What's happening in Franklin, MA: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 ???

Wednesday, March 12

* "Look Up" Gallery (Franklin Public Library during open hours)

* Rockland Trust Branches close at 3 PM

1pm Writer's Group (Franklin Senior Center)

7pm Joint Budget Subcommittee FY26 Budget Update Listening Session (Franklin high School)

7pm Tour the Franklin Food Pantry (sign up in advance) (Franklin Food Pantry)

For additional details on Senior Center & Library events ->    

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

**  Town Meetings today   **

Historical Commission Meeting

Wednesday, March 12th Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03122025-1625

Joint Budget Subcommittee Meeting

Wednesday, March 12th Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/Joint-Budget-Subcommittee-6/?#_03122025-1620

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Why are there multiple calendars?

What's happening today in Franklin? 

Respectfully, the Library and Senior Center calendars are too full of events to include all their events so we tend to focus on the major events. Town and School meetings are also kept separate. Links for all the calendars are shared here:

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 Library calendar of events ->    calendar link

The Senior Center calendar of events ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar.aspx?CID=37&showPastEvents=false

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-calendars

Rockland Trust announces 3 PM closures for Franklin branches on March 12, 2025

Dear Customer,

On Wednesday, March 12, our branches and Customer Information Centers will be closing at 3:00 PM for our annual All Employee Meeting. This event is an important opportunity for us to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and accomplishments of our team members throughout the year.

Rockland Trust announces 3 PM closures for Franklin branches on March 12, 2025

We appreciate your understanding as we take this time to show our gratitude to the people who work diligently to serve our customers. As a reminder, ATMs, online banking, and mobile banking are always available to access your accounts.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to serving you soon.

Attn Graduating Seniors - Rockland Trust is Now Accepting 2025 Scholarship Applications!

We're pleased to announce the launch of our 21st Annual Scholarship Program. This program is open to students who are enrolling in part-time or full-time post-secondary studies for the first time at an accredited two—or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic year (2025-2026). Scholarship details: Deadline to apply is March 7, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. EST.  Up to sixteen renewable awards will be given for $3,000 each. Applicants must reside in one of the following counties: Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, or Worcester Counties in Massachusetts, along with Providence County, Rhode Island. Applications will be considered based on financial need, academic performance, participation in school and community activities, and unusual personal or family circumstances. Apply Now © 2025 Rockland Trust. All rights reserved. Member FDIC

Rockland Trust Hosts Gelato Buyout - Today, first 100 beginning at 3:30 PM at Applause

In honor of “National Do Something Nice Day,” Rockland Trust will host a Gelato Buyout Event at downtown Franklin’s APPLAUSE – Gelato and Unique Finds. 

Rockland Trust Hosts Gelato Buyout 

On Friday, October 4, beginning at 3:30, the first 100 customers can enjoy a small gelato of choice in celebration of random acts of kindness. APPLAUSE, located at 34 Main Street, is an Italian-inspired gelateria. Eight flavors of gelato are served daily with offerings that include Espresso and Affogato combining espresso and gelato for a delicious treat. 

Flavors for the special Rockland Trust event will be Stracciatella, pistachio, mint, birthday cake, strawberry cheesecake, and mango sorbetto. 

“We appreciate this community outreach by our neighbors at Rockland Trust and hope to introduce APPLAUSE to some new members of the community,” proprietor Raye Lynn Mercer notes. “In our downtown block, we promote and encourage kindness as part of our mission at APPLAUSE, Intermission Café, and the Franklin School for the Performing Arts. It’s lovely to have a day and an event to celebrate it!”

 

APPLAUSE – Gelato and Unique Finds is located at 34 Main Street in downtown Franklin, MA. 

Rockland Trust: Now Accepting 2024 Scholarship Applications

Rockland Trust: Now Accepting 2024 Scholarship Applications As a community-oriented bank, Rockland Trust is committed to strengthening the neighborhoods we live in and serve. One of the ways we have proudly upheld this commitment is through our annual scholarship program.  Starting December 15, 2023, our online application portal will begin accepting applications at RocklandTrust.com/Scholarship Scholarship details: Deadline to apply is March 8, 2024 or once 1,500 applications have been submitted. Up to sixteen renewable awards will be given for $3,000 each. Scholarships are available to students planning to attend an accredited two or four-year college/university or vocational program, either on a full or part-time basis. Applications will be considered based on financial need, academic performance, participation in school and community activities, work experience, a statement of career and educational goals and objectives, and unusual personal or family circumstances. Learn How to Apply © 2024 Rockland Trust. All rights reserved. Member FDIC This email was sent by: Rockland Trust Company 288 Union St, Rockland, MA, 02370-1803 US Privacy Policy         Careers

5 Signs of a Text Scam

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and we are committed to helping you stay safe on all of your devices. Fraudsters often impersonate bank fraud departments in hopes that people will supply their sensitive banking information. Learn about how the scam works below and share what you learn with your friends, family, and social circles. If you are looking for more ways to protect yourself from scams, check out our videos on how to spot scams or tune into our podcasts that feature subject experts on various financial topics, including cybersecurity. Together, we can help keep our personal information safe! Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram © 2023 Rockland Trust. All rights reserved. Member FDIC This email was sent by: Rockland Trust Company 288 Union St, Rockland, MA, 02370-1803 US

Rockland Trust Hosts Gelato Buyout - Oct 5 from 3:30 PM, first 75 get a small gelato of choice

In honor of “National Do Something Nice Day,” Rockland Trust will host a Gelato Buyout Event at downtown Franklin’s APPLAUSE – Gelato and Unique Finds. This afternoon, on October 5, beginning at 3:30, the first 75 customers can enjoy a small gelato of choice in celebration of random acts of kindness. 

