FSPA Holiday Showcase - Dec 11

The annual Holiday Showcase performed by the students of the Franklin School for the Performing Arts will be held on Tuesday, December 11 at 7:00 p.m. at THE BLACK BOX. 

The showcase will feature Next Step junior dance ensemble, CenterStage senior dance ensemble, the FSPA Glee Club, Broadway Lads, Lite Brites, BLT2, Broadway Light, Broadway Ladies, and Broadway Bound musical theatre ensembles, and the FSPA Dance Company.

FSPA Holiday Showcase - Dec 11

Students will perform holiday classics as well as contemporary favorites. Later this spring, CenterStage, Broadway Bound, Broadway Light, and Broadway Ladies will travel to Walt Disney World in Florida to perform and take workshops with Disney performing artists.

Tickets for the FSPA Holiday Showcase are available at the door or by calling 508-528-8668.

Franklin Library: Renaissance V Brass Quintet Holiday Concert, Thursday, Dec 6

Get in the holiday spirit with the Renaissance V Brass Quintet! The holiday program will consist of music of the season dating from the 15th century to today including many well-known Christmas and holiday classics. This performance is free and open to the public.

Franklin Library: Renaissance V Brass Quintet Holiday Concert, Thursday, Dec 6

This was shared from the Town of Franklin Library page
https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/bulletins/renaissance-v-brass-quintet-holiday-concert

Southern Rail at OCC Coffeehouse on Saturday, Dec. 8

Southern Rail's Bluegrass Christmas concert is back by popular demand. Their mix of Christmas, Gospel, and Traditional Bluegrass is just the thing to usher in a season of joy and celebration.

Southern Rail's performances are high-energy exuberant fun, with riveting harmonies, irrepressible humor and sparkling banjo, mandolin, and guitar solo work. 

Over the years, Southern Rail's recordings, featuring their prolific songwriting, have graced Bluegrass Unlimited's Top Thirty Singles Chart for a combined total of 32 months, climbing to #11. One of Southern Rail's earlier CD's, a special Bluegrass Gospel compilation entitled Glory Train, was nominated for Best Gospel Recording of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association.

Southern Rail at OCC Coffeehouse on Saturday, Dec. 8

The quartet is composed of Jim Muller, guitar and lead vocals, his wife, Sharon Horovitch, acoustic bass and harmony vocals, Rich Stillman, banjo and harmony vocals, and John Tibert, mandolin and harmony vocals. Press review quotes from Texas, California, Canada, Ireland and elsewhere include: "The best Gospel CD I've ever heard", "One of the most original and exciting groups in bluegrass", and "The vocal harmonies are exquisite and the musicianship is impeccable." See some of their videos on YouTube and on their website.

Tickets for the concert are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, available at the church office, 508-384-3110, or at www.musicatocc.org. Children 12 and under free with an adult. 

The event will be in the sanctuary of the church, accessible from the side door on Dedham St. (Route 1A). Parking is available behind the church and in the lot across the street. For more information and to be added to the mailing list, visit the website or contact Ken Graves, 508-384-8084, occmusic99@gmail.com.

UPCOMING SHOWS

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AT OCC COFFEEHOUSE (Tickets now available for all shows on website. All shows are general admission seating, so arrive early for good seats.):

• Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, Mile Twelve, one of the outstanding bluegrass groups of the Boston area, touring worldwide.
• Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019, Don White, a must-see storyteller-comedian-author-troubadour-folk singer-songwriter. With Mike Agranoff opening.
• Saturday, March 2, 2019, Fellswater, Boston's Celtic Music Ensemble. Back by popular demand.
• Friday, April 5, 2019, TBA, popular performer to be announced in December.
• Saturday, April 27, 2019, Bill and Kate Isles, an acoustic singer/soungwriter duo based in Duluth, Minnesota. Audiences feel they are listening to stories of the own lives, told by two of their best friends.

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See website for complete OCC Coffeehouse season schedule, more details, and for ordering tickets.

In the News: hate mainstream in schools; Tri-County students visit education exhibit

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Hate speech and bias-motivated incidents, not all of which rise to the level of a crime, are growing at an alarming rate in public schools - and educators say the numbers only tell part of the story. 

“It is more likely that the number of actual incidents and number of students impacted are under-represented because many incidents are not reported,” said Fara Wolfson, a middle school teacher and co-chairwoman of the No Place for Hate Committee in Salem. 

In recent months, stories of hate-related incidents have spilled out of the schools and into the news. In November, a 10-year-old Muslim student at Hemenway Elementary School in Framingham received hate letters, including one threatening to kill her."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20181202/hate-mainstream-in-massachusetts-schools

"Early education students at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School recently visited the Wonder of Learning: The Hundred Languages of Children Exhibit. The exhibit was held at Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, hosted by Wonder of Learning Boston (WOL Boston). The trip was a rare and valuable opportunity for Tri-County students to experience the exhibit, which travels throughout the country and has not been hosted in Boston for decades. 

The Hundred Languages of Children is the basis of the Reggio Emilia approach, a model of early education that originated in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in the 1940s. The Reggio philosophy views children as having one hundred languages - or one hundred ways - through which they can express themselves. The approach is considered one of the best educational systems in the world for children from birth through age five, including principles of curiosity, interaction, problem-solving, and experiential learning. (WOL Boston)."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20181202/tri-county-students-see-hundred-languages-exhibit

FM #154 - Economic Development meeting - Nov 28, 2018 (audio)

FM #154

This internet radio show or podcast is number 154 in the series for Franklin Matters.

This recording shares the Economic Development Subcommittee meeting held before the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, November 28, 2018.

The discussion only covered the first agenda item. The key question is whether to modify the existing brewing distillery bylaw to remove the kitchen requirement. Do tap rooms, tasting rooms, really need to have a kitchen. Comparison with other breweries where the food requirement is not as restrictive.

After some discussion on what it would include or not, it was determined to need additional research from the Administration staff to bring back to the EDC for a better discussion.

Discussion:

1. Brewery, Winery, Distillery Bylaw Issues - food requirement

Future Meetings:

2. Clark, Cutler McDermott Rezoning
3. Housing - Generally

a. R7a. Over 55 Housing Overlayb. Inclusionary Zoning Discussionc. Multi-Family Housing in Residential V and Commercial 1d. Downtown extension/C1/Village District Discussione. Affordable Housing Plan

The next meeting was scheduled for Dec 12, at 5:45 PM (also before the Town Council meeting).

The total meeting recording runs just about 20 minutes. Without further ado, here is the audio recording.





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This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can use your help.

How can you help?

In particular, if you have an interest in real estate, zoning or construction, I would like someone to follow the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Conservation Commission meetings. I’ll provide the guidance on note taking and sharing. You need to bring an inquisitive and open mind and willingness to learn and share.

Overall;

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors.
• If you don't like this, please let me know.

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements.
Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes = search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters on iTunes

School Committee - recap (sort of) - Nov 27, 2018

The video replay of this meeting has been posted by Franklin TV and is available on demand
http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?PGD=franknma&eID=601


As noted earlier, I decided to keep my fight with a cold (coughing and sniffles) to myself on Tuesday evening. So rather than attending the School Committee meeting in person, I was going to use the remote broadcast stream from Franklin TV. Alas, that was not to be. The stream was not functioning. 

When I tried to use the cable station, audio was not available. The audio did manage to get restored sometime along after I tweeted to alert folks of the problem. I had already lost context with the meeting and determined to wait for the broadcast replay to be made available by Franklin TV.

In the meantime, the MCAS presentation document shared during the meeting is available for your review here.
https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/mcas-presentation-2018

MCAS Presentation Nov 27, 2018 from Franklin Matters

The Superintendent's Report is posted here to be shared. You can also get a copy from the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/superintendents-report-112718




The full agenda and documents for this meeting can be found at the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/november-27-2018-school-committee-packet-documents

new sign at Parmenter School

Quickbooks Hands-On Workshop - Dec 11

Quickbooks Hands-On Workshop

Coworking Station of Walpole
55 West Street, Suite 201, Walpole, MA
Workshop by Score Boston

DECEMBER 11, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

http://www.coworkingstation.com/locations/walpole/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczUG9CangzWWVmckdXZ1RBeS00VGtPeGtBcEEw/view?usp=sharing

Quickbooks Hands-On Workshop - Dec 11

“You’ve got to regard education as a lifetime process"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"For generations, the career path for smart kids around Detroit was to get an engineering or business degree and get hired by an automaker or parts supplier. If you worked hard and didn’t screw up, you had a job for life with enough money to raise a family, take vacations and buy a weekend cottage in northern Michigan. 

Now that once-reliable route to prosperity appears to be vanishing, as evidenced by General Motors’ announcement this week that it plans to shed 8,000 white-collar jobs on top of 6,000 blue-collar ones. 

It was a humbling warning that in this era of rapid and disruptive technological change, those with a college education are not necessarily insulated from the kind of layoffs factory workers know all too well. 

The cutbacks reflect a transformation underway in both the auto industry and the broader U.S. economy, with nearly every type of business becoming oriented toward computers, software and automation."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20181201/salaried-workers-beware-gm-cuts-are-warning-for-all

This is not new. One can debate as to when this phenomenon started but I'd posit that it began in earnest with the great recession in 2007-2008.

