Showing posts with label Benjamin Franklin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Benjamin Franklin. Show all posts

Friday, September 15, 2023

Hey kids, paint a portrait of Ben Franklin, yes, the 4 legged one: for K-5 students, Sep 26

Join us for a fun art workshop on September 26th. Spend your day with a fun art workshop. We will be painting portrait's of Franklin Police Department one and only Ben Franklin.

Register online at franklinma.myrec.com


Paint a portrait of Ben, yes, the 4 legged one: for K-5 students, Sep 26
Paint a portrait of Ben, yes, the 4 legged one: for K-5 students, Sep 26

Thursday, September 15, 2022

PBS Newshour features Franklin Library and Ben's legacy

In case you missed it, there was a nice 5 minute story on PBS Newshour on Monday.  Video link -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adVFgReaS1Y

"Benjamin Franklin's literary legacy lives on in country's longest-running lending library"


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PBS Newshour features Franklin Library and Ben's legacy

Monday, September 5, 2022

Living Statues to make appearance at the Franklin Cultural Festival - Sep 10

Watch pieces of history come to life at this year’s Franklin Cultural Festival! We are lucky enough to be joined by three different LIVING STATUES this year - you won’t want to miss it!

Be sure to join us on September 10th from 12-6pm for artisan booths, live performances, great food, a beer/wine garden, and more for your whole family to enjoy!

Ben Franklin, Harriet Tubman, and Betsy Ross will make an appearance! 


Living Statues to make appearance at the Franklin Cultural Festival
Living Statues to make appearance at the Franklin Cultural Festival

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Ben's Books - RI Public TV does an episode on the books in the Franklin Library (video)

Vicki Earls, Franklin Library Head of Reference and James Johnston, Franklin historian, contribute to this RI Public TV episode on Ben's Books.  

"There are dozens of U.S. towns named for famous patriot, diplomat, writer, scientist, and inventor, Benjamin Franklin - but the very first was a local community with a lasting legacy. Rhode Island PBS Weekly's Pamela Watts explores how an unexpected gift of books, bestowed by Franklin upon the townspeople, helped inspire an educator to launch the country's public school system.

Video link -> https://watch.ripbs.org/video/bens-books-ztqikx/

 

The photo album of Ben's Books when they were most recently unveiled in April of 2018  https://photos.app.goo.gl/BuBL0ZVshZR0vxXP2
a close up of some of Ben's books at the Franklin Public Library
a close up of some of Ben's books gifted to Franklin, now viewable in the Public Library

Monday, May 16, 2022

The Dog Project scheduled for Saturday, June 4, from noon to 3 PM will feature our own "Ben Franklin"

The Franklin Lion's Club is presenting an event about everything Dog with demonstrations from Hanscom AFB K-9 unit, and Franklin Police's K-9, Ben Franklin.

Comfort and Service dogs will show you how they assist people.

Representatives from organizations that provide training, doggie day care, doggie treats, dog walkers, and more will be participating.

The Dog Project is scheduled for the Town Common on Saturday, June 4 from noon to 3 PM. Rain date is Sunday, June 5, noon to 3 PM.

No cost for the event. Raffle items will be on site to raise money to donate to a Dog organization.

  • Donations of dog food for the Franklin Food Pantry would be appreciated.
  • Donations of old eye glasses will be collected by the Lion's Club.

Franklin Police: Ben Franklin gains his "Canine Good Citizen" certification
Franklin Police: Ben Franklin gained his "Canine Good Citizen" certification in Jan 2021
 

Sunday, March 6, 2022

Franklin TV: Finding Ben Franklin, Part 6

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 03/06/2022

The Review:

Our original quest for Ben in 2012 was simply to address the need to reasonably reproduce his likeness on signage and TV by creating a proxy of the Town Seal. When blown up on an HDTV screen – not a visually pleasing representation

Our approach was simple; work with the most public image. Ben’s engraving on the hundred dollar bill was our source as an image in the public domain.

However, the U.S. mint’s printing is intended to make reproduction (counterfeiting) difficult. Our 2012 engraved image (right) has these reproduction limitations. When we reduce its resolution or its size it falls apart.

