Nashville Tennessee Living

Franklin Art Crawl Friday Feb 3, 2012

This coming Friday is the next Franklin Art Crawl. It's always the first Friday of each month from 6 to 9pm in Downtown Franklin. The Trolley will be available all evening for unlimited rides for a $5 fee. In addition to the wonderful Art Galleries and Studios you will see, there will be live music and refreshments!

Christmas Cards with a Purpose!

The 2011 BrightStone Christmas Card Collection is out! This design is Three Deer.

The cards are handcrafted by the adults with special needs who attend BrightStone. The cards are available online. You can choose from the 4 new designs or those from past years.

Personalization is available for the first time this year on orders of 50 or more cards until November 30th.

If cards aren't on your list, there is also the Jingle Bell Sale which features a variety of gifts crafted by the same adults. The sale will take place at BrightStone December 2-3.

Learn more about BrightStone!

Franklin Wine Festival Supports Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee

The 7th annual Franklin Wine Festival is Middle Tennessee's premier celebration of Food and Wine will take place this Friday, October 21st. There will be over 300 wines to taste from around the world. Several that you can expect to see are: Francis Ford Coopola Director's Cut, Armand di Brignac Champagne, Constellation's Estancia, and Rutherford Branch, just to name a few.

The Franklin Wine Festival offers food from over 30 Middle Tennessee fine restaurants and caterers!You don't want to miss tasting the delightful samples from Sperry's, The Mad Platter, Stoney River, Flemings, Saffire and many others. You can end your tastings with sweets from The Cocoa Tree and Chocolate Kitchen!

This is the first year that there will be a King and Queen of the Vines. Up to Friday, contenders will attempt to raise the most money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee to win the Crown on Friday night!

There will be Live Music on two stages, a Live Auction and a Silent Auction.There will be great wines to bid on, trips, luxury days at the spa, dinner and entertainment out and many many other things!

Advance tickets are $75 and can be purchased through the event website www.FranklinWineFestival.com. Tickets are $85 at the door, if still available.

Big Brothers Big Sisters helps children overcome adversity and change thier lives for the better. Funding is used to conduct background checks on volunteers to ensure child safety: and provide ongoing support for  children, families and volunteers to build and  sustain long-lasting relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters is proven to improve the children's odds for succeeding in school, behaving nonviolently and avoiding drugs and alcohol.

The Franklin Wine Festival is presented by Cool Springs Wines and Spirits and is supported by Nissan.

Don't miss this event. It's sure to exceed your expectations!

Franklin TN Real Estate - August 2011 Market Report

All the numbers are up in Franklin this August! This is a great sign for the Franklin Real Estate market!

                            2010           2011       Percent increase

# of homes sold    124              129                +3%

Avg List Price      $392,134    $410,794           +3.5%

Avg Sales Price   $381,122    $391,737           +3%

GNAR (the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors) reported that home sales in the Middle Tennessee area were up 28% over the same period in 2010.

The first half of the year had distorted numbers because of the Tax Credit Incentive that was offered in the spring of 2010. The market is truly beginning to stabilize finally.

Inventory is down about 11% but there is still a 10 month supply of homes. This time last year there was a 15 month supply. This is good news for those hoping to sell this fall.

Franklin Jazz Fest - 2011

22nd Annual Franklin Jazz Fest Saturday September 3rd and Sunday September 4th. C.J. Chenier and The Red Hot Louisiana Band will headline the Saturday music. You'll be treated to The Nashville Jazz Orchestra on Sunday.

The music will be starting at 5pm with each headliner beginning at 8:30pm. Tickets are just $8, if purchased in advance at Shuff's Music at 118 3rd Avenue North in downtown Franklin TN. Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $10 on the day of the event. Children 12 and under are admitted free.

There will be a Jazz Cafe where you can purchase beer and wine.

You're going to want to settle into your lawn chairs, relax and enjoy the music!

The Franklin Jazz Fest raises money for GEAR Foundation. GEAR has Our Thrift Store at 1018 Columbia Avenue in Franklin. The thrift store creates jobs for Adults with Disabilities. Please watch the short Video for more information on the GEAR Foundation and Our Thrift Store.

Franklin Classic, the 33rd Annual Event, September 5, 2011

This is Mercy Children's Clinic's largest fundraiser for the year! Thousands of runners, walkers and just happy bystanders will head to downtown Historic Franklin for this 5K and 10K event.

The Franklin Classic is one of the most popular Labor Day events in Franklin TN. Online Registration is available until 6pm on September 1, 2011. Day of event registration opens at 5:45am.The 10K Run starts at 7am, the 5K run/walk begins at 8:30am and the Kid's 1k Fun Run begins at 9:30am.

