It's all Happening at Franklin's Historical Museum in April

April at the Franklin Historical Museum comes with a panoply of silent films, lady bugs, remembrances of epic storms, local connections to the Armenian Genocide Remembrance, an artist from Kabul, and more.

Calligraphy Continued – The Capstone Session

After two productive and popular workshops in March, Calligraphy Instructor, Krishna Swain returns on Saturday, April 6, at 11:00 AM. “Those who couldn't attend the first two session, feel free to come next time, as I will recap before moving forward. I'm looking forward to the next workshop and our final project of a letter to a loved one.”

The Second Sunday Speaker Series:`Twisted Sisters'

The Second Sunday Speaker Series at the museum continues on April 14, 2024 with a look back at the ‘twisted sisters’ – the four devastating hurricanes that hit New England (and Franklin) 70 years ago, starting in the summer of 1954 and continuing through the summer of 1955. Doors open at 1 and the presentation begins at 1:15 at Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street, Franklin, MA. The presenter will be Eamon McCarthy Earls, a local author and former town councilor. FREE

`Cinema 80’ Feature Films Continue (Free)

Silent Saturdays start at 6 pm on four Saturdays of the month: Chris. Leverone, a videographer and graphics artist from Franklin, has directed promotional and fundraising videos, and is currently a producer at Franklin TV. He developed this program of films in cooperation with the Franklin Senior Center.

• April 6 -- The Thief of Baghdad, a Douglas Fairbanks classic with marvelous stunts and production design that brings the audience into a fanciful `Thousand and One Nights’ landscape of mischief, mystery, and intrigue.

• April 13 –Metropolis, is a formative film in the science fiction genre by Fritz Lang. It portrays a convincing, futuristic and totalitarian city complete with creepy robots.
• April 20 – Early Animation Shorts, including Steamboat Willie, The Dinosaur and The Missing Link, and other gems.
• April 27 – Ravished Armenia, a portion of a 1919 drama about the then contemporary Armenian genocide as well as other period shorts. Ravished Armenia is being shown in connection with the museum’s other Armenian Genocide Remembrance activities.

April 20 – Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the “Ladybug”

In 1974, a contingent of Franklin elementary school students, led by beloved teacher Palma Johnson, convinced the Massachusetts legislature to name the useful and attractive ladybug, as the state insect. Fifty years later, in coordination with the Franklin Downtown Partnership’s Ladybug Trail walk, the museum will be open for extended Saturday hours, from 9-3 and will feature:

• Convenient access to restrooms and trail maps for trail walkers
• Sale of special hand-crafted ladybug items (key chains and book marks) created by local crafter, Rhondy Rosita, with all sales benefiting the museum.
• At 11 AM, State Rep. Jeff Roy will speak about the Ladybug kids and about the legislative process then and now – an informative topic for kids and adults!
• 11:30 to 1 – A Reunion of the 1974 “Ladybug Kids,” the second-graders who went to Boston and successfully lobbied the legislature.
• The Museum will also be showing throughout the day, a short Chronicle
  segment about the Ladybug Trail and a presentation about the 1974 ladybug kids and the 1984 Kennedy School kids that went to the statehouse in 1984, for the 10th anniversary.
• Vintage newspaper clips and ladybug outfits used by Franklin children in their 1974 ‘lobbying’ effort.
• And, late in the afternoon, we plan to release live native ladybugs at the nearby Methodist Church garden as a finale for the celebration.
• All Saturday events are rain or shine (the Downtown Partnership’s Trail Walk, however, has a rain date of Sunday, April 21). The museum will only be open for regular hours, 1-4 pm, on that day.

April 25 – A special afternoon pop up art gallery event is scheduled for the main gallery of the museum featuring Fatima Wojohat from 4-6 pm. A Dream Shared is an opportunity for the community to come out, learn more about her story – her life in Kabul and since coming to Franklin and Dean College-- and ask questions related to her body of work. We hope for a short Q & A if space allows.

Fatima has used art as a way to share awareness of the oppression and control of girls in Afghanistan under the rule of Taliban internationally and has been working with Adjunct Professor Amy Adams as well as the Dean and Franklin communities and Franklin High School. Learn more about Fatima here. The event is free.

April 27 & 28 Special Programs in honor of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (April 24), which marks the beginning of the organized killing of Armenians within the Ottoman empire in 1915. This event was responsible for many survivors fleeing to America, many of whom established a vibrant local community in Franklin, including Camp Haiastan, still located on Summer St.

• Saturday, April 27 – During regular museum hours, we expect to share items from Franklin’s Armenian past as well as short films about the Armenian Genocide plus the Silent Saturday showing of Ravished Armenia.
• Sunday April 28, Franklin’s Mark Minichelli will discuss the history of the genocide and the local community and will share video of his grandmother, Helen Boghosian, a genocide survivor who lived most of her life in Franklin.

 Franklin's Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street, Franklin. The museum is normally open Saturday mornings from 10AM-1PM and Sunday afternoons from 1:00PM-4:00PM. When visiting the museum, please consider donating a non-perishable item for the Franklin Food Pantry.

Questions? Contact Alan Earls at 508 560 3786.

Visit us online at https://www.franklinmuseum1778.com