Friday, March 15, 2019

Register Now: Spring Music for Young Children session at Encore Music

The Spring Music for Young Children session is open for registration now at Encore Music.

Register Now: Spring Music for Young Children session at Encore Music
Register Now: Spring Music for Young Children session at Encore Music


Register online at  http://www.encoremusicacademy.net/

Crafters wanted - 17th Annual Strawberry Stroll - June 14

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is seeking crafters for its upcoming Strawberry Stroll on Friday, June 14 at 4 PM to 8 PM (rain date June 15). This 17th Annual Strawberry Stroll is expected to be the largest ever. 

Enjoy live music, dancing, sidewalk sales, activities, delicious foods and more with thousands of people of all ages on the closed-off streets of downtown Franklin.

Crafters can register for a space at the Strawberry Stroll for $75. The registration form will be available on the Partnership’s website in mid-April, www.franklindowntownpartnership.com

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is a non-profit, 501©3 organization that supports downtown revitalization and streetscape efforts, and organizes events such as the Strawberry Stroll, Harvest Festival and Beautification days.

Crafters wanted - 17th Annual Strawberry Stroll - June 14
Crafters wanted - 17th Annual Strawberry Stroll - June 14

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Charter School building updates

The BFCCPS Charter School has been one of the topics of conversation at the School Committee and Town Council meetings this week. The financial forecast for this year and next year's budget is not good and coming up with additional funding (yes, an override option was mentioned) is part of the discussion.

The Charter School was one of the topics due to the State funding formula which would re-allocate additional money from the FPS school budget as BFCCPS expands this September. 98 additional students from Franklin are reported to have won a lottery to attend the new school as it opens in Sep, unfortunately also taking funds from Franklin per the State formula.

This topic was also raised with Franklin's legislative delegates during the School Committee Legislative Forum in February. There is talk of changes to the formula but when and if that happens this year is unknown.

Stay tuned to the budget discussion. The Finance Committee budget hearings open Mar 18, Mar 19, Mar 25, and Mar 26.

From the BFCCPS web page:
"We visited the site on Friday March 1st and have lots of new photos to share. You will see lots of interior progress since our last two weeks ago. We will continue to share updates on the building every other week moving forward."
exterior view of the new facility under construction for BFCCPS  and scheduled to open in Sep 2019 (BFCCPS photo)
exterior view of the new facility under construction for BFCCPS
and scheduled to open in Sep 2019 (BFCCPS photo)
Find additional photos and updates from BFCCPS on their web page
http://bfccps.org/march-1st-expansion-update/

TOM RUSH with Matt Nakoa at OCC Coffeehouse, Wrentham


OCC COFFEEHOUSE
Original Congregational Church
1 East Street, Wrentham, MA 02093
Phone: 508-384-3110

The two concerts listed below are the final ones of our 2018-2019 season. Tickets for the Tom Rush show are selling briskly, so it is likely they will sellout. Tickets for all shows are available at the church office, 508-384-3110, or at www.musicatocc.org.

TOM RUSH with Matt Nakoa
Friday, April 5, 7:30 PM

Tom is a gifted musician and performer, whose shows offer a musical celebration and journey into the tradition and spectrum of what music has been, can be, and will become. His distinctive guitar style, wry humor and warm, expressive voice have made him both a legend and a lure to audiences around the world. His shows are filled with the rib-aching laughter of terrific story-telling, the sweet melancholy of ballads and the passion of gritty blues. 
TOM RUSH with Matt Nakoa at OCC Coffeehouse, Wrentham
TOM RUSH with Matt Nakoa at OCC Coffeehouse

Rush's impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the '60s and the renaissance of the '80s and '90s, his music having left its stamp on generations of artists. James Taylor told Rolling Stone, "Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences." Country music star Garth Brooks has credited Rush with being one of his top five musical influences.


Matt Nakoa,Tom's keyboard player and vocalist, now tours internationally, recently performing at The White House, throughout India, and regularly with folk music icon Tom Rush. Matt's piano music has received favorable reviews in publications including The New York Times, and his film scoring has been featured by Disney.
Tickets are $45, in the church sanctuary.

