New mural at the Children's Museum of Franklin a youthful collaboration

via kaylajeancreative

"Kiddos 🤝🏻 community 🤝🏻 art! 

It all came together in this contest turned collaboration for the @childrensmuseumfranklin. 

Four talented kiddos were picked from over 50 submissions to paint a mural with me. The themes of their submissions along with the museum’s iconic and fun branding guided the creative direction for this fun and highly graphic little mural!

Thanks to the @franklinculturalcouncil02038, @franklinculture and @childrensmuseumfranklin for the opportunity!"

Additional photos can be found on Kayla's Instagram post

https://www.instagram.com/p/DaqB_7dDtdz/

Senior Story Hour - WFPR: Episode 101 - Spring, Worst Opening Lines, Demons, Murder Most Foul, The Common Cold, and The First of Many (audio)

Catching up to one episode I realize I had skipped before really catching up on the more recent episodes over the next several days.

In this episode, the Franklin Senior Center Writers Group shares stories, poems, and writings about spring, a continuation on the worst opening lines of stories, demons, a play about the common cold, Alice shares the first chapter in a new book she's writing, and The First of Many poem.

Audio link -

Senior Story Hour - WFPR

https://senior-scribblers.captivate.fm/episode/episode-101-spring-worst-opening-lines-demons-murder-most-foul-the-common-cold-and-the-first-of-many

Senior Story Hour - WFPR = The Franklin Senior Center Writer's Group

Steve Sherlock hosts The Franklin Senior Center Writer's Group for a monthly reading of short stories, essays, poetry and more. 

Find more episodes here (or on your favorite podcast app) ->  https://senior-scribblers.captivate.fm/episodes 

Summer Therapeutic Workshops available at the Nautilus Center

Summer is the perfect time to rest, reset, learn new skills and have fun! The Nautilus Center offers a variety of interactive, small-group therapeutic workshops that help teens and their parents & caregivers feel and live well.  

Teens ages 13-18 can choose experiential groups featuring art, music or animal assisted therapy, or individual interactive workshops to learn practical skills centered around Nautilus’ 8 pillars of wellness: Sleep Well, Eat Well, Play Well, Think Well, Expect Well, Connect Well, Cope Well and Learn Well. 

These pillars provide a practical foundation for lifelong well-being. Teens will gain confidence, build resilience, and develop healthy coping & life skills. Parents & Caregivers can choose workshops that deepen their understanding of adolescent development while learning practical strategies to support their teen's mental health. 

Led by The Nautilus Center's team of licensed mental health clinicians, participants can expect to be welcomed to our comfortable and inclusive space to learn, grow and build community. 

No prior experience or skills are required and all supplies are provided. 

Follow the link to our website or scan the QR code for workshop topics, schedule and registration. 

Summer Groups — The Nautilus Center - https://www.thenautiluscenter.com/summer-groups

Parents & Caregivers can choose workshops that deepen their understanding of adolescent development while learning practical strategies to support their teen's mental health and well-being. 

Download the flyer as  a reminder or to share

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1njkWM7qvRKmYyf35EgljyKPpZzTBSvJ0/view?usp=drive_link

David French Music Training Night scheduled for Weds, July 29 to benefit Franklin Music Boosters

Save the Date!

Want to support Franklin's student musicians in a simple but meaningful way?

Join us on Wednesday, July 29, for the David French Music Training Night! This training helps prepare volunteers to assist with instrument distribution for elementary and middle school music students.

Whether you're a current music family, an alum, or simply someone who believes in the value of music education, we'd love to have you join us.

If you're interested in attending, please fill out this quick form so we can keep you updated with event details: https://forms.gle/WXUK361cA8gjW2f66

Shared from - https://www.instagram.com/p/DaS78DxFBPk/

"Cool Off for a Cause" Returns This July to Pirelli Arena

"Cool Off for a Cause" Returns This July to Pirelli Arena

Starting next week!!

FREE Public Skating to benefit Dana Farber & The Jimmy Fund!!

In place of admission, we are asking for donations that will go directly to cancer research as well as compassionate care for cancer patients. No donation is too small even $1 can make a difference!!!

Be on the lookout for social media giveaways starting next week!

Check out our website for more information!

https://fmcicesports.com/uncategorized/cool-off-for-a-cause-returns-this-july/

Boston Globe: "High schoolers are placing sports bets online. Experts warn of growing risks of addiction."

"At Fenway High, Angel Benitez even tried to document the use among classmates. For a humanities project last spring, Benitez and his friends surveyed their classmates about wagering on sports and whether their friends outside of school were also betting.

They spoke to 90 teens and found that 82 of them – more than 90 percent — were gambling on sports.

“I was like, whoa. I didn’t know that many people at our school were gambling,” said Benitez, who graduated and this fall is attending Northeastern University. “Not only is it at our school, but kids our age everywhere are gambling.”

