Franklin Cultural Districts: #artshappenhere starting with poetry Wednesday!

Let's start with poetry. A great start and everything else follows. Dr Steinberg speaks at Dean Thursday. Farmers Market Friday. Harvest Festival Saturday. Tyrolean Festival at THE BLACK BOX & Oktoberfest at 67 Degrees. LiveARTS Concert on Sunday.

Yes, another set of #artshappenhere events in Franklin!

Wednesday, September 28

Fall Storywalk (Delcarte Recreation)

6:00pm - People's Poetry (open mic for poetry) (Escape Into Fiction)

6:30pm - Teen Poets Society (open mic for poetry) (Franklin Public Library)

Thursday, September 29

Fall Storywalk (Delcarte Recreation)

6:00pm - Dean Leadership Institute: Dr Charles Steinberg (Dean College - Guidry Center)

6:00pm - Nick & Emily (live music) (La Cantina Winery)

Friday, September 30

Fall Storywalk (Delcarte Recreation)

2:00pm - Farmers Market (Franklin Town Common)

3:30pm - Heather Dreary (live music) (Franklin Town Common)

6:00pm - Charlie Rock (live music) (La Cantina Winery)

6:00pm - Kendo Acoustic (live music) (67 Degrees Brewery)

Saturday, October 1

Fall Storywalk (Delcarte Recreation)

10:00am - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

12:00pm - Harvest Festival (street fair with vendors, music, etc.) (Downtown Franklin)

1:00pm - Tyrolean Festival (food & music) (THE BLACK BOX)

4:00pm - Nick & Emily (live music) (La Cantina Winery)

4:00pm - Oktoberfest Celebration - Afro Fusion Restaurant (67 Degrees Brewery)

6:00pm - Oktoberfest Celebration - Sudden Odd Behavior Music (67 Degrees Brewery)

Sunday, October 2

Fall Storywalk (Delcarte Recreation)

12:00pm - Pumpkin Patch Sale (St John’s Episcopal Church)

1:00pm - Jimmy Fund Walk (fund raiser) (La Cantina Winery)

1:00pm - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

1:00pm - Oktoberfest Celebration - Raina’s Plate (67 Degrees Brewery)

1:00pm - Oktoberfest Celebration - Scott Damgaard (67 Degrees Brewery)

3:00pm - LiveARTS: Musical Magic! (First Universalist Society - 262 Chestnut St)

Monday, October 3

Fall Storywalk (Delcarte Recreation)

4:00pm - Pumpkin Patch Sale (St John’s Episcopal Church)

Tuesday, October 4

Fall Storywalk (Delcarte Recreation)

4:00pm - Pumpkin Patch Sale (St John’s Episcopal Church)

6:30pm - Franklin Garden Club meeting (Franklin Public Library) 

6:30pm - Franklin LGBTQ Alliance meeting (Timeless CrossFit)

-------------------

The Franklin Art Association Art Gallery remains open during business hours at Escape into Fiction (Main St, Franklin)

Find the full Community event calendar  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

The Cultural calendar displays only the cultural events    https://www.franklinculture.org/things-do/pages/calendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found  https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26 

Franklin Cultural District: #Artshappenhere

October events, parking, and Town Council agenda items discussed in this Talk Franklin episode (audio)

FM #849 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 849 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" conversation with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and Marketing/Communication Specialist Lily Rivera. We had our conversation via conference bridge.  

Topics for this session

• Fall Is here

• Oct 1 – Harvest Festival

• Oct 15 - Touch a truck, hydrants painting winners announced  (10 AM to 2 PM)

• Oct 19 - Heath fair – Library  (3 to 6 PM)

• Oct 22 – Del Carte Fall Gathering (9 AM to noon)

• EDC meeting recap

• Franklin For All prioritizations and timeline

• Downtown parking reviewed

• Dean neighborhood separate

• Proposals coming to Council for further discussion and possible action

• Town Council teasers

• Municipal aggregation 

• Thanks to Alan Earls and to me for spreading the word

The conversation runs about 34 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie and Lily. Audio file -> https://anchor.fm/letstalkfranklin/episodes/Fall-Festivities-and-Proposed-Changes-to-Parking-e1oel9h/a-a8jh4jc

--------------

Franklin for All webpage 

https://www.mapc.org/resource-library/franklin-for-all/

Economic Development Subcommittee recap

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/09/economic-development-committee-sep-21.html 

Municipal aggregation information

https://www.franklinma.gov/administrator/pages/municipal-aggregation 

Community & Cultural District calendar https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html 

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

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

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

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

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

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 & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

October events and Town Council agenda items discussed in this Talk Franklin episode (audio)

Franklin Garden Club Features Program on "Gardening with Dahlias" - Oct 4

The Franklin Garden Club, in conjunction with the Franklin Public Library, will co-sponsor a program on “Gardening with Dahlias” on Tuesday, October 4, at 7:00 p.m. at the Franklin Library, 118 Main Street, Franklin, MA.  

