A wind phone is pictured in a garden on May 31, 2018, in Ōtsuchi, Japan. The design of the Franklin wind phone is not decided, but this is an example of what it could look like.
Matthew Komatsu | Wikimedia Commons
A new way to speak with departed loved ones is coming to Franklin.
Local resident Kailee Bennett is working to establish the first “wind phone” in the state. Wind phones are typically styled like a phone booth and provide a place for people to hold conversations with loved ones who have passed away.
The concept originated in Japan in 2010 as a personal coping mechanism and it has since become a global phenomenon. There are several wind phones across the United States, but the one in Franklin would be the first in Indiana. They are “grief tools” that give users the ability to make amends, express endearment or gratitude and continue relationships with loved ones who have died, Bennett said.
Bennett collaborated with Meg Jones, owner of Richard’s Brick Oven Pizza, who agreed to set up the wind phone inside the Franklin Art Garden, which is located next to Richard’s.
“I was able to sit down with her and explain what I wanted to do and why I felt like her location was great for this project,” Bennett said. “She loved it, so that was a huge check mark off of the to-do list.”
The location will make it accessible to the public, but in a tranquil enough setting to encourage intimate conversations with departed loved ones. Franklin Art Garden is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week and in the downtown area, a “big plus,” for Bennett.
“It is a very beautiful space, but it is also serene and a little bit off of the beaten path,” Bennett said. “It is a place where you can feel safe going to have this very private and intimate conversation with your loved one who has passed.”
The design and exact placement of the wind phone have yet to be finalized, Bennett and Jones are considering various options, including something as grand as a structure resembling an antique phone booth or something smaller like a rotary phone.
The cost for the project ranges between $4,000 and $5,000, with the possibility of requiring a concrete foundation if it is a larger installation, Bennett said.
Securing funding for the initiative is Bennett’s next step. She is exploring avenues such as a grant from Festival Country, support from the Johnson County Community Foundation, assistance from local nonprofits and a foundation established by Meg Jones’ father, she said.
Bennett intends for the wind phone to be completed by October, but the date is contingent upon fundraising.
Bennett was inspired by her daughter, Hattie, to do something more for the community. Last summer Hattie started a fresh-cut flower business, Hattie Lou Blooms, to give back to local organizations.
Soon after, Bennett came up with the wind phone idea after interviewing a nurse on a podcast she works on through her employer.
“I thought this seemed like an opportunity to practice what I preached to Hattie,” Bennett said. “You don’t have to look very hard to be kind.”
Kenneth Kosky, executive director of Festival Country, applauded the initiative, highlighting the wind phone’s potential to draw visitors to Franklin.
“I like the fact that we may become the first in Indiana to have a wind phone and that people might travel to Franklin to see it,” Kosky said. “Anytime you have the only one of something in the state, if people hear about this through news reports, or through family and friends or grief support groups, they will drive across the state to take advantage of it.
“It can only benefit Franklin.”
