Citizens for Milford

Citizens for Milford and the Salvation Army are pleased to announce the new Field of Flags program for this year:

• Each 3’ x 5’ American flag will stand tall on a 10’ staff in Draper Park on three patriotic holidays:
  Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Veterans Day.
• 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 2023 is $40.
  Your donation is tax‑deductible as allowed by law.
• The Sponsorship Year begins in May with Memorial Day. You may sponsor a flag at any point in the Sponsorship Year for a $40 tax-deductible donation.
• The $40 donation amount does not change based on when you sponsor a flag. For example, the donation is $40 even if you choose to sponsor a flag at the end of the Sponsorship Year just for Veterans Day.
• No matter when you send your donation, you will receive a form in April inviting you to renew for another year.

Download the 2023 Field of Flags Sponsorship form here.

Please print page 2, fill it in, and return as directed along with a check made out to The Salvation Army.

Note that in 2022 there were 210 flags – near capacity so we encourage you to make your returns promptly! May 9 is the deadline to participate.

QUESTIONS? Email us at CitizensforMilford@gmail.com

All Milford Residents and Groups Invited to Help Clean Our Community on Saturday,  April 22. Free Lunch to be Cooked for All Volunteers by Milford Lions Club!

Citizens for Milford is organizing the Eighth Annual Milford Beautification Day,  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 22nd (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.

All volunteers are invited to return after completing their assignments to enjoy a freshly cooked hamburgers and hot dogs, courtesy of the Milford Lions Club.

 “I hope that many people, young and old, join us to clean up the streets of Milford on April 22. It is a great way to meet others from the community who take pride in their town.” – Beautification Day Chairperson Nancy Wojick

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

Citizens for Milford is sincerely grateful to our partners Milford Federal Bank, The Friends of the Milford Upper Charles Bike Trail, The Lions Club and The Milford Highway Department who make this such a successful event.

All Milford Voters Invited to Attend the Candidate Forum and
Ask Questions of the Candidates on March 21

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

The forum will be held Tuesday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m. and will feature candidates running for the 3-year seat on the Planning Board and candidates running for School Committee. The forum will take place in Upper Town Hall. All candidates have been invited to meet voters beginning at 6:30 p.m. before the forum begins. This event is free and open to the public.

Candidates running for Planning Board who will be participating in the forum include John Ted E. DePaolo Jr. and Michael P. Visconti. (Note: Christopher Wilson is no longer able to participate due to a newly scheduled meeting with the School Committee, of which he is the chair.) School Committee candidates who will be participating include Martin I. Montoya, Brendan Rickert, and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.

Citizens for Milford members José Costa and Geri Eddins will be joined by Milford resident and former School Committee member Joe Morais to moderate the forum. The forum will begin with a two-minute opening statement from each of the candidates. A highlight of the forum will be the presentation of challenge issues by the candidates in which each candidate presents one key issue he believes the Planning Board or School Committee must address. Following the challenge issue segment, the moderators will invite audience members to pose questions to the candidates.

Citizens for Milford Chairperson Geri Eddins states, “Citizens for Milford is pleased to be hosting the Candidate Forum for the tenth year. We encourage voters to join us in Town Hall on March 21 to meet the candidates and ask their own questions regarding issues confronting the community and our schools.”

Milford voters who are unable to attend the forum 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.

REVISED: Milford TV will broadcast the forum live on the educational channel (Comcast 11 | Verizon 40), Verizon channel HD 2140, MilfordTV.net, and the Milford TV app. In addition, Milford TV will record the forum for on-demand viewing and will rebroadcast it in the days leading up to the election on April 4. Citizens for Milford will also provide a link to the video on its website and Facebook page as soon as it is available.

Citizens for Milford is looking forward to working with others in the community to organize another year of signature events. All these community events are free and open to everyone.

