Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival

10:36 pm | Wednesday, Sep 23rd
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Like most great ideas, Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival was inspired by friendship, history, and the desire to create a meaningful experience. Two years ago, Musician and Franklin, TN resident Kevin Griffin was on a September morning jog through The Park at Harlinsdale, a century-old horse farm recently purchased by the City of Franklin. Kevin was so taken by the rolling hills, natural amphitheaters, and breathtaking vistas of the 230-acre farm, he envisioned it as a natural fit for a music festival venue.
Considering Franklin’s place, Kevin wanted people to understand the beauty and rustic quality of Middle Tennessee in the fall, and with the blessing of the City, began to dream up a music festival to do it justice.Partnered with lifelong buddies and fellow New Orleanians W. Brandt Wood and Michael Whelan, the trio aspired to highlight the diversity and community spirit of the New Orleans Jazz Fest, tailoring the best elements to Franklin– a richly historic town just 30 minutes south of Nashville. Like Jazz Fest, Pilgrimage will take place during the day, and offer a diverse yet renowned lineup of rock and roll, alt-country, bluegrass, jazz, indie, gospel and more.
Performing on patina-clad stages reflecting the area’s aesthetic, many bands will “crank it down” and give a partly acoustic set specifically tailored to the day. Moreover, the fest will boast “Pilgri-mashups,” pairing artists together for special one-time collaborations on stage. The Little Pilgrims Stage will be more than a kids’ play area; it will feature a line-up of talented young musicians in their own right, to inspire and entertain kids and adults alike.The region’s best food and drink will be on display at the Kitchen and Sippin’ stages at scheduled times throughout the weekend, and carefully selected food and merchant vendors will be featured in the Bazaar.
When performances wrap at 7:30pm each day, guests can conveniently head back into the heart of downtown Franklin, within walking distance from the Park at Harlinsdale, to imbibe the best of the town’s restaurants, shops, and great weekend lineup of nighttime shows.Ultimately, Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival invites folks of all ages on a journey to experience a myriad of musical styles, a bevy of food and beverages, and the rich regional spirit of Franklin, TN.

BrightStone and Meiko Partner

2:31 pm | Friday, Jul 18th
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BrightStone’s community partnerships continue to grow!  MEIKO, one of the largest leading manufacturers of commercial warewashing (dishwashing) equipment donated a commercial dishwasher to BrightStone to use in the Cooking Classroom a few years ago, and most recently helped BrightStone to secure a second dishwashing unit for its Consumable Dry Mix classroom.  MEIKO representative David Ciampoli, recently toured BrightStone to learn more about the program, meeting the adult students and staff.

BrightStone provides job training for adult students who have intellectual challenges in a work-based learning program.  The Consumable Dry Mix classroom gives students the opportunity to learn skills in measuring, mixing, stirring, and packaging.  “Although such tasks may seem simple, they are necessary daily life and job skills that our adults must learn to become more independent,” stated Brenda Hauk, Executive Director of BrightStone.  “We are thrilled that through community partners like MEIKO, we can help further expand the educational opportunities offered to our adults.”

BrightStone is a post secondary educational program, providing job training and life skills education for adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. If interested in learning more please visit www.brightstone.org. For questions, please call 615-790-4888 or email info@brightstone.org.

MEIKO is located in La Vergne, TN and was originally founded in 1927.  To learn more about MEIKO please visit www.meiko.us