Dickens of a Christmas

4:15 pm | Saturday, Nov 1st
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Dickens of a Christmas brings entertaining weekend to Historic Downtown Franklin

This year will mark the 30th year to celebrate Dickens of a Christmas in Historic Downtown Franklin!  Each second weekend in December, we travel back 150 years in time to a Main Street from the time of Charles Dickens, and the tradition continues this year Dec. 13-14, 2014, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Dickens of a Christmas is a free street festival, is open to the public, and is expected to attract some 50,000 visitors over the weekend.

Produced by the Heritage Foundation of Franklin & Williamson County and Downtown Franklin Association, Dickens of a Christmas is often listed as a  Top 20 event in the Southeast by the Southeastern Tourism Society.

More than 250 volunteers participate in the event as characters from Dickens’s stories, vendors or street performers. Show up any time over the course of the weekend, and you’re sure to meet Ebenezer Scrooge, his unfortunate partner Marley (the ghost in chains), little Tiny Tim Cratchit and his family, and many more, including Father Christmas.

In addition to more than two dozen street performers, there are many scheduled performances throughout the event.

Other activities include:

  • Horse-drawn carriage rides around the Public Square for $2 per person.John Fraser, Historic Franklin Book_small
  • A holiday bazaar arts & crafts area encircles Franklin’s charming Public Square.
  • Dancers and street musicians on Main Street throughout the event. Violinists, hand bell choirs, harpists, carolers and even a water harmonica player all add to the entertaining street scene.
  • Costumed characters from Dickens’s stories interacting with visitors on the street. Scrooge bellows his “Bah! Humbug” while the Cratchit family parades the streets with Tiny Tim. Ghosts of Christmas Past and Future make regular appearances. Urchins under the direction of the nefarious Fagin from Dickens’s Oliver pester English Bobbies (who are actually Franklin Police Officers on duty in costume). Father and Mother Christmas delight children.
  • Victorian treats abound, from authentic fish ‘n’ chips to turkey legs, roasted nuts, kettle corn, roasted corn, roasted pork, sausages and sugar plums.
  • Everyone is invited to join the Town Sing starting at the Public Square at 4:30 p.m. Sunday with candles ($1 donation requested) and song sheets.Dickens of a Christmas is free and open to the public, presented by The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County and its division, the Downtown Franklin Association, which seeks to protect and preserve the architectural, geographic and cultural heritage of Franklin and Williamson County and to promote the ongoing economic revitalization of downtown Franklin in the context of historic preservation.
  • Getting there: From Interstate 65, take Exit 65 and head west toward Franklin for three miles on Highway 96/Murfreesboro Road/Third Avenue South, which runs into the Public Square at the heart of the festival. Turn right or left at Church Street as you approach the Square to access either of the two free parking garages on Fourth Avenue South or Second Avenue South. Additional on-street free parking is available.

For information on corporate sponsorships or general info on Dickens of a Christmas, contact Krista Dial at kdial@historicfranklin.com.

To apply for street or stage performance opportunities at Dickens of a Christmas, complete this online application.

Incident at Fort Granger

2:16 pm | Friday, Oct 31st
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Franklin’s Pull-Tight Players are working together with the Franklin City Parks Department to present a special free one-day-only performance of “Incident at Fort Granger,” on November 8, at 3:00 p.m., at the Eastern Flank Events Facility next to Carnton Plantation.  The play will be performed on the back porch.  Attendees should bring folding chairs or blankets to sit on, and they are advised to dress warmly.  It is recommended for adults and children age 10 and older.  Refreshments will not be available for sale.  Visitors are allowed to bring their own, although no alcohol is allowed in City Parks.

The play is about an hour and a half long, without an intermission.  It will end shortly before sunset.  In the event of inclement weather, the play will be performed inside the building.  This is being done as one of the town’s Sesquicentennial events commemorating the Battle of Franklin.

The incident, well known to historians and Franklin natives, occurred on June 8, 1863, shortly after the Union fort was built.  Two Confederates, disguised as Union officers, came to Fort Granger for a reason still being debated, but were discovered and tried as spies.