Our 2022 Ben quest took us to the source of the Mint’s version – the Duplessis portrayals. We started with a blank canvas – to reinterpret, repaint and reconstruct Ben’s likeness from scratch for modern digital publication in many forms.

Our modern interpretation of Ben Franklin is slightly younger. His image has been reilluminated, and his countenance is a bit less formal, more approachable. Our last step will be to reduce all of this detail and nuance to the limits of a notary seal. The Reveal (so far):

And – as always –
Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm.
And, thank you for watching. 


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

 


Finding Ben Franklin, Part 6
Finding Ben Franklin, Part 6


Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Mass. Public Health: updated guidance on masks

Mass. Public Health (@MassDPH) tweeted  Tue, Feb 15, 2022:
Massachusetts Department of Public Health releases updated face covering advisory: https://t.co/1HtpRtg0rj 
#Covid19MA https://t.co/v1ACvsrRnD

"Today (2/15/22), the Department of Public Health (DPH) released updated guidance regarding the use of face coverings and masks by individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 
Recognizing that Massachusetts is a national leader in vaccine acceptance, and in light of recent improvements in COVID-19 indicators, DPH now advises that a fully vaccinated person should wear a mask or face covering when indoors (and not in your own home) if you have a weakened immune system, if you are at increased risk for severe disease because of your age or an underlying medical condition, or if someone in your household has a weakened immune system and is at increased risk for severe disease or is unvaccinated.
Individuals who are not fully vaccinated should continue to wear a face covering or mask when indoors with others to help prevent spreading COVID-19.
Individuals who have tested positive or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 must follow the isolation and quarantine guidance which includes wearing a mask in public for 5 more days after leaving isolation or quarantine on Day 5, regardless of vaccination status.
All people in Massachusetts (regardless of vaccination status) are required to continue wearing face coverings in certain settings, including on public transportation and in health care facilities.  
Please see www.mass.gov/maskrules for a complete list of venues where face coverings have remained mandatory since May 29, 2021.
Ben's guide to mask wearing - #DoYourPartFranklin
Ben's guide to mask wearing - #DoYourPartFranklin

Sunday, January 16, 2022

Franklin.TV: Finding Ben Franklin, Part 1

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 01/16/2022

Our town seal is uncommon. It features a portrait – a likeness of Ben Franklin. The town of Hamilton, MA followed suit. Town seals appear in many places. The visual challenges of portraiture are many. Every portrait artist understands the most essential challenge; producing a likeness of the subject that is at once accurate yet flattering. How to cast someone in their very best light. That can be a reach in some instances.
Finding Ben Franklin
You look so wonderful in this light.
Too bad you’re so seldom in this light. – Groucho Marx
In attempting to meet the first visual challenge (flattery), the mechanics of reproducing a town seal as that – a notary seal – pose the second challenge that comes with limited resolution and clarity. This is where things can turn ugly (literally).  

God is in the details. So too, is good portraiture that faithfully captures the uniqueness and nuance of a person’s likeness. When photography first emerged in the early 1800’s it was considered a bane on the art world. In short order, artists discovered its great value as a tool of their work. They could document their subjects from several viewpoints and have an
ever-patient record of all that nuance and detail to work from.

Unfortunately, photography came too late for Ben and the other founding fathers. This leaves us with only the interpretive record of their portraits. There are portraits, and then there are portraits of portraits – and so on – reinterpretations.

If there is a signature within every human face, it is often in the eyes. It’s where we gaze when we see others. It’s how we interpret their emotions and thoughts. If the eyes are indeed the window to the soul, I seek to understand Ben Franklin’s soul.

This is where my journey of portraiture begins.


And – as always –
Thank you for listening to wfprfm.
And, thank you for watching. 

