Polar Plunge fest at Westhaven to serve Habitat for Humanity

7:24 pm | Friday, Feb 19th

News

By Carole Robinson • Senior Staff Writer

In the middle of winter, when the weather can be sunny and 70 degrees or snowing and below freezing, Habitat for Humanity Williamson-Maury is hosting its first annual Polar Plunge & Winter Festival at the Westhaven Residents’ Club on Saturday.

The public is invited to the free event to witness almost three dozen brave, and/ or crazy volunteers, jump into the residents’ pool to raise money to build affordable homes for local families.

Among those who volunteered to take the plunge are Franklin Deputy Fire Chief Glenn Johnson, Ravenwood High School student Chase Piotrowski, employees at Sweetwater Pools and Keller Williams Realty, and 2015 Mrs. Tennessee Cheryl Brehm.

Read more at Williamson Herald.

An Evening With the Stars

6:00 pm | Thursday, Feb 18th

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Elvis will be back in the building – at least briefly – Feb. 18 for the GraceWorks annual benefit dinner.

GraceWorks invites the public to strut their stuff on the red carpet at An Evening With the Stars at 6 p.m. at the Cool Springs Embassy Suites, 820 Crescent Centre Drive.

The event will include dinner, entertainment and a silent auction. Photo ops will also be available with “Elvis” and other “celebrities.” Dinner-goers can dress as celebrities or movie characters, but that attire is not required.

Tickets are $80 each, and tables of 10 are $800. Tickets are available at www.graceworksministries.net.

Proceeds benefit GraceWorks, a nonprofit serving Williamson County families in need through four areas – family support, hunger prevention, seasonal needs and educational programs. Last year, among other assistance, GraceWorks distributed $1.5 million in food, $411,795 in rent and utility help, 2200 backpacks with school supplies and served 880 families through The Manger, a Christmas gift giving program.

3BV

1:59 am | Sunday, Feb 14th

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9th Annual 3 Blind Vines will take place in Liberty Hall in the Factory at Franklin on Saturday, February 20, from 6 pm – 10 pm

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!

3BV is an annual wine tasting event presented by The Next Generation Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County. This party for a purpose continues to give all wine lovers, from a boxed wine enthusiast to a fine wine aficionado, the opportunity to taste different varieties of wine while benefiting a great cause: The Old Old Jail, or as it will soon be known, The Big House for Historic Preservation.

Tickets are $40 in advance, $50 at the door, plus 3 bottles of wine of your choosing. Admission includes entertainment, food from your favorite local restaurants and chefs, and a cleansing bottle of water. The extremely popular Silent Auction will be back this year, as will the cash bar for beer lovers.

Check in begins at 6:00 p.m. and will go until 7:30 p.m. at which time no more wine will be accepted. Teams of 1 to 3 people will bring 3 bottles of wine of their choosing. Two bottles will be collected, disguised, and set out for tasting and voting. The third bottle is set aside unopened to be given to two Grand Prize Winners.

From 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. tasting and voting will takes place. Grab a few different bottles and take them back to your table. Taste and make notes on the space provided in your program and then pass the bottles along to the next table so everyone has the chance to enjoy!

We are excited to announce that this year’s silent auction will be going mobile! You will be able to bid on items from the comfort of your own seat or even the dance floor using your smart phone! The silent auction takes place from 6:00-9:00 p.m. and the bid winners are announced at 9:30 p.m. along with the two Grand Prize winners – each splitting the vault of all the unopened third bottles. You could go home with hundreds of bottles of wine!

Mardi Gras Ball

6:00 pm | Saturday, Feb 13th

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Mardi Gras Ball – Franklin, TN

Enjoy an amazing dinner and all the dancing you can handle at this year’s Mardi Gras Ball! This special evening will be an opportunity to celebrate with those in our community who share the same vision and heart for youth. All proceeds will go to My Friend’s House to make it possible for the youth to have further opportunities and improve their quality of life.

For more information and tickets please visit Mardi Gras Ball.

