Fall officially arrived on Sunday, Sept. 22. On Monday morning crews from the Town of Franklin and the LBJ Job Corps were out decorating the public spaces along Main Street, the roundabouts and the entrances to town.
The town’s signature event, PumpkinFest, will be held Saturday, Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festivities that day include a parade, costume contest, games for the kids, arts and crafts vendors, and of course, “the world-famous pumpkin roll” – the annual contest to see whose pumpkin can roll the longest distance down Frog Town hill (Phillips Street).
Stormy weather predicted for later this week
A storm that is expected to become Hurricane Helene could bring heavy rain to Western North Carolina. In a weather briefing Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service stated heavy rainfall and isolated flash flooding could develop Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday night. The most likely time for widespread heavy rainfall, flash flooding and strong wind guest will be Thursday night through Friday morning.
Macon County could receive 4-6 inches of rain, according to forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
As the storm was still developing on Tuesday, the wind forecast was uncertain since it will depend on the intensity of the storm when it makes windfall. The briefing report stated wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph could be expected Thursday night into Friday morning, based upon the expected storm track and intensity. Damaging wind gusts of more than 50 mph could occur.
Monitor weather reports to take necessary precautions. In the event of severe weather, updates will be posted on The Franklin Press Facebook page.