Santa Claus comes to the Franklin Town Common

Thanksgiving leftovers are plentiful and still delicious, sometimes tasting even better than the first time around! With Thanksgiving behind us, Santa Claus must be coming to Franklin soon. He is scheduled to make his appearance on the Franklin Town Common at 4:00 PM Sunday, Dec 1.

Santa Claus arrives Sunday

Santa ready for pictures

Additional photos from 2011 can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_sherlock/sets/72157628187894073/with/6417755069/

"print newspapers no longer provide the reach"

The Milford Daily News reports that:

State Rep. Jeffrey Roy, D-Franklin, has drafted legislation that would authorize municipalities to post public notices online rather than having to pay the local newspaper to publish them. 

Roy last week testified before the House Joint Committee on the Judiciary, arguing that his bill would increase transparency and help "cash-strapped" cities and towns save money. 

Also testifying at the hearing were newspaper publisher executives who oppose the legislation. Newspapers, they say, "play a unique and time-tested role in publishing public notice advertising, and "to remove these ads from newspapers would be to undermine accountability, reduce transparency and weaken the economy."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x915448749/Franklin-Rep-Roy-pushes-for-online-public-notices#ixzz2m882w7SY

Respectfully, I disagree with the position of the newspapers.They are in a dying market and lack a sustaining funding model. It is a matter of time before they go away. Something (like citizen journalism) will arise to fulfill the news gap to keep transparency and accountability around. I think their cynical approach is one of the contributing factors to their own decline but that is just my two cents.

In the News: virtual school, Santa arrives

Virtual school proposal gains support

A proposed virtual school in the region is getting plenty of support from MetroWest lawmakers and school officials, who have told the state they have confidence in the education collaborative behind the plan.

Santa Claus coming to Franklin on Sunday

With leftovers all that remain of Thanksgiving, the annual Christmas on the Common on Sunday evening will celebrate with a familiar flourish the beginning of the holiday season.

Exercise in Giving!

About 400 runners and walkers were up bright and early Thanksgiving morning to take part in the Turkey Trot 5K. Held at the LDS Church on Jordan Rd and put on by Feed The Need, the event was quite successful! Raising money and food for the Franklin Food Pantry, the donations filled the truck.

Erin Lynch, Director of Development for the Franklin Food Pantry posed by the full truckload of donations

More photos of the event can be found here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_sherlock/sets/72157638175273655/with/11116316576/

The official race results will be posted to http://feedtheneed.org/


When the final tally on runners/walkers and donations is ready, it will be shared. In the meantime, thank you! thank you! thank you! This is wonderful support for our community!


This was also posted to the Franklin Food Pantry web page here
http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/2013/11/an-exercise-in-giving.html

"None of those books will ever be read again"

Were they banned or burned? No, this comes from a loyal reader who finds that the NY Times mentions the Franklin Public Library and its book preservation efforts by writing:

In 1785, Benjamin Franklin shipped to the town of Franklin, Mass. — the first town of many named in his honor — 116 books for a public library. His sister Jane, who never went to school and never learned to spell, asked him to send her a list of those books. “My Reason for this Request is I have a grat deal of time on my hands,” she explained. “I Love Reading ...and I dont doubt I can Borrow of won and another of my Acquaintance.” Then she set about trying to read every book on that list, from Locke to Montesquieu, from Blackstone to Newton. 

In Franklin, Mass., those books — the gift from Benjamin Franklin — are still there, in the town library. They are locked in a cabinet. A few years back, the library’s board, citing a lack of funds for the care of rare books, decided that the door to that cabinet must never be opened. None of those books will ever be read again.

You can read the full article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/opinion/sunday/a-most-expensive-book.html?_r=1&

Hockomock League All Stars: Soys, Soccer, Field Hockey and Cross Country

Hockomock Sports.com is continuing to publish their listing of season awards.

• Jesse d'Entremont, Joe Kalil, and Tim LaRowe represent Franklin on the Boys Soccer All Stars.  Alex Garrity was given Honorable Mention. See the full listing of Hockomock League Boys Soccer All Stars here

http://www.hockomocksports.com/1/post/2013/11/hockomock-league-2013-boys-soccer-all-stars.html

• Marta Vesprille, Kelly Dubowski, Tara Doherty, and Maddie Bressler represent Franklin on the Field Hockey All Stars.  See the full listing of Hockomock League Field Hockey All Stars here

http://www.hockomocksports.com/1/post/2013/11/hockomock-league-2013-field-hockey-all-stars.html

• Devon Strok, Caroline Knous, Nicole Mucciarone, and Brittany Robinson made the Cross Country All Stars. See the full listing of Hockomock League Cross Country All Stars here 

http://www.hockomocksports.com/1/post/2013/11/hockomock-league-2013-cross-country-all-stars.html 

"enhancing these public spaces for everyone to enjoy"

The Southern New England Trunk Line Trail (SNETT) is the beneficiary of two recent grants.

Last year, the Friends reached out to the six communities through which the trail passes, getting them to agree to help fulfill the groups’ goal of fixing up the entire trail. 

The groups say the grant funds will go toward two specific projects, including cutting back overgrowth and re-grading the surface of a roughly 2-mile section of the trail between South Street and Monroe Street in Douglas. 

And with help from the National Parks Service — made possible thanks to another grant — the groups aim to create a long-term development plan for the trail. The plan will include a protocol to inventory and assess trail conditions and structures.

Read the full article here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x915448755/Trunkline-Trail-groups-pick-up-state-grant#ixzz2m2Q9xVK3

part of the SNETT in Franklin, the old utilities pole remains

For additional information on the development efforts of the SNETT trail visit the Franklin Bellingham Rail Trail Committee web page here  http://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/

or on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Franklin-Bellingham-Rail-Trail-Committee/185258844899495