Mardi Gras Ball

4:48 pm | Thursday, Jan 28th

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Come out to the Embassy Suites in Cool Springs for dinner, drinks, dancing, and more, on Saturday, February 13. Tickets are $125 per person or $1,000 for a table of 10. As one of the most anticipated events of the year and serving as the nonprofit’s primary fundraiser, the Mardi Gras Ball is a unique event where a nominated Royal Court will battle one another to see who can raise the most donations for My Friend’s House. The top male and female nominees will be crowned King and Queen!

About My Friend’s House

My Friend’s House Family and Children’s Services was founded by Juvenile Court Judge Jane Franks after she grew frustrated by the lack of facilities in the area to house and care for boys that needed to be removed from an unhealthy home environment. The non-profit began operations in 1988 and has since provided a home and services for more than 2,000 boys and their families. Located at 626 Eastview Circle in Franklin, My Friend’s House provides a variety of programs and services to help youth recover from adverse situations and to become successful young adults. It is the only private residential program serving young men in Williamson County. For more information, please call 615.790.8553 or visit myfriendshousetn.org.

Exile – Christmas CD Release Concert

8:00 pm | Thursday, Dec 17th

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Having recently celebrated their 50th year as a group, Exile is set to release their first-ever Christmas album this season.

It’s titled “Wrapped Up In Your Arms for Christmas” and their live performance at the Franklin Theatre will feature tracks to celebrate the season, along with many of the fan favorites from their long list of #1 hits through the years.

The award winning country rockers are one of the most exciting live acts to grace our stage. With three gold albums, two Greatest Hits CDs, several multi-platinum singles and thirteen award nominations from the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and the Country Music Association (CMA), the band has one of the most solid reputations in the world of country music.

The Franklin Theatre was also honored to be the scene of their first “live” album and a DVD project entitled “Exile – Live from the Franklin Theatre.”

This special holiday evening will be a treat for the whole family and is also a fundraiser for the Southern Alliance for People and Animal Welfare (SAFPAW), a non-profit organization in middle Tennessee helping the homeless community face the daily challenges of living in poverty with their pets.

Please visit The Franklin Theatre for tickets.

For more information about SAFPAW, please visit www.safpaw.org.

Sponsored by Jackson National LifePresented by Franklin Theatre Live

Homes for the Holidays Candlelight Tour

5:00 pm | Saturday, Dec 12th

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Homes for the Holidays Franklin Tennessee First Tennessee Bank presents Homes for the Holidays Candlelight Tour benefitingBridges Domestic Violence Center and historic preservation will be held Saturday, Dec. 12 and Sunday, Dec. 13 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. each night. Visitors will get an inside look into several Franklin homes and churches and enjoy the various styles of holiday decorations that exhibit the balance between historic charm and modern allure. The tour falls on the same weekend as the Heritage Foundation’s Dickens of a Christmas event, and guests are encouraged to come for the celebration and stay for the home tours.

In making the announcement, founding Bridges board member and historical preservationist Pam Lewis said, “We’re so pleased to open a festive collection of lovely historic and new homes along with several churches for a holiday candlelight tour in downtown Franklin. This tour demonstrates the rich heritage we enjoy in Franklin and highlights creative ways to celebrate, decorate and enjoy the blessings of the season.”

Homes and churches on the tour include:

Phillip Catholic Church – Old Sanctuary, 113 2nd Ave. South
Cumberland Presbyterian, 615 W. Main Street
Lotz House, 1111 Columbia Avenue
Ty’s House – Hard Bargain Association, 608 Mt. Hope Street
O’More College of Design, 423 S. Margin Street
Landmark Books, 114 E. Main Street
The home of Lisa and Brian Beathard, 704 Fair Street
The home of Kelly and Chad Dannenfelser, 315 Fourth Ave. South
The home of Ann Johnson, 1211 Carnton Lane
The home of Lydia and Tom Miller, 1328 Carnton Lane
The home of Erika and Marcus Frazier, 1508 Holmes Circle
The home of Rebecca and John Burns, 1136 Carnton Lane

“We’re pleased to celebrate the holidays while acknowledging the history of the Lotz House,” said Lotz House Executive Director J.T. Thompson. “The festive decorations will make the visitors feel as if they have stepped back in time with the Lotz family.”

