Thursday, August 4, 2016

State Primary Election - Sep 8; last day to register to vote - Aug 19

State Primary Election

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Franklin High School, Oak Street

6:00am – 8:00pm

Are you a registered voter?

Do you need an Absentee Ballot?

Last day to register to vote or change party affiliation, Friday August 19th. The Town Clerks Office will be open till 8:00pm on the August 19th

Please contact the Town Clerks Office at (508)520-4900
tburr@franklin.ma.us Or visit (registertovotema.com)

election booths at Franklin High School where all precincts in Franklin cast their ballots

Most of this information was shared from the Town Clerk's office
http://franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/024766FA-000F8513

2nd edition of Easy Walks in MA now available

Marjorie Turner Hollman has let us know that the 2nd edition of Easy Walks is now available.

"By popular demand, here is the second edition, expanded from the original Easy Walks publication. Now included are maps, trail conditions, as well as photos, directions, and lots more information for over 50 local walking trails in 16 towns in the Upper Charles River and Blackstone River Valley watersheds in Massachusetts and Northern Rhode Island.

You'll find trail locations in Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Franklin, Grafton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millis, Millville, Northbridge, Upton, Uxbridge, Wrentham, all towns in south central Massachusetts, and Woonsocket, RI.

Many locations are dog-friendly--learn which places welcome you and your dog before you go! All trails are grandparent, parent, and kid friendly. Learn about distances of trails, highlights along the way, directions to each trail head and more"

Easy Walks in Massachusetts 2nd edition

In 2014, we shared three 'easy walks' in Franklin that were included in the first edition:

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/06/easy-walks-in-franklin-beaver-pond.html

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/06/easy-walks-in-franklin-dacey-fields.html

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/06/easy-walks-in-franklin-snett.html

The Amazon link can be found here
https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Walks-Massachusetts-2nd-Northbridge/dp/0989204340/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470180569&sr=1-1&keywords=easy+walks+in+massachusetts+2nd+edition

Encore Music Academy - fall registration now open

We are Encore Music Academy and Recording Studios and we are located at 3 Bent Street right here in Franklin.

FALL REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR PRIVATE LESSONS AND CLASSES!!!

Register now to secure your preferred lesson time with your instructor of choice!

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, and our instructors fill up very quickly, so please don't delay.

We work very hard to ensure that siblings are conveniently scheduled at the same time or back-to-back, and we make every effort to accommodate the needs of our families.

image from Encore Music Academy

And don't forget about our brand-new GlobeToddlers (TM) program for children ages 1-5!!

To register for any class, private lessons, or program, please call (508) 533-7700 in Franklin, or (508) 376-2776 to reach our Millis facility. We are looking forward to a wonderful year ahead, filled with lots of music, and lots of fun, too!

Website: www.encoremusicacademy.net
Email: info@encoremusicacademy.net

Random Smile Project's fourth annual Wiffle ball tournament

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Fans of the yellow, plastic bat rejoice - the Random Smile Project's fourth annual Wiffle ball tournament will take place later this month.

This year's event - set for Aug. 20 at Fletcher Field - is held in honor of local resident James Cashin.

"Random Smiles provides a bridge of support for people in the community who are going through a difficult time," said Colleen Swenson, a volunteer with the charity. "Jim Cashin is recovering right now from a liver transplant that he received in June... he's a longtime Franklin resident."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160803/franklin-charity-hosting-wiffle-ball-tournament

Random Smile Project's fourth annual Wiffle ball tournament

For addiitional info and to register, visit this page http://www.randomsmile.org/wiffle/

In the News: charter review possible, Sons of Italy celebrate

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The Town Council is considering another attempt at a town charter review.
The council at its prior meeting charged town staff with gathering the information, a process that Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen said is under way.

"We're trying to collect the reports and recommendations, which include those made by the 2010 and 1995 commissions," he said. "(They) usually put together reports that included suggestions made - which ones they felt made sense and which ones they didn't."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160803/franklin-personnel-examining-past-charter-review-efforts

"The Quattro Eroi Lodge No. 1414 Order Sons of Italy in America, of Franklin, will celebrate its 90th anniversary on Sept. 24 at the Coachman’s Lodge, 273 Wrentham Road, Bellingham.

There will be a social hour from 6 to 7 p.m. with a full-course dinner to follow. Dancing will take place until 11 p.m.

Music will be provided by Power Play of Hudson. Dinner will include roasted chicken, baked stuffed filet of sole with lobster Newburg sauce, and roast beef served family style."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160803/quattro-eroi-lodge-to-celebrate-90th-anniversary

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

How does Franklin consider itself?

The downtown traffic flow has been redesigned. Before we go and create another charter commission to review how we operate as a government, let's spend some time designing our flag.

Yes, Franklin does not have a flag, or if we do, I have not seen it. We have a seal, which is prominently used where we could use the principles of design from a flag.

What are the design principles of a flag?

I am glad you asked, there are five:

Keep It Simple (The flag should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory)
Use Meaningful Symbolism (The flag’s images, colors, or patterns should relate to what it symbolizes)
Use 2 to 3 Basic Colors (Limit the number of colors on the flag to three, which contrast well and come from the standard color set)
No Lettering or Seals (Never use writing of any kind or an organization’s seal)
Be Distinctive or Be Related (Avoid duplicating other flags, but use similarities to show connections)

And from the TED Talk below:

"As we move more and more into cities, the city flag will become not just a symbol of that city as a place, but also it could become a symbol of how that city considers design itself, especially today, as the populace is becoming more design-aware. And I think design awareness is at an all-time high. A well-designed flag could be seen as an indicator of how a city considers all of its design systems: its public transit, its parks, its signage. It might seem frivolous, but it's not.

16:08 - TK: Often when city leaders say, "We have more important things to do than worry about a city flag," my response is, "If you had a great city flag, you would have a banner for people to rally under to face those more important things."

Where did the flag idea come from?
A relisten of this TED talk:

"Roman Mars is obsessed with flags — and after you watch this talk, you might be, too. These ubiquitous symbols of civic pride are often designed, well, pretty terribly. But they don't have to be. In this surprising and hilarious talk about vexillology — the study of flags — Mars reveals the five basic principles of flag design and shows why he believes they can be applied to just about anything."