franklin Tennessee Archives - Page 20 of 26 - Franklin, TN - Downtown, Events, Shopping, Restaurants, Antiques, Living and Entertainment

A Vintage Affair – Meet The Vintner Preview Party and Main Event

5:30 pm | Friday, Apr 17th

Meet The Vintner Preview Party – Friday, April 17th

Our annual Meet The Vintner Preview Party (formally the Sommelier Preview Party) will be held in the courtyard outside Jamison Hall from 5:30 to 7 p.m. It will feature fine cigars, special wine tastings from Cederquist Wine Company, Robledo Family Winery, Trifecta Wines, Anderson’s Conn Valley and Barnett Vineyards, champagne and hors d’oeuvres by Red Pony Catering. Guests of the MTV Preview Party may begin viewing the silent auction items prior to the start of the Main Event. Tickets are $125 and includes admission to the Main Event. Business casual attire.

2015 Main Event – Friday, April 17th

The doors of Jamison Hall will open at 7 p.m. for the Main Event featuring numerous wine tasting stations, several fabulous food stations and many wonderful live, silent and wine auction items to bid on, including hundreds of wines. Feature food stations include: Catering and Events by Suzette, Olivia Olive Oil, Southern City Flavors, among others. Featrued wine stations: Brinkmanns W&S. Red Dog W&S, Moon W&S, Arrington Vineyards, TennSouth Distillery, & Robledo Family Winery

Visit website for more information.

A Vintage Affair is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization dedicated to raising money for Williamson County charities benefiting women and children in need. AVA hosts various events throughout the year which include: wine, spirit & food tastings, live and silent auctions, A Fashion Affair, and The Grape Stomp.

A Vintage Affair Goes Country

6:30 pm | Thursday, Apr 16th

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A Vintage Affair Goes Country – Thursday, April 16th

On Thursday, April 16, AVA patrons will gather at Green’s Grocery in Historic Leiper’s Fork for “A Vintage Affair Goes Country.” This event was formerly known as “Vintage Champagne and Vintage Country Music.”
At this boots and blue jeans event, guests will taste wonderful California wines, TN BBQ s and cold beer in an old Tennessee atmosphere. Entertainment will be provided by Brooklyhn Woods. Tickets are $75. Doors open at 6pm. Cowboy/country attire.

Visit website for more information!

Main Street Festival

12:00 am | Thursday, Apr 16th

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MAIN STREET FESTIVAL RETURNS TO DOWNTOWN FRANKLIN; XFINITY AS TITLE SPONSOR

One of the Southeast’s Most Popular Events Expected to Bring Over 130,000 to Williamson County

FRANKLIN, Tenn — The Heritage Foundation of Franklin & Williamson County is pleased to announce the return of Main Street Festival, scheduled for April 25-26 in Historic Downtown Franklin. With Xfinity as the annual event’s title sponsor, organizers say spring’s premier celebration will be bigger and better this year

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and to expect a full weekend of arts and crafts, music and dance, children’s activities, food and fun.

With Main Street closed to traffic from First to Fifth Avenues, Xfinity Main Street Festival will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 25; and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 26. Admission is free.

“We are thrilled to welcome Xfinity as the title sponsor of this year’s event,” said Mary Pearce, executive director of the Heritage Foundation. “This is a relationship that has been developing for a while, and we are so happy that it has culminated in this title sponsorship. Franklin’s reputation as a destination to shop, eat and play is a natural fit with Xfinity’s entertainment brand. With their support we are able to offer an even better lineup of entertainment for the whole family at the Xfinity Main Street Festival.”

“We are proud to be the title sponsor for the 32nd annual Main Street Festival in Franklin,” said Sara Jo Walker, Director of Public Relations for Comcast. “Comcast has been dedicated to investing in technology infrastructure in Franklin and Williamson County for many years, but this sponsorship underscores our ongoing commitment to the community as well.”

