Franklin, TN – Franklin’s 28th annual Main Street Festival brings more than 200 artisans & crafters, four stages, two carnivals and two food courts to the historic Public Square and Downtown District April 30-May 1, 2011.
Hours for the free street festival are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, with the Fourth Avenue Street Dance continuing until 10 p.m., and all activities re-opening noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Arts and crafts booths line Main Street from First to Fifth Avenue.
Presented by First Tennessee and produced by the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County and the Downtown Franklin Association, the weekend event is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors to a full slate of family-oriented activities, non-stop musical entertainment and international flavors of more than 20 food vendors.
Handmade work to be exhibited includes original oil and watercolor paintings, pottery, jewelry, furniture, woodworking, ornamental iron, stained glass, photography, home and garden accents, birdhouses, leatherwork, and much more.
In addition to a juried arts and crafts show, the festival offers a special area of children's activities on Third Avenue South between City Hall and the Old Courthouse. Free entertainment is offered continuously on four stages—the First Tennessee Stage on the Public Square, the Old Courthouse, the Heritage Stage on Fourth Avenue North and the Beer/Wine Garden Stage on Fourth Avenue South.
Three food areas offer a tasty variety of everything from roast corn on the cob and stuffed baked potatoes, Polish sausage, Asian and Mexican cuisine, Southern fare includes barbeque, burgers and hotdogs, cinnamon-roasted nuts, ice cream, smoked turkey legs, funnel cakes, kettle corn and more.
There will also be a full-scale, traditional carnival at Margin Street and Second Avenue North--the site of the future City of Franklin Bicentennial Park. The carnival opens earlier than the festival on Thursday and goes through Sunday. Carnival hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, April 28-May 1.
The Main Street Festival is produced by The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County and it division, the Downtown Franklin Association. Proceeds from the event are used to fulfill the mission of the organization, which is 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.
In addition to presenting sponsor First Tennessee, major sponsors are Publix Super Markets, Williamson Medical Center, The Tennessean/Williamson A.M., The City of Franklin, Clear Channel Radio, and FranklinIs.
For more information, please contact Nancy Williams at nwilliams@historicfranklin.com.
Entertainment acts may apply at www.tneventinfo.com
As of Feb. 15, 2011, spaces for arts and crafts booths are full except to returning vendors who are successfully juried into the show.
The Main Street Festival is located in Historic Downtown Franklin, Tenn., exit No. 65 from I-65, three miles west to the Public Square.
For more information, see www.historicfranklin.com or call 615-591-8500.
Respectively Submitted,
Debra Gerstenberger
Secretary, Andover Townhomes HOA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
visibility and accessibility downtown, and in the residential areas that lay in close proximity to downtown." Citing the fact that foot patrol will become an increasingly important component of the Department’s strategic plan, Chief Rahinsky continued, “This is an opportunity for us to enhance our community partnerships while keeping officers in touch with the community we serve. This is more than officers just walking around. This initiative affords us the opportunity to interact with the community and to receive real-time input and feedback from the people we’ve taken an oath to serve and protect.” The new patrols start today. 