4th Annual Holiday Stroll (photos)

Hundreds of people turned out to enjoy the sights and sounds of the 4th Annual Holiday Stroll in downtown Franklin yesterday. Visitors were treated to hot chocolate, carols, handbells, arts and crafts, wreaths, a visit from Santa, stories from Mrs. Claus, lighted trees, gingerbread cookies, holiday music and much more! 

The Stroll was made possible by our generous sponsors and the tireless efforts of co-chairs Cindy Kozil and Roberta Trahan and a large number of volunteer elves.

Many thanks to our Gold Sponsors Dean Bank and DCU
Silver Sponsors D.G. Ranieri Real Estate, Local Town Pages Franklin and Middlesex Savings Bank
and Bronze Sponsors Franklin Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts and Simon's Furniture

We also thank the Franklin Police Department who skillfully kept traffic moving and Strollers safe, and the DPW who made the downtown look so good!

For more photos from the night check out the 
Holiday Stroll slideshow in the top right
corner of our website...

Holiday Stroll is Tonight!

Join the fun in Downtown Franklin this evening!

Holiday Stroll Flyer

Holiday Stroll is Tomorrow!

The weather should be delightful for tomorrow's Holiday Stroll in Downtown Franklin!

Join your neighbors at the tree lighting ceremony at 4 p.m. on the Dean College campus, then stroll throughout the downtown streets and enjoy crafts, a hand bell choir, refreshments, a visit from Santa, stories with Mrs. Claus, and special treats at participating businesses.

The Franklin Food Elves will kick off the "12 Days of Donating" campaign at the tree lighting so please bring a non-perishable item for the Franklin Food Pantry.

Happy Holidays!

The Franklin Food Elves will kick off the "12 Days of Donating" food drive at the Holiday Stroll on Thursday, November 29, at the tree lighting ceremony on the Dean College campus. 

Food Drive Kicks Off Thursday

Food Elves, FDP Plan ‘12 Days of Donating’ Drive

The Franklin Food Elves are combining forces with the Franklin Downtown Partnership for the “12 Days of Donating” campaign to benefit the local food pantry, and they’ll kick off the drive at the fourth annual Holiday Stroll’s tree lighting ceremony on Thursday, November 29, at 4:00 p.m.

As a charitable community service group, the Food Elves aim to collect 1,200 pounds of food in 12 days, from December 1 to December 12, for the Franklin Food Pantry.  More than 50 Elves will ask for food donations in Franklin neighborhoods during the first two weeks in December, and local businesses have pledged their support. If the Food Elves collect 1,200 pounds of goods, eleven participating companies have each pledged a $200 cash donation. 

Ideally the Elves hope to beat last year’s drive in which they raised more than 2,000 pounds of goods and $4,000, allowing the Food Pantry to provide 17,000 meals for Franklin families in need last winter.

Franklin Food Elves co-founders Melissa and Cameron Piana and the Partnership hope that the community will support the Food Pantry again this year by helping them reach their goal. 

“Last year we were excited by the generosity of the people in this town,” says Cameron Piana.  “Because of those donations we could help the Pantry feed families for several months.  Our timing was good because there is more need in winter when people have to spend money on heat.” 

According to the food pantry, 600 households currently use their services, and the number of families struggling increases during the cold months. 1,200 pounds of food can provide approximately 900 meals, and $2,200 can provide an additional 5,500 meals. 

The Food Elves will kick off the “12 Days of Donating” campaign at the Holiday Stroll with a bin at the tree lighting ceremony, and they will place donation bins at these participating businesses:

• Berry Insurance, 9 Main St.
• Chestnut Dental Associates, 38 Pond St.
• Dean Bank, 21 Main St.
• Dean College, Campus Center
• DCU, 500 West Central St.
• East Coast Driving School, 25 East Central St.
• Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, 12 Main St.
• Franklin Downtown Partnership Office, 9 East Central St.
• Jane’s Frames, 11 East Central St.
• Murphy Business, 15 East Central St.
• RE/MAX Executive Realty, 445 Franklin Village Dr.

