This past weekend, folks celebrated the music and fashion of the 1980s while supporting a good cause.
Dave Linn, organizer of the 80s Flashback Weekend, attended Monday night’s Franklin Town Council meeting to give a report on the event held Aug. 4 and 5 and to ask the council to think about the future of the event as it continues to grow.
The two-day event drew a crowd from near and far. About 53 people attended the first event nine years ago. This year, Linn estimated about 1,000 people attended the Mad Hatters concert at Currahee on Friday night and a crowd of at least that many were at the Totally Awesome 80s Party on Saturday night at Lazy Hiker. At both events, people showed up at least an hour or two in advance to stake out their seats, with additional people standing.
“I’m coming tonight to say it is getting too big for the breweries,” Linn said. “The breweries were overwhelmed.”
The two-day event also included a 5K on Saturday morning and a parade Saturday evening. The prior weekend the Miss 1980 Something pageant was held on July 29. Proceeds from the events benefit Shriners Children’s Hospital in Greenville. Last year the event generated a $27,000 donation for the hospital. Linn said it would be a few weeks before they know the results of this year’s fundraiser but said it was their biggest yet.
“It has grown exponentially each year,” said event volunteer Tracy Griffith, and she expects next year to be even bigger. “It was pretty well maxed out this year.” She said people were asking what they were going to do next year to accommodate more people.
“There were so many people from everywhere,” volunteer Joe Griffith said. Linn estimated that 85% of the people were first-time visitors.
Joe Griffith said they were fortunate that with crowds that large on a hot summer night that no one got out of control, nothing was broken and there were no fights reported. But he cautioned that as the audience continues to grow in the small venues that there is a chance something could happen, or someone could get hurt.
Linn asked the council to think about the social district law. “I would love to have the 10th year downtown,” he said. “Every business on Main Street would benefit from it.”
Linn said he never dreamed the event would grow as it has over the years, and he doesn’t want to move it somewhere else because there isn’t a venue large enough in Franklin. “I live here, and I want to keep it here,” Linn said. “Please think about this hard; I don’t want to move it.”
Prior to the close of the meeting, council members expressed support for the event and keeping it in town. Council Member Rita Salain asked what they needed to do to get discussion about establishing a social district back on the agenda.
Town Manager Amie Owens said she was waiting on a clarification about alcohol being being allowed on government-owned property. The town would need to amend its ordinance to allow consumption of alcohol on public property. The county also would need to change the terms of its lease to the town for the gazebo area.
Currently alcohol is not allowed on the county property, which would rule out the gazebo and Town Square parks as part of the social district. Owens gave as an example if someone got a drink at one of the restaurants on Main Street and stopped at the gazebo, that would be a violation, unless the lease agreement is changed.
Owens said the council should make the request to the Macon County Board of Commissioners.
Also, as a related item, Council Member Joe Collins said they should move forward on getting bids for the portable stage that was included in this year’s budget. The stage could be used for the 80s Flashback Weekend as well as other events.