The play, written by former Franklin resident Bob Holladay, was well researched and much of the dialogue was taken from newspapers and official records of the trial.  Directed by Peggy Macpherson, the cast features Vince Cusomato, Jeanne Drone, Ron Geagan and Nelson Bryan as the four Watchers.  Union soldiers are played by Jim Anderson, John Fraser, Jerry Sharber, Stan Ferguson, Jake Cannon, Jonathan Wilson, Hanes Sparkman, Mike Foster, Bill Jones and Mark Hyssong.  The two visitors to the fort are played by Preston Crook and Hunter Mason. Several re-enactors led by Mike Hoover, Captain of the 1st Tennessee Infantry, Company D, will be in the cast as Union guards and also as Confederate ambushers.

This play has been performed many times by the Pull-Tight Players since 1998.  It was first performed on the Public Square during Franklin’s Bicentennial.  Most of the cast have performed in it multiple times — sometimes in different roles.  It has been done  on the Pull-Tight stage, outdoors at Carnton Plantation, in Historic Franklin Presbyterian Church, and, by special invitation, on the lawn of Tudor Place in Georgetown, Washington DC (the ancestral home of one of the  two Confederates).  Last year, on the 150th anniversary of the incident, the play was performed on the grounds of Fort Granger.

For more information, go to www.franklin150.com.

Battlefield Bourbon

1:30 pm | Friday, Oct 31st
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Robert Hicks, battlefield preservationist and New York Times bestselling author announced today the launch of Battlefield Bourbon, a very small batch bourbon distilled, aged and hand bottled in Tennessee.  It is now available to the public and a portion of all proceeds from the sale benefits Civil War battlefield reclamation and preservation.

In making the announcement, Hicks said, “Something important happened on the hallowed ground of Civil War battlefields that should never be forgotten.  Whether it was ‘home’ or ‘country,’ ‘honor’ or ‘union,’ that drove them forward, they fought and suffered, even unto death, for their cause.  As a lover of fine bourbon, I wondered if there was a way to offer fine, very small batch bourbon and to raise funds for the battlefield reclamation.  May we raise a glass in honor of those who came before us, Lest We Forget.”

These words are on printed on the bottle along with “Lest We Forget” engraved into the wooden stopper cap of the 750 ml grandeur bottle.

Hicks has been described by the New York Times as “at the heart of the battlefield reclamation in Franklin.”  In founding Franklin’s Charge in 2003, he revived battlefield preservation in Franklin, after its battlefield had been removed from the “Ten Most Endangered Battlefields in America” to the “list of lost battlefields.”

Under his leadership, Franklin’s Charge was able to bring the Franklin Battlefield back to life — taking it from “lost” to an example of a community’s efforts that are, according to Jim Lighthizer, president of The Civil War Trust, “second to none in the nation.”

Battlefield Bourbon is produced in association with and bottled by SPEAKeasy Spirits, LLC in Nashville and Best Brands is the distributor. SPEAKeasy Spirits is an artisan distillery nestled in the Historic West Town neighborhood of Nashville.  SPEAKeasy Spirits’ Whisper Creek Tennessee Sipping Cream is the distillery’s flagship brand.

The source from the water used in making Battlefield Bourbon is taken from a spring on the Franklin battlefield.  By using water from the battlefield, Hicks is providing an opportunity to actually taste part of this hallowed ground.

Battlefield Bourbon is being released this week exclusively at spirits retailers and restaurants in Middle Tennessee.  For more information visit www.battlefield-bourbon.com.

Hicks added, “To commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the Battle of Franklin, our initial run is limited to1,864 bottles signifying the year of the Battle of Franklin held November 30, 1864. I have personally sign and numbered each bottle, as this will be treated no differently from any other limited edition in any other medium of the fine arts.”

Using the ‘allotment model,’ perfected by the highly praised Pappy Van Winkle, Battlefield Bourbon is very small batch with 91.2 proof.  The front label of the bottle depicts a late 19th century illustration of the Battle of Franklin.

