Franklin Matters: 2026-02-22

Sunday, February 22, 2026

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Sunday, February 22, 2026 ???

Sunday, February 22

9:00am Fallen Heroes: James P. Murray (Veterans Walkway, Town Common)

12:30pm Screening of "Common Ground" (First Universalist Society Franklin)

1:00pm Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

2:00pm Much Ado About Nothing (Dean College Main Stage Theater)

*** 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

Fallen Hero Recognition: James P Murray - Feb 22, 2026 - 9 AM

Memorial event today (2/22/26) at 9 AM on the Veterans Walkway at the Town Common to honor James P Murray.

This program will include the placing of a Memorial Wreath for the day, the playing of Taps, a salute from those present, and a reading of whatever history may be available for that veteran. This is a way of keeping the memory of that veteran alive.

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James P Murray, Oiler, US Navy - World War I

The only record we have of James P Murray is that he died from disease while serving in the Navy on February 22, 1918.

Fallen Hero Recognition: James P Murray - Feb 22, 2026 - 9 AM

For the full published series of Fallen Heroes you can visit this link
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/franklin-fallen-heroes-series.html

Photo album of the Fallen Hero pillars along the Veterans Walkway

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oRGdmq9krLNEBnjJ7

You can find all the videos for 2024 in one playlist ->

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo3eJGInVXU&list=PLbAODFjFPJ0zOqXRuHZ5-_LPf6UwmBNSA

FHS Cheerleaders take First Place at Attleboro Winter Invitational on Saturday, Feb 21, 2026

FHS Cheerleaders take First Place at Attleboro
Winter Invitational on Saturday, Feb 21, 2026

First place for Franklin today (2/21/26) at the Attleboro Winter Invitational! Congrats to all of the other amazing teams

Thank you @attleboro_cheer for having us!

See you all at leagues!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVAHImBDuP9/?

MIAA D1 Hockey and Basketball seeds for FHS Panthers

Hockomock Hockey Playoff Seeds & Matchups

Below are the seeds and matchups for Hockomock teams in the MIAA playoffs. Seeds, times, and dates are subject to change and we will update this post with any changes.

Boys - Division 1

#30 Franklin (7-13-1) will travel to #3 St. John’s Prep (15-3-2) on Wednesday, 2/25 at 4:20 at the Essex Sports Center.

https://hockomocksports.com/hockomock-hockey-playoff-seeds-matchups-2026/

Hockomock Basketball Playoff Seeds & Matchups

Below are the seeds and matchups for Hockomock teams in the MIAA playoffs. Seeds, times, and dates are subject to change and we will update this post with any changes.

Boys - Division 1

#36 Franklin (11-10) will travel to #29 Lowell (11-9) on Tuesday, 2/24 at 6:00.

Girls - Division 1

#15 Franklin (13-8) will host #18 Arlington (16-4) on Thursday, 2/26 at 6:00.

https://hockomocksports.com/hockomock-basketball-playoff-seeds-matchups-2026/

MIAA Hockey and Basketball seeds for FHS

MIAA D1 Hockey and Basketball seeds for FHS

Auchincloss Announces Guest for President Trump’s State of the Union Address

Congressman Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-04) is announcing Amanda Blount, Executive Director of The Literacy Center in Attleboro, Massachusetts, as his guest for President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 24.

Blount is a community leader who has led The Literacy Center–an independent nonprofit organization that provides educational programs and support services to adults in southeastern Massachusetts–for the past eight years. She also serves as the president of the Community Health Systems Foundation, a philanthropic public health foundation based in Attleboro.

Blount leads a team of 25 employees and more than 60 volunteers at The Literacy Center who empower disadvantaged individuals through quality adult education services; including courses in digital literacy, career counseling, and one-on-one tutoring. Students at The Literacy Center come from over 55 countries, including the United States, and speak over 20 languages between them. The Literacy Center estimates that it has served over 10,000 people in 38 years.

"Amanda is an antidote to the cynicism of today's politics," said Rep. Auchincloss. "She doesn't point fingers, she extends a helping hand. Every time I meet with her I leave optimistic. We need more doers and leaders like her."

"For nearly four decades, The Literacy Center has operated on a foundational belief that every person deserves the chance to learn and build a better life," said Amanda Blount, Executive Director of The Literacy Center. "Education opens doors. When more people have the tools to succeed, entire communities are strengthened — our workforce grows, our neighborhoods thrive, and our economy benefits. But to truly deliver high-quality education to those who need it most, we must go beyond the curriculum. We must ensure that every person who walks through our doors is treated with dignity and respect. We all carry dreams — for ourselves, for our families, for our futures. To pursue them, we need to feel safe. We need opportunities to learn. And we need to know that we matter. That is the promise at the core of who we are at The Literacy Center."

Franklin TV: It Ain’t Rocket Science?

Oh, wait! Actually, it is – on March 16th.

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 02/22/2026

On March 16, 1926 the world changed. We entered the space age. From an open field in Worcester, MA Dr. Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket. His rocket’s flight was reminiscent of the Wright Brothers at Kittyhawk; arcing off the ground, and flying for a few hundred feet. In that singular, brief moment space flight went from mad concept to scientific pursuit.

On March 16th, 2026 we mark the centennial of the space age. Franklin.TV and The Wonder Mission will commemorate and cover the event from Worcester – live – on our school channel, Franklin Pride, Comcast 8 and Verizon 28, and streaming on our YouTube educational channel.

Visit www.thewondermission.org.

On March 6, NASA’s Artemis mission will take us back to the Moon – and eventually beyond. Today, we enjoy space-based internet access, global geolocation and many more modern benefits – ideas realized yet unimagined in Dr. Robert Goddard’s day. Although ridiculed by some, Goddard demonstrated the means – he showed us a practical technology pathway to space.

This is what science does.

Franklin TV: It Ain’t Rocket Science?

We are in the midst of planning our live coverage, and we encourage other Public Access studios around the state and the country to rebroadcast our program and carry this singularly momentous event along with us – live – on March 16.

This is what we do.

And – as always –

Thank you for watching.
Thanks for listening to wfpr●fm,
and staying informed at Franklin●news.

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

Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio

Community Concert features The Shams - March 21

The Franklin UMC is excited to welcome The Shams for its March Community Concert. The Shams are an Irish Pub Band comprised of several Franklin residents.

We'll share more about the band and details about the event in the coming days. In the meantime, mark your calendars for March 21 at 7 PM!

This concert is FREE and open to the public.

To learn more about the Community Concerts, go to https://franklinumc.org/community/concerts.

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