That does not surprise Jennifer Knight-Levine, cofounder of the SAFE Coalition, a nonprofit that supports young people facing mental health and substance abuse challenges.

“Youth gambling on online platforms in school is absolutely happening across the Commonwealth,” Knight-Levine said."

Shared from - https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/10/metro/underage-gambling-risks-sports-betting-in-teens/?s_campaign=sharetool_copypaste_view

The Guardian: "We know how to mourn other humans – but what about ecological grief?"

"In Iceland, people commemorated its first glacier formally declared lost to climate change. Western culture needs more of these rituals

Ecologists refer to great blue herons as indicator species;
their disappearance often signals deeper disruptions
 in water quality and habitat integrity.
Composite: Rita Liu/The Guardian/Getty Images

I remember interviewing a North Atlantic right whale expert years ago. He was a practical, science-minded man. But as we discussed a female whale that had lost her calf, he became visibly emotional. She had lost the previous one, too, struck by a ship. He seemed almost embarrassed by the depth of his feeling.

I wasn’t surprised. I found his grief honorable.

There are fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales left. Every birth is a celebration; every death is mathematically and emotionally devastating. Scientists who spend years studying endangered species inevitably form attachments to them. So do many of us, whether to an endangered tree, a stretch of crumbling coastline, or summer nights once filled with fireflies.

Yet our culture has almost no language or rituals for this kind of grief."

Continue reading the article with the shared link ->    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/10/ecological-grief?CMP=share_btn_url

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm Schedule for Monday, July 13, 2026

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

It is 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 TV schedule for Monday, July 13, 2026 (Your local Public, Education & Government "PEG" station)

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

7:00 am Aging Boldfully: Fyzical

8:00 am SAFE Coalition: The Hamlins

9:00 am 4th of July 2025: Two Guys Who Like Sharks

11:30 am Cooking Thyme: Lobstah

12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin': Peppers

12:30 pm Learn to Cook with Linda: Broccoli Salad

1:30 pm     Pizzapalooza: Black Bean, Roasted Pepper & Garlic Pizzetta

2:30 pm New England Candlepins Summer 2023 Show 6

3:30 pm Candlepin New Generation: Show 9

4:00 pm Winning Ways with the MIAA: Student Athletes Ep 2 06-11-26

5:00 pm Aging Agenda Episode 1

7:00 pm Frank Presents: Joe Pagliarulo

8:00 pm Roots & Branches: History of Soccer

9:00 pm ArtWeek: Ed Iannuccilli

10:00 pm Franklin Cultural Council: Pamela Means

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

8:30 am SAFE Coalition: The Hamlins

9:30 am Winning Ways with the MIAA: Student Athletes Ep 2 06-11-26

10:30 am Lincoln Street 5th Grade Graduation 2026

12:30 pm FHS Spring Pops 2026

2:00 pm FHS Girls Varsity Lacrosse v Taunton 04-06-26

6:30 pm FHS Senior Awards 2026

9:00 pm FHSTC: Mean Girls

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

8:00 am Planning Board 06-22-26

2:00 pm Planning Board 06-22-26

7:00 pm Planning Board  CHAMBERS  894 5265 8341

7:30 pm 250th Anniversary Committee  REMOTE  974 0008 8938

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

http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf  

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Sunday, July 12, 2026 ???

Sunday, July 12

8:00am Twice is Nice Road Race (North Attleborough Middle School)

1:00pm Sunday Funday (Fairmount Fruit Farm)

1:00pm Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

1:00pm Sunday Speaker Series (Franklin Historical Museum)

*** NO  Town Meetings today ***

---------

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-calendar

Agenda for Communications Subcommittee - Weds, July 15 at 6 PM

Communications Subcommittee 

Agenda & Meeting Packet

July 15, 2026 = 6:00 PM

Meeting will be held at the Franklin Municipal Building 355 East Central Street - 2nd Floor, Council Chambers

Agenda:

1. Discussion: Debrief on Town Councilor attendance/presence at early summer 2026 community events

2. Town Council Office Hours follow up discussion

3. Constituent email response policy/protocol

a. Draft Town Council Email Guidelines   https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10152/DRAFT-Town-Council-Email-Guidelines

4. Review and formal recommendation

a. Draft Social Media Engagement Guidelines for Elected & Appointed Officials  https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10110/DRAFT-Social-Media-Engagement-Guidelines-for-Elected-and-Appointed-Officials-PDF

b. Reference: Page 3 of Rules of Procedure defines Role of the Franklin Town Council  https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8362/2026-02-04-Draft-Rules-of-Procedure-v2-FINAL-APPROVED

5. General discussion: next steps, priorities, and questions

a. 2026-2027 Communications Subcommittee work plan  https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/9592/2026-2027-Communications-subcommittee-work-plan---DRAFT

b. Draft Town Council Community Engagement Ideas   https://franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10120/Draft-Town-Council-Community-Engagement-Ideas

6. Adjourn

The agenda doc also contains remote participation info

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07152026-2412

Note: This is a meeting of the Franklin Town Council Subcommittee; under the Open Meeting Law, this subcommittee is a separate "public body" from the Town Council. Therefore, unless the Town Council has separately notified and posted its own meeting, Councilors who are not members of this subcommittee will not be permitted to speak or otherwise actively participate @ this meeting, although they may attend and observe. This prohibition is necessary to avoid the potential for an Open Meeting Law Violation.

