An estimated 60,000 people filled Franklin’s Main Street during the 30th Annual Pumpkinfest on Oct. 26. Adding to this year’s fall festivities was Downtown Franklin Association (DFA)’s Franklin Scarecrow contest, where nearly of our 20 merchants and restaurants participated by creating their own one-of-kind scarecrows.
Leading up to the festival we encouraged the public to vote for their favorite straw ornament. Last Thursday, we announced that Puckett’s Boat House won its first-ever scarecrow competition for the life-size “fisherman” that was perched on the Southern seafood restaurant’s roof throughout the month of October.
“We’re excited about holding the bragging rights for the contest until next year,” said Boat House General Manager J. T. Ward, who designed and built the scarecrow. “We enjoyed participating this year. I think the excitement around the contest shows how involved the merchants in downtown Franklin are, and the passion that the public has for the community.”
DFA President Bob Roethemeyer, who also participated in the contest, echoes Ward’s sentiments.
“The level of engagement among the DFA members continues to amaze me. I believe it’s a big reason why downtown Franklin continues to thrive,” he said. “And it was fun to watch: I noticed that each participant’s scarecrow reflected their personality. For example, Puckett’s had a farmer scarecrow and GRAYS had a ‘waiter’ scarecrow.”
JONDIE boutique snagged second place in the contest, and GRAYS on Main received third. Nearly 400 votes were cast in the 2013 contest.
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