The Heritage Foundation’s Main Street Festival returns to downtown Franklin, TN in April 28-29, 2018 (10:00 – 6:00 Saturday and 11:00 – 5:00 Sunday).
The free spring celebration, which is one of the largest events in the Southeast, is expected to draw a crowd of thousands for a fun-filled weekend of music, arts and crafts, food and children’s activities.
FRANKLIN, Tennessee – For 40 years, thousands of people have gathered in downtown Franklin on Labor Day to run for a good cause. Since 1998, the Franklin Classic has been the primary fundraiser for Mercy Community Healthcare, a comprehensive non-profit health clinic providing high quality care to middle Tennessee patients of all ages.
The 40th Annual Franklin Classic is set for Labor Day (Monday, September 3) on the Public Square in Franklin, offering 5K and 10K races open to anyone regardless of age or skill level, as well as a 1K Fun Run for kids. Registration is now open at franklinclassic.org, and event organizers are commemorating the milestone from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 26 with a celebration at Puckett’s Boat House on East Main Street.
“Anyone who’s been in Williamson County for long has likely supported the Franklin Classic in some way, as a runner, a sponsor, a planner or a spectactor,” said Cindy Siler, CEO of Mercy Community Healthcare. “Many have been beneficiaries of the proceeds raised by the event, and many more may be new to town. We welcome anyone with an interest to join us as we kick off the 40th Annual race, and celebrate 40 years of this community’s contributions.”
With a goal of 4,000 runners for the anniversary event, local businesses, churches, clubs, schools and other organizations are encouraged to create teams to run (or walk) the races.
“Every year, we see people who achieve personal health and fitness goals, having worked toward this race for months. It’s rewarding for us to have played a part in someone’s life in that way – and to then use the proceeds to be a blessing in other people’s lives by providing access to quality healthcare,” Siler said.
The 40th Anniversary Franklin Classic Kickoff event is free and open to the public, and donations are appreciated. Please RSVP to marketing@mercytn.org.
To learn more or register as a runner, please visit www.franklinclassic.org.
About Mercy
Mercy Community Healthcare was founded in 1999 as Mercy Children’s Clinic, with a mission to reflect the love and compassion of Jesus Christ by providing excellent healthcare to ALL and support to their families. The non-profit clinic added mental health and social services to its integrated care program in 2006, and expanded to a new facility at Williamson Square on Murfreesboro Road in 2009. Mercy was awarded a grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services designating it as a Federally Qualified Health Center in June 2012, and in 2013, Mercy merged with Grace Medical Clinic and opened the Richard Anderson Adult Center.
As a result of this additional area of focus, Mercy Children’s Clinic transitioned to Mercy Community Healthcare. With its new name, Mercy Community Healthcare seeks to reflect its mission of providing quality, experienced care to everyone – adults, children, insured and uninsured, throughout Middle Tennessee.
As a non-profit community health provider, Mercy depends on the support of private donations to operate. For more information or to get involved, please visit www.mercycommunityhealthcare.org.
Join the 21st District Recovery Court for their 7th annual Eat The Street Festival, as more than 30 foodtrucks converge on Downtown Franklin. Come out and enjoy an evening of great food and lots of fun, which all benefits the 21st District Recovery Court in their continuing battle against drug addiction in our community. See you in the street!
This year’s event will take place May 4 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Franklin Bicentennial Park, 3rd Ave N., Franklin, TN. For more information find Eat the Street on Facebook at EatTheStreetFest.
FRANKLIN, TN — Spring is back, and so is the Heritage Foundation’s Main Street Festival, presented by First Tennessee Bank. The free popular spring celebration returns April 28-29, 2018, to downtown Franklin and is expected to draw a crowd of about 130,000 to historic Main Street for a fun-filled weekend of music, arts and crafts, food, and a fun filled kid’s zone.
“We’re very excited to present The Heritage Foundation’s 35th Annual Main Street Festival,” said Heritage Foundation Director of Festivals & Events Teryl O’Connor. “Main Street Festival is one of Franklin’s favorite spring traditions and we are thrilled to showcase our beautiful historic district and Main Street. We are so grateful to First Tennessee Bank for their longstanding support of The Heritage Foundation’s Main Street Festival. We would not be able to produce free street festivals in Franklin without the generous support of our sponsors.”
This year, live music will take place in three areas: The GUITAR CENTER STAGE on the Public Square, Music Corner located inside the Mantra Beer Tent and the music stage on the corner of First Avenue and Main Street. A performance schedule is available on the Main Street Festival event page at www.williamsonheritage.org. We are excited to announce the “Wannabeatles” tribute band and the “Faithfully” tribute band will be performing on the Guitar Center Stage located on the public square Saturday. Please check our website for performance times.
Come join us for “Worship on the Square” on the Guitar Center Stage at the Public Square. Worship will begin at 11:00 a.m. Sunday, April 29th.
DARK HORSE INSTITUTE and the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County are pleased to announce the first annual Battle of the Bands at this year’s Main Street Festival. This will be held from Noon until 3:00 p.m., Sunday, April 29, 2018. Guests will enjoy performances by the best high school-aged contemporary musicians in Williamson County as they compete for more than $10,000.00 in prizes.
