Blues Legend James Montgomery Returns to THE BLACK BOX - Feb 16

THE BLACK BOX, downtown Franklin’s theater, music, and event venue, will present the renowned James Montgomery Band on Saturday, February 16 at 8 p.m.

While growing up in Detroit, blues legend James Montgomery learned firsthand from the masters - James Cotton, John Lee Hooker, and Jr. Wells - at the legendary “Chessmate.” Over the years, Montgomery has carried on in the tradition and continues to be a vital presence in Blues as one of the most dynamic performers on the scene.

He formed the James Montgomery Band in 1970 while attending Boston University. Montgomery’s inimitable harmonica playing, combined with his energetic live shows, led to the band’s quick ascension on the New England music scene. Within two years, the James Montgomery Band was among the hottest acts in Boston, along with J. Geils and Aerosmith, and they were quickly signed to a multi-album deal with Capricorn records.

Blues Legend James Montgomery Returns to THE BLACK BOX - Feb 16

Since that time, Montgomery has recorded six albums. His first, First Time Out, has been re-mastered and re-released by MRG/Capricorn. Others include James Montgomery Band on Island Records, which was number nine on Billboard’s national playlist; Duck Fever, with members of the David Letterman Band; Live Trax, with the Uptown Horns (the Rolling Stones’ horn section); and his release on Tone-Cool, The Oven Is On.

Montgomery has toured with major artists including Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, the Allman Brothers, Steve Miller and others. He has jammed on stage with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Jr. Wells, James Cotton, Charlie Daniels, Bonnie Raitt, Gregg Allman, Laverne Baker, Patti LaBelle, and Peter Wolf, among others, including an impromptu session with Mick Jagger at New York’s “Trax.”

Over the years, Montgomery’s band has been a springboard for many musicians, with members having included Billy Squire, Wayne Kramer (MC-5), Jeff Golub (Rod Stewart), Jim McCarty (Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels), Jeff Pevar (Ray Charles Orchestra and Crosby, Stills & Nash), Bobby Chouinard (drummer with Ted Nugent, Squire, and Robert Gordon), Jeff Levine (Joe Cocker), Aerosmith’s Tom Gambel, and many others.

Local guitarist/singer-songwriter Baxter Hall will open the show. From Millis, MA, Hall is the lead guitarist with Dwayne Haggins, whose debut album 'Heavenly Rose' was released in October of 2018. When Hall was fourteen years old, he was invited to play at BB King’s club in New York City. Baxter Hall's official debut album is set to be released sometime in late 2019. This album is being produced by Grammy nominated guitarist and producer Duke Robillard.

THE BLACK BOX is located at 15 West Central St. A cash bar is available. For tickets and more information, visit www.theblackboxonline.com or call the box office at 508-528-3370.

Fellswater, Celtic Concert, at OCC Coffeehouse Saturday, March 2

OCC COFFEEHOUSE

Original Congregational Church

1 East Street, Wrentham, MA 02093

Phone: 508-384-3110

OCC Coffeehouse Website

FELLSWATER

BOSTON'S CELTIC MUSIC ENSEMBLE

at OCC Coffeehouse

Saturday, March 2, 7:30 PM

Fellswater is Boston's dynamic Celtic music ensemble. They are back by popular demand after selling out last year, so get your tickets early. They play a wide range of music from traditional to modern compositions that draws from the heritage of all the Celtic nations, especially Scotland, Ireland, Brittany and Canada. Their instrumentation changes depending on the musical selection and includes vocals, whistle, Irish flute, guitar, octave mandolin, violin, Scottish smallpipes, border pipes, acoustic bass guitar and percussion. See videos of some of their performances here  https://www.fellswater.com/watch/.

Formed in late 2008, Fellswater has performed for audiences ranging from 20 to 8,000. The ensemble has delighted audiences at New Hampshire Highland Games, Maine Highland Games, Blackstone River Theatre, Boston Celtic Music Fest, Colonial Williamsburg, notloB concert series, the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, and at the prestigious Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo last August.

Fellswater consists of Kyle Forsthoff, a diverse percussion performer, Betsy Ketudat playing violin and fife, Jim MacConduibh playing acoustic bass guitar, Irish bouzouki and guitar, Sarah MacConduibh playing whistle, Irish flute and fife, Andrew McIntosh on Scottish smallpipes and border pipes, Chris Myers playing guitars and octave mandolin, and as one of the vocalists, and Diane Myers as the second vocalist. All the band members are from the Massachusetts and Rhode Island area.

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. The event will be in Fellowship Hall at the back of the church with entry from the parking lot behind the church. Parking is available behind the church and in the lot across the street.

OCC Coffeehouse is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Original Congregational Church in Wrentham. Doors open 30 minutes before the concert. Please call 508-384-8084, email occmusic99@gmail.com, or visit https://www.musicatocc.org for more information.

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.):
Friday, April 5, 2019, Tom Rush, folk music icon, with Matt Nakoa.
Saturday, April 27, 2019, Bill & 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.

FHS boys and girls basketball teams, girls hockey team post wins; Brigham reaches 1,000 points

Via HockomockSports, we share the results of the FHS sports action on Wednesday, Feb 13, 2019

Boys Basketball = Oliver Ames, 50 @ Franklin, 58 – Final
– Franklin scored 20 points in the final quarter to pull away from Oliver Ames to earn the win. The Tigers kept pace with the Panthers through the first three quarters, knotted at 14-14 after eight minutes and trailing by just three at half (25-22) and after three quarters (38-35). Franklin junior Chris Edgehill scored nine of his game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter, Jalen Samuels netted a third of his 15 points in the fourth, and Jack Rudolph (10 points) went 4-for-4 from the line to help the Panther secure the win. OA sophomore Amari Brown had a team-high 12 points while senior Jake Erlich added 11 points and senior Ethan Eckstrom finished with 10 points.

