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Franklin Cultural Festival Sept. 12th, Celebrates Community Unity

The Eguie Castillo and the Mar del Norte Salsa Orchestra band will headline the Franklin Cultural Festival on September 12th on the main stage at Franklin Town Common at 4:30 p.m., with great acts, including salsa lessons, leading up to the event.

By J.D. O’Gara

The Franklin Cultural Council will host the Franklin Cultural Festival on Sunday, September 12th, 2021, on the Franklin Town Common. This festive, community event, which will take place from 12-6 p.m. rain or shine, will celebrate food, music, dance, art and fun for people of all ages. Highlights of the event will include musical and dance performances, food trucks, artisan craft vendors, and a 21+ beer garden showcasing our local brewery and winery. The theme of the 2021 festival is “Community Unity.” Given the hardships of the past year and a half, the Franklin Cultural Council is proud to be able to offer the festival for free to our community. No tickets will be needed to attend.


 Musical act Pamela Means Project will perform at 2:30 p.m. Photo by Julian Parker-Burns

“This is our gift to the community after a very difficult year,” says Kaye Kelly, of all-volunteer Franklin Cultural Council. “We were careful to save money from programs that got cancelled. We stockpiled, and especially for this year, the festival is free, although we’re hoping people support our artisan vendors.” Kelly explains all the booths will feature items that are handmade.

“We want to support artists. We understand financially that they’ve had such a difficult time during the pandemic, and that this is the way they put food on their tables, so our goal is ultimately to support highly skilled artisans that do this for a living,” says Kelly. “There will be paintings, textiles, accessories, gourmet foods also – the umbrella of ‘artisan’ is very big here, but everything does need to be handmade.” 

Kelly says the Cultural Council hopes to make this this an annual event. “Five years from now, we hope to attract amazing artisans and musicians.”

The main stage headline of the event will be the Grammy-winning percussionist, Eguie Castillo and the Mar del Norte Salsa Orchestra at 4:30 p.m. Immediately prior to the salsa band, salsa instructors from the Rhode Island Latin Dance School will provide a half hour of instruction (4-4:30 p.m.), great for those who want to move to the music. Leading up to the salsa instruction will be well-known musical performer, the Pamela Means Project, from 2:45-3:45 p.m.

“She’s a well-known, national touring artist who has performed at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse,” says Kelly, pointing out that the local coffeehouse presents premier talent.

Worked into the day will be a showcase of colorful Sari fashions, a performance by the Franklin School for the Performing Arts, and possibly a performance by an Israeli folk dance group (although this was not yet confirmed at press time).

The beer garden will be in the Hayward Manor area, says Kelly, and will feature La Cantina and 67 Brewery. Those aged 21+ will be able to enter this area with wristbands. 

The event will also feature several food trucks, and organizers have spaced out vendor booths and organized hand sanitizer stations and plan to encourage masks in order to keep attendees safe.

“This is a gift,” says Kelly. “We’re trying to bring the community together in a positive way, to strengthen the community in a difficult time. I think arts and culture are a good way to make positive change in the world.”

Local businesses and individuals are invited to be Community Unity Sponsors, notes Kelly. Community Unity Sponsors, for a donation of $50 apiece, will be celebrated with a flower sculpture garden installed at the event. Each flower will sport a sign (all signs, t-shirts, lanyards, banners and other artwork is being generously donated by Allegra Printing) naming various sponsors. “It will be a visual representation, an artistic representation” of supporters, says Kelly.  

Proceeds from this event (from artisan vendor fees) will benefit the missions of the Franklin Cultural Council. For updates, visit https://www.franklinma.gov/cultural-council or find Franklin Cultural Council on Facebook.

For more information, please reach out to Kaye Kelly, FCC Chair at [email protected] .

All sponsorships are tax deductible. Checks may be addressed to the “Franklin Cultural Council” and sent to 355 East Central Street,
Franklin, MA 02038. 


About the Franklin Cultural Council:

The Franklin Cultural Council (FCC) is an all-volunteer arm of the Town of Franklin with a mission to encourage participation and enhance cultural arts and sciences opportunities throughout the Franklin community. 

We:

• support events and programs through grants from the Town of Franklin and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

• provide opportunities to advocate for the arts.

• provide training to local arts and cultural non-profits in the areas of fundraising, marketing, social media, grant writing, advocating, and volunteerism.

• provide/facilitate opportunities to network with like-minded individuals and organizations.

• oversee ArtWeek Franklin.

• support the Franklin Cultural District by attracting artists and cultural enterprises; promoting the district as a tourist destination; preserving and utilizing historic buildings and spaces; and fostering local cultural development