Franklin Downtown Partnership Announces 2023 Events and Meeting Dates

The dates for Franklin Downtown Partnership events and meetings during 2023 have been set.

The Strawberry Stroll is scheduled for Fri., June 9, with a rain date of Sat., June 10. Join us for delicious strawberry shortcake in an old-fashioned block party in downtown Franklin!

Our largest event of the year, the Harvest Festival, is set for Sat., Sept. 30, with a rain date of Sun., Oct. 1. Celebrate the fall on the closed-off streets of downtown Franklin with all your neighbors.

Franklin Downtown Partnership

“We are so happy to present our signature events and welcome all our Franklin residents to celebrate our community,” said Franklin Downtown Partnership Executive Director Lisa Piana. “We are so thankful to our Franklin businesses, volunteers and sponsors who make these events possible.”

General meetings of the Partnership are scheduled on April 6, June 1, Sept. 7 and Nov. 2. Meetings begin at 8:30 AM at Dean College, Dr. Paula Rooney Student Center on the second floor in the Golder Room.

The Partnership works with the Franklin Garden Club to deck out the downtown with seasonal decorations. The 2023 Spring/Summer Beautification Day is scheduled for  Sat., May 20. The Autumn/Winter Beautification Day is Sat., Nov. 18. Groups are encouraged to volunteer and high school community service hours are available.

Sponsors are needed for the Partnership’s 2023 events. Please contact the Partnership office at downtown.franklin@yahoo.com if you’re interested in sponsorship.

The Partnership reminds residents to shop local to support our Franklin businesses. The Franklin Downtown Partnership is a nonprofit, 501©3 organization made up of more than 360 business owners, community leaders and residents working to stimulate economic development downtown and create a positive impact throughout the area.  

Visit the Franklin Downtown Partnership for more info or to join ->

https://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/

Franklin TV: Harvest Fest - We Were Blown Away

Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 10/09/2022 

Whoops – there’s goes another one.

A few moments earlier the mangled tent above stood at the other end of this scene. 

Up it went – sailing past the post office in a mere second before being wrangled back to terra firma. A few more were mangled and wrangled. Our own tent, held down by ninety pounds of weights, was shimmying. We packed it up before the gusts could steal away with it. 

Breeze notwithstanding, the crowds turned out.

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    

What does Sunday's schedule look like with the rescheduled events?

Due to the rain forecasted for Saturday, a number of events moved to Sunday so the full Sunday schedule now looks like:

Sunday, October 2

Fall Storywalk (Delcarte Recreation)

12:00pm - Harvest Festival (street fair with vendors, music, etc.) (Downtown Franklin)

12:00pm - Pumpkin Patch Sale (St John’s Episcopal Church)

1:00pm - Tyrolean Festival (food & music) (THE BLACK BOX)

1:00pm - Jimmy Fund Walk (fund raiser) (La Cantina Winery)

1:00pm - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

1:00pm - Oktoberfest Celebration - Raina’s Plate (67 Degrees Brewery)

1:00pm - Oktoberfest Celebration - Scott Damgaard (67 Degrees Brewery)

3:00pm - LiveARTS: Musical Magic! (First Universalist Society - 262 Chestnut St)

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The Franklin Art Association Art Gallery remains open during business hours at Escape into Fiction (Main St, Franklin)

Find the full Community event calendar  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

The Cultural calendar displays only the cultural events      https://www.franklinculture.org/things-do/pages/calendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found  https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26 

Community Calendar

Harvest Festival re-scheduled for on Sunday, Oct 2 from noon to 5 PM

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is holding its annual Harvest Festival on Sunday from noon to 5 PM.

The map showing the location of vendors and activities downtown along Main St and West Central St is shared here. Page 2 is the vendor listing with where they are located by location #.

Due to the rain that is forecasted for Saturday, the FDP Harvest Festival will move to its rain date on Sunday, October 2. 

Please note that all other event logistics regarding set up times and booth locations will remain the same. 

We hope that your schedule will still allow you to participate. If you are a vendor that has a schedule conflict that will prevent you from participating in the event, please contact Harvest Festival Chair Scott Martin. 