Named last year by Nashville Lifestyles Magazine as the #2 in the top 100 Reasons to Love Nashville, Robert Hicks was described as Nashville’s “Master of Ceremonies.” They went on to say that “being a New York Times best-selling author should be enough – but not for Robert Hicks, award-winning author of The Widow of the South and A Separate Country. His passion for words is equaled by one for preservation, saving the history-steeped places associated with the Battle of Franklin.  Writer, speaker, leader, world-traveler, preservationist – one person really can make a difference.” Maybe now we can add, “Whiskey preservationist” to his list of accolades.

Battlefield Bourbon is a very small batch bourbon whiskey created with fresh spring water taken directly from the battlefield in Franklin, Tenn.  It is a bourbon with a cause, as a portion of all proceeds from the sale benefits Civil War battlefield reclamation and preservation.

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

8:53 pm | Thursday, Oct 30th
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FranklinIS bringing you the ultimate online gift guide filled with gifts for boys, girls, men and women of all ages!
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Martin Center Art Show

1:00 am | Friday, Oct 17th
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If you’ve never been inside the FiftyForward Martin Center, here’s an opportunity to indulge your artistic side and enjoy the rustic stone and wood beauty. On Nov.  7-8, the center will open to the general public for its Eighth annual Martin Masters presents Zoe’s Gallery of Friends, an art exhibition and sale featuring works from more than 40 local artists.

Beginning with a preview party on Thursday, Nov.  6 from 5-7:30 p.m., attendees will enjoy wine, live music and great food.  It is a chance to preview the art and meet and greet the artists, including featured artist John Cannon.  Also, photography by John Guider. Tickets to the event are $35 per person. Then on Friday Nov. 7 from 10-7 p.m. and Saturday Nov. 8 from 10-3 p.m., the event will open free to the public.

Named after the late Zoe Wells, one of the annual event’s founding members and long-time art enthusiast, the three-day event has consistently drawn more than 600 people. Through art sales and preview party tickets, the Martin Center hopes to raise funds to support the further expansion of programs and operating costs.

About the Artist

This year’s featured artist is John Cannon.  John Cannon is a Nashville native, growing up in East Nashville. He graduated from Belmont College with a BA in English in 1974. From 1975 to 1978, he studied art at the University of Tennessee, Nashville. John left art and returned to literature, earning a Master’s Degree in Literature from Middle Tennessee State University in 1980.

John’s philosophy of art is straightforward: “Painting, the use of color, value and shading, seems to be the best way of all the arts to convey an emotional image to the audience. The expression in color of the artist’s individual impression of a subject is incredibly intimate. Viewing a work of art, in any medium or style, is the most direct way to experience the internal landscape of another human being. Art, therefore, for me, is a visceral sharing experience.”! www.johncannon.com

About the Photographer

This is the first year that a photographer has been invited to participate and we are thrilled that John Guider will join us.  John is a nationally recognized award winning photographer and author who lives in Nashville, TN. His work has appeared in major publications such as Print, Communication Arts and Graphis. He is the recipient of many awards including a national Addy Award, the Cancer Society’s Excalibur Award, and the Nashville Advertising Federation’s highest award, the Silver Medalist.

His work and his adventures have been the feature of numerous magazine, television, and newspaper articles and broadcasts. In 2009, Guider was a guest author on renowned journalist John Seigenthaler’s television program, “A Word on Words”. John has been a guest speaker at such functions as The Southern Festival of Books, PhotoArts Santa Fe, and the National Waterways Commission convention.  John’s underlying passion is his art and his work has been shown in museums and galleries across the country. His largest project, The River Inside, is the subject of a book by the same name and a popular traveling museum exhibition.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Gallery

For the first time……(your info here)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything you need to know about The Martin Center

·   The Martin Center is a private, non-profit agency providing services and programs to help people 50+ stay active and healthy as they age.

·   Located on 5.6 acres, the Center offers classes as varied as Pilates, tai chi, yoga and programs for writers, genealogy searches, musicians, wine enthusiasts, avid readers, card and board game lovers and budding artists as well as an on-site massage therapist.