“The Franklin Downtown Partnership is happy to partner with the Franklin Food Elves again this year,” says FDP President Nicole Fortier. “We encourage residents to visit the local businesses to drop off their donations. We are pleased to support the teens who are doing such necessary community service work in Franklin.”

The Franklin Food Elves are local students ranging from fourth grade through high school:  Colin and Charles Berg; Jack, Katie and Julia Buccella; Cara and Chris Callahan; Corey Cassi; Austin and Carter Castillo; Sarah Carroll; Allie Champlin; Kiara Chan; Amanda Chang; Chris Chou; Kiara Cronin; Karen Cunningham; Jessica Deaver; Julia and Jacob Dextradeur; Ryan Dombroski; Elise and Haley Frank; Sarah Georges; Maddie Gordon; Yagnya Govada; Megan and Julie Harrington; Kirsten Hummel; Victoria Krasnick; Maddie Lacman; Kasey Lynch; Kathryn Mason; Nicolette McCarthy; Laura Murphy; Kyle Neenan; Melissa and Cameron Piana; Lindsey, Sydney and Kaitlyn Rappa; Sara Richardson; Aubree Ronan; Emily Shea; Katie and Ellie Teixeira; Mely Wu. 

For more information about the Franklin Food Elves and the “12 Days of Donating” campaign, please contact the Franklin Downtown Partnership at downtown.frankin@yahoo.com or (774) 571-3109. For more information about the Franklin Food Pantry and what items are needed, please contact Development Director Erin Lynch or Operations Director Linda Sottile at (508) 528-3115, or go to their website, www.franklinfoodpantry.org/. 

The Franklin Downtown Partnership and the Franklin Food Elves are teaming up for the '12 Days of Donating' Campaign! Fifty Food Elves will collect food and non perishable goods and 11 FDP member businesses have pledged $200 apiece in matching funds -- all to benefit the Franklin Food Pantry. 

The '12 Days of Donating' campaign will kick off at the Holiday Stroll on November 29 at the tree lighting ceremony. Collections will continue through December 12. 

Watch this space for more information and continuous updates about the Franklin Food Elves and the FDP's '12 Days of Donating' campaign!

Five of the 50 Franklin Food Elves ready to collect goods for the Food Pantry.

Winter Decorating This Sunday

Downtown Partnership, Garden Club to Decorate for Holidays

The Franklin Downtown Partnership and the Franklin Garden Club will team up to decorate downtown Franklin on Sunday, November 18, and they need your help. 

Anyone who would like to volunteer for the annual Holiday and Winter Decorating Day will meet Eileen Mason, chairperson of the event, at 9:00 a.m. on the center island downtown. Community service hours are available for students, and groups and teams are encouraged to participate.

“We need volunteers and sponsors to help support our efforts to spruce up downtown Franklin,” says Mason. “We are always happy to have volunteer labor, and donations help us offset the cost of our materials. We would love to have a major sponsor step in to help with our plans.”

According to Mason, beautification is an on-going effort and materials for the year can add up to $5,000. The group plants in the spring, weeds and waters all summer, cleans up in the fall, decorates for the holidays and plans during the winter. 

The Franklin Garden Club is also recruiting new members with an interest in gardening; young and old, male and female are invited to join. The Garden Club meets the first Tuesday of each month at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 237 Pleasant Street, at 7:00 p.m. 

For more information about the Holiday and Winter Decorating Day contact Eileen Mason at emason11@verizon.net. Details about sponsoring the decorations can also be found on the FDP website, www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/ under the Sponsors tab. 

As a non-profit organization, the Franklin Downtown Partnership depends on sponsors to fund this and other events, including the Holiday Stroll and the Harvest Festival, as well as to support ongoing streetscape and networking efforts. For more information about the FDP please contact Executive Director Lisa Piana at (774)571-3109 or downtown.franklin@yahoo.com.  

Holiday Stroll Press Release

Ring In the Season at the Franklin Holiday Stroll

The Franklin Downtown Partnership plans a jolly evening for its fourth annual Holiday Stroll on Thursday, November 29, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Santa, Mrs. Claus, and several elves will make appearances around town, and there will be tree lightings, carolers, refreshments, entertainment and more for visitors this year.