The variety of historic and new sites on the tour will be filled with special collections and personalized décor that celebrate their own unique traditions. The Lotz House will serve holiday fare such as hot cider and Christmas cookies. Decorations in the house will be representative of the time period of the 1864 Battle of Franklin, with fresh décor of pulled cotton, harvested nuts, fresh apples, magnolia leaves and holly. The home of Ann Johnson will offer festive foods and feature her collection of antiques, salvaged barn wood floors and refurbished cedar beams. Cumberland Presbyterian will provide holiday music, period décor and a 25-foot Christmas tree. The campus of O’More College of Design will be decorated by its talented design students. The home of Rebecca and John Burns will feature handmade crocheted Christmas ornaments and a Crystal angel collection. Period costumed and festive interpreters and holiday music will be at many of the sites throughout the tour.

Advance tickets are $30 per person or two for $55 and include a tour of all homes and churches. Tickets at the door on Dec. 12 and 13 are $32 per person or two for $60. Groups of 10 or more are $25 each. Please note that tickets are non-refundable. Tour patrons are welcomed to split up the tour over both days if desired.

Tickets are available at these locations:

Lotz House, 1111 Columbia Avenue, 615-790-7190, lotzhouse.com
The Heritage Foundation, 134 2nd Ave North, 615-591-8500, historicfranklin.com
Bridges Domestic Violence Center, 615-599-8064, bridgesdvc.org
Westhaven Resident’s Club, 401 Cheltenham Ave, 615-791-9250, westhaventn.com
Williamson County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 150 4th Avenue North G-250, 615-791-7554, visitfranklin.com
The Shop Around The Corner, 117 3rd Avenue North, 615-599-1652
FirstBank, 510 Columbia Avenue, Suite 106 at 5 Points, 615-435-2460, firstbankonline.com

About First Tennessee Bank

First Tennessee Bank was founded during the Civil War in 1864 and has the 14th oldest national bank charter in the country, as well as one of the highest customer retention rates of any bank in the country. First Tennessee and FTN Financial are part of First Horizon National Corporation (NYSE:FHN), which has 4,300 employees. First Horizon has been recognized as one of the nation’s best employers by Forbes, Working Mother and American Banker magazines. More information is available at www.FirstTennessee.com.

About Bridges

Bridges Domestic Violence Center serves women, men and their children affected by domestic violence, ensuring a safe transition to successful independent living through education, intervention and case management. More information is available at www.bridgesdvc.org.

Pet Portraits with Santa 2015

5:00 pm | Friday, Dec 4th

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The Farm at Natchez Trace – Join us on Wednesday, December 2nd and Friday, December 4th from 5pm-8pm each day for our annual evening of hot apple cider, Christmas cookies and…Pictures with Santa!

This year’s event will benefit Bonaparte’s Retreat. No appointment is necessary and we’ll be welcoming Leila Grossman of Grannis Photography back to take photos in front of The Farm’s lovely stone fireplace.

For details please visit The Farm at Natchez Trace.

Pet Portraits with Santa

5:00 pm | Wednesday, Dec 2nd

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For details please visit The Farm at Natchez Trace.

The Battle of Franklin Run

7:15 am | Saturday, Nov 28th

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Battle of Franklin 5K Run/Walk & Kids’ Fun Run

Join us for a commemorative 5K Run/Walk and Kids’ Fun Run on November 28, 2015! Runners and walkers of all ages are welcome. Click here to register now! For more information, please contact Meagan Wuest at (615) 794-0903 or meagan@boft.org.

All proceeds go toward the care and maintenance of The Carter House and Carnton Plantation.