In terms of the arts and general entertainment, there’s a lot to keep you busy when you live in Franklin, MA!
Not only can you easily access all the rich and varied cultural resources in Boston, Providence and Worcester, there’s also all the professional sports teams in Massachusetts:
And speaking of the Patriots, don’t forget about Patriot Place in Foxboro, just a short drive from Franklin, MA.
Even within Franklin, MA itself, there’s a surprising amount of activity in the arts.
As shown in the following posts, from live theater to dance to live music, Franklin has its own cultural resources that enhance the quality of life in Franklin, MA.
From the category archives:
An impressive new Museum
It's fantastic that a town with about 31,000 residents out in the suburban I-495 loop like Franklin, MA can have such a nice facility devoted to showcasing the community's past.
Friday evening’s opening ceremonies provided town residents with a special first look at the sparkling new interior and all the historical artifacts and memorabilia from Franklin’s past now displayed there.
Here’s a video of the evening’s events with an overview of just some of what you’ll find at the Museum:
Hours of operation
The Museum is free to the public and open throughout the year on the following schedule:
Thursdays, 5PM to 8PM (closed on days schools close due to snow)
Saturdays, 10AM to 1PM
Sundays, 1PM to 4PM
Another enhancement to Downtown Franklin, Massachusetts
The new Downtown location for the Historical Museum is just one of many recent upgrades to the Downtown area.
Franklin’s Downtown has recently benefited from the major new construction projects, including a new $9.3 million fire station headquarters and $30 million mixed-use Franklin Center Commons.
The area also received streetscape facelifts funded by separate $5 million Federal and $1 million State grants.
The Franklin Downtown Partnership strives hard to help support downtown business and keep the Downtown area on the upswing.
Interesting exhibits
The Museum’s interior is brand new, with finish work contributed by the students at the Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical School in Franklin, MA. All the display cases and bookshelves were built by Vo Tech students.
Displays include Native American arrowheads and stone implements discovered at archeological sites in Franklin, antique tools from Franklin’s rich industrial-age past and an extensive collection of Civil War artifacts. There are also many photos and documents detailing everyday life in the Town of Franklin from the 1920s through the 1950s.
The Historical Museum in Franklin, Massachusetts is well worth a visit!
Copyright ©2010 02038.com
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[post_content] => One of the many nice things about living in Franklin, MA is its strategic location on Route 495 south of the Mass Pike and north of Route 95. That puts Franklin in the heart of a culturally thriving and highly diverse population hub: the community is roughly equidistant to the cities of Boston (26 miles), Worcester (28 miles) and Providence, RI (26 miles).
It’s easy for Franklin residents to enjoy all the flourishing cultural and entertainment resources available in the region. And during the Holidays, that’s a real benefit for families with children of all ages!
Holiday Fun video
Here’s a video of a visit my family made to Edaville USA in Carver, MA; we went to see the Edaville’s annual Holiday Festival of Lights:
Edaville is about 40 miles from Franklin; we made the drive in about 40 minutes.
The opportunity to create some wonderful childhood memories during an easy day trip to Edaville is just one of many benefits of living in eastern Massachusetts and the Town of Franklin!
Edaville USA
7 Eda Ave
Carver, MA 02330
(508) 866-8190
www.edaville.com
Copyright ©2009 02038.com
[post_title] => Holiday fun for all the family
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[post_content] => The 6th annual Franklin MA Harvest Festival was held yesterday in downtown Franklin under gloriously blue skies. The weather was perfect - warm and sunny. People seemed to really enjoy themselves!
Main Street turned into pedestrian mall
Main Street was closed to traffic for the first time this year to accommodate all the additional merchants and food vendors who set up shop in display booths throughout the downtown area. The lack of traffic made the event much more laid-back than previous years.
Live music
There was plenty of live music at at the event, centered at three different locations. Local bands Random Play, Nothing to No One, and Knuf Said showed legitimate talent with their polished, professional performances.
Games for the kids
An extensive area for childrens' games was set up in the municipal parking lot. Mostly for the younger set, these games are very low-key fun where every participant wins a prize! Proceeds benefited the Parent Communications Council at the Davis Thayer Eelmentary School.
Antique car show
A new feature this year was an antique car show. This provided some historical interest and and an area of (relative) calm from the busy booths and games. My children were amazed at how primitive the interiors were in some of the entrants ("no seat belts"). I got to see a rumble seat for the first time. And the trunk for one beautiful vintage vehicle was . . . a trunk strapped above the rear bumper!
Franklin MA at its best
The Harvest Festival showcases Franklin at its best: family fun with no problems and an exceedingly normal, welcoming and inclusionary feel.
Attendance seemed strong (organizers had projected attendance to exceed 3,000).
The Harvest Festival supports the Franklin Downtown Partnership which has the continued revitalization of Franklin’s downtown as its core mission.
Copyright ©2009 02038.com
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[post_content] => What better evokes the ideal of summer living in a traditional New England town than a concert on the Town Common?
Franklin, MA continues that tradition with a series of free music and children’s' shows each summer. Held on the historic Franklin Town Common at the quaint gazebo, these are relaxing opportunities to sit on a blanket on the grass, let the kids have fun and listen to some good music.
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[post_content] => A very special asset for the Franklin, MA community, the Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPS) and its associated Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) is a prestigious non-profit performing arts organization. The FSPS and FPAC together serve approximately 1000 artists and students from more 45 communities in the Franklin region and are well-known throughout New England up and down eastern seaboard of the US.