The Stroll will begin with a tree lighting ceremony at 4 p.m. in front of Dean Hall on the Dean College campus. Carolers in period costume will lead holiday songs and refreshments will be served. 

Holiday revelers are invited to bring a donation for the Franklin Food Pantry to the event. The FDP and the Franklin Food Elves will be kicking off the “12 Days of Donating” campaign to benefit the Food Pantry with drop-off bins located at the tree lighting ceremony and throughout the downtown. 

“We are happy to work with the Franklin Food Elves again this year,” says Roberta Trahan, Stroll co-chair. “The Food Elves hope to beat last year’s collection of more than 2,000 pounds of food and $4,000. In total that provided the Food Pantry with approximately 17,000 meals last winter and was a tremendous help during a critical time.”  This year the Food Elves’ sponsors and drop off locations will include Berry Insurance, DCU, Dean Bank, Dean College, Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, the Franklin Downtown Partnership and Jane’s Frames. 

After the tree-lighting festivities, visitors can stroll through downtown to admire the festive window decorations and stop in at more than 25 participating businesses for special treats, entertainment, demonstrations, crafts and shopping discounts. A complete listing of businesses’ special offers will be available at each participating location. 

Dean Bank will have a tree lighting ceremony of its own at 4:45 p.m. followed by a unique performance by the students of the Mount St. Charles Hand Bell Choir. The bank will also be bringing back last year’s popular Gingerbread Man Decorating activity.

Santa will hear children’s wish lists at Simon’s Furniture from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Meanwhile, Santa’s Workshop, complete with letters to Santa and crafts, will be set up at Rockland Trust, and Mrs. Claus will be sharing cookies and stories with children at the Historical Museum. 

Milford radio station WMRC 1490-AM will play holiday music and broadcast live from the Berry Insurance lot, and local singer/songwriter Jamie Barrett will entertain crowds at Jane’s Frames from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Fire Station will have a fire engine ready for kids to climb on and offer holiday safety tips for the adults.

“The Holiday Stroll is nice family entertainment,” says Cindy Kozil, event co-chair.  “It happens early enough that families can come to the tree lighting, the kids can see Santa and make some crafts, and everyone can do some shopping and have dinner, all within a couple of blocks and without ever having to leave Franklin.” 

DCU and Dean Bank are the Gold Sponsors of this year’s Holiday Stroll. D.G. Ranieri Real Estate, Franklin Local Town Pages and Middlesex Savings Bank are Silver Sponsors, and the Franklin Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts and Simon’s Furniture are Bronze Sponsors. 

For more information about the Holiday Stroll or if you would like to be a sponsor contact co-chairs Cindy Kozil, ckozil@dean.edu, or Roberta Trahan, roberta_icu1@verizon.net.

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization made up of business owners, community leaders and residents working to revitalize Downtown Franklin. For more information about the Partnership or this event please go to our website, www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/, or contact Executive Director 

Lisa Piana at (774)571-3109 or downtown.franklin@yahoo.com.  

Network With FDP Members Thursday

We hope you can join us for a very special Franklin Downtown Partnership

Networking Event hosted by Six One Seven Studios

Thursday, November 15th - Starting at 5:00 but come anytime...before 8:00 and we will be there.

 

The event will be at Six One Seven Studios'state of the art film studio located at 25 Kenwood Circle in Franklin

Come and enjoy good company, delicious appetizers, beer, and wine as you tour the exciting new state of the art studios.

Please RSVP Joel Carrara at jcarrara@printsmartoffice.com

Learn more about Six One Seven Studios

Six One Seven Studios is a full service video production company based in Franklin, MA dedicated to telling your story through high quality video production.

Our experienced team of professionals has years of experience in the art of communicating through video. From videography, editing, scripting and all aspects of video production service, Six One Seven Studios represents some of the best in the field offering our services at competitive prices. 
Six One Studios is equipped with a 3,200 square foot soundstage, makeup and client area, state of the art editing suite and multiple offices.

We look forward to seeing everyone who can attend.

www.sixonesevenstudios.com

More Holiday Stroll Happenings

We've added more businesses, more sponsors, more specials and more fun to our 4th Annual Holiday Stroll!

