Earth Day - May 3 (video)

Note: received an update via Twitter that the Earth Day has been rescheduled to Sat May 3

Early in the morning, the train whistle blowing as it approaches, the traffic sign on the triangle in downtown Franklin announces Earth Day - this Saturday, Apr 26 from 9:00 AM to noon at Beaver Pond.




For more information on Franklin's Earth Day
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/04/celebrate-earth-day-apr-26.html

Earth Day 2014

For more information on Earth Day around the world, visit this page  http://www.earthday.org/

Blood Drive - Jun 7

Please join us for a Blood Drive 

Saturday, June 7, 2014

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

Franklin United Methodist Church

82 West Central Street

Franklin, MA 02038

positive id required

Boston Children's Hospital - Blood Donor Center

This Blood Drive is in honor of Oak Street Elementary Student Noah Smith 

To make an appointment please log onto halfpints.childrenshospital.org 

Sponsor code for this drive is FRMETHCH or call Susan Touhey at 508-404-6914

Franklin Fire: Emergency Medical Services - Transport Profile

During the Apr 16 Town Council meeting, Fire Chief Gary McCarragher gave a presentation on the ambulance service with a bunch of good info on response rates, the nature of the ambulance calls, where the patients are transported to, etc.

Franklin Fire Dept

My live reported notes for the presentation can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/04/live-reporting-ambulance-presentation.html



The presentation used is shown here:





The full set of notes from the Town Council meeting on April 16 can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/04/what-about-bens-books.html

The notes for all the meetings attended and reported on going back to 2008 can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/p/meeting-notes.html

Franklin Library: Wally the Green Monster

Wally the Green Monster makes an appearance at the Franklin Library Thursday morning, Apr 24 at 10:30 AM

Wally the Green Monster

http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2014/04/wally-green-monster.html

Franklin Letter Carriers Help Franklin Food Pantry Stamp Out Hunger in Community Food Drive on May 10

On Saturday, May 10, Franklin letter carriers will help the Franklin Food Pantry Stamp Out Hunger when the carriers pick up food donations from town residents at their mailboxes and deliver them to the Franklin Food Pantry.

The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is a nationwide effort organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) that provides food to local food banks and pantries that would otherwise be faced with depleted stocks during the summer months. The food drive is the nation’s largest single-day drive, collecting 74.4 million pounds of food last year and 1.3 billion since its inception 22 years ago.

Stamp Out Hunger - May 10

“Stamp Out Hunger is an opportunity for the Franklin letter carriers to help people in need who live in our own backyard,” says Rich Maloney, Franklin member of NALC. “It is a truly moving experience when you see our fleet of mail trucks arrive at the Food Pantry with bags of food donations from the community. Last year we collected and delivered four thousand pounds of food that helped feed area families in need. With the help of our community, we hope to collect even more food this year.”

The Franklin Food Pantry is experiencing an increased need for its services which mirrors trends seen nationally and throughout Massachusetts. “We have seen a 43 percent increase in families returning weekly for bread and produce during the last year,” says Erin Lynch, director of development for the Franklin Food Pantry. “With more than 600 local households unable to afford three meals a day, the number of pounds of provisions we distributed increased by 30 percent.”

The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive comes at an ideal time for the Pantry. “We receive tremendous support from the community during the November/December holiday season,” says Lynch. “But donations slow down after the first of the year, and by springtime, our inventory becomes very low. We do not have enough food to help the hundreds of families who are counting on us for supplemental food assistance. Thanks to the Franklin letter carriers, and the generosity of town residents, this food drive allows us to replenish our inventory in preparation for the summer season.”

Franklin residents can help out with the food drive by leaving a bag of non-perishable food where their letter carrier normally delivers their mail on Saturday, May 10. Letter carriers will then pick up the bags during their normal mail rounds and will deliver the food to the Franklin Food Pantry. Residents can also drop off their donations at the Pantry from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 10, or during the Pantry’s regular business hours, Tuesday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Pantry is located at 43 West Central Street, Route 140.

While all non-perishable food donations are welcome, items that are currently most needed at the Pantry include:

• Canned tomato products
• Canned fruit
• Canned ravioli
• Tuna (white in water)
• Cereal
• Olive and/or canola oil
• Dry spices and herbs (parsley, garlic powder, basil, cinnamon, etc.)
• Vinegar
• Gluten free products

The Pantry is also in need of the following non-food items:

• Deodorant
• Dish Soap
• All-purpose cleaners
• Baby diapers/wipes

For more information on the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com.

