Franklin TV schedule for Monday, March 10, 2025

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

7:00 am Riffin' on Main Street: Pauline Spender

8:00 am SAFE Coalition: Woody Geissman

9:00 am Critical Conversations: Social Media

12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin: Tai Salad

12:30 pm Cooking with Linda: Monkey Bread

1:05 pm Cooking Thyme: Red Pepper Soup

1:33 pm Pizzapalooza: Meat-Lovers Pt. 1

2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Summer '19 Show 2

3:00 pm Candlepin New Generation: Show 11

4:00 pm Franklin Art Association: Erin Spencer

5:30 pm Winning Ways with the MIAA: Pete Smith

7:00 pm Care For Ukraine

8:30 pm  Circle of Friends: Tracy Grammer

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

9:30 am Winning Ways with the MIAA: Pete Smith

10:30 am FHS Concert Hour 02-26-25

12:00 pm All-Town Showcase 2024: Chorus and Orchestra

1:30 pm FHS Girls Varsity Hockey v Canton 02-05-25

3:30 pm FHS Winter Jazz 01-29-25

5:00 pm FHS Girls Varsity Basketball: v Bishop Feehan 03-06-23

7:30 pm SAFE Coalition: Woody Geissman

8:30 pm FHS Boys Varsity Hockey v Arlington 02-25-25

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

 

8:00 am Planning Board 02-24-25

10:00 am Joint Budget Subcommittee Listening Session 2 02-12-25

12:30 pm Police Station Building Committee 02-25-25

2:00 pm Planning Board 02-24-25

7:00 pm Planning Board  CHAMBERS  834 8599 6424

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

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Sunday, March 9, 2025 ???

Sunday, March 9 = Daylight Saving Time starts

"Look Up" Gallery (Franklin Public Library - Community Room during open hours)

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

1:00pm Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

1:15pm Second Sunday Speaker (Franklin Historical Museum)

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

** NO  Town Meetings today   **

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Why are there multiple calendars?

What's happening today in Franklin? 

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/calendar.aspx?CID=37&showPastEvents=false

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

FPAC Announces Cast for Mel Brooks’ The Producers

The Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) is excited to announce the cast of Mel Brooks’ The Producers running March 14-23 at THE BLACK BOX in Franklin, MA. The production is directed by FPAC Artistic Director Raye Lynn Mercer, with choreography by Associate Director Broadway’s Clay Rice-Thomson (Moulin Rouge!, KING KONG, Matilda, Newsies), and music direction by Hallie Wetzell. 

The Producers is a Mel Brooks comedy full of adult humor and innuendo. Audience discretion is advised.

(L-R) Nick Paone, Paul Rescigno, Katie Mariko Murray

Leading the cast are FPAC’s Nick Paone as Max Bialystock and NYC’s Paul Rescigno as Leo Bloom. They are joined by NYC’s Katie Mariko Murray (Disney’s Frozen on tour) as Ulla, Anthony Fett (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on tour) as Roger DeBris, Robert Mintz as Carmen Ghia, and Franklin favorite Timothy Ayres-Kerr as Franz Liebkind.

The ensemble is made up of artists from NYC, the Boston-Providence-Franklin area, and Musical Theater students from Dean College: Andrew Scott Holmes, Casey Harkness Andrade, Melissa Baratta, Elijah Bondar, Marissa J. Browning, Nya Dekrines, Heather Dorler, Shaina Dunn, Charley Eastman, Kim Frigon, Julia Lavoie, Alex LeBlanc, David Livingston, Conor Meehan, Caroline Merten, Anissa Perona, Myranda Rose Silva, Kellie Stamp, Jason Robert Warner, and Isis Wilson.

Joining the ensemble on stage at THE BLACK BOX are FPAC Student Apprentices from the Franklin School for the Performing Arts: Elena Baker, Ani Corkran, Helena Cornwell, Devin Curley, Brodie DeAngelis, Devin DeAngelis, Baree Frigon, Kayla Hoben, Hailey Hulbig, Madeleine Jacomme, Katherine LeBlanc, Matthew Packard, Kate Settle, Angelina Willey, and Michael Wirkus.

The plot of The Producers is simple: a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his mild-mannered accountant come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history, thereby bilking their backers (all "little old ladies") out of millions of dollars. Only one thing goes awry: the show is a smash hit. The antics of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom as they maneuver their way fecklessly through finding a show, hiring a director, raising the money and finally going to prison for their misdeeds is a lesson in broad comic construction. At the core of the insanely funny adventure is a poignant emotional journey of two very different men who become friends. With a truly hysterical book co-written by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan (Annie) and music and lyrics by Mr. Brooks, The Producers skewers Broadway traditions and takes no prisoners.