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

Saturday, September 4, 2021

"It Happens Here: Franklin The Home Of The First Public Library In America"

 CBS Boston did a spot on Franklin recently:

"The oldest, continuously operating public library in America is in Franklin, a town that has its own theme song! 
“The name of the town on the original paperwork is Exeter. Somewhere between leaving Franklin and arriving at the State House of Massachusetts in Boston, they crossed out the name Exeter and wrote in the name Franklin. So that is how we got our name, and we don’t know who did it,” says Vicki Earls, Head of Reference Services at the Franklin Public Library. 
While we don’t know who did it, we do know why – to impress Benjamin Franklin, who had just gained support from France for the American Revolution. But the town expected Franklin to reciprocate. 
“Someone got the idea, we don’t know, who of approaching Franklin and telling him the honor that was bestowed upon him, and would he want to contribute something to this newly founded town,” Earls explained. “They requested from Franklin a bell. They were building a new meeting house and a bell was crucially important because that’s how you gathered citizens.”

https://boston.cbslocal.com/2021/09/03/franklin-massachusetts-first-public-library-in-america-it-happens-here-wbz-tv/


Friday, September 3, 2021

"Finding Benjamin Franklin in the archives & collections of the MHS"

"I grew up in Franklin, MA so I always knew the true legend about how in 1778, the town changed the name from Exeter to Franklin, in honor of Benjamin Franklin, in the hopes that he would donate a bell for the church. He never donated money, but sent books instead, which the town debated how to use. In the end, they formed a library where every member of the town could read equally.
This started the first public library in the United States. Those books still reside in the Franklin Public Library today. And I know that Benjamin Franklin spent time in Boston during his youth, but I had no idea how often his name would come up while searching the online collections of the MHS. I’d like to share with you a selection of my favorite items and stories I have come across about Benjamin Franklin."

Continue reading the article online at the MA Historical Society

Ben's books are indeed on display at the Library. Photos from the unveiling of the new case can be found online ->  https://photos.app.goo.gl/BuBL0ZVshZR0vxXP2

Those books still reside in the Franklin Public Library
"Those books still reside in the Franklin Public Library"

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Ben Franklin's bitter regret that he didn't immunize his 4-year-old son against smallpox

"Five weeks had passed since the death of Benjamin Franklin’s son, and rumors were swirling. Four-year-old Francis “Franky” Franklin had died after being inoculated for smallpox, the rumor went, and now his pro-inoculation father was trying to hide it.

The gossip reached such a point that on Dec. 30, 1736, the grieving father, then 30, confronted it in the pages of his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette.

“Inasmuch as some People are, by that [rumor] ... deter’d from having that Operation perform’d on their Children,” he wrote, “I do hereby sincerely declare, that he was not inoculated, but receiv’d the Distemper in the common Way of Infection.”

It must have been hard to admit — Franklin had long advocated inoculation as a “safe and beneficial practice” — that his own son had gone unprotected."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Ben knows it is important to keep your hands clean


"Ben knows it is important to keep your hands clean, even when you aren't near a sink. Have hand sanitizer with you! 
#BenKnows #DoYourPartFranklin #CleanPaws #ItMatters" @franklinpolice
 
Shared from Twitter: https://t.co/R3Oh8v7WgW

Ben knows it is important to keep your hands clean
Ben knows it is important to keep your hands clean


Thursday, January 21, 2021

Ben's Guide to Social Distancing

Town of Franklin, MA (@TOFranklinMA) tweeted on Wed, Jan 20, 2021:
"Please remember to keep your distance from others when out and about.  Oh, and let's be kind too! #DoYourPartFranklin #BenKnows #KeepSpace #SocialDistancing #6FeetPlease https://t.co/zE5T6wBWdH"

Ben's Guide to social distancing
Ben's Guide to social distancing




Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Franklin Police: Ben Franklin gains his "Canine Good Citizen" certification

"Congratulations to Ben Franklin! Today he earned his “Canine Good Citizen” certification.   
Thank you to MasterPeace Dog Training of Franklin for their continued generous donation of working with our canine companion! 
Officer Mucciarone and Ben will continue to serve the community by brining joy and smiles to all!"

Franklin Police: Ben Franklin gains his "Canine Good Citizen" certification
Franklin Police: Ben Franklin gains his "Canine Good Citizen" certification



Thursday, January 14, 2021

Ben's guide to mask wearing - #DoYourPartFranklin

Wearing a mask properly matters!
Just ask Ben!
#DoYourPartFranklin #WearAMask #itmatters #benknows Franklin Police Department

Shared from Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551606135109407/permalink/2814708462132495/


Ben's guide to mask wearing - #DoYourPartFranklin
Ben's guide to mask wearing - #DoYourPartFranklin

Friday, January 1, 2021

The Freedom Trail: Ben Franklin quote for New Year


"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every #NewYear find you a better man." - Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac, 1755 https://t.co/IZTkn4PG04
The Freedom Trail: Ben Franklin quote for New Year
The Freedom Trail: Ben Franklin quote for New Year


Monday, May 4, 2020

FPD: May the 4th be with you!

