Carol's Christmas - Today and Tomorrow at Horace Mann

From contributor Lisa Buccella:

I haven't seen the rehearsals for this show but it sure to be funny, witty and entertaining.  Nick Paone wrote it and he is brilliant!  Take a break from the bustle today, tonight or tomorrow.  Student "rush" tickets are available for single seats for teens/young adults age 16-22.  

Carol's Christmas

Celebrate the Holidays with a Show!

Enjoy a brand new, original FPAC holiday musical Carol's Christmas on December 21 & 22!

• FPAC premieres Carol's Christmas this season, a new contemporary musical comedy written by Nick Paone, who penned FPAC's popular Humbug!
• Ring in the holidays with a large ensemble cast of 160 talented area performers as they sing and dance their way through this joyous, uplifting and hilarious story!
• Carol's Christmas features an entertaining score with music of many genres and live musical accompaniment by members of the Kenny Hadley Big Band.

Click below to Buy your Nutcracker and Carol's Christmas tickets online


http://www.fpaconline.com/box-office.php

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And, if you head to The Cake Bar.....you may see have a cupcake with frosting that was made by Jack.  Over his break, he has been working there!  In fact, if you come to Carol's Christmas, you may actually see Jack as he is working there this weekend!  

Last Chance to Order a Holiday Platter! The last day to order a holiday platter is Sunday, December 21st by 7:00!  Our holiday platters include: 12" Platter - 30 pieces - $33.75 21 assorted mini cupcakes 3 mini pumpkin bars 3 assorted truffles 3 frosting shots 14" Platter - 41 pieces - $45.50 30 assorted mini cupcakes 4 mini pumpkin bars 4 assorted truffles 3 frosting shots 16" Platter - 55 pieces - $61.00 40 assorted mini cupcakes 6 mini pumpkin bars 6 assorted truffles 3 frosting shots  PLEASE NOTE, THE BAKERY CLOSES AT 12:00pm  ON DECEMBER 24TH AND RE-OPENS AT 9:00am ON FRI, JANUARY 3RD.

You can visit The Cake Bar downtown or online here  http://thecakebaronline.com/

Pay your Franklin water/sewer/trash bills online

Did you know you could pay your Franklin bills online?
You can also get notification of the bill via email. This saves paper and can be more efficient for Franklin and you.

This one page handout was on the table in the entrance area at the Municipal Building.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczM09Kd2NuRTlBakE/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-ip_bGQiAFQEBqKAjmeD_-A



You can pay your Franklin bills online here
https://unipaygold.unibank.com/customerinfo.aspx

Note the link is available from the official Franklin home page. You can find the link in the lower left corner of the menu.  http://town.franklin.ma.us/

Franklin, MA: Committee openings

The following Committee have openings:


Franklin Disabilities Commission

Franklin Housing Trust Fund - Maxine Kinhart 508-553-4886


If you are interested in serving on the committee, please complete the form (link below) and return to the Town Administrator's Office.

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/01B2AF2D-000F8513.0/TOWN%20OF%20FRANKLIN%20VOLUNTEER%20FORM.pdf

