Earth Day opportunities - April 18

at least three opportunities to choose from to help with Earth Day 

1 - Recreation Dept clean up start point at Beaver Pond - 9 AM to Noon -  https://www.facebook.com/share/18UM9o5DZG/

2 - Pack 92 Earth Day Clean up - 9:30 AM to 11 AM

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/04/join-earth-day-clean-up-with-pack-92.html

3 - The Franklin Agriculture Commission, the Conservation Commission and Fairmount Fruit Farm activities - 10 AM to 2 PM    https://www.facebook.com/share/1FJkMUFJhw/

Join the Earth Day Clean up with Pack 92 - Saturday, April 18

EVENT REMINDER: Pack 92 Earth Day Cleanup!

Join the Earth Day Clean up with Pack 92 - Saturday, April 18

Join us at the Dean Train Station as we team up to keep Franklin clean!

Who: Pack 92 Cub Scouts, volunteers, and community members.

What: Picking up trash to beautify our local station.

Provided: We’ve got the rubber gloves and trash bags ready for you!

Let’s get to work and make a difference! See you at the station.

When: 04-18-2026 09:30 AM EDT to 04-18-2026 11:00 AM EDT

Location: 75 Depot St. Franklin, MA 02038

Shared from - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18opWtnoRh/

Earth Day 2026 at Fairmount Fruit Farm on April 18 for Franklin, MA

Join the Franklin Conservation Commission on April 18 to celebrate Earth Day! 

We will be tabling at the Franklin Agricultural Commission's Earth Day Celebration at Fairmount Fruit Farm where we will be giving away native shrubs and wildflowers from Native Plant Trust and building native solitary bee boxes. 

Around midday our celebration will commence with a forestry demonstration by William Ashton at the Riverbend Conservation Area.

Hope to see you there!

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Sunday, April 27, 2025 ???

Sunday, April 27

7:30am All You Can Eat Breakfast (Franklin Rod & Gun Club)

10:00am Earth Day at Fairmont Fruit Farm (Fairmount Fruit Farm)

10:00am Earth Day at DelCarte (Conservation Commission)

11:00am Sunday Brunch (Teddy Gallagher's Irish Pub)

11:00am Franklin Fest (Dean College - Pieri Gymnasium) 

11:00am Wayne Dunnebier (live music) (Fairmount Fruit Farm)

1:00pm Antique Appraisal Day (Franklin Historical Museum)

2:00pm Dance Company (Dean College Main Stage Theater)

7:00pm Rehearsal for Distinguished Young Women (Patti Eisenhauer Dance Center)

For additional details on Library & Senior Center events ->   

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

**  NO Town Meetings today   **

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

What's happening today in Franklin? 

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-calendars

Earth Day Celebration at Fairmount Fruit Farm moved to Sunday, April 27 due to weather forecast

Sunday, April 27 due to weather forecast

RAINDATE ALERT!

Our Earth Day Celebration at Fairmount Fruit Farm has been moved to Sunday, April 27th due to the rainy forecast on Saturday.

Join us in learning about our local farms and participating in some farm fun!

Goats will be outside

A potting table will be available to create your own combo pots

C&C Ice cream will be here with their special Fairmount flavors

Wayne Dunnebier will be playing from 11am-2pm

Confirmed farms: Old Exit 17 Farm, Franklin Honey Company, Inc., Medway Community Farm, Fairway Honey Farm, Edible Gardens By Sully, and more to follow

#fairmountfruitfarm #EarthDay #familyfun #supportlocal #buylocal

https://www.facebook.com/share/1AM9yPCXDW/

On Earth Day, Coalition Renews Calls for Safe Drinking Water Protections for Private Well Owners

Private Well Owners

In observance of Earth Day, the Coalition for Safe Drinking Water is urging lawmakers to advance legislation that would, for the first time, establish statewide water quality standards for over half a million Massachusetts residents who rely on private wells.

The Coalition, a grassroots group led by RCAP Solutions and supported by The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, has been advocating for the legislation, which would expand a financial assistance program to remediate wells affected by harmful contaminants in drinking water supplies such as “forever chemicals” like PFAS, as well as arsenic, uranium and other harmful substances.

Many people who discover contaminants in their wells resort to drinking bottled water, which is expensive and harmful to the environment as a large amount of this plastic waste ends up in landfills.

“Earth Day is about honoring the beauty and power of nature as well about protecting people from the damage that has already been done to our environment,” said Brian Scales, President & CEO of RCAP Solutions.  “We cannot ignore that thousands of families in Massachusetts may be drinking contaminated water that can cause both short- and long-term health impacts.  Pending legislation supports a path to learning what is in their water and remediating where needed.”

The bills (H.900 and S.585) are co-sponsored by Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Marlborough), Rep. Natalie Blais (D-Sunderland) and Rep. Meg Kilcoyne (D-Clinton), and have drawn support from nearly 20 legislators.  The legislation would address a regional equity issue because areas with public water systems have access to water that is regularly tested, treated and maintained.

