Category Archives: Uncategorized

All Milford Residents and Groups Invited to Volunteer
to Help Clean Our Community

Citizens for Milford, in partnership with Friends of the Milford Upper Charles Trail, is organizing the Seventh Annual Milford Beautification Day. Beautification Day is Milford’s annual clean-up event, which enables area residents, organizations, and businesses to work together to beautify our community by picking up trash around town.

Milford Beautification Day will be held Saturday, April 23 (rain or shine) from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. All interested citizens are invited to meet with organizers anytime between those hours in the municipal parking lot across from Sacred Heart Church (5 East Main Street) to get supplies, instructions, and assignments.

Families, community groups, churches, local businesses, and teenagers who need to perform service hours are all invited to participate. Younger children are encouraged to attend as long as they are accompanied by a supervising adult.

Beautification Day provides a wonderful opportunity for residents to come together and demonstrate pride in our community by cleaning the parks and streets of Milford. We invite everyone to come to help, even for just an hour or two. –Beautification Day Chairperson Amie Sanborn

Trash bags, gloves, safety vests, and water will be provided to all clean-up volunteers. Funds to purchase these items are being donated by the Friends of the Milford Upper Charles Trail, Milford Highway Department, and Amazon.

In conjunction with the efforts being organized for Beautification Day, the Milford Highway Department has arranged for volunteers from the Norfolk County Sheriff’s office to initiate the Beautification Day work by conducting a clean-up of main streets around town on April 21 and 22.

The two event sponsors are sincerely grateful for the assistance and support provided by the Milford Highway Department, Norfolk County Sheriff’s office, and State Representative Brian Murray. Representative Murray secured a $1,000 donation from Amazon for supplies.

Questions regarding any of the Beautification Day efforts may be submitted by email to CitizensforMilford@gmail.com.

PHOTO: Volunteers from the Milford Youth Center at the 2021 Beautification Day

Come at 6:30 p.m. to meet the candidates! Both forums will start at 7:00 p.m.

Citizens for Milford, in partnership with Milford TV, invites all Milford voters to attend two Candidate Forums featuring the candidates in the three contested races in Milford’s upcoming town election.

The first forum will be held Tuesday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m. and will feature the candidates running for Planning Board and Parks Commission. The second forum will be held Wednesday, March 23 at 7:00 p.m. and will feature the candidates running for School Committee. Both forums will take place in Upper Town Hall. The candidates have been invited to meet voters beginning at 6:30 p.m. before each forum begins. These events are free and open to the public.

Citizens for Milford members José Costa and Geri Eddins will moderate the forums. Each forum will begin with a two-minute opening statement from each of the candidates. A highlight of each forum will be the exchange of challenge questions between the opponents. Following the challenge questions, the moderators will invite audience members to pose questions to the candidates.

Milford voters who are unable to attend the forums are encouraged to send their questions for the candidates in advance by email (citizensformilford@gmail.com) or by Facebook messenger (@CitizensforMilford). In addition, Citizens for Milford will accept questions during each live broadcast by email (citizensformilford@gmail.com), Facebook messenger (@CitizensforMilford), and by phone. The phone number will be displayed on the TV screen during each broadcast. The moderators will make every effort to ensure as many voter questions as possible are posed to the candidates.

Milford TV will broadcast both forums live on the public channel (Comcast 8 | Verizon 38), Verizon channel HD 2140, MilfordTV.net, and the Milford TV app. In addition, Milford TV will record the forums for on-demand viewing and will rebroadcast them in the days leading up to the election on April 5. Citizens for Milford will also provide links to each video on its website and Facebook page as soon as they are available.

Questions can be emailed to CitizensforMilford@gmail.com.

The Sixth Annual Milford Christmas Tree Lighting was held December 3, opening the holiday season in Milford. We were thrilled to have over 200 area residents join us in Draper Memorial Park for this festive community tradition.

WATCH IT HERE, courtesy of Milford TV.

Citizens for Milford collaborates with many individuals, town departments, organizations, and businesses to host the Tree Lighting. We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the following because we cannot make this event a success without you!

• Parks and Recreation Director Jim Asam and the Parks Department
• Milford Parks Commission
• Greater Milford Community Chorus
• Milford’s Red Heat Tavern
• Milford Public Schools Food Service
• David Sanches of Busy Bee Landscaping and Construction
• Greenleaf Garden Club

See EVEN MORE photos on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CitizensforMilford

Celebrations to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Doughboy Monument and the Completed Revitalization of Both Parks.

All area residents are invited to attend two special ceremonies this Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11 in Calzone Park and Draper Memorial Park.

