April Hall at THE BLACK BOX

THE BLACK BOX in downtown Franklin presents critically acclaimed jazz vocalist April Hall on Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m. The concert, rescheduled from February due to a Valentine’s Day snowstorm, is featured as part of BLACK BOX Jazz, one of four dynamic music series launched this year at the new theater, music and event venue. 

April Hall

April Hall takes audiences on a special journey through The Great American Songbook, showcasing the most enduring and influential Golden Age standards of the Broadway stage and Hollywood screen. With her swinging all-star band, Hall interprets our most treasured classics by legendary masters of song to deliver a deeply moving evening of sentiment, humor, heartbreak and romance. Her voice described as "glorious" by The Boston Globe, Hall combines her deep roots in southern gospel and blues with an urban soulfulness and jazz sophistication. 

A graduate of Berklee College of Music, where she received the prestigious Louis Armstrong Performance Award, Hall has done projects for Atlantic Records, under the direction of Arif Mardin, for the legendary Chaka Kahn, Melissa Manchester and Bette Midler and has performed with artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Al Jarreau, Jim Ed Brown, Helen Cornelius and Dinah Shore. Hall’s "Room for Two" was named one of Jazz Times top 50 Jazz Records of 2012. Hall will be joined at THE BLACK BOX by pianist Tim Ray, bassist Mark Poniatowski, saxophonist Tom Hall and drummer Kenny Hadley. 

THE BLACK BOX, the home of the Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC), is located at 15 West Central Street. Tickets for the BLACK BOX Jazz event are $20. For ticket purchase or more information, visit www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com or call (508) 528-3370.

Franklin Art Association Spring Show winners

Congratulations to all the winners at the Franklin Art Association Spring Show!

Franklin Art Association - Art Show and Sale

BEST IN SHOW:

Rebecca Skinner for “Falling Down” (Photography)

PEOPLE’S CHOICE:

Diane Choquette for “New England Harvest” (WatercolorW

OIL CATEGORY:

1st Place - Paul Peterson for “A Long Deep Winter”

2nd Place - Dorothy Downing for “Jogging Trail”

3rd Place - Robin Wessman for “Salt Marsh”

Honorable Mention: Richard Fotland for “Sunrise, Tynemouth UK”

ACRYLIC CATEGORY:

1st Place - Aivars Zandbergs for “Winter Glow”

2nd Place - Frank Robertson for “Lucky Lanterns”

3rd Place - Don Iacovelli for “Kids”

Honorable Mention: Lisa Bailey for “High Beams”

WATERCOLOR CATEGORY:

1st Place - Deborah Ryan for “Rain Shower”

2nd Place - Daydre Hamilton for “Solo”

3rd Place - Kris Occhino for “Connected”

Honorable Mention: Jerry Aissis for “Shadows of the Past”

PASTELS/CHARCOAL CATEGORY:

1st Place - Joanne Willoughby for “Perfect Blues”

2nd Place - Susan Pratt Sheridan for “Chappy”

3rd Place - Stacey David for “Buoys”

Honorable Mention: Carol Freiswick for “Hat Shop”

MIXED MEDIA CATEGORY:

1st place - Claire Griffin for “Crocus”

2nd Place - Diana Maley for “Beavertail Light”

3rd Place - Karen Pendleton for “Are You Talking to Me?”

Honorable Mention: Jane Alfieri for “Puppy Love”

PHOTOGRAPHY CATEGORY:

1st Place - Margaret Munson for “Spanish Moss”

2nd Place - Judy Belben for “Alley in Yellow”

3rd Place - Marjorie Sardella for “Lamplight Along the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway”

Honorable Mention: Guy Occhino for “Lookouts”

FAA photo from their Facebook collection

Find additional photos on Facebook here  https://www.facebook.com/FranklinArtAssoc/photos_stream

5th Annual Road Race - Saturday, May 2, 2015

Be part of the effort to develop the Southern New England Truckline Trail (SNETT) in Franklin. 

The 5-mile run, 1.5 or 3.5 walk is sponsored by the Franklin Bellingham Rail Trail Committee and proceeds go toward development of the SNETT multi-use trail.

