The TDA heard funding requests for a retreat for veterans’ widows and a music festival at its March 9 meeting. The board also voted to provide advertising funds for Macon County Transit’s Hiker Route.
Jessica Merritt from Special Liberty Project gave a report on last year’s Healing Hope Retreat for Military Widows, which the TDA funded with $2,000. Merritt said the TDA funding supported two of the eight widows who attended the retreat in July 2025.
“We really try to promote Franklin as wellness, nature-based tourism,” Merritt said.
She said attendees come to the retreats from as far away as Washington state, Alaska and across the United States. The funding Special Liberty Project receives helps cover the costs of the retreat so the women can attend for free. Merritt said the total cost of the four-day retreat is about $12,000 with a cost of $1,500 per widow.
Merritt said the women spend some time in town shopping or eating at the restaurants while they are here for the retreat.
“Since then, two have brought their families back and stayed out in town locally, and one of them was here for an entire week while their kids were on break,” Merritt said.
She requested $7,500 from the TDA for the retreat to be held in June 2026. The widows’ retreat is one of six retreats that Special Liberty Project offers each year for Gold Star families.
John Morgan will return as the headline act for the second Sweet Carolina Music Festival, according to event organizer Kellie Burns. The event, to be held May 2, is a fundraiser for the Smoky Mountain Pregnancy Care Center.
Burns said even with the rain at last year’s event, they estimated close to 1,000 people attended and they raised about $28,000 for the center. “This year, we’re hoping to do a lot more.” She noted there were a lot of first-time expenses last year that they won’t have this year.
Burns said they have raised $40,000 in sponsorships with more coming in. “Sponsorships show how much it means to the businesses and communities here that we’re actually doing an event that is going to bring people to the area, so they believe in it.”
Burns requested $5,000 for the music festival; TDA funded $3,000 for the event in 2025.
Per TDA policy, the board hears requests one month and votes on the request the following month. The votes on the two requests will be at the April 13 meeting.
Funding approvals
The board voted to award Macon County Transit $1,000 of the $6,000 requested for its Hiker Route which runs Monday-Friday from March through May 22. (Last year the TDA gave MCT $6,000.) Transit picks up/drops off hikers at Winding Stair and Rock Gap three times a day and brings them into town to requested destinations.
The budget presented with the request shows $4,000 going toward brochure and flyer printing and newspaper advertising. Transit Director Darlene Asher said they are also running a Facebook ad, have posted information on the Appalachian Trail pages, and they have an advertisement in the AT hiker guide. MCT also gets funding from the county’s Tourism Development Committee.
In past years the fare for hikers has been $5, but this year with support from business sponsors MCT is able to offer a free shuttle.
Board member Heather Childress Custer of The Grove Hostel said she wants to see the route funded and added that a fellow hiker designed a graphic that is being used to promote the free shuttle service.
“We put hikers on it every morning,” Custer said. “It’s good, and I think it’s good for the town.” She said the free fare is especially helpful because not everyone carries cash on the trail.
Cory Spychalski, also from The Grove Hostel, said, “I have heard from several hikers who have just come in specifically because it was free, and they just wanted to see the town – that’s already happened several times.”
TDA Chair Timothy Crabtree talked about how word about hiker activities such as the free hiker meals and the free shuttle spread along the trail.
“Sometimes it’s hard for me to fathom why it can’t just be worked out in the county budget, when they’re bringing in so many people that spend money in so many avenues – sales tax, hotel tax,” Crabtree said about the service MCT provides.
Board member Colin McGinnis from Gracious Plates said, “I think we’re wrong not to support it . . . I think it’s the right thing, I just think it hasn’t been managed to its fullest over prior years. I think coming out of it maybe we need to factor in a little more transparency.”
Board members reiterated that projects receiving TDA funding are supposed to acknowledge that on their publicity materials, and the TDA was not listed on the Transit promotions.
At the February meeting the board voted to grant the Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council $1,200. The ATCC partners with area businesses in presenting the month-long AT Celebration from the first day of spring through Earth Day in April. The organization also promotes the resources, events and services available for AT hikers in Franklin.
During his presentation in January ATCC chair Cory McCall said their focus is “on what we can do to help bring more people into Franklin and create the best events possible.”
Ruby Drop report
Crabtree gave a report from the New Year’s Eve Ruby Drop, which the TDA supported with $4,000.
“It was a great event,” Crabtree said. “We plan on continuing to do the event. The 9 o’clock drop was way bigger. Everybody brings their kids out. We didn’t have any issues with the social district. Everything went great.”
Crabtree said they talked to a lot of visitors who were in town for Christmas that decided to stay over for New Year’s.
Board member Hannah Edwards of Yonder Community Market said she noticed the event seemed a lot bigger than the previous year. “It was awesome. It’s one of my favorite things to do in this town.” She would like to see the event get more funding so it can continue to grow. “It’s just such a good event for this town.”
Financial report
For the first seven months (July-January) of the fiscal year, the Town of Franklin has collected $109,683.06 in lodging taxes. During the same period last year, lodging taxes totaled $107,420.33.
The January 2026 collections of $8,769.74 was the third highest January on record with January 2025 being the highest with $11,129.64 collected followed by January 2023 with $10,562.53.
The December 2025 collections were the second highest December at $12,027.75; the highest was in 2023 with $12,879.95 collected. (The December collections were not reported at the previous meeting due to the town’s IT problems.)
On the expense side, the TDA has spent $93,091.83 of its $180,000 budget.