“Every resident in Massachusetts deserves access to safe and clean drinking water, regardless of where they live or how their water is sourced,” said Rep. Kilcoyne.  “Establishing statewide standards for private wells is a crucial step toward health equity, environmental protection, and supporting our rural communities.  I’m proud to support this legislation and to stand with the Coalition for Safe Drinking Water in advocating for this long-overdue public health safeguard.”

RCAP Solutions’ Private Well Program to Protect Public Health, funded by The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, conducted over 500 water quality tests of private wells across several Massachusetts communities from 2020 to 2022, finding that about a third of the wells contained levels of contaminants higher than state health standards or suggesting potential health risks.

“I own a private drinking water well and benefited greatly from participating in the Private Well Program to Protect Public Health,” said Arthur Allen, who lives in the Town of Princeton.  “Our water test and well inspection found contaminants in the water and deficiencies in the well that we had to have corrected.  I fully support this legislation and hope it becomes law in Massachusetts.”

A study by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is underway to make recommendations for a statewide program to ensure that drinking water from private wells is safe to consume.  It is expected to be completed this summer.

For more information about the legislation and the Coalition for Safe Drinking Water, please visit
www.whatsinyourwellwater.org.


About RCAP Solutions

RCAP Solutions is an integrated community development corporation working with a multi-faceted suite of services in communities throughout the northeastern part of the U.S. and the Caribbean.  Established in 1969 (as Rural Housing Improvement), RCAP Solutions has supported the power and potential of communities for over half a century as strategists of community-wide well-being.  Our mission is to foster personal and public self-reliance and improve the quality of life for individuals, families, and the communities in which they live.  For more information, visit: www.rcapsolutions.org.

About The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts

The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts is dedicated to improving the health of those who live or work in Central Massachusetts, with particular emphasis on vulnerable populations and unmet needs.  Through its unique and impactful approach to grantmaking, The Health Foundation supports community-identified health issues, with health defined broadly to include social determinants of health and with a focus on promoting health equity.  As a health conversion foundation launched in 1999 following the sale of the not-for-profit HMO Central Massachusetts Health Care Inc.  The Health Foundation’s grants have totaled over $59 million to more than 230 unique organizations over its history.  For more information, visit www.thfcm.org.

Rise Up will be at the Franklin Sculpture Park for a special Accessible Earth Day Event - April 19

Rise Up will be at the Franklin Sculpture Park this Saturday for a special Accessible Earth Day Event!!

Rise Up will be at the Franklin Sculpture Park

Date: Saturday, April 19th

Time: 10:00-11:00 AM

Location: Franklin Sculpture Park, off Panther Way (Next to the Police Station)

Event: (See attached graphic)

- Painting rocks for a sculpture that our very own Lauren Sanford will be creating for the park!!

- Cleaning up the park

- Socializing and having fun

- Co-hosted with Franklin Culture and Grieving Hearts (Lauren's non-profit)

Other Details: 

- Free

- There is a restroom in the Police Station

- There is a parking lot, or you can park along the street if you wish (There is one additional handicap parking spot off Edwards St)

- We will be gathered on the large "dock" area 

- There will be tables and chairs set up, with space for wheelchairs too

- The park has benches placed around the whole location (some with backs to them) and is lovely place for a stroll

- Dogs are allowed, if they are well trained - We will ask that any dogs that jump, continue barking, or are otherwise not in control take a break from the event. Please do not allow the dog to go up to people unless consent is given.

- See attached Map (below)  or interactive Google map ->   https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZKqYmHbuS3HrF7EP7

Hope to see you there!!

Franklin Sculpture Park

Fairmont Fruit Farm celebrates Earth Day - April 26

Fairmont Fruit Farm celebrates Earth Day - April 26

We are celebrating Earth Day here at Fairmount on April 26th!

Organized by Franklin, Medway, and Holliston Agricultural Commission - there will be local farms, music, and food.

Local produce & products available

Learn about your neighborhood farms and what they offer

Family themed crafts and farm fun (paint terracotta pots and plant your own flowers)

Old Exit 17 Farm, Franklin Honey Company, Inc., Medway Community Farm, Fairway Honey Farm and more to follow!

Music by Wayne Dunnebier 11 AM - 2 PM

Paradise B-B-Q and Catering

C&C Ice Cream Truck

Salty Mamina

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/1YjMVveURa/

Hold a spot for EarthDay at Delcarte - April 26

 

Hold a spot for EarthDay at Delcarte - April 26

Shared from ->https://www.instagram.com/p/DIUIgwgMQER/?

Love Garden Project - An Accessible Earth Day Community Initiative - April 19 at 10 AM

Love Garden Project - Apr 19 at 10 AM

"This initiative is led by Lauren Sanford, director of Grieving Hearts, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting individuals through grief, in collaboration with Ali Rheaume, founder of Rise Up. Rise Up is a social hour that connects the community with individuals navigating life with disabilities and is a welcoming space to be yourself, relate with others, and have fun together. ⁠
⁠
While the Love Garden is a space to express creativity and positivity, it will also serve as a space to honor peoples loved ones and serve as a reminder of the importance of community support, healing, and hope. The project invites participants to create art that reflects love, resilience, and self-expression while also offering a space for those processing grief."

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/p/DIJ6fVrPLac/