·   The Center is a popular site for civic group meetings, reunions, birthdays, weddings and receptions.

What you need to know about Martin Masters presents Zoe’s Gallery of Friends:

·   The Eighth annual event will be held at Fifty Forward Martin Center, 960 Heritage Way, just off Concord Road near I-65 in Brentwood.

·   Thursday Nov. 6 preview party from 5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Tickets $35

·   More than 40 local artists’ work will be available for sale

·   Prices will range from $5 to $10 for note card reprints of some paintings to more than $2,500 for original works.  Giclees will also be available from some of the artists. There will also be bins of unframed art that will give the consumer the option to frame elsewhere.

·   Wear comfortable shoes – all on one level, carpeted

·   Parking is free.  Plenty of handicapped parking available.

·   For more information, call (615) 376-0102 or log on to www.themartincentertn.org

American Girl Fashion Show

10:06 pm | Wednesday, Oct 15th
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We are just about a week away from the 3rd Annual American Girl Fashion Show hosted by and to benefit Mercy Community Healthcare and sponsored by PANDORA Jewelry Store Cool Springs Galleria!

Seats are still available! But online ticket sales will end on Tuesday, November 4th at 10:45pm. So make sure to order your ticket before then! Tickets will still be available at the show.
To order your tickets now click here!

2014 American Girl Fashion Show

Step 1 — Select Tickets

Tickets

Each person in attendance must purchase a ticket, as each person must be seated at a table. Each table seats 10 people. Seating is assigned based upon date of ticket purchase. If you would like to purchase a table you will need to order 10 tickets.

Parties who wish to be seated together MUST purchase tickets in one order. We apologize for any inconvenience, however, due to seating arrangements, parties must place all ticket orders at once.

Online ticket sales will close  at 11:59 A.M. Wednesday, November 5, 2014. Tickets will be available for purchase on the day of the event, depending on the number of available seats in each show. Day-of tickets are not guaranteed for any show.

Fashion Show Ticket Purchase Includes:

  • Admission to the American Girl Fashion Show

  • Door prize entry

  • Opportunity to purchase Sparkle Sweepstake tickets (including American Girl® dolls and accessories)

  • A special dining experience with elegant refreshments

  • Opportunity to purchase American Girl® merchandise and souvenirs (exclusive to American Girl® Fashion Show)

  • Opportunity to have your American Girl® doll’s hair done in the Doll Hair Salon as well as other activities!

Add-Ons & Souvenirs

Walk the Runway Star Model Experience:

For an additional $25, your American Girl can have the experience of walking the runway during the Fashion Show with her own American Girl® doll. Due to the show schedule, a limited number of girls will be able to walk the runway as a Star Model. (Must purchase a Fashion Show ticket to attend event!)

Star Model Experience includes:

  • Exclusive opportunity to walk the runway during the fashion show you are attending

  • Commemorative photo of model on the runway

  • Special introduction to guests during intermission

Birthday Party Package Includes:

  • 10 Fashion Show Tickets (2 adults required)

  • Special decorations at your table

  • Birthday cupcakes

  • 8 goody bags

  • 8 Sparkle Sweepstake tickets

  • 1 group picture

  • A birthday wish in our program

  • A special gift for your Birthday Girl

Sparkle Sweepstake Tickets

Sparkle Sweepstake Tickets are $5 each and enter you into a drawing of prizes valued up to $251 including American Girl® dolls and accessories. The more tickets you purchase, the greater your chances of winning!

You do not have to be present to win… we will announce winners after the last Fashion Show and will contact that week!

Halloween Costumes

3:27 pm | Wednesday, Oct 15th
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Trick or Treat!!  We’ve combed through several pics to bring you some of the cutest Halloween costume ideas for October 31.