2 more episodes of Winning Ways with the MIAA (video)

Winning Ways with the MIAA: Student Athletes Ep1 06-11-26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPLMvQh3V_w 

Winning Ways with the MIAA: Student Athletes Ep2 06-11-26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDbfSKbPf1M 

FBRTC: July Monthly Meeting - July 14

July Monthly Meeting

Hello!  

Tuesday night, July 14th we will have our monthly meeting at Franklin.TV, 23 Hutchinson Street, Franklin at 7 PM.  We'd love to see you there!

The minutes from our previous meeting can be found here on our web site.

In addition to the agenda, we will be discussing and holding a final vote on a proposed amendment to the Bylaws to establish a reserve fund/account. Under the proposed policy, reserve funds would be held in a separate account overseen by the Treasurer and require additional approvals before being used. If approved, this change would provide a formal process for maintaining and using reserve funds.

The agenda for this month's meeting is here.
 

Warm regards,

Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee

Franklin TV: Our Open Board Meeting - Aug 22

It’s Happening. August 22nd at Our Studio

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 07/12/2025

Our Annual Open Board Meeting will take place as our neighborhood block party. Come to our 23 Hutchinson St. studios.

Join us, Saturday, August 22nd at 3:00pm. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by August 15 to: info@franklin.tv

It’s open to all Franklin businesses and residents. We’ll meet-and-greet and enjoy the day starting at 3:00 PM. Come hungry, enjoy great food and all the fixin’s – along with tunes and fun.

You can also tour our studios and learn about Franklin●TV and wfpr●fm. We’ll also briefly review the past year’s progress and plans for the future. At our meeting you may cast your vote for new and/or renewing board positions.

Excerpt from our bylaws: (Available on our website.)

Section 15. Election of Director by the Membership (a) Members shall be notified by the Clerk of the election of a director by the Membership at the Annual Meeting. Said notice shall be in accordance with the notice provisions of Section 4 of this Article IV. (b) Any eligible voting Member may be nominated for election to the position of Director by: 

(i) Written notification to the Clerk no later than seven (7) days prior to Annual Meeting; or (ii) By nomination from the floor of the Annual Meeting made and seconded by no less than three (3) eligible voting members.

Thanks to our board members who contribute their time and energy to help make Franklin●TV all that a public access TV studio can be. If you would like to become involved either as a volunteer or to create your own TV or radio programs at Franklin●TV and wfpr●fm, just send an email to: info@franklin.tv with your contact information. You can also call us to explore your ideas. 508-541-4118.

Please join us at our Franklin●TV event. Come meet, greet, chow down, have fun, and learn all about local TV and radio in Franklin.

See you then.

And – as always –

Thank you for watching. 

Thanks 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 

The Within Project partners with SAFE Coalition

(L-R) Jen Levine & Janya Varsani

"The Within Project is excited to announce our partnership with Safe Coalition!!

A massive thank you to jlknight1717 for reaching out to connect and support my mission. We have amazing things in the works, including an upcoming art showcase to highlight all of the kids incredible creations! 

I am also looking forward to hosting this year’s workshops there.

Thank you, Jen and the SAFE Coalition team for collaborating with The Within Project."

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

What is the Within Project?

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/07/the-within-project-2-art-workshops-for.html

Register here: https://forms.gle/rGM1iPkZHt1GZDU56

Shared from - https://www.facebook.com/share/191MHTJxWF/

Sunday Funday at Fairmount Fruit Farm - July 12 from 1 to 4 PM

Here is the lineup for Sunday Funday! Enjoy a wood-fired pizza and ice cream. C&C is doing a $5 “Shark Attack” ice cream special. 

Goat Cuddles from 1pm-4pm 🐐 go into the pen and pet and feed them.

  

📕 Donate to warrior_family_books_for_nicu for newborns in intensive care. 

🐉 3D Prints 

🧵Handmade crafts

Fun events at the Franklin Library this week, July 13 - July 18

Another full week of summer fun at Franklin Public Library!

For additional details on the Library events ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/942/Calendar-of-Events

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm schedule for Sunday, July 12, 2026

Yes, Franklin has its own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin Public Radio has a schedule full of the locally produced shows that fill our air waves. 

It is 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