Franklin Turkey Trot Rescheduled to Saturday, Nov 24

Due to freezing weather conditions, we are rescheduling the Franklin Turkey Trot to this Saturday, November 24th. The race will start at 8:00 AM.

Unfortunately, entry fees and shirt purchases cannot be refunded. All proceeds from the race will go to the Franklin Food Pantry; we appreciate your generosity and understanding.

We will STILL have bib pickup, registration, and free sunglasses on Wednesday, November 21st.

RACE REMINDERS:

NO DOGS ON THE COURSE - Our race insurance does not allow for animals on the course. Please don't bring them as we will pull you out of the race.

REGISTRATION AND BIB PICK-UP

Avoid long lines on Thanksgiving morning and pick-up bibs, free sunglasses, etc. at 91 Jordan Road, Franklin on Wednesday night. Pickup times:

-WEDNESDAY NIGHT - 7 - 9:00 pm

-SATURDAY morning - 6:30 - 7:40 am

RACE START

8:00 am! The race will start on time. We encourage you to pick-up your bib Wednesday night to avoid lines.

Race Day Parking

No parking on Jordan Road! Again, No parking on Jordan Road! If the church parking lot is full, please park across the street in new neighborhood or down the street on Pearly Lane or Burning Tree Road. We will have a van circling those streets offering rides until 7:45 am.

Race Map

To view the race course map:  www.franklinturkeytrot.org

Awards

Awards will be given to the top three places in each age category. Gift certificates will be given to the best overall places.

Free Raffle Items

We will be having a free raffle at the end of the race after the awards ceremony.

Free Breakfast

Breakfast items are available in the gym throughout the race. These items include muffins, bagels, fruit slices and beverages.

Expiration Dates

Please check the expiration dates on your donations; the food pantry has to throw away ALL expired donations.

Dress Warm  

It looks like it will be a chilly morning!

Franklin Turkey Trot rescheduled to Saturday, Nov 24

Franklin Historical Museum: Many happenings in December!

The Holidays are upon us which of course means Mrs. Claus will return again this year for her annual visit to the museum from the North Pole. She’ll be reading to wide eyed children from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM on Saturday December 8. We’ll also have Kid’s Crafts in the museum library, all part of this year’s Holiday Happenings sponsored by the Franklin Downtown Partnership.

Our Second Sunday Speaker Series continues on Sunday December 9 as Jim Johnston returns for part two of his talk on the Oliver Pond Home and his antique collection. Town Historian, former History teacher at Franklin High School and lifelong Franklin resident, Jim brings his vast knowledge and unique humor to his interesting and intriguing presentation which includes photos of the Oliver Pond Home interior and his beautiful collections. Doors open at 1:00 PM and the presentation starts at 1:15 PM. 

Holiday Christmas ornaments

Our speaker series was such a success this year, we are planning to continue these interesting and informative talks for the upcoming year. Our schedule for the 2019 Second Sunday Speaker Series will be finalized and published soon.

Holiday Christmas ornaments and 2019 Calendars are available at the Museum gift shop while they last. Choose from a Gazebo globe ornament for $15.00 or a Brick School ornament for $10.00. Each comes in its own handsome gift box. 2019 wall calendars, full of vintage photos from the Museum’s photo collection are available at the gift shop for $5.00 each. Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Franklin Historical Museum.

The museum is located at 80 West Central Street. Our winter hours are Saturday mornings from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM and Sunday afternoons from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM. We are wheelchair accessible and always free. Come in and find your history.


You can also visit the Historical Museum on the web at
http://franklinhistoricalmuseum.org/   

or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FHM02038?

Franklin Federated Church to host New England Bell Ringers on Nov 24

Franklin Federated Church presents "A Few of Your Favorite Things," a concert featuring New England’s premier community handbell ensemble, the New England Ringers, on Saturday, Nov 24 at 7:30 PM at the church at 171 Main Street.

The 2018 holiday program will be like none other! This will be a completely audience driven performance, with every concert being different. The 13-member ensemble has prepared over 18 different pieces for audience members to choose which selections they would like to hear! 

The program is filled with a diversity of style -- music rich in grand symphonic moments plus delightfully light and airy carols and tunes reminiscent of snowy winter days. Some fan favorites will definitely be included, such as Angels We Have Heard on High, The First Noel, and God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman. There will be FUN and Surprise!

With its commitment to musical excellence, focus on eclectic programming to appeal to a variety of musical tastes, and a healthy dash of showmanship, New England Ringers has been entertaining audiences of all ages for seventeen exciting years throughout New England, New York and Pennsylvania. 

Franklin Federated Church to host New England Bell Ringers on Nov 24

The highly energetic performers showcase their talents in a uniquely varied program playing with sensitivity, discipline and skill to achieve their signature artistry on a handbell instrument comprised of six octaves of both Schulmerich handbells and Malmark handchimes along with other instruments.

Tickets for the concert are $15 each. They can be purchased at the door, or in advance by calling the church office at 508-528-3803. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the mission and ministry of Franklin Federated Church, a welcoming and affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ and American Baptist Churches.