Both ceremonies will be incorporated into the annual Veterans Day Parade, which steps off from Veterans Memorial Drive at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony at Calzone Park will begin at approximately 10:30 a.m. when the parade arrives at the park. The highlight of this ceremony will be the unveiling of the renovated Doughboy monument, which was created to commemorate the veterans of the First World War and was first unveiled exactly 100 years ago on November 11, 1921. Descendents of the Matthew Calzone family will unveil the monument.

At the conclusion of the ceremony in Calzone Park, the parade will continue marching to Draper Park, where the second ceremony is planned to begin at approximately 11:00 a.m. This second ceremony will last about 45 minutes. A limited number of chairs will be available for attendees at Draper Park.

Participating in both ceremonies will be local clergy, veterans, town officials, state officials, and the Milford High School Marching Band. Peter Scandone, who is chairman of the War Memorial Revitalization Committee, will serve as master of ceremonies.

Milford has so much to celebrate this Veterans Day. Not only will we be marking the milestone anniversary of the Doughboy monument, we will also come together as a community to recognize the transformation of both Calzone and Draper Memorial Parks. After nearly three years of planning, fundraising, and extensive construction, both parks are now stunning monuments to our veterans and revitalized gathering places for residents and visitors to enjoy for generations to come. – Peter Scandone, Chairman of the War Memorial Revitalization Committee

Park Street, which is on the east end of Draper Park, will be closed to vehicles and set up as a pedestrian area during the parade and ceremony at Draper Park. Member organizations of the Milford Veterans Advisory Council will have tables set up in this area so they can share information about their organizations and the programs they carry out with everyone who is attending the parade and ceremonies.

The Field of Flags, a tribute to the service and sacrifice of our veterans and active military personnel, will be installed in Draper Memorial Park three weeks before Veterans Day. Parade and ceremony attendees are invited to walk among the flags and monuments in Draper Park and read the names of the veterans and active military who are memorialized and honored there.

Milford TV will broadcast the parade and ceremonies live on Veterans Day.

The ceremonies at Calzone and Draper Parks are being organized by the War Memorial Revitalization Committee and Citizens for Milford. The parade is being organized by Milford’s Office of Veterans Services.

If the parade is cancelled due to rain, the Draper Park ceremony will be postponed to Saturday, November 13 at 10:00 am. The Calzone Park ceremony will be postponed to Memorial Day next year.

The War Memorial Revitalization Committee and Citizens for Milford extend sincerest gratitude to the Milford Parks Commission, Milford Veterans Services Department, and other town and state officials for enthusiastically supporting and implementing the repairs and upgrades to Calzone Park and Draper Memorial Park. In addition, we thank the many individuals, families, organizations, and businesses that donated funds to make the renovations possible, as well as MassDevelopment for providing a matching grant to the funds raised by the community. Lastly, we thank the Massachusetts Cultural Council and Amazon for their financial contributions funding the two ceremonies. The overwhelming support from all members of the community for the revitalization of both parks serves as a testament to community pride.

About the War Memorial Revitalization Committee
The War Memorial Revitalization Committee is an Ad Hoc committee appointed by the Select Board. Its two-fold mission is to assist the Parks Department in the repair and revitalization of Draper Memorial Park and Calzone Memorial Park and to establish an ongoing maintenance plan that ensures the continued longevity of the parks and their structures for generations to come.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: At its Oct.12^th meeting the Town Meeting Study and Improvement Committee voted to cancel the Oct. 18, 2021 Pre-Town Meeting Forum due to an insufficient number of Town Meeting Members having responded to the request for Articles to be considered.

The Milford Town Meeting Study and Improvement Committee (TMSIC) is sponsoring a Pre-Town Meeting Forum to be held Monday, October 18, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. The Forum will be conducted remotely via Zoom. The Forum is open to the public.

The purpose of the Pre-Town Meeting Forum is to provide an opportunity for Town Meeting members, as well as members of the public, to obtain answers to questions they may have regarding some of the Articles contained in the October 25, 2021 Special Town Meeting Warrant.

Sponsors of Articles will be available to make brief presentations and to answer questions.  Participants are encouraged not to advocate for or against a particular Article. No votes or decisions concerning any of the Articles in the Warrant will be made at this forum. 

Town Meeting members and the public are requested to indicate which Articles they would like to have addressed. Articles with the highest number of responses will receive special emphasis for discussion. Read the  Special Town Meeting Warrant here.

To submit a request for Articles that you would like to see addressed, please send an email to tmsic@townofmilford.com  by October 11th.  In the subject line please write “Pre-Town Meeting Forum,” and in the body of the email indicate the Article number(s).

For those who do not use email, please mail the Article-number(s) you would like to see addressed to Town Meeting Study and Improvement Committee, Town Hall, 52 Main Street, Milford, MA 01757.