The centerpiece of Xfinity Main Street Festival is a juried arts and crafts show featuring some 200 vendors with original and hand crafted wares. Original paintings, pottery, jewelry, furniture, woodworking, ornamental iron, stained glass, photography, home and garden accents, leatherwork, and much more will be showcased on Main Street from First to Fifth Avenues. Arts and crafts will be on display from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday, and again from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sunday

Free entertainment will be offered continuously on two stages. The Xfinity Stage on the Public Square will feature local bands playing a variety of genres: Indie, Country, Rock, Bluegrass, Gospel and more. Eric Heatherly and his “Goats of Kudzu” will headline a Saturday night street dance on the Public Square from 8:30 – 10 p.m. The Heritage Stage located on Fourth Avenue North will feature a variety of local dance groups, including the Ann Carroll School of Dance, Tommy Jackson’s Rocky Top Revue and the Nashville Ballet.

A beer tent on Fourth Avenue South will feature pub-style entertainment such as karaoke and corn hole. A kids’ zone on Third Avenue South will offer a variety of inflatables, train and pony rides, a petting zoo, bungee jump and other activities for a small fee.

Returning this year is the very popular carnival component, located this year on Second Ave. N., on the Harpeth Square development site. Carnival activities kick off at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

Off-site parking and shuttle bus service will be available at The People’s Church on Hwy. 96 and Harlinsdale Farm on Franklin Road on both Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, off-site parking will be available only at Harlinsdale Farm. Shuttle service to downtown Franklin will be available for $1 per person per ride. Food, beverage, pets and non-folding strollers are not permitted on the trolleys.

For more information and a complete line up of entertainers, visit franklinmainstreetfest.com.

About The Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the historic resources in Franklin and Williamson County, Tennessee. The Heritage Foundation produces eight event series and festivals each year to attract visitors to downtown Franklin, and to promote the benefits of historic preservation. To learn more, go to www.historicfranklin.com.

A Vintage Affair – A Vintner Dinner

6:00 pm | Wednesday, Apr 15th

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A Vintner Dinner – Wednesday, April 15th

Sperry’s Restaurant in Cool Springs will be the setting for this 5 course wine maker dinner. Each course will be served with a specially paired wine, with a chance to hear from the wine maker. This is a VIP dinner for our top sponsors. There are very limited tickets available for individual guests who wish to join this very special evening.

Todd Anderson of Anderson’s Conn Valley
William Date of Barnett Vineyards
Dan Cederquist of Cederquist Wines
Pablo Nyarady of Trifecta Wines

$275 per guest. Cocktail hour at 6pm. Dinner at 7pm. Business attire.

Visit website for more information!

Franklin Rodeo

12:54 pm | Monday, Apr 13th

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The Franklin Rodeo takes place this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Ag Expo Center in Franklin. Last weekend, historic downtown Franklin hosted the annual Franklin Rodeo Parade.

Check out the photos!

Here is a glipse behind the history of the Franklin Rodeo from FranklinRodeo.com:

For 65 years now, cowboys and cowgirls have stampeded to Franklin, Tennessee in early May to participate in what is billed as the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi. The Franklin Rodeo is a project of the Franklin Noon Rotary Club, which has now celebrated over six decades of excitement since its beginnings.

The Franklin Noon Rotary Club was chartered January 13, 1948 with 14 members. Judge Jim Warren served as the club’s first president. Despite its humble beginnings, today the club has almost 150 members representing a large cross section of business backgrounds in one of Middle Tennessee’s favorite places to live.

For most members of the newly formed Franklin Rotary Club, this truly was their first rodeo

Soon after its creation, the newly formed club began looking for a fundraising project. Long-time Franklin Rotarian Jim Hayes remembers hearing about it. “Someone hit on the idea of having a rodeo, but there was a small problem. We had one man, Dr. Harry Guffee, who had actually seen a rodeo and a couple of other people who had migrated up from Texas,” Hayes relates. “Dr. Guffee, along with transplanted Texans John and Preston Fowlkes and Bob Corley were principals in carrying the torch,” according to Hayes. “Another significant person was Ed Moody, who managed the rodeo from the 1950’s until 1984.”

