49 Franklin; Celebrate in style

RUMFORD- Scot and Cindy Grassette hosted members of the River Valley Chamber of Commerce and area business leaders at their new function center, 49 Franklin, on November 19 for a ceremonial ribbon cutting to celebrate their efforts in restoring the 19th century church to a multi-functional, one-stop event venue.

49 Franklin officially opened in August for the 80's Super Reunion, since then Scot and Cindy have had no problem filling their calendar of events.

“We're really excited that people want to come here,” noted Scot. “This week alone we're hosting eight separate events. It really is a blessing.”

Scot and Cindy didn't depend wholly on the word of mouth to get the news out that they had a modern function center with old-style charm available to the public. They hosted a Halloween party and through the magic of advertising on Facebook and in local papers, had a full house.

There are so many benefits to having your special party or organizational meeting held at 49 Franklin. Cindy and her sister Roben head Grapevine Catering and can put together the right menu for your morning, mid-day or evening guests, Scot and Cindy can create a genre of music to please everyone in the crowd and according to local photographer Greg Viger, “The color scheme in here is amazing for photos.”

The next time you're looking to have an organizational meeting, party or a wedding and need space for as few as 38 people or as many as 300, look no further than 49 Franklin for a complete package of options.

Rumford Town Manager Carlo Puiia enjoyed a cup of coffee and fresh blueberry muffin during the ribbon cutting and noted, “I'm very pleased with the Grassettes commitment to their community. They have spent their personal time and created a life with this place. It exceeds the expectations that were set for this building. They did a fabulous job creating this facility, the food, everything. The River Valley is very fortunate to have a venue like this to hold their celebrations and events. This building had the potential to sit and decay through the years, but the Grassettes have saved it. With their dedication, they have succeeded in maintaining the charm of the old building.”

Scot and Cindy Grassette bought the 49 Franklin St., 19th century Methodist Church in 2003, with a dream of making a destination point for not only Rumford residents, but for people from miles around.

“In school everyone would always say that they couldn't wait to get out of here,” stated Scot. “I saw something here. I wanted to stay and help make it something more. I love this place.”

Scot and Cindy are excited to see their dream become part of so many others' dreams.

Scot said it best during a previous interview, “We have big dreams and faith to go with it; we will be successful.”

For more information on booking 49 Franklin, contact Scot and Cindy at 369-0129 or visit www.49franklin.com.