Franklin Matters

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Wednesday, December 25, 2024 ???

Wednesday, December 25 - Christmas Day

Fiber Art Installation (Franklin Public Library)

Church services scheduled but otherwise most things are closed today to enable time with family and friends

NO Town Meetings today

What's happening today in Franklin?

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Why are there multiple calendars?
Respectfully, the Library and Senior Center calendars are too full of events to include all their events so we tend to focus on the major events. Town and School meetings are also kept separate. Links for all the calendars are shared here:

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 Library calendar of events -> calendar link

The Senior Center calendar of events -> https://www.franklinma.gov/node/39/events/upcoming

The Town meeting calendar is found https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendars

5th Grade class takes honors for one of the MassDOT snow plow names = "Mac N’ Freeze"

"The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has announced the winners of the third annual “Name A Snowplow” contest for elementary and middle school students in Massachusetts.

This contest received entries from public school classrooms located all across Massachusetts to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during this 2024/2025 winter season. The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to help recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during the winter season. 

MassDOT snow plow name contest
"Maintaining safe and clear roads across Massachusetts during winter is no easy task. We appreciate how educators are engaging their students in this fun competition that honors this vital public service," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. "Congratulations to the winning classrooms, and we look forward to seeing your snowplows out in the field."

Oak Street Elementary School submitted the Winning Submissions for 5th through 8th Grade. The 5th Grade class led by Abby Normandin selected Mac N’ Freeze as the Chosen Plow Name,

The full press release and all the other school winning entries can be found -> https://www.mass.gov/news/massdot-announces-the-winners-of-the-2024-name-a-snowplow-contest

Franklin Food Pantry sends winter holiday greetings (video)

"With her beautiful voice and generous heart, Yianna Zicherman, Pantry Warehouse Manager, reminds us to express grace this holiday season and throughout the year.

From all of us at The Pantry, we hope you enjoy the winter holidays and best wishes for a Happy New Year!"

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15z18u8hdn/

Franklin TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) schedule for Wednesday, Dec 25, 2024

wfpr.fm or 102.9 on the FM dial = Wednesday

9:00 AM 12:00 Noon and 6:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock
Franklin and its local government, services and events (repeats Saturday at 9 AM)

This segment features the segment on the logo and branding proposal from the Town Council meeting 12/18/24 -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/12/town-council-votes-to-keep-ben-town.html

10:00 AM 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM The Wonderful World of Wine – Mark Lenzi, Kim Simone All about wine, its culture, lore and finer points.

Mark & Kim are Talking Bubbly For New Years
-> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/12/the-wonderful-world-of-wine-www-episode_23.html

11:00 AM 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock
Franklin and its local government, services and events (repeats Saturday at 3 PM)

This features my conversation School Committee Chair Dave Callaghan as we did our recent Chalkboard Chat condensing the 12/10/24 School Committee meeting -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/12/this-chalkboard-chat-condenses-school.html

Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 6, Verizon 26) = WEDNESDAY

7:00 am Historical Museum: Greenwich Bay Brass Band

7:30 am Mental Health: Raeleen Sullivan

8:30 am Parish of St. Mary Christmas Pageant 2019

10:00 am The Black Box: Tappy Christmas 2019

11:30 am Cooking Thyme: Centerpieces

12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin: Scones

12:30 pm Cooking with Linda: Quiche

1:00 pm Santa On The Common 2024

1:30 pm Pizzapalooza: White Pizza

2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Summer 2018 Show 6

3:00 pm Candlepin New Generation: Show 7

3:30 pm Circle of Friends: Heather Pierson Trio

6:00 pm FPAC: The Nutcracker 2024

9:00 pm Winter Wonderland 2024

9:30 pm FPAC Holiday Special: Tis The Season

Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 28) = WEDNESDAY

7:00 am Public School Concert: MICCA Showcase Pt. 2 03-14-18

8:30 am Middle School Winter Music 2024

10:00 am SAFE Coalition: The Hamlins

11:00 am FHS Winter Music: Band 2024

12:30 pm FHS Boys Varsity Hockey v Catholic Memorial 12-18-24

3:00 pm Winning Ways with the MIAA: Pete Smith

8:00 pm FHS Girls Varsity Hockey v Stoughton 12-18-24

10:00 pm FHS Girls Varsity Basketball v King Philip 12-20-24

Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 9, Verizon 29) = WEDNESDAY

8:00 am Town Council 12-18-24

2:00 pm Town Council 12-18-24

6:00 pm Joint Budget Subcommittee 12-17-24

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf

Watch Listen Read all things that matter in Franklin MA

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Tuesday, December 24, 2024 ???