The centerpiece of Main Street Festival is the juried arts and crafts show featuring more than 150 artisans and crafters with handmade wares. Vendors will feature jewelry, pottery, furniture, woodworking, leatherwork, photography and more from First to Fifth Avenues and 3rd Avenue South. No street festival is complete without food. This year, more than twenty-five vendors will offer an international assortment of food including original corn roast, barbeque, Greek food, Mexican cuisine, Italian ice and old fashioned soda. You can find wonderful food options on Third Avenue North, Fourth Avenue North/South and the Public Square. And as always, kettle corn, hot dogs, and funnel cakes will be offered. The Mantra beer garden located down Fourth Avenue South will feature a variety of beer along with Next Gen offering up some refreshing Sangria.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County and its division, the Downtown Franklin Association, and their missions, respectively: to protect and preserve the architectural, geographical and cultural heritage of Franklin and Williamson County, and to promote the ongoing economic revitalization of Downtown Franklin in the context of historic preservation.
Main Street Festival activities will run Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday, April 29, 11 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
For more information on the event call 615-591-8500 or email Teryl O’Connor at toconnor@williamsonheritage.org.
On Saturday, March 17, from 5 – 8 p.m, the Downtown Franklin Association will host its popular Main Street Brewfest on St. Patrick’s Day, and with the luck of the Irish, guests will have the opportunity to participate in more than 50 tastings with more than 70 craft beers. The annual festival is presented by Lipman Brothers and hosted in Historic Downtown Franklin in the Public Square,109 Third Avenue South, Franklin, TN.
In addition to the large assortment of brews, the St. Patrick’s Day festival will feature live music by Boomerang and food trucks. Guests must have a ticket to participate in the beer tastings but not to enjoy the festivities. Main Street will be open to all pedestrian traffic and restaurants and many shops will remain open for business.
Franklin’s Main Street Brewfest is produced by the Downtown Franklin Association, a nationally accredited Main Street Program and a division of the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County. Proceeds from the event go to the continued revitalization and promotion of the 16-block historic district, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and designated by the National Trust as a Great American Main Street and a Preserve America Community.
About Downtown Franklin Association
The Downtown Franklin Association, established in 1984, is a non-profit committed to historic preservation and community vibrancy. Since its founding, the DFA has helped spearhead the revitalization of Franklin’s historic downtown core. Working in partnership with the Heritage Foundation of Franklin & Williamson County, property owners, city and county government, local businesses and merchants in our historic retail district, the Downtown Franklin Association (DFA) has helped create one of the nation’s Main Street success stories. For more information, visit www.downtownfranklintn.com.
The Franklin Farmers Market is a true TN farmers market.The Franklin Farmers Market is a true Tennessee farmers market. From produce, fruit and dairy to baked goods and meats, you’ll find delicious fresh food at the Franklin Farmers Market. And because it’s all from local farms, the variety of goods increases and changes each week through the seasons. You can taste the difference, because it all comes straight from the farm to the market, ripe and ready to enjoy. It’s Tennessee farm fresh food from real farmers, every Saturday morning at the Franklin Farmers Market. Plus, there are a select number of local crafts persons at the market too, with unique and beautiful goods for you to enjoy.
Market Hours: All Year Long, Every Saturday!
Jan thru March 9am – 12pm
April 9am – 1pm
May thru Oct 8am – 1pm
Nov thru Dec 9am – 1pm
The CityFarmhouse Pop-up Fair, held the third weekend in June and October is a 2 day vintage and antiquing extravaganza featuring 80 hand selected vendors from all across the U.S. The Fair was named one of the top five events to attend in October by Southern Living, the top October event to attend in Tennessee by Garden & Gun, and the Number 1 Flea Market/Antique Show by RomanticCountry in 2015 and 2016!
The City Farmhouse Pop-up Fairs are located in the heart of Historic Downtown Franklin, TN, just a half a mile from Main Street at The Factory at Franklin. The Factory is home to dozens of shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and more.
Monty Python’s Spamalot – Jamison Theater in The Factory at FranklinStudio Tenn is pulling out all the stops to present a musical comedy of truly epic proportions for our 16/17 season finale. Monty Python’s Spamalot is a hilariously irreverent parody of the Arthurian legend, inspired by the 1975 cult classic movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Marking their first performance together in a Studio Tenn musical, our own Matt Logan and Jake Speck will lead the cast of local and national all-stars. These ragtag Knights of the Round Table bring our exploration of perspectives full circle with a side-splitting reminder to “always look on the bright side of life.”
Adapted from Disney’s beloved animated film and the works of Rudyard Kipling, the “man cub.” Mowgli, bounds through the jungle and learns what it means to be human. The jungle is jumpin’ with a jazzy beat in Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS. Specially adapted from the classic Disney animated film, Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS features a host of colorful characters and your favorite songs from the movie.
Banished by the ferocious tiger, Shere Khan, a human boy named Mowgli and his panther friend, Bagheera, are on the run in the deepest parts of the jungle. On their journey, the two meet a sinister snake named Kaa, a herd of elephants and a giant bear named Baloo, who teaches them the swingin’ musical rhythms of the jungle. After surviving a dangerous encounter with a band of monkeys led by King Louie, Mowgli and Bagheera are forced to run for their lives. When Shere Khan returns, our heroes must rally their fellow animals into battle and restore peace throughout the jungle.
Sun, Jan 22 1:00 PM
This show is performed by the talented kids of Act Too Players.
This show is the perfect show for our families with young children!