Rain is expected to clear and give way to a classic Middle Tennessee fall weekend just in time for Pumpkinfest, its many associated activities and other Halloween-related events in Franklin and Williamson County this weekend.

 

Rain did play a role in forcing cancellation of the Pumpkinfest's giant pumpkin visiting Liberty Elementary School this afternoon but the monsterous Halloween gourd has arrived from Carleton Place, Ontario through the City of Franklin's Sister Cities program and will be featured at Saturday's downtown festival.

 

Along with the Pumpkinfest will be the Heritage Foundation's Battle of the BBQ and Franklin Tomorrow's Chili Cookoff. And, Franklin Theatre will put any possible partypoopers in the moonlight madness mood with a full weekend of scare movies with its Scare-A-Thon and Franklin on Foot is offering terrifying (well, as least spooky) tours.

 

So, here's links to previously posted stories on this weekend's activities:

 

(Giant Pumpkinfest pumpkin on its way from Sister city )

 

(Franklin's huge fall festival, Pumpkinfest, is Saturday)

 

(New features for Downtown Franklin's Pumpkinfest)

 

(Franklin's Battle of the BBQ downtown Oct. 28, 29)

 

(Haunted Franklin tour by Franklin on Foot under way)

 

(Grave matters: Stories behind the stones)

 

(Franklin Tomorrow Chili Cook-off Oct. 29)

 

(Franklin Theatre set Scare-A-Thon

 

(Invasion of the Scarecrows at Franklin Farmers Market)

 

With Pumpkinfest and its associated events swirling around it this weekend and Halloween on Monday, the Franklin Theatre will plunge into the creepiness bigtime this weekend with "A Fright-filled Movie Scare-A-Thon" Friday through Sunday.

The historic theater has eight movies scheduled, including a free showing of "Night of the Living Dead." Other movies range from classic thrillers such as "The Birds" and "The Shining" to more family friendly films such as "Casper."

Tickets are available at www.franklintheatre.com/tickets/movies.

Pumpkinfest is Franklin’s most popular fall festival where Main Street is filled with "all things pumpkin!" Enjoy trick-or-treating, arts and crafts vendors, chili cook-off,  All Things Pumpkin, People's Church Kids Zone, costume contests for ALL ages, live music, hayrides and great food. The main event is Saturday 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on Main Street and the Public Square in historic downtown Franklin, and the event is free. Look for the "Great Pumpkin", arriving from Carleton Place in Ontario, Canada - Franklin's Sister City. Guess the weight of the Great Pumpkin or have your picture taken with the colossal creation! It's a free festival packed with fun for the whole family. Historic Downtown Franklin's Pumpkinfest has a three-day carnival that runs Thursday through Saturday at Margin Street and Second Avenue North at the City's Bicentennial Park location. Pumpkinfest is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Franklin's Main Street from Second to Fifth Avenues. After 6 p.m., activities continue with the Avenue Bank Street Dance on Fourth Avenue North - for ages 21-and-up. Activities of Pumpkinfest include:
• The People's Church children's area on Third Avenue South filled with free and fun activities for young children from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• The Franklin Tomorrow Chili Cook-off on Fourth Avenue South from 10:30 to 3:30. Tickets to taste chili from 10 local organizations and restaurants will be available for $5 at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Main during the event.
• A beer/wine garden on Fourth Avenue South from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., capping off Pumpkinfest with the Avenue Bank Street Dance from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. There is a $5 per person cover charge from 6 to 10 p.m.
• Fall and holiday arts and crafts around the Public Square from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. More than 60 vendors will be displaying hand-crafted items perfect for fall and the holidays.
• Franklin's Sister City, Carleton Place, Canada, brings down the great pumpkin which will be on display with a chance to guess the weight.
• The Leiper's Fork Carving Club will be carving pumpkins and displaying their work throughout the day.
•"Grave Matters" Cemetery Tour, 7 to 9 p.m. Participants will walk from tombstone to tombstone at the Historic Rest Haven and Old City cemeteries on North Margin Street, hearing about the people who are buried in the graves from costumed reenactors. Tickets are $15 per person for adults, $10 for children, but the activity is not recommended for children under 6. Tickets are available from www.franklinonfoot.com and at the Heritage Foundation. Participants should bring a flashlight and wear close-toe shoes.

 

 

Dead men tell no tales, but their tombstones do.

The Franklin on Foot guided tour of the Old City and Rest Haven cemeteries features costumed actors portraying the most colorful, historically important and often tragic souls buried there. Tickets for the Saturday 7-9 p.m. event are $15 for ages 14 and up, and $5 for children ages 7-13.The tour starts at 4th Avenue North and West Margin Street, Franklin TN 37064

You'll meet father and son Fountain Branch and Capt. Tod Carter, whose home found itself at the epicenter of the Battle of Franklin. And the little-known but still fascinating two Georges - Grummond and Cuppett - who fought on opposite sides of the War, and are remembered for different reasons. Franklin wartime Mayor John McEwen will speak of his experience, as will Fannie Park, the daughter of a well-respected physician who was nearly forced from town.

Franklin teenager Fannie Courtney, a Union sympathizer who tended to the Federal wounded at First Presbyterian Church, will tell her story. You won't believe the rest of it!

Not all the stories are Civil War-related. You won't want to miss the grave of freedman Jessee Cowles and his wife, Anarchy Cowles, or the marker of the two infant Marr sisters, whose short, tragic lives are commemorated by a broken shaft.

You'll hear about Franklin's founder Ewen Cameron, as well as one of the original Tennessee volunteers Dr. Daniel McPhail and his nephew, Dr. Daniel Cliffe. You'll also visit the final resting place of Franklin's Unknown Civil War soldier, whose remains were uncovered at a Franklin construction site in May of 2009 and re-interred at Rest Haven on October 10, 2009.