This will be the second year for the Miles of Mercy where the participants can actually raise money for Mercy Children's Clinic.

The Franklin Classic always offers a Kidzone which opens at 8am. The Kidzone always has lots of games and food including inflatables, facepainting and the popular 'Touch a Truck' Firetruck.

Mercy Children's Clinic "was created out of the belief that local businesses, Churches and individuals, and not solely the government, should help shoulder the burden" for providing healthcare to children without insurance or whose Tenncare would not cover their illness.

Donate to Mercy Children's Clinic.

Don't miss the Franklin Classic. Whether you Run, Walk or just cheer them on, this is a great way to start your 2011 Labor day!

Franklin TN Free things to Do this Summer 2011!

Get your chairs and blanket out for some great music this weekend.

Lawnchair Theatre, Saturday from 6 to 10pm in Leiper's Fork will have L'Angelus, a Cajun swamp-pop band will entertain those that just want to sit and listen and those that want to shake a leg! This family of 10 moved to Nashville last year from Lafayette, La, the heart of Cajun country. Though the whole family is talented, L'Angelus is mainly 4 siblings, two brothers and two sisters.

Add to them an  appearance by The Hog Slop String band with their "funky interpretation of bluegrass and American roots music" as described by Rob Robinson, president of the Leiper's Fork Community Association. Don't forget your Dancing Shoes!

The Carnton Plantation Sunset Concert Series starts Sunday. Gates open at 4:30 and the Midnight Riders perform from 6 to 8pm.Bring the whole family, except the dog, and plan on having a picnic before or during the concert. There will be vendors on site with food and drinks, but you can bring your own too. OK, this one isn't exactly free, but very inexpensive at $10 for adults and $5 for kids.

The next concert will be July 31 with UZoo, the Ultimate U2 Tribute Band Experience. The last in the series is August 28th with The Bicho Brothers present Soul Sacrifice, a tribute to Santana.

Franklin on the Fourth - This all day event on Main Street and around Public Square in Historic Downtown Franklin, will offer the best in a Patriotic Celebration! There will be food, crafts, business booths, other displays and of course MUSIC!

There will be a larger than usual Kids area on Third Avenue by the City Hall. The Kids "Patriotic Costumed Parade" begins at 4pm with Registration opening at 3pm. Rules are that parents and pets can accompany the kids in patriotic themed costumes. They may have decorated non-motorized vehicles.

There will be 3 stages of music from Noon until after 9pm. Fireworks will start at 9:30 and can be viewed at Harlinsdale Farm.

Franklin TN's bus service Special Pricing for Teens and Tweens 

Summer Special!

Starting June 1st through August 21st, those between the ages of 12 and 18 can ride the Franklin Fixed Route Service for just 50 cents!

While Mom's at work, you can be free to run around downtown, the pool at the Williamson County Recreation Center and the mall.

Watch for more information on the Franklin Transit website.

Franklin TN's 28th Annual Main Street Festival

This weekend April 30th-May 1st!

Once again, the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County

brings to you over 200 booths of crafts, 3 stages of music, food, and TWO Carnivals for a weekend of family fun and entertainment.

In addition to all of that, Yoko Ono has brought the "Come Together" show to the old Gray's Pharmacy building during the festival. Starting today, Friday April 29th and through Sunday, you can see over 100 pieces of art by John Lennon, former Beatle.

Downtown Franklin, TN is expecting over 100,000 people to wander Main Street between First and Fifth Avenues. The handmade works by 100's of Artisans are the biggest draw to this festival with items that include pottery, jewelry, paintings, original ornamental iron pieces, leatherwork, stained glass and lots of fun things to buy!

The International Food Courts and the Third Avenue Kids court will balance the day for the entire family. The kids will love the inflatables, petting zoo and rock climbing wall.

Watch for Bobby Langley, former basketball star, who will be selling and signing his new book, Ruby's Son: A Journey from Poverty to Peace.

After weeks of wind and rain, Mother Nature looks like she will bless the Festival with good weather for a change.

Music that Touches the Heart - BrightStone's Concert and Writers night!

This special event is February 10th, 2011 in Liberty Hall at the Factory in Franklin. The event benefits BrightStone and will be

featuring  The Judds!

That's right Naomi and Wynonna will perform after dinner starting at 7:30. You don't want to miss this fun music filled evening! Silent Auction bidding starts at 5:30, dinner at 6:30 and then the music begins. Tickets are available for $125 per person and seating is limited.

Purchase Tickets!

BrightStone is an incredible place that works with Adults with developmental disabilities. Started in 1999 they have grown from 4 students to 29, the current enrollment.

For the Parents of these Adults with special needs, this is the answer to their worries about their children.

Learn more about BrightStone's Mission and History. Or just watch this video of Brenda Hauk, the executive director: