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Thursday, May 7, 2026
MBTA schedule change: effective May 25-30 for the Franklin/Foxboro Line
Sunday, April 26, 2026
MetroWest Regional Fan Zones Announced; Yes, there is one in Franklin !!!
The MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau, in partnership with the City of Marlborough and the Town of Franklin, today announced plans for a coordinated MetroWest Regional Fan Zone initiative at two locations to celebrate the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ and bring a major tournament viewing event to the region.
Each Fan Zone will feature live match broadcasts on a jumbotron, surrounded by an outdoor festival with a beer garden, food trucks, arts & crafts and other vendors, and family-friendly activities. Organizers expect the events to draw thousands of attendees daily across the two locations. Together, the sites will serve as a regional gathering place for spectators, offering one of the state’s most significant organized opportunities to experience the excitement of the FIFA World Cup™ close to home.
Located just minutes from matches being played in Foxborough, the Fan Zones will provide an accessible and welcoming option for those looking to take part in the tournament atmosphere, whether attending a match at the stadium or not.
Marlborough’s Fan Zone will take place June 11–13 at Kelleher Field, with livestreams of:
• Mexico vs. South Africa (June 11)
• USA vs. Paraguay (June 12)
• Brazil vs. Morocco and Haiti vs. Scotland (June 13)
“Marlborough is proud to host a Fan Zone that reflects the diversity and international spirit of our community,” said Mayor J. Christian Dumais of Marlborough. “The World Cup brings together fans from all backgrounds, and our match lineup and festival atmosphere are designed to celebrate that energy—creating a space where people can share their passion for the game and experience the excitement in a way that feels both global and local.”
Meredith Harris, Executive Director for the Marlborough Economic Development Corporation that is partnering on the event shared, "We are excited to welcome local, regional and even international visitors to our community to support our small and local businesses while enjoying the festivities surrounding the World Cup. When presented with the opportunity to host a fan zone, we wanted to be at the forefront of encouraging increased foot traffic for our retailers, restaurants and hotels while also providing a safe and fun way for people to gather and watch the game with their family, friends & neighbors."
Franklin will host the second Fan Zone on June 24–25 at the Franklin Town Common and adjacent Hayward Manor, featuring:
• Switzerland vs Canada and Scotland vs. Brazil (June 24)
• Ecuador vs. Germany and Tunisia vs. Netherlands (June 25)
“As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, Franklin is proud to ‘Welcome the World’ to our Town Common, which has long been a place where our community comes together,” said Cory Shea, Director of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy for the Town of Franklin. “This Fan Zone blends the excitement of a global event with the warmth and tradition of a New England town, offering a family-friendly gathering place where residents and visitors alike can share in a truly special experience.”
Match selections across both locations were curated to reflect the diverse and passionate soccer communities throughout MetroWest and the Greater Boston area, highlighting teams with strong local followings and broad international appeal.
Additional details, including other watch parties and soccer-related programming throughout the region, will be available in the official Fan Zone Guide, to be released in the coming weeks at www.metrowestvisitors.org/world-cup. The guide will be available in English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.
Local retailers, arts and crafts vendors, and nonprofit organizations are invited to participate. Vendor applications are available at www.metrowestvisitors.org/fan-vendors. Businesses may also host interactive activity or brand activation booths; more information is available at www.metrowestvisitors.org/fan-activations. MetroWest businesses holding smaller watch parties and soccer-related events are encouraged to email their event details to info@metrowestvisitors.org for free inclusion in the Fan Zone Guide.
The MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau is a non-profit organization focused on promoting 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.
Monday, March 23, 2026
MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau Tourism Summit 02-26-26 (video)
Thursday, March 19, 2026
How to make your World Cup experience scam free
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Thursday, February 19, 2026
Call for Artists, Cultural District Guide DEADLINE MARCH 1, 2026
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| Call for Artists, Cultural District Guide DEADLINE MARCH 1, 2026 |
- Hotels and lodging partners
- Restaurants, cafes, and retail businesses
- Public spaces and community hubs
- Regional visitor centers and partner organizations
- Seen by thousands of visitors and residents
- Part of a cohesive, professionally produced marketing effort
- Directly supporting Franklin’s creative economy and local businesses
- Live or work in Franklin
- Grew up here or studied here
- Create here regularly
- Have personal or professional ties to the community
- Visual artists: 3–5 work samples (JPEG or PDF)
- Writers: 1–2 written pieces (under 250 words each)
- A short bio or artist statement (whichever best fits your work)
- A brief note on your Franklin connection
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Franklin Welcomes the World - June 25 & June 26 (part 2)
- Vendors participate to sell goods or services directly to the public at events on the Town Common or at Haywood Manor.
- Examples include: food trucks, retail vendors, artisans selling handmade goods, or small businesses offering products.
- Community partners pay for a space to host an activity, demonstrate their mission, or engage the public—not to sell products.
- Examples include: local nonprofits, arts organizations, cultural associations, youth programs, educational groups, or civic clubs.
- Vendor and community partner fees will vary based on the type of participation.
- Fees and official registration will be published on the Town of Franklin website by March 1st.
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Franklin Welcomes The World - June 25 & June 26
- 4pm Ecuador v Germany
- 7pm Tunisia v Netherlands
- 10pm USA - Go watch elsewhere!