Established in 1987, the mission of the Franklin Food Pantry is to provide immediate hunger relief and healthy sustainable solutions, by empowering the community through resources, education and collaboration. It is part of the Greater Boston Food Bank network and depends entirely on support and donations from volunteers, corporate partners and the community at large.

Franklin Food Pantry

The Franklin Food Pantry is located at 43 West Central Street, Route 140 and can accept donations during business hours, Tuesday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Non-perishables may also be dropped off after hours in the bin by the front door, or monetary donations may be mailed to Franklin Food Pantry, PO Box 116, Franklin, MA 02038. For more information, visit franklinfoodpantry.org, like the Pantry’s Facebook page, or call 508-528-3115. The Franklin Food Pantry is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization FEIN # 04-3272663.

ROCK AND ROLL AND LAND PRESERVATION: How WBCN Radio Helped Save the Blackstone Gorge

Former WBCN Radio disk jockey Carter Alan, now Music Director at WZLX, will speak on Thursday, May 15th at the First Universalist Society in Franklin, 262 Chestnut Street, sponsored by Metacomet Land Trust. Carter will speak about the impact WBCN had on the culture of the time. Carter will share stories from his book, Radio Free Boston: The Rise and Fall of WBCN.

Metacomet is a nonprofit conservation organization based in Franklin, and now active in 13 communities in south central Massachusetts from Norfolk to Douglas. The trust will hold its annual membership meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. and the free program will begin at 7:00 p.m. 

The connection between the local conservation group and the rock music scene of Boston dates to 1992, when a unique and untouched stretch of the Blackstone River on the border between Massachusetts and Rhode Island was at risk of development. Would it be sold for development or could it be saved? 

An unusual grassroots campaign by Metacomet took to the airwaves of Boston’s leading rock radio station, WBCN. In less than a year, the needed funds were raised and this special place was preserved as a bi-state public park. How did it happen? Come hear the story of how a small group of local conservationists enlisted the support of the on-air personalities at WBCN and helped save the land.

Tom Bik, of Blackstone, who has been active in the conservation group since its founding in 1988, said “WBCN was instrumental in getting our message out to save the Blackstone Gorge. The Gorge is a unique place, still untouched by human hands.” Blaring the Cream anthem “I Feel Free,” WBCN went on the air in March 1968 as an experiment in free-form rock on the fledgling FM radio band. It broadcast its final song, Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” in August 2009. 

In between, WBCN became the musical, cultural, and political voice of the young people of Boston and New England, sustaining a vibrant local music scene that launched such artists as the J. Geils Band, Aerosmith, James Taylor, Boston, the Cars, and the Dropkick Murphys, as well as paving the way for Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, U2, and many others. Along the way, WBCN both pioneered and defined progressive rock radio, the dominant format for a generation of listeners. 

Carter was a DJ at WBCN for nineteen years and is the author of U2, Outside Is America, and Life on the Road. In Radio Free Boston, Carter tells story of a city; of artistic freedom, of music and politics and identity; and of the cultural, technological, and financial forces that killed rock radio. 

Carter will answer questions at the end of his talk. Copies of Radio Free Boston will be available for purchase at the event and he will sign copies.

ROCK AND ROLL AND LAND PRESERVATION

Find out more about the Metacomet Land Trust by visiting their updated webpage
http://www.metacometlandtrust.org/index.htm

or visit them on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Metacomet-Land-Trust/233206973376705

Franklin Downtown Partnership General Meeting Agenda - May 1

Franklin Downtown Partnership General Meeting Agenda

Thursday, May 1, 2014, 8:30 a.m.

Dean College Campus Center

Golder Room

I.     Open Meeting

II.    Adoption of Agenda

III.   Introductions

Franklin Downtown Partnership

IV.   Town Update -- Jeff Nutting, Town Administrator
       a.  Streetscape
            i.    Construction schedule update
            ii.   Introduce Maxine Kinhart
            iii.  Communications logistics
            iv.  Update on island design and plantings
       b.  Emmons Street project
            i.   Next steps
            ii.  Updates on possible state funding options
       c.  Other town updates

V.    Report from Executive Director
       a.  Brochure/Map project
       b.  FDP Event Calendar -- review (handout)
       c.  Membership/Sponsorship
       d.  Steering Committee for Emmons Street project
       e.  "Adopt a Block" -- Devin Gray

VI.   Strawberry Stroll Committee -- Nicole, Jane, Bryan

VII.   Networking Luncheon -- Joel Carrara

VIII.  Beautification Committee -- Eileen Mason

IX.    New Business
        Ladybug Project -- Franklin Cultural Committee

X.    Adjourn

Beautification Day:  May 17th