Please join the festivities on Thursday, November 29, at 4 p.m.

2012 Holiday Stroll Happenings -- Updated!

Download and print this flyer or pick one up at participating merchants on November 29!

Please Pledge to help the Food Elves

Last call to Pledge $200 and be a drop off location for the "12 Days of Donating" Food Elves Campaign.  Please join the Downtown Partnership in supporting the Franklin Food Pantry!

The Food Elves would like to thank the current business participants who are participating in this year's campaign:
Berry Insurance, Chestnut Dental, Dean Bank, DCU, Dean College, East Coast Driving School, Emma's Quilts,the Franklin Downtown Partnership, Jane’s Frames and RE/MAX Executive Realty .....

Last year the Food Elves in partnership with the Franklin Downtown Partnership collected food and cash donations that translated to over 17,000 meals for families in need.

The "12 Days of Donating" Campaign will run from December 1st-12th with the kick off at the Holiday Stroll.


ATTENTION Businesses:
This year the Food Elves would like to expand the number of businesses that would like to pledge $200 IF the Elves meet their goal of collecting 1,200 pounds of
food donations. They invite YOU to be a part of this community-wide campaign! Please e-mail the office (downtown.franklin@yahoo.com) by Monday so the Food Elves can add you to the press release.

It is easy...just say "YES" and the Food Elves will arrive with a Donation Bin and will pick up the food at the end of the campaign.


Food Elves in Training...
If you know someone who is interested in becoming a Food Elf...please call or e-mail the FDP office today so Head Elves Melissa and Cameron can add them to their list of volunteers and coordinate their schedules.

Make a Difference this year....and join the Elves for a Great Cause.....!!

Network with the FDP

Dear FDP Members:
We hope you can attend one or both of our upcoming Networking Events:

FDP Networking Luncheon
Friday, November 9th at 1:00
Dean College-Campus Center Dining Hall

YOU ARE INVITED......
to a very special Franklin Downtown Partnership Networking Event hosted by Six One Seven Studios

Thursday, November 15th -Starting at 5:00
This is a special evening for FDP members looking for connections and networking opportunities. The event will be at Six One Seven Studios'state of the art film studiolocated at 25 Kenwood Circle in Franklin.

Come and enjoy good company, delicious appetizers, beer, and wine as you tour the exciting new state of the art studios.

Please RSVP Joel Carrara at jcarrara@printsmartoffice.com

Learn more about Six One Seven Studios
Six One Seven Studios is a full service video production company based in Franklin, MA dedicated to telling your story through high quality video production.

Our experienced team of professionals has years of experience in the art of communicating through video. From videography, editing, scripting and all aspects of video production service, Six One Seven Studios represents some of the best in the field offering our services at competitive prices.

Six One Studios is equipped with a 3,200 square foot soundstage, makeup and client area, state of the art editing suite and multiple offices.

We look forward to seeing everyone who can attend.
www.sixonesevenstudios.com

Franklin Food Elves Need Your Help!

A note from the Food Elves and the FDP....

Last year the Food Elves in partnership with the Franklin Downtown Partnership collected food and cash donations that translated to over 17,000 meals for families in need.

The "12 Days of Donating" Campaign will run from December 1st-12th with the kick off at the Holiday Stroll.

This year the Food Elves would like to expand the number of business that would like to pledge $200 if the Elves meet their goal of collecting 1,200 pounds of food donations. They invite YOU to to be a part of this community-wide campaign!
Please call or e-mail the office by Monday so the Food Elves can add you to the list. You will be in good company with our current participants: Berry Insurance, Dean Bank, DCU, Dean College,Emma's Quilts, Jane's Frames and the Franklin Downtown Partnership.

Just say YES...
It is easy...just say "YES" and the Food Elves will arrive with a Donation Bin and will pick up the food at the end of the campaign.  

Food Elves in Training...
If you know someone who is interested in becoming a Food Elf...please call or e-mail the FDP office at downtown.franklin@yahoo.com by Monday so Head Elves Melissa and Cameron can add them to their list of volunteers and coordinate their schedules.

Make a Difference this year....and join the Elves for a Good Cause...