Do you have a fabulous costume idea?  Send us a pic, and it may make it on this page.  Email: Contact@old.oldfranklinis.jlbdev.com with the subject line: Halloween Costumes

Curious about the origins of Halloween costumes and trick or treating?  Check out the latest from Wikipedia:

“In parts of Ireland, Scotland, Mann and Wales, the festival also included guising and mumming.[24] This involved people going from house to house in costume (or in disguise) reciting songs in exchange for food.[24] Guising at the festival goes back at least as far as the 18th century.[24] It may have come from the Christian custom of souling (see below) or it may have a Celtic origin, with the costumes being a means of imitating, or disguising oneself from, the spirits/fairies. In some places, young people dressed as the opposite gender.[24] In parts of Wales, men went about dressed as fearsome beings called gwrachod.[24] In parts of southern Ireland, the guisers included a hobby horse – a man dressed as a Láir Bhán (white mare) would lead youths house-to-house collecting food; by giving them food, the household could expect good fortune from the ‘Muck Olla’.[25] Elsewhere in Europe, mumming and hobby horses were a part of other festivals. However, they may have been “particularly appropriate to a night upon which supernatural beings were said to be abroad and could be imitated or warded off by human wanderers”.[24] When “imitating malignant spirits it was a very short step from guising to playing pranks”.[24] The guisers commonly played pranks in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands.[24] Guising and playing pranks at Halloween spread to England in the 20th century.”[24]

$150,000 for the Battlefield

2:30 pm | Tuesday, Oct 14th
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Once part of the Carter family garden, the Lovell property was caught in the midst of the some of the most furious fighting during the Battle of Franklin. It is currently home to the Flower Shop and Williamson County CASA, both of which will relocate elsewhere in Franklin after the purchase. On May 27, The Battle of Franklin Trust and Franklin’s Charge jointly entered into a contract and agreed to raise $2.8 million in one year to complete the purchase of the property. Encompassing 1.6 acres, the land will become part of the 20-acre Carter’s Hill Battlefield Park.

Local developer Calvin Lehew recently committed to lead the fundraising charge with a $50,000 donation.  At least five other donors have contributed amounts of at least $5,000 each and the Trust aims to raise the remaining $75,000 on or before Oct. 16.

This signature kickoff event will be held at The Carter House on Thursday, Oct.16 from 4 to 7 p.m.  Funds raised will be allocated entirely toward the Lovell property project.  The property is perhaps the most important piece of Civil War battlefield in American that has yet to be preserved.  It is also a crucial component of the Carter’s Hill Park that is emerging along Columbia Pike.

During the $150,000 For The Battlefield event, donation and pledge tables will be set up around the historic site for guests to contribute to the cause. To reach its goal, the Trust will need at least 300 individuals or organizations to each make a minimum $250 donation, but any larger contribution is welcome.  Pledges may be made as long as they are fulfilled by May 31, 2015.
“This one of a kind event is an opportunity for the local community to engage in battlefield preservation and make a profound impact,” said Battle of Franklin Trust CEO Eric A. Jacobson. “Saving this property is a legacy that future generations, both here in Franklin and across the country, will appreciate for generations to come.”

The Carter House is located at 1140 Columbia Ave, Franklin, TN 3

Trick or Treat at the Mansion

2:22 pm | Tuesday, Oct 14th
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Trick-or-Treating at the “Old Maney Mansion”

At the dead-end of North Maney Avenue you’ll find a tree-lined drive to the most famous mansion in Murfreesboro! The iron gates are open and the mansion, normally locked and secured, is ready to greet you on this rare night! Bring your little ghosts and goblins to the doors of the dimly lit Oaklands Mansion to offer their most haunting greeting. As the doors creak open to reveal the grand stair hall, and the family in mourning, you’ll see that this isn’t like any “haunted” house you’ve visited.

Victorian families stopped the clocks, shuttered the windows and draped their mirrors in black when a loved one died.  Before the time of funeral homes, the family’s parlor was the scene of their funerals and wakes.  Just like any home on Halloween, you can’t go in, at least not tonight.  Through the doors, you’ll see just enough of the inside of this sprawling Italianate mansion to wet your appetite to return for a full tour!

