Framingham, MA – Access Framingham, the nonprofit public access corporation for the Town of Framingham, is holding an Orientation Session on Thursday, April 3, 2014 at 7:00pm.
Access Framingham is a membership based organization which provides training with video recording and editing equipment as well as access to our cable television channel to show locally recorded programming. Learn to be a citizen journalist, help document the many interesting events in Framingham, or volunteer your talents to help others with their productions. AF-TV’s local production studio is located in the back of the Fuller Middle School, at 31 Flagg Drive.
Membership is open to anyone who lives, works or goes to school in Framingham, or who is affiliated with a Framingham-based organization. All are welcome at this upcoming Orientation session. Please call to register at 508-875-5434.
AF-TV can be seen in the Town of Framingham on Comcast Channel 9, RCN Channel 3, and Verizon Channel 43. For more information about Access Framingham programming, training, and services, you can also visit us online at www.accessfram.tv.
The 29th Joe Val Bluegrass Festival will be held Valentines Day Weekend, Fri-Sun, Feb 14th, 15th and 16th, 2014 at the Sheraton, Framingham, MA
FRAMINGHAM, MA – A unique, all-encompassing experience for music lovers of all ages — set to a rollicking, first-rate soundtrack — the 29th Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, presented by the Boston Bluegrass Union (BBU), will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, February 14th-16th, 2014, at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel, Framingham, MA.
Year after year, this nationally acclaimed celebration of bluegrass music and its fans continues to win new converts while delighting seasoned veterans. The region’s top wintertime roots music festival features three days of national and regional artists on the Main Stage, the next generation of rising stars on the Showcase Stage, and an extensive lineup of education programs including Master Classes, Workshops, instructor-led Jam Sessions, and the renowned Joe Val Bluegrass Academy for Kids.
The Festival features all this, plusinstrument vendors, luthiers, and of course, picking around the clock. If you’re new to bluegrass, you’ll enjoy a veritable primer in nearly all facets of this original American art form — while longtime fans will appreciate the wide range of talent on display. Festival favorites The Gibson Brothers, perhaps the most decorated band in bluegrass today, will demonstrate just why they walked away with four awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) in 2013 including the coveted Entertainers of the Year.
Junior Sisk the IBMA’s 2013 Male Vocalist of the Year will be on hand as well, fronting his hard-driving, traditional band Ramblers Choice. The dynamic IIIrd Tyme Out will be unveiling a strong new lineup in support of lead singer and powerhouse Russell Moore. Blue Highway, perhaps one of the most esteemed and influential bands in contemporary bluegrass will be featuring new original material from their album The Game, to be released this January.
Popular songwriter and Sirius-XM radio personality Chris Jones and his band the Night Drivers will also be on hand to showcase some of today’s finest newly composed bluegrass songs during their set.
Fans of country music — both modern and traditional — will not want to miss a special acoustic reunion performance by the three co-founders of the Desert Rose Band: Chris Hillman (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, formerly with the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers), Herb Pedersen (the Dillards, Laurel Canyon Ramblers, Old and in the Way, Emmylou Harris), and John Jorgenson (Elton John, Bob Dylan, John Jorgenson Quintet). During the late-’80s, this versatile ensemble chalked up seven top-ten country hits while never losing sight of their roots in bluegrass, folk, and honky-tonk traditions.
The festival will also feature debut performances from Detour, Balsam Range, the Hillbenders, as well as some old friends in new configurations. Sister Sadie features past IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year Dale Ann Bradley along with friends Gina Britt, Tina Adair, Beth Lawrence and Deanie Richardson. Sideline features Steve Dilling, Darryl Webb, Jason Moore, Jimmy VanCleve, and Skip Cherryholmes.
Dedicated to preserving the past and nurturing the future, the Boston Bluegrass Union continues its commitment to education with daylong Master Classes kicking off the festival on Friday. On Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday there will be over fifty Workshops and Directed Jams for festival patrons of all ages that examine the instrumental and vocal techniques unique to bluegrass, as well as the music’s history and culture.
The BBU helps train the next generation of musicians with the Joe Val Bluegrass Academy for Kids, now in its 12th year, presenting a free, intensive three-day program that teaches children (ages 5 – 17) how to play, sing, and perform bluegrass music. Visit the festival website for further details on the extensive education offerings, schedules and registration details.
