Franklin Tomorrow celebrates 22 years of preserving city’s character | Entertainment

The charter was signed on March 20, 2000, and Franklin Tomorrow began to get involved and listen.

A few months ago, Mindy Tate, CEO of Franklin Tomorrow, had a vision for a “22 in ‘22” anniversary celebration — a 22-year journey through Franklin while dining on Main Street and blending the people and traditions of old historic Franklin with new historic Franklin.

Photos, paintings and drawings of Franklin provided by several local artists flashed across the walls of Jamison Hall in The Factory at Franklin. The room boasted its own “squircle” where guests found an array of summer-inspired beverages provided by Lipman Bros. and food stations serving favorite recipes prepared by Catering & Events by Suzette.

Rows of farmhouse tables, labeled for First through Fifth Avenues North and South, and round tables in the center surrounded by plenty of flowers provided the ambiance of the outside dining Franklinites enjoy.

“We wanted to have dinner on Main Street, but we wanted it inside,” Tate said. “We also wanted it to be an inclusive event.”

Former Franklin Tomorrow board members spoke via video and in person about the evolution of the organization. They recalled vision fairs and the engagement, discussions, ideas, priorities and needs community participants wanted preserved and protected.

“We began with Sticky Notes,” said Tim Murphy, a former board president. “Mindy [Tate] and Kathy [Moore] had groups around a table all over town.”

They held small group meetings to fine tune the focus. They began hosting special projects such as the Community Volunteer Awards program and planned Vision City visits resulting in vital partnerships.

One of the priorities led to Friends of Franklin Parks, a nonprofit organization created to bridge the gap between government-funded services and amenities and those that allow opportunities to take the 18 city parks to a higher level of community resource.

“Franklin Tomorrow talks about doing things other communities won’t,” said Dan Ryan, another former board chair.

A consultant during the formative years, Jamie Greene, from Columbus, Ohio, returned for the celebration. He recalled the founders were “all A-Type personality with a strong sense of Franklin.”

“I took that strong will and got them to listen to each other and to the community at large,” he said. 

When they began listening and hearing during small community meetings, board members were able to envision the way Franklin could be with people working together and standing for the best for everyone.  

“There’s a level of affection people have here,” Greene said. “Their love is fundamental. … This does not happen everywhere in the country.” 

Franklin Mayor Ken Moore read a proclamation written in 2020 in anticipation of the 20th anniversary, which became another of the many casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic. The proclamation listed the programs Franklin Tomorrow provides to keep the community involved, such as the monthly FrankTalks lecture series, the quarterly Breakfast with the Mayors and the “Historic Franklin” license plates. 

According to former board president Allena Bell, “Franklin Tomorrow has a bright future.”

“The legacy we put together was the group who could work together and work with the citizens,” she said.

“[Franklin Tomorrow] was a valuable experiment to make Franklin the place we love today and in the future,” added Patrick Baggett, the current board president. “We are here to make sure the Franklin we have 20 years from now is even better than today.”

Franklin Tomorrow remains a conduit for the community to preserve the best of the city, protect its identity and quality of life, and manage growth.

Volunteerism is something else that has greatly increased.

“I don’t think there’s a place in America with the kind of volunteerism we have,” Bibb said. “The spirit of the people led to what was talked about in that 2000 plan. I would say we did achieve what we set out to achieve. The fact that we revisited [the plan] a number of times proves it’s an evolving, flexible plan … and will continue to serve its purpose of bringing people together and getting people talking.”