THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 29, 1994 TAG: 9409290166
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY SUSIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 136 lines
THE TINGE OF AUTUMN in the air signals that the Franklin Fall Festival organizers have switched into high gear.
It's time for the city's annual two-day party, a celebration of the season and a showcase for the town. The 12th Annual Franklin Fall Festival starts Friday evening and concludes Saturday night.
There are no parking fees or general admission charges though there are entry fees for certain events.
``It gives the citizens an opportunity to celebrate their heritage and to celebrate their city and community,'' said Nanci Drake, one of the festival's organizers. ``It creates a feeling of pride in the community, and it brings people back to their roots.''
Most of the festival's activities are centered on the central business district, once a community's gathering place as well as commercial center.
``Downtown is still the heart of any community,'' said Drake, downtown development director and chairwoman of street entertainment. ``Downtown reflects the consensus of what the community really is.''
And as the downtown is the city's core, the heart of the Fall Festival is Saturday's downtown street fair. Parts of Main Street and Second Avenue become a one-day pedestrian mall lined with arts-and-crafts booths, commercial and educational displays, food vendors and entertainment of all types.
The festival was organized in 1983 by the city's downtown promoters to draw people to the downtown stores. The one-day street festival quickly expanded and by its fifth year had mushroomed into a 10-day extravaganza.
Eventually, however, organizers decided the scope was unwieldy, and they pared the activities back into one weekend.
This year, several new events are planned, including a light and special-effects show during the Saturday night street dance from 8 p.m. to midnight in the Willie Camp Younts Public Safety Building parking lot.
``It's like nothing that's ever been done in Franklin before,'' Drake said.
Some of the light show, created by Charles Darden, will be done during the first set of music by Island Boy, but most of it will be during the second part, starting about 10 p.m.
Also on the festival agenda are some popular events from past years, including a block party and fireworks display Friday night. Two bands - Firestar and Fat Ammon's Band - will perform in the Franklin Plaza Shopping Center parking lot, with the fireworks scheduled for about 9:30 p.m.
The festival committee has been meeting since January, checking and re-checking all the details to ensure that this year's festival goes like clockwork. But even the best of plans, of course, need a fall-back position.
This year's chairman, Ben Harrison, was recently sidelined by surgery to remove a malignant tumor and the ensuing recuperation and follow-up treatments. Filling in for him for the final countdown are Drake and Don Cox, a local businessman and past festival chairman.
There's no problem pinch hitting, they say, because the committees have had their responsibilities outlined for months. Drake and Cox have have had plenty of experience working with the festival, plus they have a host of willing workers to back them up.
``We're very fortunate,'' said Cox, recuperating from recent gall bladder surgery. ``We have a group of people that have done this for a number of years who can do their individual jobs. It doesn't require a lot of overseeing.''
Other committee members are Lannie Chitwood, Sharon Duck, Barbara Hill, Barbara Jones, Joyce Kaplan, Paul Kaplan, Donna McCullough, Louise Morings, Jack Norvill, Eddie Phillips and Ron Wilmont.
This year's festivities focus on family entertainment, Drake said. Instead of having bands perform Saturday, as in past festivals, the money is being used to bring clowns, magicians and other types of entertainment to appeal to children of all ages.
Drake is the ``coach'' for the Saturday street scene, said Cox, festival operations chairman and vice president of Franklin Building Materials. ``The rest of us are just the cheerleaders.''
Cox's job is to make sure each of the booths has electrical power.
``Some who don't ask for it show up and want it,'' he said. ``And some who request one electrical outlet want to run 12 electric fry pans off it.''
Overloads such as that can be a disaster. ``It closes down the whole street,'' Cox said.
Some of Saturday's more popular events from past festivals will be repeated:
A car and motorcycle show in the Bank of Franklin and NationsBank parking lots, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The vehicles will be judged by the Mustang Club of Tidewater, and trophies will be awarded in 32 classes.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. with entry fees of $15 for cars and $10 for motorcycles.
Kids' Fishing Tournament, from 7 to 9 a.m., with free Hardee's biscuits for the contestants. The tournament is coordinated by Lannie Chitwood, state game warden assigned to Southampton County.
Horseshoe Tournament at 9 a.m. Ron Wilmont is chairman, and the entry fee is $5.
The Lucky Ducky River Race, sponsored by the Franklin/Southampton Area Chamber of Commerce, at 4 p.m. Entry fee is $5.
Rob Purvis, who has organized the race for the past four years, said part of the proceeds will be used to establish a chamber scholarship. This year's race - a furious float to the finish on the Blackwater River - will pit 2,000 yellow, plastic ducks against one another. More than $3,000 worth of donated prizes will be awarded to the adoptive sponsors of the 23 fastest ``quackers.''
And while the Fall Festival committee members have thoroughly discussed their plans and spent this week putting the finishing touches on months of preparation, there is one subject that is tabu.
No one mentions the possibility of rain.
``We haven't talked about the weather since January,'' Cox said. ``It's one of those things we have no control over whatsoever.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MICHAEL KESTNER
Rob Purvis is the festival's head quacker. He organizes the The
Lucky Ducky River Race, sponsored by the Franklin/Southampton Area
Chamber of Commerce. Proceeds will go to establish a scholarship.
Don Cox and Nanci Drake are organizing this year's festivities. They
are pinch-hitting for chairman Ben Harrison, who was sidelined by
surgery.
Photos
The heart of Franklin's Fall Festival is Saturday's downtown street
fair. Parts of Main Street and Second Avenue become a one-day
pedestrian mall lined with arts-and-crafts booths, commercial and
educational displays, food vendors and entertainment of all types.
Mandu the Magician is in the lineup of festival performers.
Fat Ammon's Band will play in the Franklin Plaza Shopping Center
parking lot for the Friday night block party. There also will be
fireworks.
SIDE BAR
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
[for copy of schedule, see microfilm]
by CNB