The first rodeo was planned for Saturday, May 6, 1949 with a parade leading up to it and was a rousing success. It was led by then Tennessee Governor Gordon Browning, local Rotarians and visiting cowboys. Bands from Franklin High School and the Columbia Military Academy also participated. About 1,000 4-H kids and their parents were in town and they joined in too. Many county residents rode their horses to town for the event so they also joined the parade. That started a tradition that goes on to this day.

Hayes said the rodeo’s first years were tenuous. “There were several times during the early history of the rodeo when the Rotary Club toyed with canceling it. They’d have one year where they’d make money and one where they’d have bad weather and lose money.” But the event went on, and Hayes attributes that to the character of Rotarians. “There were some strong beliefs among some members of the club that the rodeo would be a good long term event.”

During the past six decades, the rodeo has produced over two million “bucks”

Over the past 64 years, over $2.5 million has been raised for community causes, including everything from college scholarships to medical care. Hayes said, “In the ‘60’s, there was a shortage of physicians, dentists, and trained nurses in our county. For many years the Franklin Noon Rotary Club gave scholarships to medical, dental and nursing schools. That financial aid produced a number of good doctors, dentists, and nurses.” Funds often also went to buy band uniforms and library books for the public schools. Following the 1950 rodeo, the Review Appeal newspaper printed, “Not only will the reader have the time of his life (at the rodeo), but he is assured that his 60 cents (admission) will be spent wisely – adequate uniforms for the FHS band.”

Hayes believes the rodeo is part of the fabric of the community. “We were an agrarian community—we were farm oriented, and for rodeo week, it became the main thing we did and the biggest event to happen in Franklin year round.”

Hayes added that even though the population of Williamson County has grown exponentially and has shifted away from agriculture, the rodeo is still woven into the fabric of the community.

Today’s rodeo looks a lot different than the first one held in 1949. The event spans three nights, is held inside an air conditioned arena and attendance exceeds the entire 1949 population of Franklin. And the sixty-cent admission of that first rodeo won’t even buy a soft drink today.

But two things do remain the same—fans still have a good time and the community still benefits from the work of the Franklin, Tennessee Noon Rotary Club.

It’s Vintage Baseball

8:00 am | Sunday, Apr 12th

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After nearly 150 years, a Civil War-era style of baseball will once again be played in Tennessee. Vintage base ball (yes, it was two words in the 1860s) was revived in the Mid-South when the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball was formed in 2013. Carnton Plantation is pleased to be the home field for the Franklin Farriers. The base ball games are free to the public.

Special Exhibition at Carnton Plantation

8:00 am | Monday, Apr 6th

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The 1,600 square foot gallery of the Fleming Center at Carnton Plantation has been entirely transformed and open to the public for eight months. The display features never before exhibited objects, many of which have not been together for 150 years. Incorporating artifacts, graphic elements, light and sound, the exhibit is the first of its kind in Franklin. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12. Admission does not include a house tour. Click here for more information!

EASTER EGGS-TRAVAGANZA FEATURING HOP (PG)

10:00 am | Saturday, Apr 4th

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Join The Franklin Theatre for the Eggs-Travaganza featuring the movie “Hop” (PG)

EASTER EGGS-TRAVAGANZA! Activities preceding the film will include a bunny petting zoo, pictures with the Easter Bunny, and lucky egg prizes. A big giveaway will feature a children’s bicycle donated by Mac’s Harpeth Bikes, the family-owned bicycle boutique just north of downtown Franklin.