The program, open to the public free of charge, will be presented by Betsy Szymczak of Natick, MA, an expert in growing dahlias and begonias. This presentation features information on the history of dahlias, how to select dahlia tubers, where to plant, how to water and fertilize, and when to stake. Handouts will be available.

Szymczak is an avid outdoor vegetable and flower gardener who has a relatively small suburban yard. She started growing dahlias 10 years ago. Today, she is a member of the American Dahlia Society (ADS), as well as the Rhode Island, Connecticut and New England Dahlia Societies. She is an ADS candidate judge
In addition to growing dahlias, she also grows begonias. Eight years ago, she joined the Buxton Branch of the American Begonia Society (ABS). 

This diverse genus of plants, not native to North America, quickly became another plant passion that satisfied her need to garden year-round. She is an ABS certified begonia judge and was recently named ABS Judging Co-Chair. Szymczak has judged begonia sections at the Philadelphia and Boston Flower shows and is a student judge for the Gesneriad Society. She also volunteers at the Lyman Estate Greenhouses. 

Szymczak recently retired from 35+ years of teaching clinical microbiology at several Boston area colleges and universities.

Franklin Garden Club Features Program on "Gardening with Dahlias" - Oct 4

Franklin Food Pantry is Honored by the Community and Honors Volunteers

The Franklin Food Pantry is pleased to announce that it has been honored with the 2022 MyFM Quest for the Best Gold Award for Best Place to Volunteer! 

The 2022 MyFM Quest for the Best highlights the very finest organizations that the area has to offer – from burgers and pizza to nonprofits and building contractors. It's an opportunity for owners, employees, customers and fans throughout the community to let their   voices be heard. And the people spoke up in a big way, with over 1,300 nominations received across 250 categories this year.  More than 450,000 votes were cast.   

The Pantry will celebrate the amazing contributions of its award-winning volunteers at the Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on Wednesday, September 28 at 11:30 AM at the Mount   Street Farm in Franklin.  Special attendees will include Representative Jeff Roy and Town Administrator Jamie Hellen.   

The Pantry will bestow its 2021 President's Volunteer Service Award to three volunteers who served over 500 hours, one volunteer who served over 300 hours, and seven volunteers   who served over 100 hours.  This prestigious award was founded in 2003 by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation to honor individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them   to take action, too.  Led by AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light, this program allows Certifying Organizations to recognize their most exceptional volunteers. 

Tina Powderly said, "We are so grateful that the community recognized the dedication and passion of The Pantry's volunteers with the Quest for the Best Gold Award!  The Pantry   simply could not serve all of the families that shop with us each week without the hard work and commitment of each one of our 125 volunteers. We can't think of a better reason to celebrate them this year!"  

Tom McAuliffe II, President & CEO of MyFM Media, said, "This contest is a celebration of the local businesses that have endured, innovated and found new and better ways to serve   their customers. Small businesses in particular play a critical role in the community, and the pandemic presented extraordinary challenges for many."   

  Congratulations to our 2022 award winners: 

  Gold  

  Community Gardens 

  Jen Kuse 

  Molly Kilburn 

  Silver 

  Diane Daddario 

  Bronze 

  Mary Anne Dean 

  Suzanne Gendreau 

  Chris Kilburn 

  Donna O'Neill 

  Kym Pruitt 

  Jim Roche 

  Dave Strittmatter 

   

  To join this wonderful volunteer cadre, contact Kayla Sines, Pantry Volunteer Coordinator, at  ksines@franklinfoodpantry.org. 

About the Franklin Food Pantry 

The Franklin Food Pantry provides healthy grocery items, fresh produce, proteins, household cleaning products and personal care items to more than 1,100 people in more than 500   local households each year. The Pantry is supported by more than 125 volunteers each year.  Visit  www.franklingfoodpantry.org   for more information. 

Franklin Food Pantry is Honored by the Community and Honors Volunteers

The pumpkin patch returns to St John's for October!

Pumpkin season is here. St. John’s Church is ready with its 3rd Annual Pumpkin and Gourd Sale for the entire month of October, from Sunday, October 2nd through the 30th.

Hours for business:

• Monday-Friday 4:00-6:00
• Saturday 10:00-4:00
• Sunday noon-4:00

The pumpkin patch will be on the front lawn at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 237 Pleasant Street, Franklin MA. Great photo opportunity for your friends, kids and family!

