Membership Reminder, Sarah Mabardy

New Member

Sarah Mabardy, Franklin resident:  A big welcome to Sarah, the woman behind the #ShopFranklin group on Facebook. In early 2015 Sarah created the #ShopFranklin group to "help support and promote our local, independently owned and operated businesses in Franklin and create a community where we respect and support our neighbors." Find out more about this group at www.Facebook.com/groups, then #ShopFranklin - Supporting Small Business.

Residents are important to our membership. The Partnership formed, in part, "To be a pro-active organization that brings residents, business owners and community leaders together, encourages cooperation, and builds leadership for the purpose of revitalizing downtown Franklin." 

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Membership Reminder

2015 Membership applications are due May 1. Please print, fill out and mail the 2015 Membership Application with your check to the Franklin Downtown Partnership, P.O. Box 413, Franklin, 02038. Already downtown? Feel free to drop your application off at our office, 9 E. Central Street. We are at the top of the stairs then all the way to the left. 

Renewals were mailed out the week of April 12. If you didn't get yours, please download one here.

Membership Renewals, Upcoming Events

RENEW Your PARTNERSHIP Membership Today! 

Membership Renewals Due: May 1st 

Please fill out the application (click here) and mail with your check. 

Invoices were mailed last week.

Remember: The FDP is a non-profit organization and we count on your membership dues to keep us moving forward with events, beautification, communication, economic development, networking opportunities and much more!

FDP Membership Privileges:

• Free booth for business members at Strawberry Stroll and Holiday Stroll -- a $200 value! (non-food)
• Networking socials where you can meet people and introduce your business
• A “voice” in economic development and streetscape plans
• Participation in events, group promotional projects, and opportunities to partner with other local business owners 
• Communication updates on downtown events and streetscape projects
• Business informational presentations with guest speakers
• Free Link on the FDP’s website, franklindowntownpartnership.org!
• Join the conversation on FDP Facebook and Twitter

FDP General Meeting

Thursday, June 4th

8:30 a.m. at Dean College

Spring Happenings in DOWNTOWN Franklin!

The Franklin Art Association

SPRING ART SHOW

April 18th and 19th

at The Black Box

Find more information about the Franklin Art Association at www.franklinart.org.

Horace Mann Day

Sunday, May 3rd

at The Franklin Historical Museum

For more information about the Historical Museum go to www.franklinhistoricalmuseum.org.

Downtown Beautification Day

Saturday, May 16th

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Volunteers Needed

Interested volunteers can contact event chair Eileen Mason at emason11@verizon.net.

Strawberry Stroll

Downtown Franklin

Thursday, June 11th

4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Sponsors Needed

If you are interested in having a booth please contact event chair Nicole Fortier at nfortier@deanbank.com

Upcoming Events at the Historical Museum

Horace Mann Day is May 3

The Franklin Historical Commission will celebrate 'Horace Mann Day' on Sunday, May 3, 2015 with a special presentation, HORACE MANN AND HIS WORLD, featuring writer and commentator Peter Golden.


Franklin's most famous son, Mann was a lawyer, politician, abolitionist, the first Secretary of Education and is most often referred to as the 'Father of Education'. The museum will unveil the Horace Mann exhibit, which will become a permanent exhibit.


Invitations are going out to History and Social Study teachers in town. The public is invited to attend the lecture and enjoy refreshments, including birthday cake in celebration of Mann's Birthday, which falls on Monday, May 4th.


The Franklin Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street, Franklin, and is open
Sunday 1:00PM-4:00PM 
Thursday 5:00PM-8:00PM 
Saturdays 10:00AM-1:00PM. 

The museum is handicap accessible.

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Movie Night at the Museum

Sunday, April 19th

6:00 p.m.

The Miracle Worker

The story of teacher Anne Sullivan and her struggles to teach blind and deaf mute Helen Keller, to communicate. 1962 version with Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke. Price of Admission is a canned good for the Franklin Food Pantry.

Downtown Streetscape Project Update #1

Dear Franklin Downtown Partnership Members:

The  Downtown Streetscape Project is due to begin the week of April 20th. I met with Jeff Nutting, the MASS DOT project manager and DPW this past week.   Attached please find a summary of this meeting from the Town.  I will be meeting with this group every two weeks in order to get updates on the construction project.  The Partnership will be posting the updates on the FDP website and we will be sending our members updates as we receive them from Jeff Nutting.

For those of you who were not able to attend the FDP General meeting last week, please feel free to stop by the FDP office to view the most current maps and streetscape design details.

Lisa Piana
Executive Director

Message from Town Administrator's Office:
Attached you will find the first project update on the Downtown roadway project. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Maxine D. Kinhart
Assistant to the Town Administrator
355 East Central Street
Franklin, MA 02038
508-520-4949

Down Town Project Update #1

April 8, 2015 

We met with Anthony Tavalone the MASS DOT employee in charge of the project, a representative of the contractor, Brian Kelly from Dean College, Lisa Piana from the Downtown Partnership, and representatives from the Franklin DPW. 

The contractor stated he is going to split the project into two phases leaving the reconstruction of Main Street from the Bridge to Emmons Street until to 2016. The contractor indicated he would most likely begin around April 20th starting up near the Red Brick School and working towards Emmons Street over the next couple months. He also will be completing the remaining drainage work on the project (except Main Street) and installing the light bases for the new street lights along the project during that time period. 

Once he completes Main Street from the Red Brick School to High Street to Emmons, he plans to work on Emmons then West and East Central Street during this construction season. This work is likely to take place over the summer and fall. 

