FRAMINGHAM, MA – A collaboration with Friends of Saxonville and the Framingham Cultural Council, will fund the creation of two murals on the Sudbury River Floodgates between 1545 and 1555 Concord Street in Framingham.
The theme for these murals is an artistic interpretation of the Sudbury River’s importance to Saxonville’s founding and emergence as an industrial mill hub for Framingham.
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FRAMINGHAM, MA – Celebrate our Wild and Scenic Rivers at the 13th Annual RiverFest, June 20th through the 22nd, 2014 — a rare opportunity to enjoy a full weekend of activities free of charge! RiverFest, which celebrates the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Wild and Scenic Rivers, includes 45 events in nine communities and is open to all who want to experience the beautiful rivers flowing through our communities.
RiverFest Events on Saturday, June 21, 2014 in Framingham:
In the MetroWest area, from Framingham to Lowell, events will be hosted on and along the rivers highlighting all the things that make these rivers so special. The offerings are diverse, suitable for young and older people, those who are adventuresome and want to be on the water, as well as (more…)
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.
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 – 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.
Event Venue is generously donated by (more…)
FRAMINGHAM, MA – “Framingham State University” is now the official name of the school which has sat atop Bare Hill since 1853.
The school was originally founded in 1839 as a state-funded “Normal School” to standardize, (or “normalize“), the training of teachers in America.
The Normal School was first located in Lexington and then Newton, MA and after outgrowing both locations moved to Framingham where it has flourished and grown for more than a century and a half.
An act which became effective October 26, 2010 changes M.G.L. Ch. 15A, Sec. 5, and creates sub-sections of the law which in addition to renaming (6) colleges, breaks the state’s system of higher education into three segments;
FRAMINGHAM, MA – Below is a list of just some of the Halloween activities taking in place in Framingham during the week leading up to Halloween ..but first, a little history about the origin of this wickedly fun holiday.
It’s been a couple thousand years since the ancient Celtic people celebrated Samhain, a holiday occurring on the last day of October which marked the end of summer and time for harvest — a time when the Celts believed the line between the living and the dead grew thin and spirits of the dead could return to Earth, (as ghosts). The Celts would dress in costumes and light bonfires as part of the rituals.
Conquered by the Romans, the Celtic harvest rituals were combined with two Roman holidays, Feralia, (a day to commemorate the dead), and Pomona, (a day to honor the godess of fruit and trees). As Christianity became more widespread, All Saints Day, (called “Alholowmesse” in early English), was celebrated on November 1st to honor Roman Catholic Saints and martyrs, and “All Souls (Day)”, to honor all departed souls was celebrated on November 2nd.
Eventually Alholowmesse become known as “All-hallows (Day)”. Since the Celtic holiday of Samhain was celebrated the night before, it became (more…)
FRAMINGHAM, MA – “1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts” is a new cultural tourism program that celebrates what is unique about our state, its communities, and its people, and also to stimulate cultural tourism. The program seeks to increase visitation to the state’s wide range of exceptional historic sites, cultural venues, and natural landscapes.
Nominations will be considered for a final list of 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts to be announced in May.
“Framingham is full of special historic sites, cultural landmarks, and natural landscapes”, said Representative Pam Richardson. “I hope residents of Framingham will take advantage of this opportunity to highlight these places, and tell their stories about why these places deserve to be included on the list.”
The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) has established a website to accept nominations from the public: www.massvacation.com/1000/
All Great Places that are nominated must be open and available to the public. Only one nomination per person will be accepted. The nomination period will close April 1, 2010. The Commission will meet later that month to draw up a final list of 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts, which will be announced in May.
The 1,000 Great Places Commission was created by the Legislature in 2009. It is chaired by Eric Turkington of Falmouth, a former state representative and first House Chair of the Joint Committee onTourism, Arts, and Cultural Development.
FRAMINGHAM, MA – Annie Murphy, Executive Director of the Framingham History Center announced that she received word of a a $100,000 grant from American Express to restore the Edgell Memorial Library’s windows.
