Municipal Building schedule for the holiday week

From the official Town of Franklin webpage:

The Municipal Building will be closed at 12:30 pm on Wednesday December 24 and will reopen at 8:00 am on Monday December 29th. 

We wish everyone a Happy and Safe Holiday Season!

Closed for Christmas and re-opening on Monday, Dec 29th

Reporting by walking around (photo essay)

Saturday's walk started at the Parmenter Nature Trail and completed by Spruce Pond. Along the way I captured photos and found out what was going on in Franklin.

Parmenter Nature Trail entrance

The water level is much higher than my last visit

The DPW were busy putting finishing touches on the new tot lot playground at Fletcher Field. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 11:00 AM on Tuesday, Dec 23.

new tot lot at Fletcher Field

there was a house here on Cottage St

Maybe the house was taken to provide additional room for parking at the Oteri Funeral Home?

not handicap accessible

location of the Curry House, a new Indian restaurant opening soon

The Curry House will be opening soon in what was the Franklin Cafe and Grill on RT 140. You can find updates from them on their Facebook page.

The Curry House,  Franklin, MA

stone wall casting shadows on McCarthy St

sunlight on Spruce Pond

Electric Youth: Debut Concert at THE BLACK BOX

Electric Youth (EY) 2015, the international touring ensemble of talented singer-dancers trained at the Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA), will debut at THE BLACK BOX in downtown Franklin on Saturday, January 10, performing two shows at 7:00 and 9:30 p.m.

Electric Youth is pictured in Todi, Italy during the group's 2014 summer concert tour of Austria and Italy

Backed by an eight-piece band of world-class musicians, Electric Youth delivers a fun, high-energy evening of family entertainment with an extensive range of contemporary pop, classic rock, Broadway and country hits for audiences all ages. The EY shows at THE BLACK BOX will feature fully choreographed performances of Adele, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Jason Mraz, Frank Sinatra, Styx and more.

Selected annually by audition, the group is chosen for superior musicianship, stage presence, and triple threat accomplishments in voice, dance, and acting. This season’s ensemble of performers, ages 14-17, studies multiple dance disciplines, voice, and acting at FSPA. Electric Youth 2015 includes Adriane D’Amato of Foxboro; Madison Asgeirsson, Kendra Dombroski, Shaina McGillis, Lauren Szczepanowski and Melissa Wyner of Franklin; Michael Fajardo of Hopkinton; Sam Evans of Medfield; Maddy Williams of Medway; Katie Gray of Milford; Kylee Rollins of North Attleboro; and Jenna McDermott of Wrentham.

The EY singer-dancers are backed by Boston musicians who’ve performed, recorded and toured with such music legends as Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King, Diana Ross, The Temptations and Van Morrison.

“The band that tours with EY really raises the level of experience for our singer-dancers and audiences alike,” says Director Raye Lynn Mercer. “These musicians have performed with A-list entertainers, and the music is first-rate. The arranging team for Electric Youth, including several of the band members, writes custom arrangements for EY that allow the group to take classic songs and make them their own.”

EY’s show band features Kenny Hadley on drums, Arnie Krakowsky on tenor saxophone, Artie Montanaro on trombone, Walter Platt on trumpet, Mark Poniatowski on bass, Ken Reid on baritone saxophone, Mark White on guitar and Mercer on piano. Under the direction of Mark Poniatowski, musical arrangers for Electric Youth are Rick Hammett, Jeff Perry, Walter Platt, Poniatowski, Mark White and Ben Whiting. Choreographers include Mercer, Casey Andrade, Cheryl Madeux, Nick Paone and Kellie Stamp.

Electric Youth has released six professional albums and toured Europe 11 times, with performances at England’s Arundel Festival, Disneyland Paris, professional theaters in Bristol, London and Windsor, and such renowned venues as Sanremo’s Ariston Theatre and Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Musikverein and Schonbrunn Palace. EY has also headlined Fourth of July shows for U.S. troops and their families stationed in Italy at Camp Ederle, Camp Darby, and Aviano Air Force Base.

The ensemble has performed on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, on Fox-TV and WBZ Radio, and at Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium, Mechanics Hall, the Smithsonian Museum Theater and the United Nations. EY’s music, including the 2014 album, Power Chord, is available at amazon.com and iTunes. Electric Youth 2015 will tour England and France this summer.

Tickets for Electric Youth In Concert at THE BLACK BOX are $26, with $18 tickets available for children 12 and under at the first show only. Tables may be reserved for larger parties of 8 and 12. To purchase tickets, visit www.theblackboxonline.com, stop by the box office at 34 Main Street in Franklin, or call (508) 528-3370.

THE BLACK BOX is located at 15 West Central Street in downtown Franklin. Light pub fare and cash bar are available. For more information about Electric Youth, visit www.electricyouth.com.

