The Town of Franklin presented two days of festivities for the Independence Day holiday with the parade, contests and kids activities on July 4 and the fireworks on July 5.
The parade featured residents and visitors dressed in their patriotic attire and an array of antique vehicles and Jeeps decked out for the occasion. Following the parade down Main Street there was free watermelon, the Little Mr. and Miss Firecracker contest and the Patriotic Pet contest. There were food trucks set up on Iotla Street and inflatables for kids to play on throughout the afternoon. Franklin Fire & Rescue offered a water feature, which was much needed with the hot summer temperatures. The Rotary Club of Franklin distributed free bicycle helmets in partnership with Safe Kids.
When the Town of Franklin’s previous fireworks vendor retired, the town had to find a new vendor with most of them already booked for the July 4th holiday. That moved the annual “Fireworks over Franklin” show to Friday, July 5. Prior to the fireworks show, food trucks were parked on Iotla Street and two bands played live music at the gazebo. Main Street closed at 8 p.m. for people to set up and watch the fireworks. Rain earlier in the day delayed set up for the fireworks so the start time was moved from 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
See more photos from the July 4th celebration in the July 10 edition of the paper and on The Franklin Press Facebook page.