FPAC is an Actors’ Equity Small Professional Theater company based at THE BLACK BOX in downtown Franklin. Each season, FPAC produces musicals, plays, ballets, and more featuring Broadway stars, professional actors, local artists, and students of the arts.

Tickets for The Producers are available at FPAConline.com/tickets or by calling the box office at 508-528-3370. Follow Franklin Performing Arts Company and THE BLACK BOX on Facebook and Instagram for updates on programming.

5th Joint Budget Listening Session held with remote participation option on Saturday (video)

The 5th in the series of 6 Joint Budget Listening Sessions was held in the Council Chambers on Saturday, March 8, 2025. This was the only one enabled for Zoom participation and about 10 folks took advantage of this.

The deficit at this point is $3.8M a light increase over the initial projection of $3.6M

Franklin TV video for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/live/LlUDdpZqkNg?&t=13

The agenda doc contains the updated preliminary budget information released this week -> https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/Joint-Budget-Subcommittee-6/?#_03082025-1557

The audio will be made available and the transcript in the next couple of days. You can find the collection of video, audio and transcripts for the prior sessions here ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/02/joint-budget-listening-sessions-fy-2026.html

My notes captured during the listening session can be found in one PDF file

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wBaFVj9_9K0Rj1z23CGl2--vaO0QsoIn/view?usp=drive_link

Franklin Town Council gets update on the FY 2026 deficit, primed with a performance by FHS student quartet; 2 part audio

FM #1398-1399  This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1398-1399 in the series. 

This session shares the Franklin (MA) Town Council Meeting of Wednesday, March 5, 2025. All 9 of the members participated in Council Chambers.  

The audio is in 2 sections:

Part 1 - the beginning and the ending (1 hour 40 mins)

Part 2 - the FY 2026 preliminary budget review & discussion (2 hours)

Quick recap:

Part 1 - non budget

Part 1 audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1398-town-council-mtg-non-budget-sections-03-05-25/

• Police officer Steven Dejoie sworn in replacing Officer Lawrence who had retired a couple of months ago

• A string quartet of FHS students played a brief piece as part of a recognition of their music achievements which also resulted in a formal proclamation of their accomplishments. Many other students recognized were in the audience as well

• Dan Sherman provided the annual update on the town progress towards funding their OPEB liability. We are in good stead, better off than many other MA communities. We will do better once the Norfolk Retirement liability is paid off (2035ish) and that amount of funding can be shifted to the OPEB liability to advance the payoff schedule

• Approval for easement granted to DCR for access to SNETT extension, also a commitment from them for $1M to help prepare it when the trail does become ours (will take time with Federal process)

• From TA Report - another first in that the Town is first in using opioid funding for the Art Pharmacy program, more to come on this exciting opportunity for health with an economic development aspect for local arts/culture organizations

Part 2 - FY 2026 Budget

Part 2 audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1399-town-council-mtg-fy-2026-prelim-budget-03-05-25/

• FY 2026 - Town Administrator Jamie Hellen walked through the preview of the budget, some updates had been previewed most recently on Tuesday at the Senior Center with the Joint BUdget Listening Session. More was expanded upon here. The documents will be posted to the Town budget page today. We are in a $3.8M deficit and coming up with that (or an amount close to it) is likely the only way to maintain "level service". What we have is what will stay, if we want increases or expansions to such services, we need to get by this one first before considering more. "we need a win" someone said in the course of the discussion

Let’s listen to the meeting recording which runs about 2 hours and 45 minutes. 

Part 1

Part 2

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Franklin TV video ->  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAHS9BRE4cA&t=100 

The agenda doc ->

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03052025-1608 

The budget preview presentation ->

https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4620/2025-03-05-Budget-Update---Town-Coucil-Version-PDF 

My notes captured during the session

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TELQ8ylitbI6RxGjNDCll4poFZsu2ONg/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"

primed with a performance by FHS student quartet

#1 FHS boys basketball to face #4 Central Catholic on Monday

The D1 boys basketball playoffs are set

DIVISION 1 BOYS HOOP

• SEMIFINAL – Monday at Worcester State No. 1 Franklin (24-1) vs. No. 4 Central Catholic (20-2), 7 PM
  
• SEMIFINAL – Tuesday at Worcester State No. 3 Newton North (23-1) vs. No. 7 Springfield Central (19-4), 7 PM

shared from https://x.com/BostonHeraldHS/status/1898567369640845672

#1 FHS boys basketball to face #4 Central Catholic on Monday

Party for The Pantry includes silent auction on some amazing trips

Have you purchased your Party for The Pantry tickets yet? This year we’ll have some amazing silent auction items, and we are partnering with American Fundraising Foundation - AmFund to offer exciting trip options!