MassBudget: When Democracy Works

Dear Steve,  This year in Massachusetts people participated, our democracy worked, and together we improved the lives and economic security of families across our state. On January 1st hundreds of thousands of low wage workers will get a raise when the minimum wage goes up to $9 an hour.  When it reaches $11 in two years, over 600,000 workers, and their families, will be better able to make ends meet.   And we know that not only are children's lives improved in the short run when their family's income goes up, they also have a greater opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. Starting next July 1st every worker in the state will be able to take a sick day if they are too ill to work - or if they need to take a sick child to the doctor.  No longer will working people have to fear being fired for being sick. These things happened because thousands of people across the state got involved in our democratic process and worked hard, together, to make life in our Commonwealth better. We at MassBudget are proud that our research and analysis on these issues helped to support a vibrant and constructive debate that so many of you participated in actively.  It was great to see people across the Commonwealth engaged in a debate informed by hard evidence of how these policies can benefit working people, the overall economy, and the quality of life in our Commonwealth. There will always be well-funded voices warning that policies that raise wages and improve working conditions are harmful.  With your support, we can continue to help you to build a more inclusive debate that focuses on making life better for all of the people of our Commonwealth. If you can, please support MassBudget today. Thank you and Happy New Year,    Noah Berger President MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies--with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people.

Forward email Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

FHS Basketball: Girls win, boys lose vs. Oliver Ames

Hockomock Sports reports on the FHS vs OA basketball games on Monday.

Both the Franklin and Oliver Ames girls basketball teams secured two convincing wins to open the season, but only the Panthers were able to continue that success on Monday night.

A crucial 17-0 run that took five minutes off the clock late in the game lifted Franklin to a 57-33 win over Oliver Ames. 

Aubrie Kutil started the Panther run with a basket, and Julianne Pisani and Jillian Spolidoro then added three combined points from the line. Lexi Martin knocked down a three and a two during the stretch, and Olivia Adiletto later converted a runner to give Franklin a 52-31 lead with about three minutes left. Kiera Fernandes scored two from the line and then added a three with under a minute to go. Niyera Mitchell laid one in in the final seconds for OA, but the Panthers had already done enough damage to capture their third win of the season.

Continue reading the Hockomock Sports article here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/fourth-quarter-run-sparks-franklin-past-oliver-ames

FHS PAnthers

’Tis the season of giving and Oliver Ames senior Ryan Carney was certainly in the holiday spirit on Monday night. 

Carney notched a double-double with 16 points and 11 assists to help the Tigers spoil Franklin’s first game in their new gym, 68-63. 

For the second straight game, Carney proved he’s more than just a scorer and he picked up six of his helpers in the second half.

“He’s doing a lot of stuff,” Oliver Ames head coach Don Byron said. “Last game, he just filled up the stat sheet. His game has a maturity about it now that he’s developed over the year.” 

Franklin (2-1) had the lead at the end of the first quarter, 18-14, but Oliver Ames took a 34-31 lead into the halftime break and then a 51-49 lead into the final quarter.

Continue reading the Hockomock Sports article here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/oliver-ames-spoils-franklins-home-opener-in-new-gym


For all the results of Monday across the Hockomock League check this link
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/hockomock-schedule-scoreboard-122214

"it’s amazing to be in the national championship game"

In the 'where are they now' category, Hockomock Sports has an article reflecting on the soccer season that FHS alumni Kristi Kirshe just completed at Williams College.

In the span of a week, two former Hockomock League soccer stars helped lead their college teams to the Final Four. Although both would be denied a national championship in dramatic fashion, Kristi Kirshe at Williams College and Dominik Machado at Providence College were major parts of historic seasons for their respective programs.

“We only lost three seniors from last year,” said Kirshe, “so we had a strong returning group and right from the start everyone was pretty clear about our goal, which was the Final Four.” The Franklin alum added, “It’s always nice to have your hard work pay off.”

Kirshe (left) and Machado (right) - Hockomock Sports photo

Continue reading the article at Hockomock Sports here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/historic-seasons-for-pair-of-former-hockomock-stars

“It’s complicated"

With the comparison to the new tot lot at Fletcher Field fresh in mind, the point is made.

The playground had something that state Rep. Jeffrey Roy did not recognize. 

Large concrete pipes painted colorfully to look like one long caterpillar stood out from the other playthings. 

Roy, D-Franklin, was in Sderot, Israel, a city located just a mile from Gaza that residents say has been bombarded by missiles during this third major escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

When sirens sound, villagers told him, children use the pipes as bomb shelters.

Continue reading the article here: (subscription may be required) http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20141222/NEWS/141229438#sthash.zRlOXYeG.dpuf