Nothing says summer like a good community festival.
In Johnson County, the months of June, July and August are filled with music, food, drinks and good times. It’s hard to find a weekend that doesn’t include some kind of large-scale public get-together.
And everything fires up this Friday.
“People are ready to get out and get going,” said Holly Johnston, special events coordinator for Franklin Parks and Recreation. “Hopefully, this helps them do that.”
Downtown Franklin will come alive at the start of the Festival Country Kickoff. The courthouse square will reverberate with the sounds of rock, bluegrass and pop, while owners of the coolest classic cars line up and show off their hot rods and muscle cars.
People can hit up the beer garden for a cold beverage while the music plays, and stop by the tents of more than a dozen local groups to pick up information about programs and upcoming festivals, take advantage of specials and giveaways, and gear up for the best summer ever.
“We were trying to thing of something to do to bring the county together, something a little bit earlier in May,” Johnston said. “It’s just a way to kick off the season. And we can bring in other partners of Festival Country Indiana, and bring them all together, they can promote their events and everything they do.”
This will technically be the inaugural year for the Festival Country Kickoff, though organizers had been planning the event for a few years now. Festival Country Indiana, the county’s tourism organization, had provided a grant to Franklin Parks and Recreation to host a season-opening downtown event in 2020.
“We always thought it would be great to have an official kickoff to festival season — with a festival and with attendees having the chance to learn about the many festivals to come later in the season,” said Kenneth Kosky, executive director of Festival Country Indiana.
But that wasn’t possible last year amid the pandemic. So plans were pushed to 2021.
Organizers envisioned a variety of activities to bring people together. A classic car cruise-in gives gearheads, collectors and anyone who appreciates a fine automobile a chance to mingle and talk cars. At the same time, it provides a lead-in for Cruisin’ the Courthouse — monthly car shows held in downtown Franklin throughout the summer and fall.
No party would be complete without live music to groove to. And planners have lined up My Yellow Rickshaw, one of the region’s most popular party bands. The Indianapolis-based group plays everything from Taylor Swift to Zac Brown Band to The Temptations to Guns ‘N Roses, covering a full range of musical styles.
Group members fuse guitar, bass and drums with unorthodox instruments such as the fiddle, mandolin and melodica to create a completely unique sound.
“This is the first time they will have ever been in Franklin,” Johnston said. “I’d heard a lot of people talk about them, so we’re excited to bring them down here.”
Food trucks and a beer garden offer refreshments from local businesses during the event.
But what really brings this festival together is an opportunity to led various community partners meet the public and inform people about what to expect this summer.
“People will be able to go and pick up schedules, a lot will have giveaways, and different things like that,” Johnston said. “It’s a great way to expose people to those partners.”
Fourteen of Festival Country Indiana’s partners will be set up ready to interact with people. Communities such as Greenwood, Whiteland, Edinburgh and Franklin can explain some of the restaurants, businesses and attractions that make them special.
They can find out what organizations such as the Johnson County Public Library, Johnson County Senior Services and Johnson County Museum of History. Mallow Run Winery and Taxman Brewing, both in Bargersville, can explain their products.
People can learn about the upcoming arrival of The Wall That Heals, a replica Vietnam Veterans Memorial scheduled to be at the Johnson County fairgrounds June 3 to 6. Other popular community events, such as Scarecrow Madness, the Johnson County Queen Fair Court and WAMMfest will also be passing out information.
While this will be the first Festival Country Kickoff event, organizers hope that this is the start of something special for the county.
“We think it’s going to be fun, and hopefully it will become a tradition. It would even be nice, each year, to have it in a different community,” Johnston said. “It would be neat to have it be a floating festival and do it somewhere different each year.”
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Festival Country Kickoff
What: A community event featuring music, a classic car cruise-in, beer garden, food trucks and local groups previewing special events this summer
Who: Franklin Parks and Recreation, through a grant with Festival Country Indiana
When: 5 to 10 p.m. Friday
Where: Downtown Franklin square
Schedule:
5 to 10 p.m.: Classic car cruise-in; food trucks, beer garden and partner organization booths
7 to 10 p.m.: Performance by My Yellow Rickshaw
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