You can feel good about purchasing St. John’s pumpkins. The pumpkins are grown using sustainable agricultural practices that help benefit the environment. They are grown in a region of New Mexico with 42% unemployment, providing jobs for Navajo people.  

In addition to supporting the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, your purchase also supports St. John’s Church and its work right here in our community.

For more information:

Call 508-528-2387

Email: Admin@StJohnsFranklinMA.org

Visit us on Facebook at St John’s Episcopal Church

See our website at www.stjohnsfranklinma.org

The pumpkin patch returns to St John's for October!

Franklin TV: School Committee meeting of Sep 27, 2022 (video replay)

The Franklin School Committee meeting of Tuesday, Sep 27, 2022 is available for replay on YouTube.  Link -> https://youtu.be/buy1Dv9_HUk

Meeting agenda ->   https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/scagenda_9-27-22.pdf

Meeting Packet Folder ->

https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/september-27-2022-school-committee-meeting-packet

opening slide for the District Improvement Plan

NEW Language Learning Opportunities Coming in October, register now

Happening Soon. Register Now

NEW Opportunities Coming In October Don't Miss Out REGISTER TODAY For additional details visit: www.FranklinLifelongLearning.com

Lifelong Learning Institute - Franklin Public Schools | 218 Oak Street, Room 137, Franklin, MA 02038 Sent by lcl@franklinps.net powered by Try email marketing for free today!

CommonWealth Magazine: Here are some ways to lower your electric bill

If you are in Franklin and not already with a contract for service, or with a solar system, you should be part of the municipal aggregation plan with National Grid.  

The plan began in Nov 2020 and the current contract extends through Nov 2023. The plan should remain in effective after that time, the contract renewal rate will be determined next year. 

How can you tell if you are part of municipal aggregation? Looks at your most recent NationalGrid invoice/statement. There are two sections, one for delivery and one for supply. The suppler for municipal aggregation is Dynegy (Franklin Agg) and the rate should show as 0.10725 cents/kwh.

A copy of my redacted September invoice is shared with the delivery and supply sections circled.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/102IZ-zrPhP0L_FmmJxBGbpBCCThSwGYW/view?usp=sharing

Here are some ways to lower your electric bill as shared by CommonWealth Magazine

"MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS HAVE some options to avoid – or at least sidestep for awhile — the sky-high electricity rates coming this winter.

National Grid provided a glimpse of what’s coming last week, when it announced its basic service rate would jump to a record 39 cents a kilowatt hour starting November 1. That’s nearly four times the current 11.5-cent rate and close to three times last winter’s 14.8-cent rate. The new winter rate, if approved by state regulators, will increase the typical customer’s utility bill by $114 a month, or 64 percent., for the next six months.

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/the-download/here-are-some-ways-to-lower-your-electric-bill-2/

CommonWealth Magazine: Here are some ways to lower your electric bill

For more about Franklin's Municipal Aggregation program, visit the town page

https://www.franklinma.gov/administrator/pages/municipal-aggregation

Insights on Ballot Question 3 from MASSter List

"Go to www.foodstoresma.org. You won't find anything. Neither will you if you check the bank account of Food Stores for Consumer Choice, the ballot committee formed to oppose Question 3.

That's because after losing a Supreme Judicial Court case where companies, including Cumberland Farms, sought to have Question 3 disqualified from the ballot, the stores are not fighting passage of the question that will remake the rules around alcohol sales and licensing in Massachusetts.

Question 3 proposes to increase the combined number of licenses a retailer can hold for the sale of all alcoholic beverages and beer and wine from nine to 18 by 2031, but will reduce the cap on licenses for the sale of all-alcoholic-beverage from nine to seven. It will also prohibit self check-out of alcoholic beverages, make out-of-state licenses an acceptable form of ID for alcohol purchasing, and change the formula under which fines for selling to minors are calculated (something food stores opposed).

The question was proposed and is backed by independent package stores. It was pitched as a compromise with the food stores to avoid a fight over simply lifting the cap on licenses altogether.

While Cumberland Farms and other chains didn't necessarily see it that way, Louis Rizoli - former counsel to the House and the chair and attorney for the Food Stores for Consumer Choice - said there will be no last minute infusion of corporate cash to fight the measure.

"There's no coordinated opposition to this ballot question," Rizoli said. "Some food stores like certain provisions of question three and oppose others." 

A statement of opposition was printed in the "Information for Voters" guide mailed to homes, but Rizoli said food stores like Cumberland Farms and Stop & Shop are "more interested in obtaining a separate license," which was proposed in a bill (H 318) this session and will be refiled next year. 