Six One Seven Studios: Use Facebook to Easily Grow Your Business

Six One Seven Studios December Newsletter Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. December 2013 • How To Use Facebook Advertisements • Facebook Advertisement Best Practices Check out our new website. Click here! Facebook Twitter Let's start with why you spend money on Facebook and how it can help you reach customers. Facebook has more than 1 billion registered users and 618 million daily active users, with those totals continuing to grow. If you sponsor a page or posts and target your ads to a specific audience, you can actually: Grow your Facebook audience. Increase traffic. Boost visibility in the market. Generate leads. Leveraging this capability by creating highly targeted campaigns will result in more successful ads. Think about who you are targeting and why. Who are the main users of your product / service? Is a majority male, female or both? Are your customers typically older or younger? Where are most of your clients coming from? Use Facebook Insights, Insights provide measurements on your Page's performance and are available after at least 30 people like your Page. Find anonymized demographic data about your audience, and see how people are discovering and responding to your posts. This will help you get an idea of the gender, age and location of individuals who like your page and use this data when creating your ads. Learn more how to access Insights click here. The individuals who like your page indicate the type of people who would respond positively to your ads. Focus your ads around these statistics and choose options that make sense. Customize Ads to Your Target Market Once you've focused your target market, the next step is creating ads that cater to that particular group. If the majority of your client base is female, create ads that speak to women. If your brand relates to adventure and family fun, add a photo of a family and create an exciting statement with a call to action. Create Ads That Stand Out Since businesses are only allotted one thumbnail photo and a maximum of 135 characters, you've got to make it count. Use clear, up-close images to really make an impact. Avoid images that are ambiguous or zoomed out. People are more apt to click on ads that interest them and draw in their attention; vibrant and clear images are attention grabbers. It is also important to have interesting text along with your image to encourage a click. An enticing photo may cause individuals to look, but the text is what ultimately makes someone click. Here is an example of an ad that stands out. American Express created an ad that said "Small business owner? Earn points faster for your business. Click here to learn more!" American Express ads are consistently great. The headline and the first line of body copy are questions. There is a "Click here" for the benefit call to action. The later is clearly more catchy, invokes the readers' interest, and includes a call to action. Using text that makes an impact is very important to the success of your ad. Specials and discounts are also catchy and can be successful in advertisements. Continuously Test Your Ads Continue to test your ads to find out what works and what doesn't. It's beneficial to run several ads for a certain period of time and see how they perform. Switch up the pictures or text in ads that aren't performing well and look for any measurable improvements. Run the successful ads in a campaign, but remember, people are continuously changing their tastes and new trends surface, so it's important to always re-evaluate your target market and create ads accordingly. Facebook is the most affordable way to reach a huge number of customers and make them aware of your company's product or service. 1. Strong Call To Action: Always include a clear, simple call to action in your Ad's copy like "Click now" 2. Offers & Discounts: Clearly highlight the benefits (features, discount, special promo) of your product 3. Fun Images: Use a catchy image relevant with the text. The image is the most important element of the Ad. 4. Get To The Point: Text in your ad needs to be right on target and straight to the point. If you want them to Like your page, simply ask. If you want to sell a point, get right to it.    Six One Seven Studios provides complete video, media and graphic services to help get your project from start to finish. Although, if you asked us what we really do, we help people tell their story. We help them tell it well. We help them tell it powerfully. We help them be noticed. We capture the highest quality images and concepts to make your story stand out. We ensure that every project captures and communicates the right message and gets the right results. www.sixonesevenstudios.com 888-234-0405 hello@sixonesevenstudios.com

Copyright © 2013 Six One Seven Studios, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have contacted Six One Seven Studios in the past. Our mailing address is: Six One Seven Studios 430 Franklin Village Drive Box 120 Franklin, MA 02038 Add us to your address book

In the News: false collections, EPA compliance

Franklin man charged with falsely collecting unemployment benefits

Four people, including a Franklin man, have been charged in connection with collecting a combined total of more than $132,000 in unemployment benefits while still working, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today.

Kennedy: EPA compliance costs high for local communities

U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III has co-written a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, requesting the agency detail its plan to help cities and towns throughout the country shoulder the cost to comply with environmental regulations.

Franklin's portion of the Norfolk County Retirement System

Unfunded liability is an item of discussion for the Franklin budget. There are two areas of unfunded liability. The Norfolk County Retirement System and the towns own post-retirement benefit liabilities. Town administrator Jeff Nutting reviewed this worksheet with the Finance Committee at the December meeting. It was the first time that Franklin had received such detail from Norfolk County.

As you read the table in the attachment below, FRA is the Franklin line. We have an outstanding liability of $36.4M.



How Franklin will save to pay for this unfunded liability will continue to be a discussion item each budget cycle.

MassBudget: The State of Working Massachusetts - Poverty Still Elevated

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. The State of Working Massachusetts  2013 is coming to a close, and while our state economy has continued to grow, the poverty rate remains stubbornly high and wages are still lower than they were before the "Great Recession." MassBudget's new online version of "The State of Working Massachusetts" presents a snapshot of economic conditions currently facing workers in Massachusetts and across the nation, along with some longer-term trends. We find, in particular, that:  Even now, four years after the end of the recession, the poverty rate has not begun to decline Since 2007, the statewide poverty rate has increased from 9.9% to 11.9% Over 1 in every 7 children across the state is currently living in poverty In addition to covering issues of poverty, the various sections of "The State of Working Massachusetts" discuss the jobs situation in our state along with the declining value of the minimum wage, changes in household income, and the important role education plays in all of these. We invite you to read more about any of these areas, and to check back periodically as materials get updated. Read about THE STATE OF WORKING MASSACHUSETTS The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

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