James Manning, Executive Director of Oaklands Historic House Museum said, “This is a unique opportunity to introduce kids to Oaklands in a new and exciting way! You’ll be helping to make special memories for them that will last a lifetime”!

By 1860, Oaklands was one of the most elegant homes in Middle Tennessee and situated on an over 1,500 acre plantation! Following the Civil War, it deteriorated from a majestic mansion to virtual ruins and, in the 1950’s, its very existence was threatened. Thankfully, the mansion was saved from the wrecking ball when a group of concerned ladies created Oaklands Association in 1959.   Since then, the generosity of the community has provided for the restoration of Oaklands to its original splendor! By preserving the mansion and grounds, its unique history can be shared time and time again!

Trick-or-Treating at the “Old Maney Mansion” is free, open to the public and will take place at the doors of Oaklands Mansion at 900 N. Maney Avenue in Murfreesboro, TN on October 31, 2014, from 4:00p.m. until all candy is given away!

For more information, contact Oaklands Historic House Museum at (615) 893-0022 or email info@oaklandsmuseum.org

Event Details
Start date: October 31, 2014
Start time: 4:00 pm

Grand Ol’ Chili Cook-off

12:00 am | Tuesday, Oct 14th
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The transformation of the Leiper’s Fork Chili Cook off into the GRAND OL’ CHILI COOKOFF was inspired by the musical environment of this community and general area. The idea is to create a festival type event that beckons the community and visitors to gather together to make new friendships and reunite with people in a festive atmosphere.

www.GrandOlChiliCookoff.com

An adorable mascot has been added to the event, and his name is GrandPeppey. He is a red hot Grandfather looking chili pepper who plays the guitar as well as conveys the message that our festival will be full of music and fun! This Forktober Fund Raising event has a lofty goal to raise $40,000 for the Leiper’s Fork Community Fund.

Located in the Pow Wow Field adjacent to Floyd Rd at 4121 Old Hillsboro Rd, ticket prices for the 13th Annual Chili Cookoff are $8 Adults – Kids 8 and under: FREE – Family Pak $25 includes 2 adults (16 and up) + 2 children (9-15). Tickets will be sold at the gate, which opens at 10am.

Features include: Live music from 3 bands, dancing, clogging, chili tasting, kids zone with blow up structures, mechanical bull, food vendors, artisan market vendors, prizes, costumes, unique scenes in various booths, Grand Ol’ Chili Stage, Hank Williams Sr impersonator and free parking! All proceeds go to the Leiper’s Fork Community Fund.

The Leiper’s Fork Community Fund helps a variety of people and merchants in the Leiper’s Fork Area. Helping families that fall on hard times and need groceries or help pay an electric bill is one of the uses of this fund. Another aspect of the fund is to contribute to the Hillsboro Kids Christmas gifts donations. And it is used to help bring free events to the community in an effort to help the merchants increase their foot traffic and ultimately their sales.

Expanding relief efforts in our area is an important mission as we want to make sure people have a safe place to live and food to eat. Tornadoes, floods, hail storms and other types of extreme weather have hit our area hard over the last 6 years, destroying homes and property and putting people in an unexpected state of shock and poverty. Establishing a substantial community fund will allow us to locally provide meals and relief supplies to the people affected right away. Helping each other in our community in times of need is an important aspect of rural living.  It’s important to meet immediate needs such as food, water, cleaning supplies, hygiene items and blankets.

How to Help: Those who would like to help people affected by extreme weather disasters and other crises can make a donation to the Heritage Foundation earmarked for the Leiper’s Fork Community Fund.

MISSION STATEMENT:  To raise money in order to support the Leiper’s Fork Community fund which assists individuals and families within the community during difficult times.  Financial assistance includes payment of household bills, groceries and provides Christmas presents for families in need.  The purpose of the Grand Ol’ Chili Cookoff is to raise money and also to bring community members and visitors to the town for an old-fashioned fall festival. This event exemplifies the creative and all-inclusive atmosphere unique to Leiper’s Fork.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Lavana Deal, Lavana@grandolchilicookoff.com W: 615-791-9860   C: 615-478-8262

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