19 towns of the MetroWest region: Ashland, Bellingham, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Medway, Milford, Millis, Natick, Northborough, Sherborn, Southborough, Sudbury, Wayland, and Westborough. For more information, please visit the MBVB website at www.metrowestvisitors.org.