Shared from the FDP page -> https://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/p/harvest-festival.html

Franklin Harvest Festival, map and vendor listing - Saturday, Oct 1; rain date, Oct 2

You're Invited! Harvest Festival - October 2, 2022

The Franklin Downtown Partnership invites you to attend the 19th annual Harvest Festival downtown on Sunday, October 2 from 12 PM - 5 PM. There will be more than 160 vendor booths, entertainment, food, kids activities, balloon art, specials from downtown merchants, artwork and crafts! 

The event is free and open to all.

ROAD CLOSURE:  Residents can expect closures of Main Street from Rt.140 to Emmons Street, parts of Dean Ave, and parts of Depot Street from 11am - 6pm.

Please Note: The original Harvest Festival date of Saturday, October 1st, 2022 has been rescheduled to the rain date of Sunday, October 2nd, 2022.

Harvest Festival map and activities layout ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/09/franklin-harvest-festival-map-and.html

You're Invited! Harvest Festival - October 2, 2022

Franklin Harvest Festival, map and vendor listing - Sunday, Oct 2

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is holding its annual Harvest Festival on Sunday from noon to 5 PM.

The map showing the location of vendors and activities downtown along Main St and West Central St is shared here. Page 2 is the vendor listing with where they are located by location #.

Due to the rain that is forecasted for Saturday, the FDP Harvest Festival will move to its rain date on Sunday, October 2. 

Please note that all other event logistics regarding set up times and booth locations will remain the same. 

We hope that your schedule will still allow you to participate. If you are a vendor that has a schedule conflict that will prevent you from participating in the event, please contact Harvest Festival Chair Scott Martin. 

Shared from the FDP page -> https://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/p/harvest-festival.html

Franklin Harvest Festival, map and vendor listing - Saturday, Oct 1; rain date, Oct 2

What is happening at the Franklin Historical Museum in October?

We are glad you asked:

1 - Be sure to stop by the Franklin Historical Museum during your visit to the annual Harvest Festival, Saturday October 1st. 

• On our front lawn children will love the creative Balloon Art from Bobo the Clown while enjoying a bag of freshly popped popcorn
• Inside discover the many Vintage Images of Franklin at our special postcard exhibit
• The postcards, from our archives, tell the story of a Franklin of yesteryear with familiar locations and some long gone. Discover how Franklin streets looked over 100 years ago

The museum will open our regular Saturday hours at 10:00AM, staying open through the end of the Harvest Festival at 5:00PM. We look forward to seeing you all there!

2 - October 9th is our next Second Sunday Speaker Series with Chronicle's Ted Reinstein discussing his latest book, Before Brooklyn, the unsung heroes who helped break baseball's color barrier. 

The museum opens at 1:00PM on Sunday with the presentation beginning at 1:15. The Second Sunday Speaker Series is sponsored by the Friends of the Franklin Historical Museum. Admission is always free.

When visiting the museum, shop many unique items in our Museum Gift Shop including this year's edition of the Holiday Ornament featuring adorable ladybugs. A nod to Franklin's participation in securing the ladybug as our state insect.  Come in and find your history!

You can also visit the museum online at https://www.franklinmuseum1778.com/

Before Brooklyn, the unsung heroes who helped break baseball's color barrier

Franklin Harvest Festival scheduled for Oct 1

Harvest Festival October 1

Please share this poster with your friends to help us spread the word! If you'd like, you can download and print the poster - just click on the image below! Franklin Downtown Partnership • 774-571-3109 • FranklinDowntownPartnership.org

Franklin Downtown Partnership | 9 E. Central St., Franklin, MA 02038 Sent by franklindowntownpartnership@gmail.com powered by Try email marketing for free today!

Franklin Downtown Partnership schedules 19th Annual Harvest Festival for October 1

Franklin Downtown Partnership’s 19th annual Harvest Festival will be held in downtown Franklin Saturday, October 1, with a rain date of October 2, from noon to 5 PM. 

The Festival will encompass the areas of Main Street, Dean Avenue, West Central Street, and Depot Street, as well as the large parking area behind Rockland Bank. 

There will be more than 160 vendor booths, in addition to entertainment, foods, kids’ activities, balloon art, specials from downtown merchants, and artwork and crafts.

