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.

“The World Cup is a hugely unifying global event, and this initiative brings that energy directly to MetroWest,” said Stacey David, Executive Director of the MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau. “By working together across communities, we’re creating a regional hub where residents and visitors can experience the excitement of the tournament and celebrate together. It’s also an opportunity to showcase the region, encouraging visitors to stay, explore, and support local businesses while generating meaningful economic impact across MetroWest.”

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. 

MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau Tourism Summit 02-26-26 (video)

The MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau held a Tourism Summit February 26, 2026 at the renovated Renaissance Framingham Hotel & Conference Center.

Full session Video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WDcHFPfpfU

World Cup video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQAy7QabwBw

Pop Up section of presentation (with Franklin's Cory Shea) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCb9vCnmXwA

Presentation copy (you can follow along with the video)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OV3vVkHfeCJiB72mfeWVQwKJnTjjv5Vj/view?usp=drive_link

The FanZone scheduled for Franklin's Town Common on June 25-26 is touted in the presentation (pages 92-101)

Cory Shea, Director of Arts, Culture, & the Creative Economy participated in a Panel discussion on lessons learned about pop up shops. 

How to make your World Cup experience scam free

How to make your World Cup experience scam free By BCP Staff Excitement is reaching a fever pitch as the United States, Mexico, and Canada get ready to welcome thousands of fans for one of the most-watched sporting events on the planet — the FIFA World Cup! While die-hard fans are preparing to support their countrymen, scammers are looking to take advantage of the rush for tickets. Learn how to make your World Cup experience scam free. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2026/03/how-make-your-world-cup-experience-scam-free?utm_source=govdelivery

Call for Artists, Cultural District Guide DEADLINE MARCH 1, 2026

Franklin Welcomes the World

Call for Artists, Cultural District Guide 
DEADLINE MARCH 1, 2026

For Summer 2026, the Cultural District will be printing more copies than ever before and distributing them widely through:

• Hotels and lodging partners
• Restaurants, cafes, and retail businesses
• Public spaces and community hubs
• Regional visitor centers and partner organizations

The guides will highlight arts, culture, dining, small businesses, public spaces, and seasonal events, positioning Franklin as both a destination and a community—not just a place people pass through.

Being featured means your work will be:

• Seen by thousands of visitors and residents
• Part of a cohesive, professionally produced marketing effort
• Directly supporting Franklin’s creative economy and local businesses

These guides are designed to reflect the real character of Franklin, told through the voices and visuals of the people who know it best—our artists, writers, and creatives.

Who Can Apply

This call is open to creatives with a Franklin connection, including those who:

• Live or work in Franklin
• Grew up here or studied here
• Create here regularly
• Have personal or professional ties to the community

Timeline

Submission Deadline: March 1, 2026

Guide Release: May 2026

How to Submit

Email the following to Cory Shea, Director of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy, at cshea@franklinma.gov with the subject line: "FCD Creative Submission"

Please include:

• 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

Franklin Welcomes the World - June 25 & June 26 (part 2)

Community Engagement on the Town Common & Haywood Manor Beer Garden Overview

Geared towards community organizations and businesses. Tier 2 builds on Tier 1 by providing a physical presence at the festivities events on the Franklin Town Common and/or Haywood Manor Beer Garden; giving businesses and organizations the opportunity to host community-focused activities during the events, or sell their retail goodies on June 25–26. All Tier 1 benefits apply, including inclusion in the digital hub, print guide, and town-wide promotion.

Types of Community Engagement:

Vendors

•  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

•  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.

Fee Information

•  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.

Fee Purpose

Vendor and community partner fees help cover essential event costs; including the FIFA public viewing license required to stream the matches legally, as well as police/security details for the events.

Special Note – Farmers Market Vendors

Vendors already approved for the Franklin Farmers Market may participate in community engagement events without paying an additional fee. DACCE will coordinate with market staff to ensure vendor placement, setup times, and operations align with both market and watch party activities.

Participation & Submission for Vendor & Community Partners

Email Cory Shea, to be alerted of when the community engagement and vendor application officially opens on the Town of Franklin website.

Download the playbook for both Part 1 & Part 2

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19Xa9h_6rTqvmZJ9dnASwz1y39m4rGPrn/view?usp=drive_link

Franklin Welcomes The World - June 25 & June 26

The Town of Franklin will host two days of festivities celebrating the international soccer games playing at neighboring Gillette Stadium. These events will take place on June 25 and June 26 on the Franklin Town Common and at one of our community partner locations, Haywood Manor.

The festivities will include live streamed games on a large screen; enabling viewing from the Town Common and the Haywood lawn; as well as community vendors, food trucks and live music. These free, community-centered days are designed to create a welcoming, festive atmosphere for residents and visitors while supporting downtown activity and cultural tourism.

Programming is also part of the broader ‘Franklin Welcomes the World’ marketing campaign, reinforcing Franklin’s role as a regional gathering place during a global event.

Viewing party & Community Engagement Primary Location:

Franklin Town Common & Hayward Manor

LED screen viewing area with open lawn seating at Haywood Manor; will host outdoor viewing, including a beer garden component (pending licensing and approvals).

Watch Party/Festivity Timeline: 3-9pm June 25th+26th Streamed games:

Thursday, June 25

•   4pm Ecuador v Germany
•   7pm Tunisia v Netherlands
•   10pm USA - Go watch elsewhere!   

Friday, June 26

•   3pm Norway v France
•   8pm Uruguay v Spain

Community Engagement Elements | Vendors & Community Partners

Presented on the Town Common and Haywood Manor. Note that the beer garden is at Haywood Manor only, and no alcohol is permitted on the Town Common.

• 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

Estimated Attendance

Projected total attendance: 1,000–1,500 visitors over two days, Audience includes: Franklin residents, Regional visitors attending Gillette matches,

Families, young adults, and soccer fans.

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

• If you don't like something here, please let me know 

• And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do

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!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Economic Development Subcmte spends 3 hours in discussion on Wednesday (video)

The Economic Development Subcommittee met 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.

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 

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 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

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

My full set of notes in one PDF -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ME-F_qCpL61vAQz0NeBnFDIakEXX3mzO/view?usp=drive_link

EDC discussion on first item (Frongillo recused)

Scam Alert: How to buy World Cup tickets that aren’t fake

Scam Alert: How to buy World Cup tickets that aren't fake by Alvaro Puig Consumer Education Specialist, FTC The 2018 World Cup kicks off on June 14, 2018 in Moscow. Soccer's rising stars like Argentina's Paulo Dybala, France's Kylian Mbappé, and Brazil's Gabriel Jesus will join World Cup veterans Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suárez, Isco, Toni Kroos, Neymar, and Lionel Messi to vie for the coveted World Cup trophy. If you're looking to buy World Cup tickets, here's what you need to know about buying official match tickets and avoiding a fake ticket scam. Read more This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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