OPEN LETTER TO VOTERS OF THE 2ND FRANKLIN DISTRICT ON THE ANDREWS-WHIPPS LEE DEBACLE

OPEN LETTER TO VOTERS OF THE 2ND FRANKLIN DISTRICT ON THE ANDREWS-WHIPPS LEE DEBACLE

Despite the personal anguish and injustice Susannah Whipps Lee experienced from allegation her political opponent, Denise Andrews, made regarding Whipps Lee's alleged purchase of cocaine and the demand that if true she be prosecuted, the greatest injustice in this debacle is to the residents of the newly redistricted 2nd Franklin District. There are twelve towns that deserve a serious vetting of the issues between viable candidates so that a wise choice between the candidates and their respective platforms can be made.

The Democratic voters of the district made their choice on September 6th unaware of the iceberg their party was about to encounter. Out of respect to the voting public and the overwhelming needs of the 2nd Franklin District, I

respectfully request that the Democratic candidate Denise Andrews withdraw from the race. Whether or not Ms. Andrews consents to this, a write-in campaign should be mounted for the runner-up, Rebecca Bialecki, the executive director of the North Quabbin Community Coalition who has ten years experience dealing with the needs of the region.

It is clear that the ramifications of Andrews' allegations against Whipps Lee will continue, but the political football being played is grossly unfair to residents. The 2nd Franklin Districts' problems are unrelated to this fiasco and deserve a serious campaign focused exclusively on their issues - not the Andrews-Whipps Lee legal battles.

Genevieve Fraser
Orange, MA

National Sierra Club Creates Website Promoting Fraser's "EcoTheater" Book

Genevieve Fraser aka G. Thomson Fraser

National Sierra Club Creates Website Promoting Fraser's "EcoTheater" Book

The national Sierra Club has created a website devoted to Genevieve Fraser’s environmental theater book, “EcoTheater for the Global Village,” as part of their web-based John Muir Exhibit.  The book features Fraser’s environmental play, “Giants in the Wilderness” whose characters include the Scottish naturalist, John Muir as well as Gifford Pinchot, the founder of the USDA Forest Service and Charles Sprague Sargent, author of the environmental classic “The Silva of North America.”  The play is set in the late 1800s at the birth of the conservation movement, now referred to as the environmental movement.  John Muir is the founder of the Sierra Club.

According to Fraser, “Harold Wood, education chairman for the Sierra Club, was the inspiration behind the book. He read my play, ‘Giants in the Wilderness’ and suggested that it be published, along with children's dramas with an environmental theme.”  The play was originally developed as part of the centennial celebration of the Massachusetts State Forest and Parks System and was funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and matching funds from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management's Conservation Trust Fund.

Drama critic Richard Duckett, writing for the Worcester (MA) Telegram and Gazette, characterized "Wilderness" as a history lesson. "By 1896, the destruction of America's forest wilderness had become so rampant many people believed that unless something was done soon, there wouldn't be any wilderness left... Three naturalists - John Muir, Charles Sprague Sargent and Gifford Pinchot - had divergent opinions on the best way to save them." 

Along with Fraser’s play, “EcoTheater for the Global Village” includes MacKenzie Louise Coffman's children's theater piece, "Forest Hideout," the story of two children, a brother and sister, who take matters into their own hands to save the family farm. Coffman is a freshman at Quabbin Reginal High School. A televised production of her play was developed for AOTV.  The third play in the trilogy is Rebekah Lovat Fraser's "The Tree and the Village,” an environmentally instructive fable, a mythological saga that engages the audience and is a visual feast for children of all ages. Lovat Fraser is a graduate in Film Studies from Yale University and mother of MacKenzie. 

The Sierra Club website can be located by typing “EcoTheater for the Global Village” into a Google search.  Or clicking EcoTheater.

Genevieve Fraser is the artistic director of the Drama Circle and director of Michael Riccard's "Lincoln: The Musical" which was produced at the Orange Town Hall in July.

Fraser – Brewer Amendment Allows Small Towns and Rural Communities to Apply for MA Cultural Facilities Funds

Fraser – Brewer Amendment Allows Small Towns and Rural Communities to Apply for MA Cultural Facilities Funds

According to Genevieve Fraser, artistic director of the Drama Circle and a member of the Orange Cultural Council, “Until recently, the Capital Facilities Fund administered through the Massachusetts Cultural Council had rules that effectively barred small towns and rural communities from accessing the program which supplies money to plan for, renovate, expand, and repair facilities.”

“The grant, which also offers help to nonprofit cultural organizations and public or private institutions of higher education, was available to municipalities - provided that the municipally owned cultural facility was at least 50,000 square feet in size, and at least 50% devoted to cultural purposes,” Fraser explained. 

“But that 50,000 square feet rule left most small towns and rural communities unable to compete for these vitally needed funds. Yet, many town halls are among the most historic buildings in their communities and often double as the cultural facility, offering art shows and dance recitals as well as musical, film and theatrical venues,” Fraser stated.

In an attempt to remedy the situation, Fraser contacted State Senator Stephen Brewer (D-Barre), chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and requested that the language be changed so that town halls and other municipal buildings in rural areas might be eligible.  The result was an amendment to the 2013 MA state budget which has now been signed into law.

“Section 42 of chapter 23G of the General Laws has now been amended so that the municipal facility which doubles as a cultural facility no longer has to be 50,000 square feet or greater. Instead, the ‘building, structure or site’ is eligible for capital improvement funds if it is ‘125 years old or older and is significant in the history, archeology, architecture or culture of the nation, the commonwealth or the community in which it is located.’ And, best of all, it may be of any size,” Fraser said.