Butterfly on King St

Walking back home with coffee from Cafe Dolce on Saturday morning, spotted this butterfly flitting from flower to flower along King St.

Living in the cracks

Yes, they are healthy. An unintended consequence but a wonderful one. The Franklin Downtown Partnership (a non-profit organization of business folks and citizens) raised money to adorn the downtown area with flower pots.

If you are not familiar with Franklin, this is the triangle downtown. The railroad runs underneath the bridge. Main St is behind you to the left. West central changes to East Central on the right. Also referred to as "the Triangle" this is a centerpiece for downtown.

Just off to the left of these flowers making their life among the cracks in the cement, are several of the flower pots. The pots contain a full collection and colorful assortment of flowers. How these migrated (via seeds maybe?) as runoff when the pots got watered to the cracks is open to speculation.

I'll leave the speculation to any of the CSI-wannabes around. The thought I would leave you with today is simply, when something good happens (as in the Partnership coming together to create a welcoming downtown for Franklin), more good happens!


Note: I am a citizen member of the Franklin Downtown Partnership

Franklin, MA: Main St flowers

Franklin, MA: Main St flowers, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The flowers that didn't appear on the bridge when Stanley Chilson recorded his movies are in full bloom now.

BTW - the flowers can still be watered even in this updated water restrictions imposed effective 7/7/10. Watering the flowers is generally done with a hand held hose.

Thanks to the Eileen Mason and the Franklin Downtown Partnership for their work in keeping the flowers healthy.  

"The effort makes downtown a prettier place"

Franklin resident Mary Anne Dean is an enthusiastic gardener with the Franklin Garden Club. Dean said Beautification Day is a great event, and though this was her first time volunteering at it, she plans to come back again.

"It just makes downtown look nicer, people enjoy it," she said. "Flowers make people happy."

Dean said she keeps her own garden at home and though she has accidentally killed a few plants, she enjoys the hobby.

"I have a lot of perennials and Daylillies, those are hard to kill," she said with a laugh. "I have a few annuals, too."

Kevin Neenin, 16, of Franklin, volunteered yesterday as part of his community service for his Confirmation. Chad Narducci, 14, also helped as he is a part of a YMCA group looking to reach out into the community.

Making downtown Franklin beautiful

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Krista Perry/Daily News staff

Franklin, MA

Downtown Beautification Day - May 22

All residents are welcome to pull on their gardening gloves and bring their tools to help plant more than 1,200 plants during Franklin’s seventh annual Beautification Day on Saturday, May 22, from 9:00 a.m. to Noon. The event will take place rain or shine.

The Franklin Downtown Partnership, together with the Franklin Garden Club and Wadsworth Farm, is again organizing the plantings for the bridge and the islands downtown. Volunteers are asked to meet at 9:00 a.m. on the center island in downtown. High school students who need community service hours are welcome to participate.

“This is our seventh year beautifying the downtown and it’s become a passion for all involved,” says Eileen Mason, Beautification Day chairperson.  “We want to make a strong, positive impression on all those who visit Franklin in hopes that they may someday come back to shop, eat and relax in our wonderfully revitalized downtown community.

“We also do this to soften and minimize the ‘concrete look’ in the center of town,” adds Mason.  “All this is accomplished solely through sponsorships, donations and 100 percent volunteer hours. We need everyone’s participation.”

The color scheme for this year’s plantings is pinks and blues, including Rose and Purple Wave Petunias, Blue Annabelle Lobelia, Persian Shield, Diamond Frost, and blue, white and pink Salvia.

According to Mason, the downtown beautification effort follows a year-long cycle. This spring’s plants were chosen last November, and then planted in the Wadsworth Farm greenhouses in March in order to be ready for planting this May. In October, beautification volunteers remove the plants and prepare for winter, placing evergreen decorations in containers the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

“Although we plant in May, this is a year-round project. Sponsorships and donations are what keep this effort going,” says Mason.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Gold and platinum-level sponsors will have their names prominently displayed on a sign in the center island for the 2010 season. Silver sponsors will have their name displayed on a group sign in the center island for the remainder of the year.

Interested sponsors and volunteers should contact Eileen Mason at 508-330-4234 for more details. 


All contributions to the Franklin Downtown Partnership, a non-profit organization, are tax deductible. Please make checks payable to:  Franklin Downtown Partnership, P.O. Box 413, Franklin, MA, 02038.  For more information about the Partnership and becoming a member, contact Executive Director Lisa Piana at (774) 571-3109 or downtown.franklin@yahoo.com. 


Franklin, MA

Happy Easter!

Two photos to share today. This one I snapped while on my long run for this week.

Where was this? It looks like a golf course. Actually it is on the former Putnam Investments property along Washington St.

I snapped this one in the backyard.

Most everything outside is still brown. The trees are beginning to bud some more advanced than the others. The daffodils provide a welcome sight. Spring is coming!

Enjoy the day folks!

Downtown Partnership: Winter Beautification Day

Dear Franklin Downtown Partnership Members:

Winter Beautification Day
Sunday, November 22nd at 9 AM

Please come with gloves and tools.
We will meet in the center of downtown.

Important:  If you have a barrel in front of your business please have the flowers cleaned out by Sunday. Please submit your barrel beautification payments by this Thursday.

Please email Eileen at emason11@verizon.net if you plan to volunteer on
Sunday.  It is a FUN community event and we hope to have all of you participate this year!

Anyone who would still like to sponsor our Winter Decorations please contact
Lisa Piana this week.  Thanks to all of you who have supported our spring flowers!

Sign of Spring: Pansies at Agway

Yes, they are out in the sun for sale at Agway!



Enjoy!

Where have all the flowers gone?

It is that time of year!




To read more about "Where have all the flowers gone?" click here

Franklin: Holiday decorations

Franklin: Holiday decorations, originally uploaded by shersteve.

There were flowers
and the season for them passed.

There were empty pots
and now they have been filled.

Flowers on the bridge

Franklin: Flowers in the bridge, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The picture yesterday showed the empty flower pots on the other side of the railroad bridge.

This picture was taken earlier this year. I have resurrected it to help refresh our memories of what the flowers looked like.

May the memories keep us warm this winter.

Enjoy!

Franklin: All the flowers are gone!

Franklin: All the flowers are gone!, originally uploaded by shersteve.

It is that time of year. The flowers, so colorful and welcoming, are now gone for the season.

The memories remain.

Thanks to the volunteers who helped to create these flower boxes and keep them watered and maintained during the growing season.