BILL & KATE ISLES
Saturday, April 27, 7:30 PM
BILL & KATE ISLES
BILL & KATE ISLES
They are an acoustic singer/songwriter duo based in Duluth, Minnesota. Using a wide variety of musical styles, their performances carry audiences through a broad landscape of experiences from metaphorical worlds to small town family stories and to zany comedy.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, in Fellowship Hall.

OCC Coffeehouse is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Original Congregational Church in Wrentham. Doors open 30 minutes before the concert. Please call 508-384-8084, email occmusic99@gmail.com, or visit http://www.musicatocc.org for more information.


2 FHS music students to perform with All Eastern Honors Ensembles

The 2019 All-Eastern Honors Ensembles to Perform at The David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, PA April 4-7, 2019, Pittsburgh PA

More than 780 of the most musically talented high school students in the Eastern region of the United States have been selected to perform in the 2019 All-Eastern Honors Ensembles.

Selected to perform in the All-Eastern Honors from Orchestra and Band are the following students from Franklin High School in Franklin, MA.
  • Lauren Dennett - Tenor Saxophone
  • Brinda Venkataraman - Violin

With assistance from their music teachers, Mrs. Diane Plouffe and Mrs.Leighanne Rudsit, these exceptional students will prepare remarkably challenging music that they will perform under the leadership of prominent conductors in this biennial event. Students will spend three days rehearsing with one of five conductors during the Eastern Division Conference of The National Association for Music Education to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in preparation for performances on April 7, 2019.

The All-Eastern Honors Ensembles, consisting of concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed chorus, treble chorus, and jazz ensemble, are organized by members of The National Association for Music Education. The concert band and symphony orchestra will each have approximately one hundred fifty instrumentalists, the jazz ensemble will have eighteen instrumentalists, the treble chorus will have one hundred twenty vocalists, and the mixed chorus will have approximately three hundred twenty vocalists. Student participation from each state is determined by a percentage of the total Eastern Division membership.

Each of the state music educators associations in the Eastern Division (CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, PA, VT, Europe) oversee the selection process in their state during the fall of the year before the event and compile ranked lists of recommended juniors and seniors for consideration. The method used to compile the lists varies from state to state, although all recommended students must have been selected to participate in their home all-state festivals.

The committee builds the ensembles from the state presidents' ranked lists, trying to mimic the state population percentages in each group.

The 2019 All-Eastern Honors Ensembles (all except for Jazz, which will perform on Saturday evening, April 6) will perform for an audience of thousands on Sunday, April 7, 2019, in the Spirit of Pittsburgh Ballroom at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, PA. For program and ticket information please visit www.pmea.org.


Lauren Dennett - Tenor Saxophone; Brinda Venkataraman - Violin
Lauren Dennett - Tenor Saxophone; Brinda Venkataraman - Violin

Franklin SEPAC: Franklin Fire Department Community Day - Mar 23

Franklin Fire Department Community Day

This is an event for those with special needs to become more comfortable with our first responders.

Special appearances by Ben Franklin, therapy dog and newest member of the Franklin PD and Sparky the Fire Dog!

When: Saturday, March 23 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Where: 40 West Central Street, Fire Dept HQs

Space is limited, please RSVP to Franklin SEPAC at franklinsepac@gmail.com.

Franklin SEPAC: Franklin Fire Department Community Day - Mar 23
Franklin SEPAC: Franklin Fire Department Community Day - Mar 23

Franklin Art Association April 3, 2019 Meeting

The Franklin Art Association will meet on Wednesday, April 3, 2019 from 6:30 to 9:00 PM at the Franklin Senior Center, 10 Daniel McCahill Street in Franklin.

Refreshments and social time will begin at 6:30 PM, followed by a short business meeting and a watercolor demonstration by Joyce McJilton Dwyer, an artist with thirty years' experience working in watercolors and drawings.

FAA meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month, September through May, and are free and open to the public. For more information log on to www.franklinart.org

Franklin Art Association April 3, 2019 Meeting
Franklin Art Association April 3, 2019 Meeting