Even if you are not celebrating, Franklin Police Dept. would like to wish you a very happy Star Wars Day. 

We’re lucky enough to have our very own Han Solo and Chewbacca ...

Officer Mucciarone and FPD therapy dog Ben Franklin!

FPD: May the 4th be with you! (Photo from FPD)
FPD: May the 4th be with you! (Photo from FPD)

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Reminder: Ben Franklin Autobiography Readathon 2020 - Jan 16

Ben Franklin Autobiography 
Readathon 2020

Thursday, January 16, 2020 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

In honor of the 314th birthday of Benjamin Franklin, the namesake of our town and founder of our library, the Franklin Public Library will be holding its third annual "readathon" – a marathon reading of the full text of the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

The book is considered a classic of American literature. According to the Library of Congress, "It was not only the first autobiography to achieve widespread popularity, but after two hundred years remains one of the most enduringly popular examples of the genre ever written."

Like other readathons, this one invites the public to participate! Readers are encouraged to sign up in advance for 15-minute segments. Commencing when the library opens at 9 AM on January 16 [the day before Ben's actual birthday], readers will share the words of Ben Franklin with anyone interested in dropping by for all or part of the event.

It is expected that the reading will be completed between 6 PM and 8PM, when the library closes. Water and other refreshments will be available for readers and audience.

To register, visit https://forms.gle/tpwzALpEb4XhzD279 .


Ben Franklin Autobiography Readathon 2020 - Jan 16
Ben Franklin Autobiography Readathon 2020 - Jan 16

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Ben Franklin Autobiography Readathon 2020 - Jan 16

Ben Franklin Autobiography 
Readathon 2020!

Thursday, January 16, 2020 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

In honor of the 314th birthday of Benjamin Franklin, the namesake of our town and founder of our library, the Franklin Public Library will be holding its third annual "readathon" – a marathon reading of the full text of the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. 

The book is considered a classic of American literature. According to the Library of Congress, "It was not only the first autobiography to achieve widespread popularity, but after two hundred years remains one of the most enduringly popular examples of the genre ever written."

Like other readathons, this one invites the public to participate! Readers are encouraged to sign up in advance for 15-minute segments. Commencing when the library opens at 9 AM on January 16 [the day before Ben's actual birthday], readers will share the words of Ben Franklin with anyone interested in dropping by for all or part of the event. 

It is expected that the reading will be completed between 6 PM and 8PM, when the library closes. Water and other refreshments will be available for readers and audience. 

To register, visit https://forms.gle/tpwzALpEb4XhzD279 .

Ben Franklin Autobiography Readathon 2020 - Jan 16
Ben Franklin Autobiography Readathon 2020 - Jan 16

Sunday, April 14, 2019

"Ben is still only in puppy kindergarten"

From the Boston Globe, an article of interest for Franklin:
"In a Franklin elementary school, a young boy with special needs was screaming and crying. Nobody could comfort him, not even his teachers or a police officer who was called to help. 
Just as the situation verged on uncontrollable, the newest member of the police department arrived on the scene. The presence of Ben Franklin, a 5-month-old golden retriever puppy, immediately calmed the child. 
“As soon as we brought Ben, the boy looked at the officer and snapped out of it. He said ‘Can I pet him?’ and the officer said ‘Yes, if you’re good,’” said Mark Manocchio, a lieutenant in the Franklin Police Department. “The teachers and police couldn’t calm him down, but he saw the dog and it was like magic.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/globelocal/2019/04/12/ruff-day-take-comfort-franklin-police-new-therapy-puppy/RkFrfwIVHBGpMznGukoNjI/story.html


Ben was introduced to the Town Council
Ben was introduced to the Town Council

and Ben was introduced to the School Committee
and Ben was introduced to the School Committee