Established in 1985, the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival celebrates the legacy of the late Joe Val, a pioneering Massachusetts-based vocalist, musician, and bandleader, whose riveting performances, recordings, and generous nature did so much to spread the popularity of bluegrass in the Northeast.
From its humble beginnings as a local tribute to Joe and the regional bluegrass scene, the festival has grown to become one of the most celebrated bluegrass events in the country. In 2006, the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival won the prestigious Event of the Year award from the IBMA. And in 2012, the festival was listed by USA TODAY as one of the Ten Great Places to Go to Bluegrass Festivals.
Weekend tickets are now on sale and single day tickets will go on sale beginning January 15th. Note Saturday tickets will be in short supply so we strongly encourage early weekend ticket purchases. The festival has sold out in past years.
Ticket Prices
Weekend Pass – Adult $100, Students (w/ ID) and Youth $35
Single Day Friday – Adult $35, Students (w/ ID) $15, and Youth (16 and under) $10
Single Day Saturday – Adult $60, Students (w/ ID) $30, and Youth $25
Single Day Sunday – Adult $40, Students (w/ ID) $20, and Youth $15
Additional Discounts for BBU Members and for early purchase
Children under 12 and accompanied by adults are free all weekend
Main Stage Lineup
The Gibson Brothers (Sat)
Blue Highway (Fri)
Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out (Sun)
Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice (Sun)
Acoustic Desert Rose Band Reunion (Sat)
Sister Sadie (Sat)
Sideline (Fri)
Special Consensus (Sat)
Chris Jones and the Night Drivers (Fri)
The Spinney Brothers (Sun)
Bluegrass Gospel Project (Sun)
Balsam Range (Sat)
Hillbenders (Sat)
Detour (Sun)
Berklee All-Stars (Fri)
The Feinberg Brothers (Fri)
Dick Bowden’s Flying Circus Tribute to Don Stover (Sat)
The Reunion Band (Sat)
The Lonely Heartstring Band (Sat)
The Sheraton Framingham is located just 18 miles west of Boston, directly adjacent to the Mass Pike (Rt. 90, Exit 12) and Rt. 9. At this time, all hotel rooms are sold out at the Sheraton, but rooms are available nearby at the Marriott Residence Inn (508-370-0001), the Double Tree Hilton (800-222-Tree) and the Natick Courtyard Marriott (508-655-6100).
The Boston Bluegrass Union is a 501(c)3 non-profit, all volunteer organization, dedicated to preserving and promoting this original American music genre. Celebrating our 38th season, the BBU is the premier source for events, education, and information on bluegrass music in the Northeast.
Silent era film classic, ”The Kid” (1921), will be featured at Framingham Library’s Friday Night Films, November 8th, 2013.
FRAMINGHAM, MA – In the USA in 1920’s, on any given Friday night there’s a good chance you would have gone out to see a silent movie.
But, the theater would be anything but silent. A pianist played “mood music” along with the films.
On Friday, November 8th, 2013, slip into the past at the Framingham Main Library.
The library’s Friday Night Film will be a Silent Movie Show featuring Richard Hughes, Silent Movies Pianist who will set the mood as black & white films flicker on the screen.
Richard Hughes, Silent Movies Pianist
Hughes, who began classical piano training at age 7, spent over a decade researching and scoring “mood music” pieces to recreate the original period sound of the 1920’s “silent movie” houses.
He writes on his website, “Every time I screen another old silent film and prepare a musical score for it, I feel like a geologist who has just discovered a rare find hidden deep in ancient layers of rock. Many of these films are gems and my mission is to reacquaint, introduce, educate, and entertain audiences of all ages to the silent (more…)
FRAMINGHAM, MA – Cheryl Perreault, Liz Appleby, Dianne Bilyak and Deborah Rocha came together when they met at The Mouth, a forum for women performers, poets and writers created by Liz Appleby.
Discovering they could make each other laugh uproariously, they decided to pool their talents and create a fluid, humorous reflection of the world from their unique points of view.