- 3pm Norway v France
- 8pm Uruguay v Spain
- Live music performances before and/or after matches
- Community Partners/Vendors on the Town Common
- Food trucks
- Wayfinding and signage connecting the Common, downtown, and partner locations + ‘Franklin Welcomes the World’ marketing campaign
Saturday, July 19, 2025
Economic Development Subcmte spends 3 hours in discussion on Wednesday (audio)
FM #1480 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1480 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares the audio recording of the Economic Development Subcommittee meeting on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 in the 3rd Floor Training Room.
3 members were present and participated in the first agenda item. Once that was complete, the 4th member, Cobi Frongillo joined them for the remainder of the session. He had recused himself from the Crossing Neighborhood District discussion to avoid a conflict of interest. His father's business is located in that potential district.
Quick recap:
Item 1 - Crossing Neighborhood
TA Jamie Hellen provides the overview of the background on the proposal for the Crossing Neighborhood. Multiple zoning bylaws make up the "package" to work together. Direct link to the memo providing the overview https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/6226/1a-DPCD-Memo---Crossing-Neighborhood-Zoning-District---71625
Hamblen looks at this as a "mini downtown commercial". She raises an issue on 3 family by right, J Halligan notes that the current bylaw actually includes the proper language; apparently in the draft, the section language got left out. It can be included (and should) without vote to modify this. An oversight on version control. This identifies a couple of updates to the online zoning codes as they were changed just not reflected in the current versions
After much discussion
Motion to amend 2.3 8a from no to planning board special permit Passes 3-0
Motion to move to Town council as amended, second passes 3-0
Item 2 - Use Variances
Discussion on Recommendation on eliminating “Use Variances” from the authority within the Zoning Board of Appeals
Discussion on elimination of use variance from approval by the ZBA, which in those cases tend to overstep their authority; the restriction was intentionally made by the zoning bylaws with PB and Council approval and then the ZBA can act on their own...
After much discussion, Motion to move to council for further discussion (Jones)
Not seconded, hence the move does not take place. There will be some discussion overall on this topic in a positive manner per Hamblen
Item 3 - update on World Cup
FIFA requirements will host the fan center in Boston. We are still figuring out what we can do. Artificial Turf fields are not used by international games (Gillette is redone with real grass for international games)
Lots of other events at the same time; Highland games, Tall Ships, etc
Marketing via MetroWest on the benefits of Franklin. Hotel outreach, transportation planning needed; Porchfest, 4th of July also in similar time frames... Found in Franklin market for goods, crafts
Item 4 - EDC goals
On the one hand, given the length of the meeting and discussions there seemed little interest in this item; only one member Frongillo was prepared with a short list of priorities
Recognition from TA Hellen that until B Taberner's replacement is hired, there is very little staff to do the additional work
Motion to adjourn, passes 4-0
The recording of the meeting runs about 3 hours.
Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1480-economic-development-subcmte-mtg-07-16-25/--------------
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| Economic Development Subcmte mtg |
Franklin TV video replay is available -> https://www.youtube.com/live/6hKdQIw9rpQ
The EDC agenda and supporting documents
https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07162025-1818
My full set of notes in one PDF -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ME-F_qCpL61vAQz0NeBnFDIakEXX3mzO/view?usp=drive_link
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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
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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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Friday, July 18, 2025
Economic Development Subcmte spends 3 hours in discussion on Wednesday (video)
- TA Jamie Hellen provides the overview of the background on the proposal for the Crossing Neighborhood. Multiple zoning bylaws make up the "package" to work together. Direct link to the memo providing the overview https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/6226/1a-DPCD-Memo---Crossing-Neighborhood-Zoning-District---71625
- Hamblen looks at this as a "mini downtown commercial". She raises an issue on 3 family by right, J Halligan notes that the current bylaw actually includes the proper language; apparently in the draft, the section language got left out. It can be included (and should) without vote to modify this. An oversight on version control. This identifies a couple of updates to the online zoning codes as they were changed just not reflected in the current versions
- After much discussion
- Motion to amend 2.3 8a from no to planning board special permit Passes 3-0
- Motion to move to Town council as amended, second passes 3-0
- Discussion on Recommendation on eliminating “Use Variances” from the authority within the Zoning Board of Appeals
- Discussion on elimination of use variance from approval by the ZBA, which in those cases tend to overstep their authority; the restriction was intentionally made by the zoning bylaws with PB and Council approval and then the ZBA can act on their own...
- After much discussion, Motion to move to council for further discussion (Jones)
- Not seconded, hence the move does not take place. There will be some discussion overall on this topic in a positive manner per Hamblen
- FIFA requirements will host the fan center in Boston. We arestill figuring out what we can do. Artificial Turf fields are not used by international games (Gilletteis redone with real grass for international games)
- Lots of other events at the same time; Highland games, Tall Ships, etc
- Marketing via MetroWest on the benefits of Franklin. Hotel outreach, transportation planning needed; Porchfest, 4th of July also in similar time frames... Found in Franklin market for goods, crafts
- On the one hand, given the length of the meeting and discussions there seemed little interest in this item; only one member Frongillo was prepared with a short list of priorities
- Recognition from TA Hellen that until B Taberner's replacement is hired, there is very little staff to do the additional work
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| EDC discussion on first item (Frongillo recused) |
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Scam Alert: How to buy World Cup tickets that aren’t fake
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