Visit the Franklin Downtown Partnership page ->   https://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/

Franklin Downtown Partnership schedules 19th Annual Harvest Festival for October 1

Downtown Franklin Harvest Festival Scheduled for October 1

Franklin Downtown Partnership’s 19th annual Harvest Festival will be held in downtown Franklin Saturday, October 1, with a rain date of October 2, from noon to 5 PM. It will encompass the areas of Main Street, Dean Avenue, West Central Street, and Depot Street, as well as the large parking area behind Rockland Bank. 

There will be more than 150 vendor booths, in addition to entertainment, foods, kids’ activities, balloon art, specials from downtown merchants, and artwork and crafts.

The last day to register for booth space is Sept. 15, but organizers expect to sell out sooner. Booths are assigned on a first-come first-serve basis. View the registration link at http://bit.ly/FranklinHF.

The Partnership welcomes business owners to become Harvest Festival sponsors. Please email the FDP office at downtown.franklin@yahoo.com to learn about sponsorship opportunities. 

The Harvest Festival sponsors are: Platinum level sponsors Dean Bank, Dean College, PhysiciansOne Urgent Care, RI Motorsports, and Safford AXiA Insurance. Glen Meadow Apartments is a Gold sponsor. Silver sponsors are Arcadia Dental, Camford Property Group, Hockomock YMCA, Middlesex Savings Bank and Rockland Trust. Bronze levels sponsors are Beaux Regards Photographic Art, Chestnut Dental, D G Ranieri Real Estate, Digital Federal Credit Union, Fenton Financial Group, Keefe Insurance Agency, LeafFilter, MyFM 101.3, and The Enclave of Franklin. Mint Dental of Franklin is a Friends level sponsor.

The Franklin Downtown Partnership, www.franklindowntownpartnership.org, is a nonprofit, 501©3 organization made up of more than 400 business owners, community leaders and residents working to stimulate economic development downtown and create a positive impact throughout the area.

Planning underway for Franklin Harvest Festival - Oct 1

Harvest Festival scheduled for Oct 1, 2022

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is excited to host the Harvest Festival in downtown Franklin on Saturday, October 1 from noon to 5 PM, with a rain date of Sunday, October 2. Please save the date to come out and enjoy this family fun, community event that will feature local businesses, entertainment, foods from local restaurants, kid crafts and activities, shop specials, and arts and crafts. 

FDP members can register for booth space now. Non-members can register beginning August 10, 2022.

Visit the Downtown Partnership page ->   https://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/

Providence, Lowell & Boston offering free outdoor performances

Providence, July 28, 2022

Summertime is a good time for outdoor performing arts. And when the location is the Waterplace Park in Providence for a performance by Trinity Rep, put it on the calendar! 

"Meet the cast of "La Mancha!" This Spanish/English bilingual adaptation of "Don Quixote" is part of Teatro en el Verano, produced by @rilatinoarts in association with Trinity Rep. It features local Latinx artists, and is completely free to attend.

"Don Quixote" ... closes with a special performance on the Waterplace Park  in Providence on July 28. 

For more information, visit trinityrep.com/lamancha."

Spanish/English bilingual adaptation of "Don Quixote"

Lowell Folk Festival Returns July 29-31, 2022

The 35th Anniversary Lowell Folk Festival, a staple cultural event of the region since its inception in 1987, will take place in person on July 29, 30, and 31. The 2022 festival will feature close to 20 performing groups sharing their unique musical traditions on stages throughout downtown Lowell. The Lowell Folk Festival attracts more than 150,000 people for three days of music, food, and art.

Ethnic food vendors will serve traditional dishes representing over a dozen different cultures. In the Folk Craft Area, the theme is Crafting Sound: Making & Restoring Musical Instruments, which will feature demonstrations playing and building the instruments. The Foodways Area will explore comfort foods from an array of communities. Art In The Courtyard will offer the opportunity for visitors to view and purchase some of the finest art and craftwork. The Family Fun area is back on Shattuck Street.

Check this site to stay up to date on all Lowell Folk Festival updates.

