Franklin Matters

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Attention: Businesses and Organizations - Registration is Open for the Franklin Harvest Festival

Franklin's Harvest Festival is set for Sunday, September 30, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Franklin Downtown Partnership is already planning for this fun event, which they expect will draw about 5,000 visitors to town. Organizers have set a registration deadline of August 20 for crafters, vendors, artists and community groups who want to participate in this year's festival.

The Harvest Festival will be held rain or shine, and booth space is limited. The booth fee for non-Partnership members is $125, and the food vendor fee is $175. A late charge of $25 will be added for registrations received after August 20 if there is booth space still available.

Event details and registration forms can be downloaded from the Partnership's website, www.franklindowntownpartnership.org. This year's booth chairperson, Mary Graff, can be contacted at mgraff@berryinsurance.com. Co-Chair Jeanne Sherlock is planning the entertainment and children's area fun and can be reached at jeannes@hockymca.org.

Sponsors are still needed to fund this festival. As a non-profit organization, the Downtown Partnership depends on sponsors to fund this and other efforts, including Beautification, the Strawberry Stroll and the Holiday Stroll.

In the News: summer stage, youth sports

FSPA Summerstage presents ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Register for Hockomock YMCA youth sports leagues

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Area Sikhs: Shootings 'a sad teachable moment'

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Area Sikhs: Shootings 'a sad teachable moment'

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Matt Tota/Daily News staff on 8/6/12

Simran Kaur believes ignorance might have motivated the gunman who killed six people at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., on Sunday. "I think it was a hate crime," she said Monday at the Sikh temple in Milford.

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Boston Heart Walk - Sep 15 - help the Baby Beats!

From the Amante Family:

Welcome to the fundraising page for team Baby Beats. We have been raising money for the Heart Association since 2002! Just two weeks after Damian's third open heart surgery we attended our first Heart Walk in New York.

Funds donated to the Heart Association go toward life saving research, techniques and equipment.

Damian has directly benefited from projects that were funded by the Heart Association.

We celebrate Damian and the victory over his struggles by raising money to support this important organization.

Please support our team by donating to the Heart Association! Thank you!

You can find the fund raising page here

Monday, August 6, 2012

Uncas Pond

Having heard of Uncas Pond here and here, I decided a needed to go exploring to find it. Sunday was humid. I needed a little extra incentive to run in the heat. I decided that since Uncas Pond was off Summer St, I'd go find it. Finding it would give me an excuse to stop for pictures (and rest as well).

The water looked inviting but it was behind a securely locked fence so I didn't venture forth.

Updated 8/6/12 7:00 PM

The Franklin Rod and Gun Club is located at the end of Florence St. Access to the pond ~~appears to be via the Club property or one of the neighboring private properties~~ actually is available from a dirt parking lot on the left of Florence as you approach the end of the road.

Access is outlined on this photo:

My thanks to Franklin Matters reader Rich for the correction and photo!

For more information on the Franklin Rod and Gun Club, you can visit their website http://franklinrodandgun.org/

BTW - According to their web page, they are still looking to find "Declan F". Declan won the 12 and under trophy for their recent tournament and left without getting the trophy!

"give their time and effort"

In addition to being a 'high performing' school district, Franklin is fortunate to have the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter School as well. Was it mentioned in this article? No.

Ultimately, the overriding factor determining whether a charter is approved by the state has less to do with where it is and more to do with why it's being proposed, said J.C. Considine, a spokesman for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

"I don't think there's a preference," he said. "Where there's a need and demand is shown, we're open to considering strong proposals in really any region."

There's also nothing inherent to MetroWest that would make it objectionable to potential founding groups, said Brown, who added a town like Framingham, with its growing non-English speaking population, could be a good site for a charter school specializing in language education.

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1602167970/Despite-high-interest-at-some-schools-charter-movement-slow-to-catch-on-in-MetroWest#ixzz22l970Ycu

For additional information on the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School you can visit their web page http://bfccps.org/

"find a way to balance clinical work with research"

Kalutkiewicz, who will be a senior biology major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the fall, has been working on a 10-week summer research fellowship at the university. Supported by the heart association, her full-time project is on cell division.

"Cells have to establish a plane of division," Kalutkiewicz said. "We’re looking at how they divide."

This is not the first time the UMass Amherst senior has been a part of scientific research. She also participated in studies at Tufts, where the focus of the projects was similar to hers: cells and genetics.