Candidate Forums: March 21 and 22, 2023 (Tentative)
Next month we will be collaborating with Milford TV to host our Tenth Annual Candidate Forum series featuring the candidates in contested races in Milford’s upcoming town election. At this time, we plan to host two forums: one on the evening of Tuesday, March 21 and the second on the evening of Wednesday, March 22. Both will be held in Upper Town Hall and broadcast live on Milford TV. We may change this plan depending upon how many candidates pull and return papers by the deadline of February 14. The candidates will be invited to meet voters at 6:30 p.m. before each forum begins at 7:00 p.m.

Milford Beautification Day: April 22, 2023
For the eighth year, Citizens for Milford will work in partnership with Friends of the Milford Upper Charles Trail to organize 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 22 (rain or shine) from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Draper Memorial Park Field of Flags:
Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day
Citizens for Milford and the Milford Corps of the Salvation Army are planning the initial installation of the 2023 Field of Flags in Draper Memorial Park on May 24 for Memorial Day. This first display of the year will launch the seventh year for this project, which serves as a tribute acknowledging the service and sacrifice of our veterans and active military personnel. Additional displays of the Field of Flags are scheduled for Independence Day and Veterans Day.   

Veterans Day Ceremony: November 10, 2023
The Milford Veterans Advisory Council and Citizens for Milford invite all area veterans and residents to attend a special ceremony commemorating Veterans Day on Friday, November 10 in Draper Memorial Park, weather permitting. The ceremony will begin immediately following the conclusion of the Veterans Day Parade at approximately 11:00 a.m.

Christmas Tree Lighting: December 1, 2023
Citizens for Milford is planning the Eighth Annual Milford Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Draper Memorial Park on the evening of Friday, December 1. All Milford residents are invited to arrive starting at 5:30 p.m. for cookies, hot chocolate, and chili. The tree will be lit at 6:30 p.m. Highlights of this annual event include the holiday carol sing-along led by members of the Greater Milford Community Chorus, as well as a special visit from Santa Claus.

ALL Residents Invited to Attend. Santa Arrives at 5:30 p.. Chorus Begins Sing-Along at 6:00 p.m. Tree Lighting at 6:30 p.m!

Citizens for Milford is planning the Seventh Annual Milford Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Draper Memorial Park on the evening of Friday, December 2. All Milford residents are invited to arrive starting at 5:30 p.m. for cookies, hot chocolate, and chili. The tree will be lit at 6:30 p.m. This community event is FREE and open to everyone.

Highlights of this year’s event will include the holiday carol sing-along led by members of the Greater Milford Community Chorus, as well as a special visit from Santa Claus. Santa will arrive at 5:45 p.m. and will visit with kids and families until the event ends at 7:00 p.m. Families are encouraged to take their own photos with Santa.

Citizens for Milford invites all Milford residents to join us for the seventh year of the Christmas Tree Lighting. The ceremony provides a wonderful opportunity for Milford families and neighbors to gather, even for a short while, as a community to celebrate the peace and joy of the season.
– Event Chairpersons Rosemary Trettel and Kim Smith

If it rains or snows heavily on December 2, Citizens for Milford plans to light the tree at 6:30 p.m. but will scale back other activities as needed.

Citizens for Milford is thrilled to be collaborating once more with the Greater Milford Community Chorus, Milford’s Red Heat Tavern, the Milford Public Schools Food Service, and the Milford Parks Department to provide the best possible community event this year.

The beautifully revitalized Draper Memorial Park occupies a triangle of land in the downtown Milford area, located at the intersection of Congress Street and Main Street.

The Milford Veterans Advisory Council and Citizens for Milford invite all area veterans and residents to attend a special ceremony on Veterans Day, Friday, November 11 in Draper Memorial Park, weather permitting. The ceremony will begin immediately following the conclusion of the Veterans Day Parade at approximately 11:00 a.m.

Participating in the ceremony will be local clergy, veterans, and the Milford High School Marching Band. Peter Scandone, who is chairman of the Veterans Day Ceremony Committee, will serve as master of ceremonies in partnership with
Jo-Ann DeMaria Morgan, chairperson of the Veterans Advisory Council and the Post-9/11 War Memorial Committee.

