Concerts on the Common - 6:00 PM

It is that time of year, school preparations are underway and the last concert of the summer will be held on the Town Common.


6:00 PM - Mike Rutkowski DJ

Concerts on the Common

In the event of rain, the concert will be held across the street at the Benjamin Franklin Charter School

Franklin Solar Challenge - information meeting tonight

Join us for our kick-off meeting, Wednesday August 20 at 7PM in Town Council Chambers! 

The Dept. of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) wants to know if Franklin wants solar panels. The Franklin Solar Challenge will help residents and business owners obtain solar panels for less. The more residents and business owners that sign up, the cheaper solar panels become. 

Right now, DPCD is speaking with other communities who have run their own Solar Challenge, in order to see how best to move forward.

solar panels at Mt Saint Mary's

DPCD Needs Your SupportPlease help get the word out about the Franklin Solar Challenge. DPCD will contact those interested to organize a meeting date and discuss next steps. 

Concord recently engaged in their own Solar Challenge and now 160 residents and business owners have their own solar panels. Save money and go green! Contact Franklin’s DPCD today!

Interested in the Franklin Solar Challenge?
Please Contact the Town of Franklin’s Department of Planning & Community Development at:
(508) 520 – 4907 or TOFPlanning@franklin.ma.us

Mothers, hold the date - Sep 15th

The Franklin MOMs Club will be holding our Annual Fall Kick Off Social at the Hockomock Area YMCA in Franklin on Monday September 15 at 10:00am. 

Any interested moms living in Franklin are invited to attend with their children. The MOMs club is a non-profit international organization comprised of stay at home mothers and their children. Our primary goal is to offer mother support. 

All activities and events are scheduled M-F during the hours of 9-5 with the occasional special event falling on a weekend day or evening. 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at this email or at 908-380-7668. 

Thank you so much! 

Siobhan Lewis
Membership Vice President
MOMS Club of Franklin

International MOMs Club website

Additional information on the International MOMs Club can be found here
http://www.momsclub.org/

The Franklin, MA chapter webpage can be found here
http://momsclubfranklinma.weebly.com/index.html

In the News: FHS enrollment, artist-in-residence

As posted here on Sunday, the new Franklin High School will open with more students than it closed with it June. The Milford Daily News writes:

While the high school enrollment continues to climb — three more ninth grade students joined on Monday — district-wide enrollment has decreased over the last few months: from 5,776 in June to 5,628 as of July 30. 

School officials expected that with a new school opening, more students would enroll in the high school program. At the elementary school level, however, enrollment has declined. 

Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski said the numbers aren’t surprising. 

"During the spring, we sent out several surveys to parents of grade eight students to see what options they were considering for HS," Sabolinski wrote in an email. "In the past we had a consistent number of students opt to attend private/parochial school and about 90 percent of the grade 8 students indicated they intended to enroll at FHS."

Continue reading the article in the Milford Daily News here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140820/NEWS/140829802


Dean gets an extra special guest teacher in dance as artist-in-residence

Dance majors at Dean College this year will have the opportunity to learn from a master of the craft, a man who created his own technique and who has been called one of the top four tap dancers in the world. 

William Evans, known internationally as a successful author and choreographer, joins the college beginning this semester as an artist-in-residence who will teach and advise students of Dean’s Palladino School of Dance. 

Evans, 73, founded his own dance company in 1975 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has choreographed more than 200 works. The company has performed in all 50 states.

Continue reading the article in the Milford Daily News here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140820/NEWS/140829806

Franklin Library: Sunday hours start Sep 7th

The monthly book sales have successfully enabled the Franklin Library to add Sunday hours. They will open from 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM on Sundays from September to May.

Franklin Library: Sunday hours - 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM

This was re-shared from the Franklin Library page here
http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2014/08/new-sunday-hours.html


Franklin Library open hours

• Monday - Thursday -- 9 AM to 8 PM
• Friday and Saturday -- 9 AM to 5 PM
• Sundays 1:30 PM to 5 PM (Sept - May)
• Closed Holidays

Find our more information about the Library on their webpage here

http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Library/index

Consumer affairs and Boston Harbor islands

Two quick links to share from the MA.gov blogs.

1 - Top consumer affairs complaints

The MA Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations published a listing of the top complaints they receive and resources to help resolve them.

Last month, the Consumer Federation of America published a list of their top ten consumer complaints. In it, they named many of the issues that the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations keeps consumers informed about, ranging from auto complaints to fraud and scams. 