Tickets are available for purchase at www.franklinonfoot.com or at the gate. Allow at least one hour and 15 minutes to complete the tour, and plan to arrive between 6:45 pm and 7:45 pm. The cemeteries are located at the corner of 4th Avenue North and North Margin St. Participants should wear closed-toe shoes and carry a flashlight. Call 615-400-3808 for more information.

To learn more about the 28th Annual Pumpkinfest free street festival, please visit www.HistoricFranklin.com.

October 29, 2011
Times: 7pm - 9pm
Address: 4th Avenue North and West Margin Street, Franklin TN 37064
Location: Historic Downtown Franklin
Phone: (615) 400-3808
Admission: $15 adults / $5 children age 7-13

Scarecrows take over the Franklin Farmers Market this Saturday with free pumpkins and face painting for childdren.

The Invasion of the Scarecrows will come at the market at the corner of Franklin Road and Liberty Parkway behind the Factory from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday.

While shopping for fresh food from local farmers, shoppers can sample delicious food during chef demonstration from Amerigo Italian Restaurant and enjoy music and view unique arts and crafts.

The Board of Probation and Parole’s officers are again enforcing Halloween and fall festival restrictions against sex offenders under the agency’s supervision. Each sex offender has signed a letter acknowledging that they are prohibited from participating in Halloween activities. BOPP Chairman Charles Traughber said, “The safety of Tennessee’s communities is the top job for our staff all year long. But each year, we inform sex offenders under our supervision that Halloween and fall festival activities are inappropriate for them. The offenders also sign a letter acknowledging they understand and will comply with these restrictions.”

• They cannot answer the door to trick or treaters on Halloween;
• They cannot pass out candy;
• Their homes cannot be decorated for Halloween, either inside or outside;
• They cannot host Halloween parties at their homes;
• They cannot go to haunted houses, corn mazes, hay rides or any other seasonal activity;
• They cannot be at any function where children are gathered, including private residences;
• They cannot give any Halloween treats to children;
• They cannot wear costumes and
• They cannot take any child trick or treating.

Lives cut short.... Sudden, violent death.... Unfinished business. All reasons spirits remain behind. But sometimes it's an entirely different reason: folks get so attached to their homes that they just can't bear to leave...even after they die. Franklin seems to be full of both kinds. We've got departed socialites, spies, businessmen, Confederate soldiers, and at least one dog, all roaming downtown, and we spend an interesting hour and a half with them on this tour. One is helpful, several appear lonely, and one seems to be afraid of the dark. The Haunted Franklin tour by Franklin on Foot is offered every evening--usually at 8:00 p.m. and weather permitting. Please call 615-400-3808 to make your reservation.  Payment is by cash or check at the time of the tour or by credit card online Cost: $18 adults; $10 ages 13-18, $5 under 13. This tour covers about six city blocks.  Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather.  Most of this tour is wheelchair accessible. This tour meets at 305 Public Square, which is in front of the old courthouse on the public square at Main Street and 3rd Avenue, next to Mellow Mushroom. Please plan to arrive ten minutes before the start of your tour time.   More Ghosts... Now for the rest of the story... I wrote Ghosts of Franklin, Tennessee's Most Haunted Town in 2008 after being asked to do so for years. Folks who came on the ghost tour wanted more. I diligently researched the history behind the stories as well as the stories themselves. Nearly all of my sources allowed their real names to be used--the few that didn't seemed worried about repercussions from friends and family. None of the witnesses were professional ghost hunters. Some disbelieved in ghosts. One man said, "I don't actually believe in ghosts...but I saw one. I hope never to see another one." Stories you'll hear on your tour are included, but there are many others. Stories are from all over Franklin, including Carnton Plantation, Clouston Hall, Lotz House, O'More College and many more haunted locales around Franklin. Chapters include The Original Steel Magnolia, A Great Place to Live, What's With Third Avenue, Anyway? A Scandal Involving a President and  Woman, It Was Not a Bed of Roses, The Party House (new in 2011), A Spirited Main Street, No Place on Earth They'd Rather Be, Bloody Franklin, She Watches Still, and The Final Resting Place. The book includes over 65 historic and current photos, including the ghost of the little girl  in the window at Carnton Plantation that can be seen on the cover. Regularly priced at $19.95, you can get a signed copy of your book at the time of your tour for a special price. Just ask your tour guide! Here's an internet review: "This book, written by one of the founders of the Franklin on Foot historical walking tours in Franklin, TN, made me very much want to visit Historic Carnton Plantation in Franklin, where some pretty extensive (and touching) Civil War hauntings have been witnessed by many employees and visitors and sensitively documented in this book. There are some wonderful first-hand accounts of hauntings in many other Franklin, TN, locations included here as well, but the author worked at Carnton so the stories she recounts of it especially resonate. What's impressive about this book is that the author actually interviewed and directly quotes the witnesses who experienced the hauntings, and also provides plenty of background information about the houses, shops, etc., in which the hauntings occurred. Her approach really draws the reader into these accounts, and makes for a very satisfying book. If you love (as I do) to read true ghost stories but have been disappointed by too many books that purport to be collections of same but turn out to only repeat vague, third-hand legends collected from older books with no actual personal experiences involved, I urge you to pick up this book. It's truly one of the best I've read in this genre."  K. Brand Ghosts of Franklin is trade paperback, 181 pages. Signed copies are also available for purchase at Landmark Booksellers, Puckett's Restaurant, The Happy Bee, Clouston Hall/Gallery 202, Lotz House, Winchester Antique Mall and Carnton Plantation.