I was affected at that time in late 2008, one of 3,000 cast off by a giant in financial services. Note, the company is still a giant in financial services.

The Bureau of Labor maintains the stats on unemployment and while the 'one' rate is easily quoted, there are other rates that are more insightful to showing what is happening with the work force.

The six state measures are based on the same definitions as those published for the U.S.:

• U-1, persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of the civilian labor force;
• U-2, job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian labor force;
• U-3, total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force (this is the definition used for the official unemployment rate);
• U-4, total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers;
• U-5, total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other marginally attached workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers; and
• U-6, total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers.

https://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm

This PDF shows the unemployment rate for 2013 to 2017. I'll have to spend some time to put it together to show the year over year changes. This only depicts the stats for the individual years  https://www.bls.gov/lau/maps/maseries.pdf

The Bureau of Labor also provides an outlook for careers based upon the stats they have acquired.  https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/

The chart shows the percentage change in employment for selected industries from June 2009, the end of the recession, through August 2017

There is a wealth of information available on employment and earnings
https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2017/data-on-display/wage-gains-by-industry.htm

Timeless CrossFit Training new sessions for Women, Girls, and Boys starting Dec 4

MC Alexander at Timeless CrossFit Training has new sessions for Womens fit boxing, girls, and boys strength and conditioning registrations open now to start Dec 4.

For details visit https://www.timelesscrossfit.com/

Timeless CrossFit Training new sessions for Women, girls, and boys starting Dec 4

Veterans Memorial Walkway Celebration - November 11, 2018 (Video)

If you missed this, or would like to revisit the wonderful celebration that recognized Franklin's veterans, the video is available for replay. 

Thank you Franklin TV. 

Thank you Dale Kurtz and your numerous helpers (all thanked in the video) for this lasting memorial.





The post with event details shared on Monday, November 12
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/11/virtuosity-deserves-some-concrete-and.html

Veterans Memorial Walkway on the Franklin Town Common

Encore's Music For Young Children - Open House today

We invite you to visit Encore to sample an MYC class and enjoy a question and answer session with our faculty!

• Saturday, December 1 at 12:30 PM
• Saturday, December 8 at 12:30 PM

Where: 352 Village Street, Millis MA

For more info view/download the flyer
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczaXAtVVJfa1ZJMW1WcmFzNS1RaHBZa1ZpWS1z/view?usp=sharing

Or visit Encore on the web http://www.encoremusicacademy.net/

Encore's Music For Young Children - Open House today

FHS D'Errico = golf MVP; FHS Gordon = football MVP

Via HockomockSports.com we share the all-stars for FHS golf and football.

Below are the official 2018 Hockomock League Golf All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE MVP

• Matt D’Errico, Franklin

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE ALL STARS

• Matt D’Errico, Franklin

Honorable Mentions:

• Quinten Faro, Franklin

For the complete listing of golf all stars
https://hockomocksports.com/2018-hockomock-league-golf-all-stars/


Below are the official 2018 Hockomock League Football All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE MVP
KELLEY-REX

• Nick Gordon, Franklin

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE ALL STARS
KELLEY-REX DIVISION

• Nick Gordon, Franklin
• Ryan Driscoll, Franklin
• Jack Nally, Franklin

For the complete listing of football all stars
https://hockomocksports.com/2018-hockomock-league-football-all-stars/

FHS D'Errico = golf MVP; FHS Gordon = football MVP

In the News: hurricane season comes to an end; Marriott reveals massive data breach; Resilience IPA to help CA fire relief

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The 2018 hurricane season began like a lazy river, a handful of circles spinning in an atmosphere still sleepy from spring. 

Only Subtropical Storm Alberto made contact with the U.S., splashing into Laguna Beach, Fla., at the end of May before the calendar even noted the official June 1 start date of storm season. Through August, it was called the “season of slop,” seemingly confirming forecasts for below average cyclonic activity. 

But then September came, the Atlantic basin caught fire, and two coasts would face the terrifying power of wind and water. 

By the last day of the 2018 hurricane season on Friday, the cyclone scoreboard included 15 named storms, including eight hurricanes and two major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher. A normal season typically has 12 named storms, including six hurricanes and two major hurricanes."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20181130/2018-hurricane-season-ends-how-accurate-were-forecasters

Visit NOAA directly to read their summary
https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/destructive-2018-atlantic-hurricane-season-draws-to-end

Hurricane season 2018 ends

"Hackers stole information on as many as 500 million guests of the Marriott hotel empire over four years, obtaining credit card and passport numbers and other personal data, the company said Friday as it acknowledged one of the largest security breaches in history. 