The Office of Consumer Affairs also releases an annual list of the Top 5 Massachusetts Consumer Issues. In 2013, our top five issues were related to insurance, auto, telephone service, cable service, and home improvement contractors.

Chances Are, You’ve Had to Deal with One of These 5 Consumer Issues

Continue reading the article here
http://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/chances-are-youve-had-to-deal-with-one-of-these-5-consumer-issues/

2 - Plan a day trip to one of the islands in Boston Harbor

Looking for a fun day trip for you and possibly your family? Look no further, the Boston Harbor Islands are the place to be. Lots of events take place on these islands during the summer months, so enjoy these festivities while they are here! 

Spectacle Island has five miles of beautiful hiking, a café, a visitor center with exhibits and a sandy swimming beach. It is also home to the highest point in the harbor with spectacular views. To get there, hop on the ferry at Long Wharf-North in Boston. While you are at Spectacle Island, enjoy a swim at a lifeguarded beach. If swimming isn’t your thing, Spectacle Island has a marina with day and overnight slips to tie your boat up. So, boat on over to the island and enjoy the serenity.

Plan a Day Trip – Right in Boston Harbor!

Continue reading the article here
http://blog.mass.gov/greatoutdoors/education/boston-harbor-islands/

You can also go direct to the Boston Harbor Islands webpage here
http://www.bostonharborislands.org/

In the News: wiffle ball, downtown parking

Though the day was filled with fun, laughter, music and Wiffle ball, Michelle Adiletto called the day an emotional one.Even as she watched her son, Dylan, 14, dig in to try to hit a Wiffle ball over the heads of the fielders, all she could think of was how much her husband would have enjoyed the day. 

The Second Annual Random Smile Wiffle Ball Tournament was in honor of Adiletto's husband, Danny, who passed away June 7, 2013.

Continue reading the article in the Milford Daily News here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140816/NEWS/140817309/1994/NEWS

In Franklin, the Town Council is considering removing downtown parking meters and changing parking restrictions in an attempt to bring more customers to area restaurants and shops, said Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting. 

Earlier this month, Nutting requested the council eliminate the meters in favor of a new two-hour parking policy during the week, which he hopes will bring more traffic downtown. 

"Thursday, Friday and Saturday night the place is jammed," he said. "Part of the plan is to better utilize existing spaces." 

Nutting also proposed limiting the hours for commuter rail parking and creating permits to sell to area business owners.

Continue reading the article in the Milford Daily News here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140817/NEWS/140817314/1994/NEWS

Middle School and High School Handbooks

The handbooks were reviewed by the School Committee as part of the Aug 12th meeting. The handbook copies can be found here for each school. The official copy should be posted to each school website soon.

Annie Sullivan
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczOG9zeUZBZEEtWGM/edit?usp=sharing

Horace Mann
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczd1M4UHhWUlk1bUU/edit?usp=sharing

Remington
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczUUt3TTlMRkpZbVE/edit?usp=sharing



Franklin High School
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczNmVkZjBIWExtcU0/edit?usp=sharing

main entrance to new Franklin High School

Elementary School Handbooks

The handbooks were part of the School Committee meeting Tuesday Aug 12.

The updated versions will soon be available on the individual school websites.

ECDC
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczRzBaQjB5emdSYzA/edit?usp=sharing

Davis Thayer
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczY3JVd2pGTWtvMGs/edit?usp=sharing

Jefferson
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhcza19GUjBueXdZcmc/edit?usp=sharing

Keller
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczTW1iN3VMMEpnbGs/edit?usp=sharing

Kennedy
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczendybFFodlkxajQ/edit?usp=sharing

Oak St
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczMDdZbmlRSlVXV1E/edit?usp=sharing

Parmenter
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczYld3R1lsUFVTRXM/edit?usp=sharing

the interior courtyard of the new FHS

Franklin Library: Whalemobile and Liquid Nitrogen

What do you get when you mix a whalemobile and liquid nitrogen? 

Not sure that I would like to find out. Fortunately, the combination won't occur at the library as the whalemobile is scheduled for Friday afternoon and the liquid nitrogen demonstrations are scheduled for Friday morning.

Additional details can be found in the flyers for each event shown here

liquid nitrogen demonstrations

http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2014/08/liquid-nitrogen-demonstrations.html

whalemobile

http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2014/08/whalemobile.html

FHS to open with more students

The new Franklin High School is slated to open with about 1,719 students as of the enrollment at the end of July. You may recall that the school year ended with a student population in the old school building of only 1,624.

community entrance to the new FHS for gym and auditorium access

The school population across the district has dropped again to 5,628 down from 5,778 at the end of June.