The Lowell Folk Festival is produced by the Lowell Festival Foundation, the City of Lowell, Lowell National Historical Park, the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.

For more information visit -> https://lowellfolkfestival.org/

35th Anniversary Lowell Folk Festival

Boston, through August 7, 2022

Shakespeare on the Boston Common -  Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) and Artistic Director Steven Maler are pleased to announce the return of Free Shakespeare on the Common in the summer of 2022 – William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian. Performances will begin on The Boston Common on Wednesday, July 20 at 8PM (with press opening on Wednesday, July 27 at 8PM) and end on Sunday, August 7.

Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s most popular and frequently performed plays. The plot revolves around two couples — witty Beatrice and Benedick, who publicly proclaim their disdain for each other but fall madly in love; and naïve Hero and Claudio, who fall quickly in love only to be thwarted and then reunited (in both cases, with a bit of help from their friends). But it’s more than just a comedic romp. The play tackles serious themes too: trust and betrayal, power and privilege, gendered expectations around chastity and violence. This is a comedy entangled with a tragedy, where love and justice nevertheless manage to prevail with vigorous joy — a perfect play for our uncertain times.

For more info please visit -> https://commshakes.org/2022/01/28/free-shakespeare-on-the-common-2022-much-ado-about-nothing/

Shakespeare on the Boston Common

Franklin Harvest Festival Sponsorships available for those wanting to make a difference

Put the Spotlight on Your Business

Bring Attention to your Business While Supporting the Community Be a sponsor of this year's Harvest Festival! Your sponsorship will include: Logo listed on all related Promotional Materials, Posters & Signage - (Platinum, Gold and Silver levels) Smaller size logo listed on all related Promotional Materials, Posters, & Signage - (Bronze Level) Name listed on all related Promotional Materials, Posters & and Signage- (Friends Level) Listed in all related Press Releases  Highlighted on Website: franklindowntownpartnership.org  Advertised on local radio Promoted on social media Sponsors get booth at event located on Exclusive Sponsorship Row area of event; Platinum sponsor get two booths On-going announcement of Sponsors by DJ and Band during the Harvest Festival   Just email us the sponsorship form and the level you would like to be listed as (see the levels here) and we'll get you on the sponsorship list!  Please email the FDP office to let us know you'll be a sponsor! Franklin Downtown Partnership • 774-571-3109 • FranklinDowntownPartnership.org

Franklin Downtown Partnership | 9 E. Central St., Franklin, MA 02038 Sent by franklindowntownpartnership@gmail.com powered by Try email marketing for free today!

Talk Franklin: Community Collaboration with Events, Upcoming Vacancies, and a Davis Thayer Update (audio)

FM #822 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 822 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" conversation with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen. We had our conversation via the Zoom Conference Bridge.

If we think of two seasons; then it could be Budget season, festival season

       while the Strawberry Festival & ArtWALK are behind us 

Weekly Farmers Market, Concert on the Common, food trucks, movie nights

First PRIDE Festival June 26, 4th July celebration, Cultural Festival in Sept, Harvest Festival in Oct

• Community Preservation Plan and initial funding approved by Town Council
• EDC to do their ‘short list’ for the MAPC recommendations at Aug 10 meeting
• Beaver St interceptor funding authorized
• Davis Thayer
• Green community
• Downtown parking & town lots

The conversation runs about 25 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen.

Audio file -> https://anchor.fm/letstalkfranklin/episodes/Community-Collaboration-with-Events---Upcoming-Vacancies-and-a-Davis-Thayer-Update-e1kgp0s/a-a863kq3

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Meeting agenda =>    

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/town_council_agenda_june_22_2022.pdf

My notes taken via Twitter are captured in this PDF

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hfMfgMowj-Vh04MroSUgrEwK1qzVTLWm/view?usp=sharing

My photos taken during the meeting are in one album   https://photos.app.goo.gl/h52SdtFSfb6gxofZA 

YouTube video of meeting ->  https://youtu.be/J0rn18f6aiM

Keep up with events in Franklin via the Community Calendar

https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html 

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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

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"

Talk Franklin:  Community Collaboration with Events, Upcoming Vacancies, and a Davis Thayer Update (audio)