Nearly 2.5 million people voted in the Partners In Preservation competition. The Edgell Library won 70f the vote, placing 4th out of 25, with in an estimated 175,000 votes. This is remarkable given our “dark horse” status among so many notable Boston institutions, including the Paul Revere house and the Aquarium.
The Framingham History Center is hosting the exhibition “Windows on Edgell’s Past, Present, and Future” amd will be open Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. and Wednesday, June 17th from 5 to 8 p.m.
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FRAMINGHAM, MA – Discover Saxonville on the weekend of June 10th and 11th. This year the Friends of Saxonville are inviting you to re-discover the restored Danforth St. Bridge, the Sudbury River, and historic Saxonville as part of National Parks Service’s Regional Riverfest!
On Sunday, June 11, Friends of Saxonville joins in the Celebration with its annual Discover Saxonville event. The day begins with a 7:00 am. Bird Walk along the Carol Getchell Nature Trail hosted by Michele Grzenda of the Framingham Conservation Commission. At 9:00 a canoe and kayak trip leaves Kellogg Street and travels the Sudbury River to Centennial Place. At 10:30 inside the historic Athenaeum, guests may see the presentation “Stormwater Matters”,then at 11 a.m. take a guided walking tour through Saxonville’s Historic District, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The walking tour finishes with a lunch party, complete with balloons, hot dogs, chips and drinks…plus free ice cream social, raffle, student art exhibit and storm drain activities from 12-2 upon the newly restored Old Danforth Street Bridge.
At 2:00 pm, there will be an official dedication of a newly installed kiosk, designed by Framingham landscape architect Julie Ferrari and built by Keefe Tech, displaying interpretive panels and offering a water/storage resource for the Nature Trail and planned park surrounding the bridge and trail area.
A twilight fundraiser, “A Sunset Celebration in Saxonville”, featuring music by Late Night Radio, wine, hors d’oevres, student art exhibit and desserts, will take place from 6-8 pm upon the Old Danforth Street Bridge, a unique location where preserved history meets with a nationally recognized “Wild and Scenic” river environment.
Schedule of Events:
Saturday June 10:
Sunday June 11:
All event proceeds benefit Friends of Saxonville.
For more information and/or for fundraiser tickets ($25/evening) phone Charlene at 508-330-3252 or visit www.saxonville.org
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FRAMINGHAM, MA – The Framingham House Tour Committee is thrilled to announce the last-minute confirmation of a highly anticipated site on this year’s tour, scheduled for Sunday, May 21st. It’s now official that tour-goers will be treated to an inside look at one of Framingham’s most exciting examples of adaptive re-use: The Residences at Dennison Triangle.
The historic Dennison Manufacturing buildings have been center stage for years in the revitalization efforts of downtown Framingham. The vintage buildings, purchased by Rosewood Companies, were originally slated for strictly commercial development. The initial phase broke ground in 1998, resulting in the completion of the corporate headquarters for Rizzo Associates. Plans for the properties eventually changed to mixed-use (commercial and residential), and the idea to build loft style condominiums was born.
For the past 8 months, prospective homebuyers and visitors have only been able to view renderings and a representative model loft condo in the yellow, renovated 1700s “Gate House” on Bishop Street.
The Framingham House Tour will be the first opportunity for the public to enter the actual construction site and walk into a completed loft. The exposed brick walls, soaring ceilings, and exposed columns and beams of the Dennison Residences are sure to be a highlight of the tour.
Framingham joins the fast-growing national trend of converting buildings to loft-style condominiums, as witnessed locally in Cambridge, Boston, Haverhill and Lowell. Don’t miss out on your chance to see firsthand the transformation of a piece Framingham’s history.
Tickets for the Framingham House Tour can be purchased at the Framingham Historical Society & Museum (www.framinghamhistory.org) and at Citizens Bank at 35 Edgell Road. For more information, contact Susan Silver at ssilver@comcast.net
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