Sponsor a Flag NOW!

The repairs and revitalization work to Draper Memorial Park are ALMOST finished! To help celebrate the renewed beauty of this special place, Citizens for Milford and the Milford Salvation Army are now seeking sponsorships for the Field of Flags.

Each sponsored 3’ x 5’ American flag will stand tall on a 10’ staff in Draper Park beginning October 13 and will fly until the week after Veterans Day. Flags will be removed November 17.

Important Notes

• Each sponsored flag will include a yellow remembrance ribbon and an attached card naming the person being honored, military branch, years of service, and sponsor’s name.
• (Optional) You may send us a small photo of the flag honoree. We will be happy to laminate the photo and include it with the card that names the person being honored.
• The donation to sponsor a flag in 2021 is $20. This amount is lower than the normal $60 because of the shorter flag display. Your donation is tax-deductible.
• The deadline to submit your sponsorship form and donation is October 8.
• We will resume the normal Field of Flags schedule with the flags flying for five patriotic holidays beginning with Memorial Day in 2022. Everyone who sponsors a flag now in 2021 will receive a form in April inviting you to renew for the 2022 year.
• To sponsor a flag, print and complete this form and mail it with a check made out the to SALVATION ARMY for $20. Mail the form and check to the address printed on the form.
• QUESTIONS? Email us at CitizensforMilford@gmail.com

The Draper Memorial Park Field of Flags is co-sponsored by Citizens for Milford and the Milford Corps of the Salvation Army, with support from the Milford Parks Commission and the Milford Veterans Agency.

All area residents are invited to attend a commemoration ceremony marking the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America. This free event will be held outside in the parking lot at Milford Town Hall beginning at 8:30 a.m. and will include a flag tower, singing by Shanna Jackman, and the playing of bagpipes. Thanks to Yanks is organizing this event.

In addition, Thanks to Yanks will be collecting personal hygiene products and gift cards for homeless veterans. Gift cards to local drug stores and grocery stores are recommended. Attendees can also bring their worn American flags for proper disposal and retirement.

HIGH UPON THE TOWERS
by Biff Price

High upon the towers
They saw the gleaming sky
All were unaware
That this day they would die

High upon the towers
They felt the warming sun
Not knowing in brief moments
Their time on earth was done

High upon the towers
They spied the rolling sea
Some enjoyed their coffee
While others sipped their tea

High upon the towers
Just as the day began
The fire of hell came roaring
Ending every plan

Low from a blackened sky
The towers fell to dust
Shattered, twisted, ruined
A heap of ash and rust

High upon the towers
God looked down and cried
At the evil of man’s hatred
As His children died

High upon the towers
All of them are free
Part of God’s great Kingdom
For all eternity

Copyright © 2001 Biff Price

Hall of Heroes, Which Memorializes Milford Service Members Killed
in Time of War, Moved to New Location in Town Hall to Ensure
Easy and Open Viewing Access to All

Milford’s Hall of Heroes, a collection of photographs and biographies of Milford residents who served in the United States military and died while serving our country in a time of war, was recently installed in Milford Town Hall on the walls of the lower level.

The Hall of Heroes was originally created as a second-grade project conducted in 2000 under the guidance of Jo-Ann De Maria Morgan, who taught at Memorial Elementary from 1976 to 2006. Upon completion of the students’ research, the biographies were typed, framed, and hung with accompanying photographs in the foyer of Memorial Elementary School. As security in public schools has tightened over the years, access to the collection has been restricted. To provide easy access for all Milford residents and members of the service members’ families who visit from out of town, the Milford Medal of Liberty committee sought a new home for the collection. The committee also reprinted the biographies and photographs and then reframed the collection to ensure its longevity.

Regarding the move to Town Hall, De Maria Morgan states, “It is both satisfying and heartwarming that this project continues to be preserved twenty years later so that the work of these students will continue to be a part of Milford’s rich history. I always impressed upon my students that ‘Freedom is never free.’”

The committee invites all area residents to visit Milford Town Hall and see the collection during normal business hours. Direct access is provided from the Court Street entrance. A dedication ceremony will be planned for a future date.

The committee expresses its sincerest gratitude to the Milford Select Board for their enthusiastic acceptance of the move to Town Hall. In addition, the committee wishes to thank Facilities Coordinator Carlos Benjamin and local carpenters Kirk Crawford and Preston (Buck) Crawford, who all worked together to install the Hall of Heroes in its new location. The Crawford family is a Medal of Liberty recipient, and they were eager to donate their time to help with this project.

Milford Town Hall is located at 52 Main Street in Milford, Massachusetts. Parking is available in two lots adjacent to Town Hall, as well as on neighborhood streets.