You can view the full enrollment details by grade by school across the district comparing June 2014 to July 2014 here




The major drop in the district population is found in the elementary levels. Recall that the major recession started in late 2008. The decline in students now is likely due to a decline in births given the uncertain economy.

Franklin Sculpture Park (video)

A recent sunny summer Saturday I talk a walk through the Franklin Sculpture Park to record this video.




The formal ribbon cutting ceremony to open the park will be held Wednesday, Aug 27th at 5:00 PM

(Note: I did say the ribbon cutting is at 4:00 the second time I mention it as the video comes to a close. That is an error.

8/18/14 - someone else with sharp ears caught me saying it is next to the 'fire' station instead of the police station. How that happens, I have no idea! Thanks for the catch!)


A posting from July with links to earlier posts on the Sculpture Park
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/07/more-art-at-sculpture-park.html

Fallen Heroes Series - Remembering

When I shared the picture from the Boston Sports Club to Facebook earlier this week, I realized that it was 'only' last year that I had posted the Fallen Heroes Series. Rhode Island, where I happen to be working, remains the only state to celebrate VJ Day or Victory Day, marking the end of World War II.

Post by Franklin Matters.

I also realized that there have been so many new subscribers in the past year that it would be worthwhile to re-share the link. So without further ado:

From wikipedia:

Although September 2 is the designated V-J Day in the entire United States, the event is recognized as an official holiday only in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, where the holiday's official name is "Victory Day",^[20] and it is observed on the second Monday of August. There have been several attempts in the 1980s and 1990s to eliminate or rename the holiday on the grounds that it is discriminatory. While those all failed, the Rhode Island General Assembly did pass a resolution in 1990 "stating that Victory Day is not a day to express satisfaction in the destruction and death caused by nuclear bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki."^[21] It is instead commemorative of those who fought, as Rhode Island sent a significantly above-average percentage of its population into the Pacific theater.    

To recognize the Franklin Fallen heroes from World War II, I'll be sharing their information this week. 

Thanks to Rose Turco for putting it together to recognize them and for allowing me to share this with you.

What is the Fallen Heroes Series?
A description of each of the street signs that are found around Franklin to acknowledge the individual who lived near there and gave his life in either World War II or the Vietnam War.

Cpl John J Kell - Raymond St

Note: There have been some additions to the signs to recognize those individuals from Afghanistan and Iraq but their info is not included in here at this time.


You can find the complete listing here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/franklin-fallen-heroes-series.html

Franklin Library: Book Sale - Sat/Sun

Friendly reminder: the August edition of the monthly Library Book Sale happens this weekend.

• Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
• Sunday the bag sale occurs from 9:00 AM to noon.

Library Book Sale - Aug 16-17

This was re-shared from the Franklin Library page here
http://franklinpl.blogspot.com/2014/08/library-book-sale.html

Pour Richard’s: A Very Special 'Farmer's Market' - Aug 23

Connecting good friends with great wine! Never Drink Ordinary! 'Farm to Table, Farm to Glass' Saturday, August 23 1-4 PM Mark your calendars, because it doesn't get any better than this. How do we love this event? Let us count the ways... 1) It all starts with an Akin Bak Farm farmstand, set up in our parking lot for the day. All that gorgeous fresh produce, and honey, too! 2) Corey Bunnewith creating fabulous Farm to Glass cocktails melding his delicious liquors and liqueurs with Akin Bak's fresh produce. He'll be making Smashes, Sours, and a whole lot more. Demonstration and tasting samples, with recipes to take home! He may also have some exclusive news/presells for his new distillery....hint, hint. 3) George Schwarz pouring wonderful Italian wines from his company, Kimera Imports. Nero d'Avola, Lacrima Christi Bianco and Rosso, a Valpolicella Ripasso. What is Capel del Prete? Have you ever had a Susumaniello? Come and taste for yourself. 4) As if all that were not enough, La Campania Ristorante of Waltham is bring a mobile wood-fired Neapolitan brick pizza oven. They'll use Akin Bak's produce, plus meats and cheeses, to create flatbread-style pizzas in the image of Napoli. That's the oven in the picture above...you can almost taste the chewy goodness!   Help us celebrate the end-of-summer bounty. Bring your appetite and sense of adventure. (Leave any preconceptions about veggies at home.)   Never Drink Ordinary! -Ann and John Please share this email with friends who are enthusiastic about great wine, beer, and spirits. (Keeping all the good stuff for yourself is bad karma.)

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