Tuesday, December 24 - Christmas Eve

Fiber Art Installation (Franklin Public Library)
Franklin Art Association, Art Show & Sale (Norfolk Public Library closes at 1 PM on 12/24/24))

The Franklin Public Library will close at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, December 24th and will be closed Wednesday, December 25th for Christmas.

Town of Franklin Senior Center & Municipal Building are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday

NO Town Meetings today

What's happening today in Franklin?

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

Why are there multiple calendars?
Respectfully, the Library and Senior Center calendars are too full of events to include all their events so we tend to focus on the major events. Town and School meetings are also kept separate. Links for all the calendars are shared here:

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 Library calendar of events -> calendar link

The Senior Center calendar of events -> https://www.franklinma.gov/node/39/events/upcoming

The Town meeting calendar is found https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendars

Town Council votes to keep Ben & the Town seal AND add a logo to branding efforts (audio)

FM #1346 This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1346 in the series.

This session shares the Logo and Branding segment of the Franklin (MA) Town Council Meeting of Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024. 8 of the 9 members participated in Council Chambers, 1 absent (Jones). Special vote to appoint Frongillo as temporary clerk for the meeting to be authorized to sign the documents (approved 8-0-1).

An overflow audience filled the Chambers to start and then filtered away as their recognition section was completed.

Quick recap:

The Town seal with the image of Benjamin Franklin remains (cleaned up for digital use) AND the logo is added to help with branding the Town of Franklin as “The First of Many”.

Logo & branding presentation -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/8c._tc_memo_for_branding_project.pdf

The series of presentations as the work to incorporate the community feedback and develop the logo and branding continued -> https://www.franklinma.gov/economic-development-subcommittee/webforms/edc-branding-presentations

Town Seal and Logo Presentation - Amy Frigulietti, Deputy Town Administrator

after some contentious discussion, the vote to approve the logo passes 6-2-1 (1 absent)

Let’s listen to the meeting recording which runs about 45 minutes. Audio link ->

https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1346-town-council-mtg-logo-branding-segment-12-18-24/

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Franklin TV video of the meeting available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/live/5h-UYum-TtQ?&t=132

The agenda doc -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/tc_agenda_-_dec_18_2024.pdf

My set of notes collected in one PDF -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yn6Ems4Gc0TfI9L-9vE_Ll40oVGHPfFU/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!

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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"

Town Council votes to keep Ben & the Town seal AND add a logo to branding efforts (audio)

FHS boys basketball tops Dartmouth on Monday

Via Twitter, Franklin TV, and our subscription to HockomockSports.com, we share the results of the Winter sports competition for Franklin High School on Monday, December 23, 2024

Boys Basketball = Franklin, 70 vs. Dartmouth, 44 – Final

– A big run to start the fourth quarter helped Franklin pull away from visiting Dartmouth. It was a four-point game (29-25) with four minutes left in the third but the Panthers were able to stretch the lead to double-digits, 44-34, going into the final frame. Franklin then exploded for a 17-0 run over the first three minutes of the fourth to suddenly grow the lead to 61-34. Senior Caden Sullivan scored 12 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to spark the big run while classmate Joseph Conlan had 13 of his career-high 20 points in the second half for the Panthers.

Boys Hockey = Franklin, 2 vs. Archbishop Williams, 4 – Final

Archie’s 4 Franklin 2. Jack Wernig 🚨🚨, Quinn 🍎 and Balducci 🍎. Torraco solid in net.
https://x.com/FHS_PuckCoach/status/1871315152907436111

Girls Hockey = Franklin, 0 @ Leominster, 2 – Final

For other results across the Hockomock League (subscription required)

https://hockomocksports.com/mondays-schedule-scoreboard-12-23-24/

FHS Panther sports results shared via Twitter & subscription to HockomockSports.com

HockomockSports.com Player of the Week recognizes FHS' Caden Sullivan

"Franklin senior Caden Sullivan has been selected as the HockomockSports.com Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, for Dec. 16 through Dec. 22. Sullivan is the 15th athlete chosen as Player of the Week for the 2024-25 school year and first in the winter season.

Sullivan put together an impressive start to his senior season, averaging nearly 25 points (nearly double his average from last year) and more than 12 rebounds per game as Franklin won its opening three games and jumped to the top of the Kelley-Rex standings."

Continue reading the Player of The Week article (subscription required)

https://hockomocksports.com/player-of-the-week-caden-sullivan-franklin-basketball/

HockomockSports.com Player of the Week recognizes FHS' Caden Sullivan

Did you hear Jonathan Berk gave Franklin an MBTA Communities Gold Star?

"Franklin's strategy for complying with MBTA Communities builds upon the excellent efforts already undertaken by the Town, aided by a strong coalition of housing advocates, to promote the production of missing middle housing near its downtown & train station."

Did you hear Jonathan Berk gave Franklin an MBTA Communities Gold Star?

Who is Jonathan Berk?

"Supporting a new generation of walkable neighborhoods with housing abundance, active public realms, & thriving small business ecosystems."

Founder @remainplaces - "The Walkable Neighborhood Accelerator"
https://www.remainplaces.com/

Shared from -> https://x.com/berkie1/status/1869476228329296108

Peter Mulvey at Circle of Friends Coffeehouse Jan 11, 2025

Peter Mulvey is an incredibly gifted songwriter and singer, an extremely entertaining storyteller, and a guitar wizard. He is returning to The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse stage in Franklin on Saturday, January 11th at 7:30PM. He has developed a strong national following in the indie folk/rock scene through his relentless touring and critically acclaimed albums.

Peter Mulvey at Circle of Friends

Twenty-odd years on the road, performing songs from his own catalog and from a vast, varied, and deep well of classic and obscure covers has prepared Mulvey to deliver an outstanding concert. Night after night, the process of divining the heart of a song, being alert to where the moment can lead, has shaped him as an artist. To each rendition, he brings the soul of a singer, a light touch in a heavy world. http://www.petermulvey.com/

Jenna Nicholls will be Peter's special guest. In a tapestry of sound, Jenna Nicholls weaves a spell as her melodies carry the weight of memory and the promise of tomorrow. With three albums under her belt, her songs have found their way into the heart of cinema and the pulse of television.

From the storied stages of Carnegie Hall and the Beacon Theatre, Jenna's music echoes through the night, a testament to the enduring power of song.

https://jennanicholls.com/

For tickets -> https://www.circlefolk.org/schedule/petermulvey

Boston25: "‘A difficult hurdle’: Parishioners gather at Franklin church while repairs continue"

"Together, on the Sunday before Christmas, parishioners at St. Mary’s Church in Franklin gather in the church basement for mass. Not their typical home of the stunning church upstairs, but it will be due for now. Back in October, the church was set on fire forcing them to have to make a temporary home here in the basement.

“There’re a lot of folks were confused and hurt and still a lot of pain from having their main church missing and it’s been a difficult hurdle,” said Father Bob Poitras.

Now the inside of this beautiful church looks like a construction zone almost unrecognizable after smoke and water damaged the inside. Investigators say the cause of the fire was arson. They are still trying to find out who did it. And why."

Watch the video segment -> https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/difficult-hurdle-parishioners-gather-franklin-church-while-repairs-continue/NZW3I3R4PNFBHK6AESOCYH5XWQ/

Boston25: "‘A difficult hurdle’: Parishioners gather at Franklin church while repairs continue"

Town of Franklin: Municipal Building Holiday Schedule for Dec 24, 2024 to Jan 1, 2025

Municipal Building Holiday Schedule

Franklin Municipal Building Holiday Schedule

Please see the following Holiday Hours for the Municipal Building during the Holiday Season.

Happy Holidays!

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/franklin-municipal-building-holiday-schedule

A Scientific Christmas Tale | NIST

"’Twas the night before Christmas; NIST staff had gone home.
Our director was left to reflect all alone.
She thought about NIST and the breadth of its work,
from AI to fire to even the quark.

Our impact, she knew, was broad and widespread,
and triumphs of measurement danced in her head.
Examples abounded of great innovation
spurred by NIST work for the good of the nation.

When people pump gas or buy food at the store,
NIST helps to ensure they get what they paid for.
And when they’re online and making transactions,
NIST-backed encryption means safer interactions.

There are frameworks that help with cyber hygiene.
And something we call the million-pound deadweight machine.
What else to her adoring eyes should appear,
but a Lego watt balance and a weathering sphere. "