Boys Hockey = Franklin, 1 vs. St. John’s (Shrewsbury), 6 – Final

Girls Hockey = Franklin, 2 @ King Philip, 1 – Final
– Cassi Ronan and Regan Paterson each scored for the Panthers to earn the road win. Paterson and Amanda Lewandowski each had an assist for the Panthers.

Girls Basketball = Franklin, 53 @ Oliver Ames, 51 – Final
Josh Perry, Managing Editor of HockomockSports.com, provides the game recap:

"Midway through the third quarter of Wednesday night’s game at the Nixon Gym, Franklin junior center Ali Brigham was sent to the line with a chance to reach the 1,000-point milestone. She missed the first, but drilled the second one to become the first Franklin player to hit that mark since Kelley Meredith in 2008 (Kyle Gibson reached 1,000 points in 2011 for the Franklin boys).

After head coach John Leighton called a quick timeout, Brigham, who finished with a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds, was mobbed by her teammates on the court.

There were plenty of hugs and smiles at that stage of the game, with the Franklin ahead 33-32, but Oliver Ames nearly put an early end to the celebrations when it took a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter. With three minutes to play, the Tigers led by four and it looked like Franklin’s unbeaten run through the league was about to end.

The Panthers rallied with a 13-4 run to close out the game, including 10-2 over the final three minutes, to pull out a 53-51 victory and allow Brigham the chance to savor her moment as well."

Continue reading the recap
https://hockomocksports.com/brigham-hits-milestone-and-franklin-girls-basketball-rally-to-win-at-oa/

For a Photo Gallery from this game
https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/2018-2019/Winter-2018-2019/Oliver-Ames-Franklin-Girls-Basketball-2-13-19/

For other results around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/wednesdays-schedule-scoreboard-02-13-19/

Franklin junior center Ali Brigham is mobbed by her teammates after scoring her 1,000th career point on a third quarter free throw at Oliver Ames. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Franklin Art Association March 6, 2019 Meeting

The Franklin Art Association will meet on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 from 6:30 to 9:00 PM at the Franklin Senior Center, 10 Daniel McCahill Street in Franklin.

Refreshments and social time will begin at 6:30 PM, followed by a short business meeting and a figure drawing demonstration by Charles Guay, an artist whose paintings and sculptures can be found in many private collections across the country and in Europe. 

A featured artist for a variety of workshops and demonstrations in the local area, Mr. Guay has taught at the Danforth Art Museum in Framingham and The Next Door Gallery in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

FAA meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month, September through May, and are free and open to the public. For more information log on to www.franklinart.org

Franklin Art Association March 6, 2019 Meeting

Watch "An Interview with FHS's new School Resource Officer" on YouTube

Watch "An Interview with FHS's new School Resource Officer" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/J5kVheTEOQo

In the News: opioid deaths down 4% in MA; another solar system in planning for Franklin

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

Opioid deaths down 4% from prior year

"Deaths from opioid-related overdoses declined in 2018 for the second consecutive year, according to state figures released Wednesday that officials said showed signs of progress in the fight against an epidemic that took nearly 2,000 lives last year. 

Total confirmed and estimated opioid-related deaths dropped from 2,056 in 2017 to 1,974 in 2018, or about 4 percent. From 2016 to 2017, the figure decreased 2 percent. 

The death rate is still significantly higher than it was before it began climbing rapidly at the start of the decade, but state officials said two straight years of decreases should be seen as evidence that efforts to support treatment programs, to improve access to the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, or Narcan, and to raise awareness about the risks of addiction are working. 

“When you look from 2016 to now, we are making progress,” Department of Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said Wednesday after a meeting of the Public Health Council. “We are making progress and fighting this devastating opioid epidemic. We’ve seen a 6 percent decrease, we know the efforts we have in place are beginning to work, and importantly, to me, from a public health point of view, we have to continue our sustained work to bring those deaths down further.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190213/mass-opioid-deaths-total-nearly-2000-in-18

SAFE Coalition - local support for substance abuse

Another solar system in planning for Franklin

"A California company is proposing a 2-megawatt, ground-mounted solar array that would occupy 15 acres off Summer Street. 

A public hearing to discuss the proposal from Santa Monica, California-based Cypress Creek Renewables is planned for 7:20 p.m. on Feb. 25 at the Franklin Municipal Building’s Town Council Chambers. 

The town has teo existing arrays - on Union Street and at Tri-County Regional Vocational High School - and three others in the proposal stage. 

Nicolas Galletout, project developer at the company, doing business as Simi Solar, LLC, is continuing to expand to the East Coast, with specific attention to Massachusetts."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190214/another-solar-array-proposed-for-franklin

the solar farm at Mount St Mary's Abbey as it was being installed in Aug 2013

Franklin Public Schools will open on time - Feb 13

Wednesday February 13, 2019

We want to make the community aware that there is a snapped pole on Oak Street that is impacting traffic in both directions in front of FHS and ECDC/Oak/HMMS. Franklin Police Department officers are on detail and will be assisting with traffic.

Franklin Public Schools will still open on time. We will be lenient with tardies this morning if this impacts arrival for your child or children. We also encourage drivers to use Panther Way as an alternative route.

Sincerely,

The Franklin Public Schools

Franklin Public Schools will open on time - Feb 13