Franklin Federated Church is accessible to the disabled via a ramp off the left driveway next to the church.

Town Council meeting - Summary Nov 14, 2018

The Town Council reorganized itself with the selection of a new Chairman - Tom Mercer; vice-chair, Matt Kelly and Clerk, Glenn Jones.

Dale Lippert, 8 Beth Road, spoke during citizens comments about drain problems in and around his property that he claims the Town is at least partially responsible for.

Two appointments were made to the Design Review Commission

The parking problems in the arena along the East-West-Nason-Church streets area were reviewed. Franklin Police provided the results of their survey. Some improvements (i.e reduction in parking) was observed and some could be attributed to towing one car with 6 outstanding tickets. Some of the residents are still not happy. Dean College can do more to help as they at least appear to be contributing to the problem. Town administration to set up a meeting to review the matter with Dean. Multiple residents spoke during this segment of the meeting.

Legislation for action recorded unanimous votes, even when roll call was required. The Actions Taken document has not yet been published but the details on the votes can be found in my notes linked below.

Actions Taken (updated 11/21/18)
http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/news/town_council_actions_taken_for_november_14_2018.pdf

Franklin TV has made the video replay available
http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?PGD=franknma&eID=599

• Live reporting: Administrators Report to Closing
• https://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/11/live-reporting-administrators-report-to.html
• Live Reporting: Legislation for Action (continued)...
• https://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/11/live-reporting-legislation-for-action_14.html
• Live Reporting: Legislation for Action
• https://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/11/live-reporting-legislation-for-action.html
• Live Reporting: Town Council - Nov 14, 2018
• https://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/11/live-reporting-town-council-nov-14-2018.html

The agenda and documents for the meeting can be found

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/11/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-nov-14.html

Turn on terrain view to understand the problem for 8 Beth Road

demolition of the buildings of the former Thompson Press (Oct 2018)

Down the rabbit hole to a fortune teller, but what does it say?

1 - The internet can bring you down a rabbit hole very quickly. I saw this tweet from @FranklinPSArt

The FHS sculpture classes' take on the social advocacy artwork of Ai Weiwei. Look for these fortune tellers in the lobbies tomorrow morning. Take one, follow the directions, and pass it on!

Link to AI Weiwei article: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/global-contemporary/a/sseeds-ai-weiwei

https://twitter.com/FranklinPSart/status/1064513464402669568

2 - Followed the article link to read about Ai Weiwei and his "Sunflower Seeds"

"More than 1,600 artisans worked to make the individual porcelain seeds by hand in Jingdzhen, the city known as the “Porcelain Capital,” where artists have been producing pottery for nearly 2000 years. Porcelain, first produced during the Han dynasty in about 200 B.C.E. and later mastered during the Tang dynasty, is made by heating white clay (kaolin) to a temperature over 1200 degrees Celsius. 

The fusion of the particles within the clay during firing allowed artists to create vessels with thin but strong walls. Porcelain— a symbol of imperial culture in China—was also made for export via the Silk Road and became important to the creation of the idea of China in the West."

3 - Found this video on the Tate Modern Gallery web page





4 - Now, who got one of the fortune tellers?

https://twitter.com/FranklinPSart/status/1064513464402669568

5 - How does it work? How does it tie back to Ai Weiwei?

Library of Congress: Letters About Literature Contest Opens

Writing Contest for Young Readers Across the Country Announced Letters About Literature, the Library of Congress reading-and-writing contest now in its 26th year, is accepting applications beginning Nov. 1 for the 2018-19 cycle. For the first time, letters will be submitted electronically.  Letters About Literature asks students in grades 4-12 to read a book, poem, speech or essay by an author, living or dead, to think about how that work affected them and to write to the author on the work's impact. Click here for more information https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-18-139?loclr=ealn

“You’d think there’d be a bigger interest but the numbers are never as large”

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

"Early voting and polarizing political views helped fuel robust turnout across Massachusetts, even though fewer people are voting than past decades. 

More than 2.7 million Massachusetts residents cast ballots on Nov. 6, representing the highest amount for a midterm election in two decades. Early voting accounted for 21.6 percent of total votes and proved popular for the second consecutive election. It was first allowed in 2016. 

“People were able to vote any way they wanted,” explained Marlene B. Chused, town clerk of Sharon, where overall turnout totaled 70 percent of registered voters. 

Statewide turnout totaled at least 59 percent of registered voters, marking the highest turnout for a midterm election since 1994 when Republican voters across the country turned out in droves in a rebuke to then-President Bill Clinton, a Democrat."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20181119/controversial-politics-early-voting-fueled-turnout-in-massachusetts-elections

I love the quote from the Waltham City Clerk that opens this posting. It comes from the same conclusion that I reached when looking at our voter turnout results over the years. It is no surprise that Franklin is not unique. Controversy and money drives election turnouts more than civic duty. It will help if early voting can be continued for our local election in 2019.

Election Information for Nov 2018

The election collection for 2018 can be found here

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/10/election-collection-2018.html