Event Info
Doors Open:	1 Hour Before Show
Run Time:	1 hours, 35 minutes
Format:	2K DCP
Ticket Price:	$5
Rating:	PG

Steak and Burger Dinner

3:16 am | Wednesday, Apr 1st

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The Steak & Burger Dinner incorporates an evening of good food, great entertainment and interaction with Boys & Girls Clubs kids at each table. As adults enjoy juicy, mouth-watering hamburgers, Boys & Girls Clubs kids will be treated to a special steak dinner. Each table will consist of six adults and two kids so that event attendees learn about the kids in a unique setting. The event will include a motivational speech by creator and founder of Elijah’s Heart, Papa Joe Bradford. Papa Joe’s life is the inspiration behind the feature-length film, Unconditional. And, this evening will honor the third annual Ed Moody Award of Excellence recipient, Mrs. Peggy Smith

Events Night Details
6:00PM     Pre-event Reception
6:30PM     Dinner
7:00PM     Program begins starring Boys & Girls Clubs kids
– Ed Moody Award of Excellence Recipient
– Guest Speaker
– Live Auction
– Fan-of-a-Kid

The 2015 Steak & Burger Dinner will be held on Thursday, April 23rd at Jamison Hall in the Factory at Franklin, located at 230 Franklin Road, Franklin, TN 37064.

Get Fit Franklin

2:41 am | Wednesday, Apr 1st

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Gov. Bill Haslam announced that Franklin Tomorrow’s Get Fit Franklin program will represent the City of Franklin as a pilot program of the Governor’s Foundation for a Healthier Tennessee program.

Healthier Tennessee is led by Gov. Bill Haslam and made possible by The Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness, a non-profit corporation dedicated to enabling and encouraging Tennesseans to lead healthier lives.

Eight communities across Tennessee have been selected and Franklin Mayor Ken Moore asked Franklin Tomorrow to represent the city through its Get Fit Franklin program, which Moore has supported since its inception in 2011.

Get Fit Franklin is a program of Franklin Tomorrow, which partners with the City of Franklin, Vanderbilt Health, and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, along with numerous other organizations and health and fitness agencies.

The concept of Get Fit Franklin is to get people to take the first step to fitness by stepping out their front door to just take a walk on pre-measured trails. Currently, quarterly events are held around the city to encourage participation and exposure to health and fitness providers and organizations, with more events to be scheduled this year.

“Through participation in the Healthier Tennessee initiative, Get Fit Franklin also hopes to deepen the discussion with our entire Franklin community about ways to incorporate daily small changes, for example by using the Small Starts program, to make a big difference in their lives,” said Franklin Mayor Ken Moore.

As part of the collaboration with the Healthier Tennessee Initiative, Christa and Michael Gonzales of the Westhaven community have been selected to serve as the Wellness Champions for the Get Fit Franklin/Healthier Tennessee initiative and as chairs of a newly formed Wellness Council.

Michael Gonzales has an inspiring story to tell, losing over 100 pounds in 2006 after reaching 300-plus pounds. Like many people, he graduated college after being an athlete throughout, and gradually gained weight until he weighed more than 300-plus pounds.

“My personal experience reinforced just how hard it is to lose weight and get healthy and just how few concise resources are available to help,” Michael said. At the same time, as Michael’s weight was ballooning, Christa was transitioning from a career in the healthcare industry to becoming a stay-at-home mom with two boys.

“Quickly, our entire household became sedentary and our well-being declined,” Christa said, adding their two young sons developed food allergies early, which led the couple both to appreciate the benefits of good nutrition.

“Watching Michael completely transform his lifestyle, helped positively influence our entire home, allowing us to adopt healthier eating habits and a more active lifestyle,” she said.

Based on their personal experiences, in 2010, the Gonzaleses created ActiveNow.com, a company to help others along in their journey to health and make getting active and healthy easier.

Along with Franklin, other communities selected as pilot communities are Dyer County, Decatur County, Tullahoma, Rhea County, Athens, Loudon and Kingsport.

Franklin Tomorrow was founded in 2001 and has as its mission to engage the community, foster collaboration, and advocate for a shared vision for the future of Franklin. Through community visioning and surveys, the citizens have said that shared vision is a vibrant economy, robust neighborhoods, distinct character, and great people.

For more information regarding today’s announcement, call Mindy Tate, Franklin Tomorrow Executive Director, at (615) 210-9401. Learn more about Franklin Tomorrow at www.franklintomorrow.org or visit Get Fit Franklin’s Website at www.getfitfranklintn.org.