Don’t miss your opportunity to bid on dream destinations, including Paris, Florence, Greece, Sedona, Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, and Africa—all while supporting our community!

Party for The Pantry silent auction on some amazing trips

These extraordinary trips come with these incredible perks:

• Trips are valid for three years with no blackout dates

• Most include round trip airfare for two (from any major international airport in the United States)

• 4- and 5-Star Accommodations

• Dedicated AmFund travel specialist

• Options to upgrade, extend, and add additional travelers

Get your tickets before they sell out as these amazing trips to benefit The Pantry are only available at Party for The Pantry on March 29, 2025, at 7 PM at The Black Box in Franklin!

https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/happenings/events/party/

Franklin TV: I Lost It!

Let’s seeee, where did I put…..?

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 03/09/2025

I lost it.

I had it just a second ago – and then –  I didn’t. (I hate it when that happens.)

I don’t remember putting it down – but where? It’s like it just – just – vanished.

It’s gotta be here somewhere. Maybe if I just retrace my steps….

What’s the last place where I was when I had it? When it was right in front of me?

… um- I was standing right here. (That’s no help.) Frustrating!

It’s sorta like car keys in my other jacket or glasses on top of my head. Losing track of the usuals for a few minutes at any point in the day is frustrating. But, losing stuff after a long day – at 2am when you’re tired and you need to get up early? Ugh! Why me?

If I can’t find it right now I know tomorrow I’ll be wishing I had it back.

It’s like it just up ‘n vanished. Poof! Gone in an instant.

Same thing happened last year.

I actually lost an hour – a whole hour. A twenty-three-hour day?

Franklin TV: I Lost It!

What’s up with that?

How do you lose a whole hour?

And I’ll prob’ly lose another one lookin’ for it. (I don’t have time for this.)

I’m so tired. Maybe I’ll look some more on the morning. (Which will come too early.)

With my luck it’ll just show up sometime in fall when I don’t need it.

And – as always –

Thank you for watching. 

Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm.

And staying informed at Franklin●news.

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

Paint night at Birchwood Bakery scheduled for March 27

Paint night at Birchwood Bakery - March 27

 

Join us at our next event at Birchwood Bakery on March 27th. 

Register online at:   https://www.creativecornerartstudiofranklin.com

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/p/DG0dwOguUN5/

St Patrick's weekend celebration at Raillery

St Patrick's weekend celebration at Raillery

St. Patrick’s Day weekend celebration at Raillery!

Shared from->  https://www.instagram.com/p/DG5zQ1tOKna/

MassDOT Alerts Customers of Smishing Scam

Dear EZDriveMA Customer,

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) was alerted that a text message-based scam, also known as smishing, is fraudulently claiming to represent tolling agencies from across the country. The scammers are claiming to represent the tolling agency and requesting payment for unpaid tolls.

MassDOT urges customers to be cautious about email, text, and phone scams demanding payment of outstanding toll balances. Some attempts have been made to trick customers into sharing credit card numbers and other sensitive information by directing them to a website to pay their outstanding balances. MassDOT strongly encourages customers not to click the link contained in those messages.

Please Note: The targeted phone numbers seem to be chosen at random and are not uniquely associated with an account or usage of toll roads.

Customers who receive an unsolicited text, email, or similar message suggesting it is from EZDriveMA or another toll agency should not click on the link.

EZDriveMA customers can verify a valid text notification in several ways:

        •       EZDriveMA will never send invoices by text
        •       EZDriveMA will never request payment by text
        •       All links associated with EZDriveMA will include www.EZDriveMA.com

This smishing scam is part of a series of smishing scams that the FBI is aware of:
https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA240412

The FBI recommends individuals that receive the fraudulent messages do the following:

1. File a complaint with the IC3, https://www.ic3.gov/, be sure to include:
        •       The phone number from where the text originated.
        •       The website listed within the text

2. Check your account using the toll service's legitimate website.

3. Contact the toll service's customer service phone number.

4. Delete any smishing texts received.

MassDOT Alerts Customers of Smishing Scam

5. If you clicked any link or provided your information, take efforts to secure your personal information and financial accounts. Dispute any unfamiliar charges.

We encourage all customers to stay alert to these types of scams and to contact us at https://www.ezdrivema.com/ with any questions about EZDriveMA notifications.

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm schedule for Sunday, March 9, 2025

Yes, Franklin has it's own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin Public Radio has a brand new schedule for the locally produced shows that fill our air waves. 

It ia available anywhere, anytime at wfpr.fm or in the local Franklin, MA area at 102.9 on the FM dial.

Tune in to listen to the following:

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

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm schedule for Sunday