In 2020, Cumberland Farms pursued a ballot question that proposed to create a new food store license for the sale of alcohol and eventually lift all license caps, but it ultimately dropped its campaign amidst the pandemic and chose to fight for a legislative solution this cycle instead.

That bill did not gain traction with lawmakers as an alternative to the ballot question, but depending on what happens in November a new bill cycle begins in January.

Meanwhile, the 21st Century Alcohol Retail Reform Committee has raised $823,450 over the past two years in support of its ballot measure, mostly from the Massachusetts Package Store Association, and spent $723,565 to make its case to voters. In its Sept. 20 report to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, it reported having $99,884 left in the bank.

Probably more than enough when no one's spending to fight you on the other side. "

Shared from the MASSter List of Tuesday, Sep 27, 2022

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Q3-going-off-without-a-fight.html?soid=1107496303234&aid=NdIOPZmYad0

 

Insights on Ballot Question 3 from MASSter List

Franklin TV and wfpr.fm schedule for Wednesday, Sep 28, 2022

•  wfpr.fm or 102.9 on the FM dial = Wednesday

9:00 AM 12:00 Noon and 6:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio/FPS Voice – Steve Sherlock
Franklin and its local government, services and events  (repeats Saturday at 9 AM)

• This slot features my conversation with Town of Franklin Health Director Cathleen Liberty https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/09/conversation-with-town-of-franklin-ma.html

10:00 AM 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM  The Wonderful World of Wine – Mark Lenzi, Kim Simone    All about wine, its culture, lore and finer points

11:00 AM 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock

Franklin and its local government, services and events (repeats Saturday at 3 PM)

• This hour features our most recent Talk Franklin episode with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen & Marketing Communications Specialist Lily Rivera https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/09/october-events-and-town-council-agenda.html

• Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 26) = WEDNESDAY

7:30 am It Takes A Village: Gretchen Scotland

8:30 am September 11th Remembrance

10:00 am Franklin Art Association: Vincent Crotty

11:30 am Cooking Thyme: Sweet Corn Risotto

12:00 pm Brooke'n'Cookin: Mac'n'Cheese

12:30 pm Sandhya: Macaroons

1:00 pm Norfolk County Prevention Coalition: FireSense

1:30 pm Pizzapalooza: Black Bean, Roasted Pepper & Garlic Pizzetta

2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Show 3

3:00 pm Candlepin New Generation: Show 5

3:30 pm Veterans' Call: Steve Crouteau

4:00 pm Second Sunday Speaker Series: Wolfgang Bauer

7:00 pm 4th of July 2022: Matt Zajac

9:30 pm Concerts on the Common: Ken DoRosario

• Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel (Comcast 96, Verizon 28) = WEDNESDAY

7:00 am Public School Event: Concert Hour Day 1

8:30 am Cultural District: Brent Selby

10:00 am SAFE Coalition: Overdose Awareness

11:00 am All-Town Showcase: Chorus & Orchestra

1:00 pm FHS Girls Varsity Soccer: v North Attleboro 09-23-22

3:00 pm Let's Talk Sports: Youth Sports

6:00 pm Public School Concert: MICCA Showcase Pt. 1 03-14-18

7:30 pm Public School Concert: Lifelong Music Pt. 2 05-14-19

9:30 pm FHS Varsity Field Hockey: v Sharon 09-20-22

• Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 11, Verizon 29) = WEDNESDAY

8:00 am Town Council 09-07-22

2:00 pm Town Council 09-07-22

6:00 pm Finance Committee: LIVE, Chambers, 819 0024 5664

7:00 pm Town Council: LIVE, Chambers, 843 3081 5267

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm)

Escape into Fiction hosts People's Poetry - Sep 28 at 6 PM; Library hosts Teen Poets Society at 6:30

1 - People's poetry 

An open mic event at the Escape Into Fiction book store facilitated by jamil adams. 

I was planning on being there myself until the Town Council meeting moved from last week to this. And then I found the Finance Committee meeting scheduled for 6 PM. Yes, the same start time.

Oh well. I'll do the meetings, you can do the poetry, we'll meet later and compare notes.

Or as Rumi said:

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing

and rightdoing there is a field.

I'll meet you there."

 

Escape into Fictions hosts People's Poetry - Sep 28 at 6 PM

Shared from Escape Into Fiction's Instagram -> 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci-DZWYBCRi/

You can visit Escape Into Fiction online -> https://www.escapeintofiction.com/

or on Main St

2 - Teen Poets Society

Teens! Join us for our very own version of the Dead Poets Society! Come share your favorite poems, prose, or lyrics, or just come to listen! 

Library hosts Teen Poets Society at 6:30