The full scope of the failure was not immediately clear. Marriott was trying to determine if the records included duplicates, such as a single person staying multiple times. 

The affected hotel brands were operated by Starwood before it was acquired by Marriott in 2016. They include W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton, Westin, Element, Aloft, The Luxury Collection, Le Méridien and Four Points. Starwood-branded timeshare properties were also affected. None of the Marriott-branded chains were threatened. 

The crisis quickly emerged as one of the biggest data breaches on record."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20181130/marriott-security-breach-exposed-data-of-up-to-500m-guests/1

"Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman sent letters to brewers across the country to invite them to participate in a collaborative brew day on Tuesday to brew the beer. They worked with malt and hop suppliers to provide ingredient donations so participating brewers could donate 100 percent of the sales of the beer to relief efforts. 

“We know that the rebuilding process will take time, but we’re in this for the long haul,” Grossman wrote in the announcement. “Our hope is to get Resilience IPA in taprooms all over the country to create a solid start for our community’s future.” 

In Massachusetts, at least 11 breweries have signed up to brew the Resilience IPA. 

For Wormtown Brewery in Worcester, it was an easy decision, brewmaster Ben Roesch said."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20181130/local-breweries-brew-beer-for-california-wildfire-relief

For more about Resilience IPA visit Sierra Nevada's page
https://sierranevada.com/resilience-butte-county-proud-ipa

For more about Resilience IPA visit Sierra Nevada's page

See the World Series Trophies at McCoy Today!

If you still have some of that baseball fever. 
If you're not sure you want to do Christmas shopping. 
Pawtucket is a short drive 

PawSox Host 4th Annual "PawSox Enchanted Village" Today! The Pawtucket Red Sox will offer their 4th Annual "PawSox Enchanted Village" Holiday Party at McCoy Stadium today, December 1 from 11 am – 2 pm. The World Series Championship Trophies from 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018 will be available for fans to take photographs from 11 AM to 1 PM. In addition to the trophies, former Red Sox pitchers Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd and Lenny DiNardo will be in attendance and available for autographs. Attendees will have the chance to visit the Player's Wives Lounge inside McCoy to shop for used equipment and artifacts during our annual "Ballyard Sale". There will be free food and drink for fans, including hot chocolate, hot dogs and cookies. Mascots Paws and Sox, along with Santa Claus will greet fans young and old. Boston Red Sox Mascot Wally will make a special appearance from 1:00 to 1:45 PM. We hope to see you there! Happy Holidays from your friends at the PawSox!

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA: FRI Nov 30 - THU Dec 6

Friday, November 30

9:00am

 SNETT Walk with FBRTC

10:00am

 Knitting Group

5:00pm

 Bulgaria: Our New Favorite Wine Region

8:00pm

 Joe Bargar and the Soul Providers

Saturday, December 1

9:00am

 Saint John's Christmas Fair

9:00am

 Holiday Extravaganza at Franklin YMCA

10:00am

 Franklin Historical Museum (Always free)

10:30am

 Baby Sensory

11:00am

 Toys for Tots Festival

2:00pm

 Bubbles and Bark

3:00pm

 Intro to Knit Teens

7:30pm

 The Nutcracker

8:00pm

 The Fat City Band

Sunday, December 2

1:00pm

 Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

2:00pm

 The Nutcracker

Monday, December 3

10:30am

 Move Along

11:00am

 Toddler Playgroup

3:00pm

 Monday Crafternoons

3:30pm

 Dungeons & Dragons for Kids

Tuesday, December 4

9:30am

 Cool Cruisers

10:30am

 Get Ready for Kindergarten

7:00pm

 Friends of the Franklin Library Book Group

Wednesday, December 5

10:30am

 Terrific Toddlers

11:00am

 Toddler Playgroup

4:00pm

 Construction Junction

6:30pm

 Franklin School Committee - Community Coffee

6:30pm

 Woke: A YA Book Club

7:00pm

 Franklin Art Assoc - Monthly Meeting

7:00pm

 Friends of the Franklin Library Meeting

Thursday, December 6

 Holiday Happenings

9:30am

 Baby Tummy Time

10:30am

 Story & Craft

4:00pm

 Fandom Thursdays

6:30pm

 Renaissance V Holiday Concert

For the interactive version, please visit

http://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

For the Town of Franklin Public Meeting Calendar

http://www.franklinma.gov/calendar


Submit an event for the Community Calendar, please use this link

https://goo.gl/forms/7Pr1iBuAiIna7cUo2

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA: FRI Nov 30 - THU Dec 6