APPLAUSE, located at 34 Main Street, is an Italian-inspired gelateria that opened in April of this year. Eight flavors of gelato are served daily with new offerings that include Espresso and Affogato combining espresso and gelato for a delicious treat.

Flavors for the special Rockland Trust event will be fall specials Maple Butter Pecan and Apple Crisp, kid favorite Cookies and Cream, as well as Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Belgian Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt Caramel, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Mango Sorbetto. 

“We appreciate this community outreach by our neighbors at Rockland Trust and hope to introduce APPLAUSE to some new members of the community,” proprietor Raye Lynn Mercer notes. “In our downtown block, we promote and encourage kindness as part of our mission at APPLAUSE, Intermission Café, and the Franklin School for the Performing Arts. It’s lovely to have a day and an event to celebrate it!”

 

APPLAUSE – Gelato and Unique Finds is located at 34 Main Street in downtown Franklin

The gelato flavors are ready to be served 

Rockland Trust 2023 Scholarship Program Launches January 23, 2023

Apply Today

As a community-oriented bank, Rockland Trust is committed to strengthening the neighborhoods we live in and serve. One of the ways we have proudly upheld this commitment is through our annual scholarship program.  Starting January 23, 2023, our online application portal will begin accepting applications at RocklandTrust.com/Scholarship. Scholarship details: Deadline to apply is March 6, 2023 or once 1,500 applications have been submitted. Up to sixteen renewable awards will be given for $3,000 each. Scholarships are available to students planning to attend an accredited two or four-year college/university or vocational program, either on a full or part-time basis. Applications will be considered based on financial need, academic performance, participation in school and community activities, work experience, a statement of career and educational goals and objectives, and unusual personal or family circumstances. Learn How to Apply © 2023 Rockland Trust. All rights reserved. Member FDIC This email was sent by: Rockland Trust Company 288 Union St, Rockland, MA, 02370-1803 US

Rockland Trust: Reminder: Small Business, Big Dreams $20,000 Grand Prize Contest

At Rockland Trust, relationships are important to us. Now, more than ever, we understand the impact that small businesses have across our entire community, and are committed to helping them succeed. Our Small Business, Big Dreams contest provides small businesses in our community a chance to win $20,000 to help their business grow! Entries will be accepted until April 1, 2022 at 5:00 PM (ET). For instructions on how to enter, timeline and the official contest rules, please visit our website:   LEARN MORE No purchase necessary; void where prohibited by law. Open only to legal residents of MA and RI meeting eligibility criteria; including independently owning a for-profit small business that is both domiciled and headquartered in Massachusetts or Rhode Island, which has been in continuous operation selling a product or service for not less than 2 years at the start of the Contest, and which has annual revenues of less than US $3,000,000. Entrant must be 18 years or older at time of entry. Sponsor reserves right to modify announcement and presentation dates. Additional restrictions apply; see Official Rules at  RocklandTrust.com/smallbusiness. © 2022 Rockland Trust. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. This email was sent by: Rockland Trust Company 288 Union St, Rockland, MA, 02370-1803 US

Rockland Trust: Our 2022 Scholarship Program is Open!

We are thrilled to announce that our 2022 Scholarship Program starts accepting applications today, February 15, 2022. Sixteen $3,000 renewable scholarships will be awarded to students enrolling into a part-time or full-time secondary education program for the 2022-2023 academic year. Through the process of students submitting their applications, they will receive communications from rocklandtrust@scholarshipamerica.org, which is our online application system, Scholarship America. The Scholarship portal will close on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, or before, once 1,500 applications are fully submitted. For more information on the program and eligibility requirements, please click below.  Learn More © 2022 Rockland Trust. All rights reserved. Member FDIC This email was sent by: Rockland Trust Company 288 Union St, Rockland, MA, 02370-1803 US Privacy Policy

FM #557 - ArtWALK Artists & Business Panel - 05/26/21 (audio)

FM #557 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 557 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with a wonderful fun loving panel of business and artists on the forthcoming ArtWALK Celebration. We had our conversation via virtual conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

• Agway- Melanie Hamblen 

• Artist - Chris Blue Lamb Toubeau

• Rockland Trust- Laurel Katsaros 

• Artist -  Walter Spencer  

We talk about the upcoming ArtWALK scheduled for June 11, 12 and 13. The events will take place on the Town Common, at THE BLACK BOX, and the Historical Museum. 

Check out the Cultural District page for all the details https://www.franklinculture.org/home/pages/franklin-artwalk-celebration-escape-arts 

Thanks to the Franklin Cultural District, The Franklin Cultural Council, the Massachusetts Cultural Council (grant), Franklin Downtown Partnership, The Franklin Art Association and the Franklin Public Library. Did we miss someone? I hope not, there are a lot collaborating on this wonderful event.

The recording runs about 25 minutes, so let’s listen to our conversation

Audio file -> https://player.captivate.fm/episode/ca85c06e-3f17-462b-a7a9-75e5abf1eee9

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ArtWALK - event page -> https://www.franklinculture.org/home/pages/franklin-artwalk-celebration-escape-arts 

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

Library Summer Reading page https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/events/317406 

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm). 

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"

One of the pieces of art to be displayed at Agway:  

Artwork by Chris Blue Lamb Toubeau with Brooke J. Toubeau as her collaboration partner