Race Details:

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2015

Start Time: Run 10:00 am/ Walk 9:45 am

Registration: 8:30 - 9:30 am

Entry Fee: $25 prior to race day, $30 day of race, $15 for students

Start Location/Registration: 628 Washington Street, Franklin (Remington School) 

2014 road race start

Registration Information here


Results of the 2014 race can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/05/snett-5k-race-and-walk-results.html

Frankli, MA: Finance Committee - Agenda- Apr 22, 2015

The Finance Committee continues to work through the capital budget with the Fire Dept, Facilities, and the School Dept reviewing their proposals.

If you missed the prior meeting and would like to review the notes and listen to the meeting, you can do that here. (Note, this is the only recording of the meeting available).


The agenda for the meeting scheduled at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, April 22 can be viewed here:

The April 1 memo to the FinCom on the Capital Budget can be found here

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczczI3aTRoUG1reFk/view?usp=sharing

The 'original' capital plan dated Feb 1, 2015.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczbE9STVk1SjZVMlVNR0FLUGJ2bmJ2S0tacGgw/view?usp=sharing

Franklin Municipal Building - 355 East Central St

Milford Daily News pubished their recap of the first meeting in part by writing:

A $2.33 million capital budget has been proposed for this fiscal year, including a $66,000 police department request for new Tasers. 

Police Chief Stephan Semerjian said the department currently has 12 Tasers, eight of which are shared among its patrol officers, according to a recording of the April 7 Finance Committee meeting posted on the resident-run news blog, Franklin Matters. 

Unlike most budget hearings, the meeting was not broadcast on Franklin TV.

Continue reading their article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150420/NEWS/150429506/1994/NEWS

AARP Livability Index - leaves out Franklin

Given Franklin's demographics (forecasted to be getting to an older population rapidly), the AARP article caught my eye.

To compile AARP’s new lists of the most livable places in the U.S., it wasn’t only our research that counted—it was also your opinions. The top-10 lists that follow are based on the AARP Livability Index, a new online tool designed to help communities better serve the nation’s aging population. 

To create the index, the AARP Public Policy Institute surveyed 4,500 Americans 50 and older to determine the aspects of community most important to them. We then developed seven categories around those results—housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, health, engagement and opportunity, taking into account 60 different factors to rate communities in those categories. 

The Bulletin crunched the numbers some more to find which cities and neighborhoods come out on top. We weren’t looking for the trendy or glitzy. We wanted the most livable. You might be in for some surprises.

One surprise is that Franklin gets only a middling score on their rating system.

Check out their Most Livable Cities

Check out their Best Cities for Staying Healthy

And where does Franklin rate?

If you’re like most of us, you probably want to stay in the community where you live now. The AARP Livability Index identifies how well your community is doing. Go to aarp.org/livabilityindex to find out.

The interactive system should allow you to chose up to three communities to compare. Maybe there were too many comparing when I did it, it did not respond. Trying again should be worth it. 

BIG Y: Learn About Prescription Drug Safety and Drug Interactions

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Dean Dash 5K - April 25

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Dean Dash 5k Race! This year, not only are we pleased to host Dean College students, alumni, staff, faculty, and family, but we also look forward to hosting our fellow community members in this family-friendly event in celebration of Dean College’s 150th anniversary.

Click here to learn more and to register!

Dean Dash 5K - April 25 - noon

About the Race

The course will start and end from Awpie Way, outside of Dean Hall. You will start promptly at 12:00 p.m. and take a 3.1-mile walk, jog, or run through the quiet residential streets of Franklin. 

Every turn along the course will be clearly noted by a directional sign pointing you down the right path and a hydration station with water and Gatorade will be waiting for you at the 2-mile mark. There will also be course marshals along the route should you need any sort of assistance. 

Upon your return, you will be greeted by Boomer the Bulldog at the finish line and ushered to the serving area where you will get to enjoy a delicious pasta lunch to reward yourself for finishing the Dean Dash.

Chip Timing

Your race bib will contain the MYLAPS B-Tag Timing System, used in the Olympics, Boston Marathon, and Chicago Marathon, to track your time from start to finish. Race results will be published on www.coolrunning.com.

Registration Price

• Dean College Students: $10
• Faculty/Staff/Alumni: $15
• Family/Community Members: $20

Click here to learn more and to register!



This is one of several races in Franklin over the next several weeks. The race information for each will be posted this week.

• May 2 - FBRTC 5 Mile Road Race
• May 9 - Elks Care Elks Share - 5K
• May 17 - HMEA Independence Day 5K Run, Walk and Stroll
• Jun 6 - New Hope 5K and Family Fun Walk
• Jun 20 - American Legion Scholarship Run 5 Miles