The FSPS was founded in 1985 by Raye Lynn Mercer. The FPAC was created in 1991. The combined organization has music, dance and drama departments as well as a touring performance troupe. The FPAC promotes the performing arts and nurtures and develops young talent through private lessons and by a classroom curriculum. The organization serves to develop talent of all levels, offering courses in music, drama and dance.
Many local performances currently are held at the Thomas Mercer Auditorium at the Horace Mann Middle School, 224 Oak Street, Franklin, MA. Classes are conducted at the 38 Main Street location. The 38 Main Street location has become too small for the school.
The FPAC is planning to build a new arts center to be called the New England Center for the Performing Arts.
The New England Center for the Performing Arts will triple the space currently available at the Main Street location. The new facility will feature studios and class room, a recital hall for solo or small-group performances, a “black box” theater (typically used for teaching and small experimental shows) and a large proscenium theater for elaborate events. Center will be situated on 13 acres in Franklin on the west side of Route 495 near the Forge park commuter rail station.
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[post_content] => Internationally-recognized cartoon artist Bren Batalcan will exhibit his whimsical, colorful acrylic paintings later this month at the Franklin Art Center in Franklin, MA.
His delightful cartoon paintings have received so much acclaim he has been able to turn what was once just a hobby into his career and vocation.
Oak Street School mural
One of Batalcan’s murals graces the halls of Franklin, MA's Oak Street Elementary School.
Project Smile
Bren donates a lot of his artwork as part of his ongoing Project Smile campaign.
Bataclan travels the globe spreading reassurance and optimism with Project Smile’s signature message that “everything will be all right”.
He leaves that message attached to free paintings for anyone to pick up in public settings and places such as unemployment bureaus and public libraries where he thinks people may need encouragement and uplifting.
CBS News video
Bren’s charitable endeavors have garnered him lots of recognition, including this story that ran on the CBS Evening News:
Your chance to see his art in person
Bren’s exhibit in Franklin, MA opens Saturday March 31st, 2-4 PM at the 5 Main Street headquarters of the Franklin Art Center.
Bataclan’s artwork will be on display at the Center until the end of April.
Asset to the Franklin, MA community
The Franklin Arts Center offers individualized fine art instruction to students ages 4 to adult.
They are a wonderful addition the unusually diverse arts scene in Franklin, Massachusetts.
The Franklin community should feel honored to have the Center contributing to our cultural enrichment.
Copyright ©2012 02038.com
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What better evokes the ideal of summer living in a traditional New England town than a concert on the Town Common? Franklin, MA continues that tradition with a series of free music and children’s’ shows each summer. Held on the historic Franklin Town Common at the quaint gazebo, these are relaxing opportunities to sit on [...]
{ 0 comments }
A very special asset for the Franklin, MA community, the Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPS) and its associated Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) is a prestigious non-profit performing arts organization. The FSPS and FPAC together serve approximately 1000 artists and students from more 45 communities in the Franklin region and are well-known throughout [...]
{ 0 comments }
Internationally-recognized cartoon artist Bren Batalcan will exhibit his whimsical, colorful acrylic paintings later this month at the Franklin Art Center in Franklin, MA. His delightful cartoon paintings have received so much acclaim he has been able to turn what was once just a hobby into his career and vocation. Oak Street School mural One of [...]
{ 0 comments }
If you live in the suburbs west of Boston, MA and you’re looking for something to do this New Year’s weekend 2011 – 2012, here are some ideas. A few of these suggestions are well known in Massachusetts while others are a bit more obscure (and perhaps closer to home) and all are geared towards [...]
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What does Franklin MA’s downtown shoe store have in common with fine art? You’ll be able to experience the surprising answer yourself this Friday evening 7 PM – 9 PM at the inaugural gallery exhibition by the new Franklin Art Center located at 5 Main Street in Franklin, Massachusetts. Franklin resident’s hidden talent The gallery [...]
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An important member of the thriving performing arts community in Franklin, MA is celebrating 30 years of service this month. The Patti Eisenhauer Dance Center started back in 1981 out of one room in a home in Norfolk. It now has approximately 300 students enrolled in its spacious studios at 31 Hayward Street in Franklin, [...]
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Looking for fun things to do with the kids for Halloween 2010 in the Franklin, MA area? You’re in luck! We list here some fun events and activities for families in Franklin, Massachusetts and surrounding towns. Halloween 2010 in Franklin, MA October 28, 2010 – Franklin MA Public Library Come enjoy a Haunted Halloween Party [...]
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The Franklin, MA Historical Museum officially opened last Friday at its new location at 80 West Central Street in Downtown Franklin. The former site of the Senior Center, the previously neglected but now beautifully refurbished antique building provides another boost to on-going efforts to revitalize Franklin’s Downtown area. An impressive new Museum It’s fantastic that a [...]
{ 0 comments }
One of the many nice things about living in Franklin, MA is its strategic location on Route 495 south of the Mass Pike and north of Route 95. That puts Franklin in the heart of a culturally thriving and highly diverse population hub: the community is roughly equidistant to the cities of Boston (26 miles), [...]
{ 0 comments }
The 6th annual Franklin MA Harvest Festival was held yesterday in downtown Franklin under gloriously blue skies. The weather was perfect – warm and sunny. People seemed to really enjoy themselves! Main Street turned into pedestrian mall Main Street was closed to traffic for the first time this year to accommodate all the additional merchants [...]
{ 2 comments }
Warren Reynolds, Esq, GRI, e-PRO
Tel: 508.613.2889 | Contact
Century 21 Commonwealth
9 Main Street
Franklin, MA 02038
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