Three Milford veterans will make remarks regarding military service. U.S. Marine veteran Jason Mack, who served 1999 – 2003 in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, will speak regarding the brotherhood of veterans. Kristina Handley (U.S. Air Force – Retired), who served for 22 years and was deployed in 7 countries as a cyberspace operations officer, will speak about the varied roles women perform in the military. Lastly, Ronald Howland (U.S. Air Force Major – Retired), who currently works in the Military War Records office in Milford, will share the history of the Merchant Marines.

We encourage all Milford residents to join us for the Veterans Day Parade and Ceremony and to demonstrate our support and gratitude for all the Milford men and women who have valiantly served our country.
– Peter Scandone, Ceremony Committee Chairman

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 prior to Veterans Day and remain flying until the week after 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.A limited number of chairs will be available for attendees at Draper Park.

In Case of Inclement Weather
If the parade is cancelled due to rain, the ceremony will be held at the Italian American War Veterans of the U.S. Post #40 Hall (4 Hayward Field) beginning at 10:00 a.m. If the weather is poor but the parade still marches, the ceremony will be held at the Italian American War Veterans of the U.S. Post #40 Hall beginning at approximately 11:00 a.m.

About the Milford Veterans Advisory Council
The mission of the Milford Veterans Advisory Council is to continuously support all Milford veterans through the collective efforts of veterans organizations and the community; to raise awareness of veterans’ needs and their contributions; and to preserve their memory and honor their accomplishments.  

About Citizens for Milford
Citizens for Milford is a volunteer, nonpartisan, grassroots organization, which includes a diverse group of citizens who care about our community. Participation in our projects and events is open to everyone in Milford.

We invite all area residents to take some time to walk among the flags and take note of the many names and photographs attached to each flag pole. The flags will remain in Draper Park until Monday, June 6. We will install them again on Wednesday, June 29 in time for the Independence Day holiday.

We launched the Field of Flags back in 2016 in partnership with the Milford Corps of the Salvation Army. We also work collaboratively with Jim Asam and the Parks Department and with support from John Pilla and the Veterans Services office. In addition, many local groups, businesses, and residents volunteer to help Citizens for Milford install and take down the flags for each display. We could not execute this tribute to our veterans and service members without their assistance. In particular, we would like to recognize the employees of Milford Federal, many local veterans, and members of the Milford Veterans Advisory Council and the US Army Recruiting Station in Milford.

THANK YOU partners, volunteers, and flag sponsors for supporting this important community project. And last, but certainly not least….THANK YOU to ALL WHO SERVED and CONTINUE TO SERVE!

At its May 4^th meeting the Town Meeting Study and Improvement Committee voted to cancel the May 17, 2022 Pre-Town Meeting Forum due to an insufficient number of Town Meeting Members having responded to the request for Articles to be considered.

Deadline to Sponsor a Flag for Memorial Day is May 23

Citizens for Milford and the Milford Corps of  the Salvation Army are excited to announce that the initial installation of the 2022 Field of Flags in Draper Memorial Park will take place on May 25 and will remain in place until June 6. This will begin the sixth year for the project, growing from 89 flags in 2016 to nearly 200 for 2022. The remaining displays will be installed for the Fourth of July and Veterans Day.

All area citizens, organizations, and businesses are invited to sponsor a 3′ x 5′ American flag to fly on a 10′ staff in Draper Memorial Park for a $40.00 donation.

Each flag includes a yellow ribbon with an attached card naming the person being honored, the honoree’s military branch and years of service, and the sponsor’s name. Sponsors can personalize each flag by providing a photo if desired.

“Each flag honors the heroism of our many local veterans and active duty service members. Our goal is to secure enough flag renewals and new sponsorships to have 200 flags flying in the beautifully revitalized Draper Memorial Park this Memorial Day.” – Field of Flags Chairperson Peter Scandone

To sponsor a flag , complete this form and mail it to the address provided with a $40 check made out to the Salvation Army BEFORE May 23.

Questions? Email us at CitizensforMilford@gmail.com