By J.D. O’Gara

Starting Friday, June 30th and ending on Independence Day, Tuesday, July 4th, Franklin’s Fourth of July celebration, complete with Franklin’s 3rd Annual Blues Festival, summer concessions and rides, and, of course, fireworks, is poised to kick off a summertime of town fun at the Franklin Town Common. This is the 41st year of the Franklin July 4th Coalition, led by Joe Carmignani and Paul Kortick since 2017, continuing its diligence in creating a rocking 4th celebration.

The festivities aren’t limited to one day, however. Fun begins on June 30th, with musical entertainment and a carnival each day and concession booths run by local nonprofit groups. The carnival rides, run by Fiesta Shows, will run each day, with special-deal wristbands on certain times and days (see schedule). 

The highlight of the week will be the Third Annual Franklin Blues Festival happening all day Saturday night, July 1st, followed by fireworks at the high school.

“We’ve ordered good weather,” jokes Carmignani, as unfortunately, the fireworks have been rained out for a couple of years. “We’ve been looking forward to having the blues fest, capping it off with the fireworks.”

“We all pray for good weather,” says Kortick. “If you are a religious person and have direct channels, pray for us!” 

The Blues Festival, on Saturday night, promises to be top notch.

“We say this every year, and it’s truly true. Joe and I really try to make every year just a little better, and I think we’ve done that this year. We’ve got absolutely fantastic music for five days,” says Kortick. “If you’re a blues fan, or even if you’re not a blues fan, you’ll walk out of there a blues fan. We pinch ourselves with how good a lot of these bands are.”

“A lot of these people play all over the world. Every band that’s playing is great,” says Carmignani, “Mikey Jr. is coming from Philadelphia to play this event; Bruce Katz is legendary. He’s on the A list of blues pianists and used to play with the Allman Brothers. He’s playing in Minnesota, Illinois, Georgia, Europe, and he’s coming here to Franklin. Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, they put on a great show last year and they were so good it was amazing. While they travel the world in May—they’re going to be in Germany, Luxembourg, Italy, and then they’re coming to Franklin. I give a lot of credit to Mike Crandall, one of the performers, who helps us put on this event. He’s played with a lot of these people for 20-30 years.”

Best of all, this event is free. 

“You can go enjoy yourself and not spend any money,” says Carmignani, “Come, enjoy the music, spend the day, and have a blast. There’s not too many events where you can say that,” 

adding, “The other great thing is this is obviously a nonprofit organization. We receive hundreds of donations from residents and all of these local businesses. There’s no way we can do this without their support.” Residents who wish can even donate online, he says. “We added a Venmo QR code last year, so people can donate during the event.”

Supporters can also donate at the website, www.franklin4th.com, or they can send a check, payable to:

Franklin July 4th Coalition

c/o Dean Bank

po box 307, Franklin, MA 02038

Volunteers are also appreciated. Anyone interested in helping for those five days can reach out via the website.

Organizers want to make sure to thank their local sponsors. Last year, these included: Accurate Baker Elman Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning, Allegra Printing, Auerr, Zajack & Associates, Daddario Hardware & Supply, Dean College, D.G. Ranieri Real Estate, Fenton Financial Group, Fiesta Shows, Franklin Ford, Franklin Glass, Franklin Newcomers & Friends, Franklin Nutrition, Garelick Farms, George’s Oil, Inc., Grove Street Auto Repair, JEM Electronics, Keefe Insurance, Kelly’s Landscaping, Mass Cultural Council, Middlesex Savings Bank, Milford Daily News, Power Painting Plus, Rockland Trust, SPS Movers, Teddy Gallagher’s Irish Pub, Simon’s Furniture, and Vallee’s Jewelers.