On Wednesday, November 6th, 2013, the ensemble will be featured at the Amazing Things Comedy Mique Show in a set entitled, “I’ll Give You Something to Laugh About”, a product of their collective talents told in poems, stories and (more…)
Ventriloquist Kevin Driscoll featured in Amazing Things comedy show October 2nd, 2013.
FRAMINGHAM, MA – One of the Boston area’s top ventriloquists, Kevin Driscoll, returns to his hometown, (Framingham), to headline a night of fun, comedy, music and laughs at the Amazing Comedy MIQUE Show at Amazing Things Arts Center in Downtown Framingham, Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013 at 7:30pm.
Driscoll, a techie by day, is General Manager of 1stWorks Corporation, a virtual internet company where he spends ten to twelve hours a day monitoring multiple online systems, (Kevin formerly held executive positions at Carlson Technologies, Microsystems Software and at Digital Equipment Corporation “DEC”).
An accomplished musician, (and Berklee College of Music alum), nights (more…)
Discover Saxonville’s Athenaeum Hall, Saturday, October 5, 2013
FRAMINGHAM, MA – Discover Saxonville’s Athenaeum! The Athenaeum is getting a little help from its “Friends”.
Join The Friends of Saxonville for community, culture and cuisine — a reception and concert to benefit the Restoration of The Athenaeum Community Hall at 7:00pm on Saturday evening October 5th, 2013
Although the exterior of Athenaeum has been restored, the interior is in complete disrepair. Our event goal is to raise $10,000 to help with construction costs, provide furnishings and accessories, (i.e. media equipment and kitchen necessities), and provide operating expense support.
Event Highlights include delectable Hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar of fine wine and beer, a brief review of the planned restoration of The Athenaeum Community Hall, a concert of Baroque Period selections for Harpsichord and Flute by The Hunt Trio and the event is topped off with decadent desserts, coffee and tea.
FRAMINGHAM, MA – Just a few spots are still available in Summer TV Camp at Access Framingham!
This coming August, AF-TV will offer its second Summer TV Camp to young people ages 10-12. The dates are Monday, August 12 through Friday, August 16, from 9:00am-2:00pm each day.
Campers will work together to develop and produce an original program. Every child will have a hands-on experience with studio cameras, microphones, control room switcher, graphics and audio. Thanks to a grant from Impact Framingham, we will be adding (more…)
FRAMINGHAM — With more than 80 displays, attractions and vendors, the Framingham Earth Day Festival is poised to deliver the green-living message to hundreds of environmentally attuned families this month.
The festival kicks off activities at 11 a.m. on the Framingham Centre Village Green, Edgell Road, Saturday, April 27 and continues to 3 p.m. In the event of stormy weather with heavy rains, the Festival will be moved to Framingham High School. If in doubt, check the Earth Day Website the day of the event.
With food, music, recycling, composting, kids’ activities, artisans and eco-friendly products and businesses, the third annual festival promises to be larger and more diverse than previous years.
“We want the Festival to be a chance to join together as a community, support local businesses, learn about how we can green-up Framingham, and have fun,” said Framingham Earth Day Festival President Donna Kramer Merritt.
The Festival will be an opportunity for area (more…)
FRAMINGHAM, MA – Another year come and gone — but don’t let 2012 slip away quietly, we’ve rounded up a few fun and interesting things to do in the greater Framingham area to celebrate 2013 New Years Eve.
New Years Eve At Zing with Joe Wong and Dan Crossley and Malik the Magic Guy
The Amazing Things Arts Center is holding a New Years Eve comedy show featuring Joe Wong, Dan Crossley and ‘Malik the Magic Guy‘. Joe Wong, the self-styled ”All-American Immigrant’, who has been named Boston’s “Comedian of the Year” and winner of the Great American Comedy Festival, returns for another New Year’s Eve performance at The Amazing Things Arts Center. *** Dan Crossley, is an (more…)
FRAMINGHAM, MA – Months become weeks, weeks become days, and as December 25th approaches, children’s questions like; “How long until Christmas?“, and “Are you sure Santa knows where our house is?“, come with increasing frequency.
Thanks to NORAD, (the North American Aerospace Defense Command), kids of all ages can track Santa’s travels on Christmas Eve with radar accuracy — and spend time on the NORAD Santa Tracker Website playing games and enjoying other activities while (more…)
