Every July, Franklin comes together for an Independence Day festival like none other.
They gorge on carnival foods and listen to live music all day long. At the end of the evening, people all ooh and aah as fireworks dance across the sky.
But this year’s Norman P. Blankenship Firecracker Festival has an added celebration built into it — recognition of Franklin’s 200th birthday.
The Firecracker Festival is always one of the city’s most popular events, Johnston said. But with Franklin celebrating 200 years this year — coinciding with Johnson County’s bicentennial — organizers felt it would be an ideal time to recognize the city’s tradition.
“The county’s big event is during our fall festival, and we didn’t want to do the same things as them. And we thought, it’s July 4, fireworks, and an event where there are so many community members present,” said Holly Johnston, community events and program director for Franklin Parks and Recreation.
To mark the city’s bicentennial, city officials will dedicate a time capsule filled with photographs, facts about Franklin in 2023, restaurant menus, local mementos and more. The capsule will be stored at City Hall for the next 25 years, marked with a plate instructing whoever is around not to open until 2048.
“We had so many great suggestions from people on what to include. So we took a lot of that, and we’re going to do it,” Johnston said.
At the same time, organizers have worked with four area sponsors to pass out free bicentennial swag to the first 200 visitors to the festival. Duke Energy, Johnson Memorial Health, Toodleydoo Toys and First Response Plumbing & Excavating have stepped up to sponsor items such as beach towels, clear tote bags, collapsible frisbees and color-changing cups — all with the bicentennial logo.
“We’re going to have people stationed everywhere so we can hit different people during the event,” said Tara Payne, chief of staff for the City of Franklin. “We want to spread the joy.”
That’s not to say organizers have lost sight of the traditions that make the Firecracker Festival so beloved, Johnston said.
Food trucks, as well as the beer and wine garden, opens at 5:30 p.m. on July 3, while the Franklin Community Band unfurls a program of patriotic music and all-time favorites perfect for a Fourth of July celebration.
Local favorites Blue River Band, blasting a mix of country and rock, take the main stage at 7 p.m.
The night wraps up with fireworks as the sky erupts in pyrotechnic majesty.
“Everything else is our normal little Firecracker Festival,” Johnston said.
IF YOU GO
Franklin Firecracker Festival
When: 5:30 to 11 p.m. July 3
Where: DriveHubler.com Amphitheater at Youngs Creek Park, 161 W. Monroe St.
Schedule:
5:30 p.m.: Food trucks, beer and wine garden opens; Franklin Community Band concert
7 to 10 p.m.: Blue River Band
10:10 p.m.: Fireworks
