Framingham Makes Best Places To Live List

CNN Money recently announced what many of who live in Framingham already know; it's a great place live. Never mind that it was on a list of 100 of America's best small cities, and Framingham is actually a town - we'll take the positive press. Framingham, one of only four Massachusetts locations that made the list, came in at number 38, while Newton was number 4, Brookline number 31, and Weymouth number 87.

Ethnic diversity, low unemployment, and a wide variety of affordable housing options were some of the reasons cited for Framingham's inclusion on the list. To that list I would add wonderful recreational areas, such as Lake Cochituate and Callahan State Park, and a vibrant arts community, including the Danforth Museum, the artist studios at the Saxonville Mill and Fountain Street, and Amazing Things Arts Center, and a very good school system. All in a town that is much more affordable than most of its neighbors, a place where everyone from working class folks to millionaires can buy a home that meets their needs.

Not that Framingham doesn't have its share of problems, like any community of its size. At approximately 68,000 residents, it's larger than many communities designated as cities, yet at the same time its many neighborhoods evoke everything from an urban vibe - downtown - to a rural farming community in the northwest corner, to many traditional suburban developments throughout the town.

Interestingly enough, the long-debated issue of whether Framingham should switch to a city form of government has come up again this year. City or town, it's a place many of us are proud to call home.

A Master Storyteller in Our Midst

Lots of people enjoy telling stories to their family and friends. But how many of them pursue it as an art form and profession? Framingham resident Libby Franck, a former librarian, has been been a professional storyteller for over two decades, performing in a wide variety of venues, from libraries and historical societies to Boston's annual First Night celebration.

Franck specializes in strong, daring, and unusual women of history to research and dramatize. From female pirates to saloon smasher Carrie Nation to writer Dorothy Parker, Franck immerses herself in the words, garb, and mannerisms of her characters completely. One of her latest shows features a woman from Framingham's history - Dr. Miriam Van Waters, the pioneering social reformer who served as superintendent of the Massachusetts Reformatory for Woman at Framingham from 1932 until 1957.

To learn more about Franck's work and upcoming performances, visit libbyfranck.com.

Artisanal Cheesemaking Comes to Town

Nestled away within one of the buildings at Eastleigh Farm on Edmands Road, Susan Rubel's Nobscot Artisan Cheese company is now making cheese from the milk the farm's cows produce mere feet away. When your main raw ingredient is that close you're truly talking about a local product.

After a long career in the education field, Rubel combined her passion for cheese and sustainable lifestyles by attending the Vermont Institute of Artisan Cheese in Burlington. She obtained an advanced certificate in cheesemaking and soon teamed up with farm owner Doug Stephan, who provides the facility and the milk, to complement her skills and equipment.

After debuting last December, Rubel's fresh, pasteurized soft cheeses are now for sale in the farm store and at local winter farmers markets. An aging room is now under construction, that, once completed, will allow Rubel to make hard cheeses, including Swiss alpine style, and a Taleggio style Italian cheese.

Wouldn't serving a made in Framingham cheese at your next party be a real conversation starter? Stop by the farm store and support your local cheesemaker! For more information visit the web site, call 508-433-0662, or e-mail info@nobscotcheese.com.

Framingham's Role in the Bay Circuit Trail Greenbelt

Did you know that the Bay Circuit Trail, a 180 mile long recreational trail that spans 57 Boston area communities from Ipswich to Duxbury, passes through Framingham for several miles?

The Framingham section passes through the Nobscot Mountain area within the Nobscot Boy Scout Reservation, then traverses Wittenborg Woods and Callahan State Park. The high point within Nobscot offers views east to the Blue Hills and Boston. If you've ever hiked up Nobscot Mountain, you may have seen a Bay Circuit Trail marker, with its distinctive logo, on trees near the summit, where the trail crosses several reservation trails.

A nice day hike of 4-5 miles that features the Framingham section, if you can place a car at each end, is to hike from Route 20 in Sudbury down to Parmenter Street in Southborough, near the Sudbury Reservoir. Visit the Bay Circuit Trail web site for maps and trail descriptions.