We plan to meet in two weeks and will update the community on a regular basis. If anyone has a question please feel free to reach out to the DPW Director, Brutus Cantoreggi or Town Engineer Michael Maglio at 508-553-5500 or my office at 508-520-4949.

-- Jeff Nutting, Franklin Town Administrator

Small Shop Co-Op Meets Tonight

The Small Shop Co-Op's next meeting is tonight, 7 p.m., at The Cake Bar, 17 E. Central St.

Topics for discussion will be the Scavenger Hunt planning, next steps and new marketing ideas. 

RSVP via Facebook:

Small Shop Co-Op Meeting

April 9 at 7:00pm

The Cake Bar, Franklin MA in Franklin, Massachusetts

Join · Be the first person to join

Dean College Executive Leadership Speaker

The Dean College Leadership Institute's Executive Lecture series continues on April 14 and features Jerry Sargent, President of Citizens Bank, Massachusetts. The event is open to the public; however, please RSVP because of space considerations. 

DEAN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE 10th Executive Lecture Jerry Sargent President, Citizens Bank, Massachusetts April 14, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. You are cordially invited to join the Dean College community for our annual Executive Lecture presented by the Dean Leadership Institute. On April 14, 2015, we welcome Jerry Sargent, President of Citizens Bank, Massachusetts. Sargent serves on various business boards aimed at improving the vitality of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In this capacity, Jerry serves on the executive committees of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable. He is also a member of the Boston Financial Services Leadership Council. In 2011, then-Governor Deval Patrick appointed him to the Massachusetts Economic Development Planning Council. REGISTER TO ATTEND 2014 Dean Leadership Institute Dean College welcomed Bianca de la Garza, Newscaster for WCVB Boston and Founder of Lucky Gal Productions. Free Event Open to Public Register Now When Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. Where The Guidrey Center Dean College 100 W. Central St. Franklin, MA 02038  Quick Links Directions Dean Leadership Institute School of Business Stay Connected

2015 Event, Meeting Dates Press Release

Franklin Downtown Partnership Announces 2015 Dates

The Franklin Downtown Partnership has set its 2015 dates for the Strawberry Stroll, Holiday Stroll, and Beautification days. The Partnership also announces its General Meeting dates and invites the public to attend and learn more about important changes coming to downtown Franklin.

The event schedule looks different this year because the FDP has put the Harvest Festival on hold due to the upcoming Streetscape revitalization project. The scheduled reconstruction of roadways and sidewalks and pedestrian safety were the main factors in the Partnership’s decision to postpone the festival until 2016.

Downtown Beautification Day will be Saturday, May 16, 9:00 a.m. to Noon. The Partnership, the Franklin Garden Club and numerous volunteers wielding spades and garden gloves will install hundreds of flowers and greens throughout downtown and on the Common. Community service hours will be available to students. Contact Eileen Mason, emason11@verizon.net, for more information about the event, volunteer and sponsorship opportunities. Winter Beautification Day will be Sunday, November 22.

The 12th annual Strawberry Stroll is will take place downtown on Thursday, June 11, from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Come celebrate summer with the Partnership’s scrumptious Strawberry Shortcakes while enjoying live entertainment and a sidewalk sale. If you would like to sponsor or participate in this event please contact event Co-chair Nicole Fortier, nfortier@deanbank.com.

The always-popular Holiday Stroll will be Thursday, December 3, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. This special holiday celebration will include a visit from Santa and his elves, live entertainment, food and drink specials, crafts and gift shopping. Gregg Chalk and Roberta Trahan will co-chair this festive event.

The Partnership invites business owners and interested residents to participate in its General Meetings on June 4, September 3 and November 5. Come learn more about issues affecting downtown Franklin. The meetings are held at 8:30 a.m. at the Dean College Campus Center.

More information about each event, meeting sponsorship and volunteer opportunities can be found at www.franklindowntownpartnership.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FranklinDowntownPartnership.org, or on Twitter at @FranklinDowntwn.

The Franklin Downtown Partnership is a nonprofit, 501©3 organization made up of business owners, community leaders and residents working together to stimulate economic development downtown and create a positive impact throughout the area. The FDP currently has over 200 members and welcomes all businesses and residents. For more information, please contact Executive Director Lisa Piana at (774)571-3109 or downtown.franklin@yahoo.com.  

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Click here to download and print the 2015 Events, Meetings Press Release.

WMRC's Good News Campaign

Tom McAuliffe, President of WMRC First Class Media, spoke at last week's General Meeting about his "Good News" campaign. Below is a post from March 3 with all the details on how to share your own "Good News" with a large audience:

WMRC First Class Media, a Milford-based media company and Franklin Downtown Partnership member, has launched a “Good News” initiative and wants to hear your positive stories. 

WMRC is a locally owned multi-media company that supports local businesses. WMRC 1490 AM broadcasts reach listeners in 14 local towns in 3 counties, and it’s website has logged 22,000 visits. 

If you are looking for a new audience to tell your positive stories to, WMRC First Class Media may have a way to help.

To download and print a copy of the WMRC-First Class Media press release click here.

Small Shop Co-Op Meets Thursday, 4/9

The Small Shop Co-Op's next meeting is this Thursday, 7 p.m., at The Cake Bar, 17 E. Central St.

Topics for discussion will be the Scavenger Hunt planning, next steps and new marketing ideas. 

RSVP via Facebook:

Small Shop Co-Op Meeting

April 9 at 7:00pm

The Cake Bar, Franklin MA in Franklin, Massachusetts

Join · Be the first person to join