With a trail like this in our town, who needs to travel afar for outdoor recreation?

Indie Rock From a Multi-Talented Guy

Multi-instrumentalists, musicians who play most or all of the instruments on a recording, are nothing new to the rock world. Todd Rundgren was doing it in the 1970s, as was Stevie Wonder. In the 1990s, Trent Reznor exploded into the alternative rock genre with the first album for his one-man band Nine Inch Nails.

But did you know Framingham had such an artist? Recording under the band name Loam, Chris Rousseau has been writing the songs, playing all of the instruments, and independently releasing albums as Loam since 2003. Originally drawing on such indie rock influences as Nirvana, REM, and the Breeders, Rosseaus's more recent work has moved more toward radio-friendly pop in the vein of The Cars and Tom Petty. Intelligently written songs, played with great musicianship and professionally recorded, Loam's work goes far beyond the hobbyist stage, with a quality that's easily competitive with major label releases.

Loam's CDs can be purchased on Amazon, iTunes, and CDBaby, and numerous samples for your listening pleasures are also available on the band's web site. www.loamband.com.

Latest Nobscot Eatery Breathes New Life Into the Village

After sitting vacant and dark for months, Nobscot's venerable old diner building on Edgell Road, just north of the Water Street/Edmands Road intersection, was reborn in June as CJ's Northside Grill. Owners Chris Gagen and Jamie Anderson completely renovated the interior with a sports theme, including a replica of Fenway Park's famed Green Monster wall.

CJ's food is getting rave reviews and has been packing them in for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as attracting passerby seeking sweet relief from the summer heat to their ice cream takeout window. And Saturdays in Nobscot have become much more lively with the return of the legendary classic car cruise-in, with the CJ's lot filled with the gleaming motor vehicles of yesteryear.

Gagen, a gregarious and very hands-on operator, is a visible and gracious presence at the restaurant. He and co-owner Anderson are savvy marketers as well, taking full advantage of social media tools like Facebook to stay close to their customers and build their clientele. So if you've got a suggestion, request, or question, let them know.

Goodbye to a Beloved Nobscot Gathering Place

Community planners and social scientists often refer to the concept of a "third place" - the home being first and the work place second - where people gather.

For many people in Nobscot, that third place has been Annie's Book Stop/Espresso Paulo in the Nobscot Shopping Center on Water Street. But now, after over ten years, this beloved neighborhood institution is closing on August 31.

To say that owner Paul Ashton merely ran a bookstore cafe` is like saying New York City's Russian Tea Room is just a restaurant. Ashton essentially presided over Nobscot's de facto community and cultural center. Artists, writers, politicians, community groups, and lecturers on numerous subjects, were only part of the perpetual salon that enlivened the shop not only during its normal operating hours but often late into the evening as well. Exhibits by local artists hung on the walls and book signings by local authors were common events.

Routinely working seven days a week, often for twelve hours or more, Ashton's lively spirit and puckish British humor endeared him to his loyal patrons, many of whom became his good friends over the years.

Anyone who wanted to know what was going on in Nobscot merely needed to walk in the door. If Ashton, a tireless promoter of the village, didn't have an answer, he always had an opinion, and could probably steer you to someone who did have an answer. When the Nobscot Neighbors community group was formed in late 2008, Ashton was one of the founding members, and immediately offered his shop as a meeting space. Here, on many an evening, residents fervently talked about Nobscot's problems and potential solutions, and friendships and alliances formed.

Whether he was serving up a perfect cappuccino or one of his famous scones, recommending a book, bringing in a masseuse to provide chair massages to patrons, presiding over an artistic or literary event, or hosting one of his legendary after-hours pot luck dinners, Ashton brought an energy and community spirit to Nobscot that will not be easily replaced. When those doors close at the end of this month and the ubiquitous neon "Coffee" sign is turned off forever, a part of the village's soul will go with it.