25 October 2007 Election Results Congratulations to Mayor-elect John Schroer and to Aldermen-elect Ken Moore, Ann Petersen, Clyde Barnhill and Pearl Bransford. These five newly elected officials will be sworn in at the regular Board meeting on November 13 after the current board members certify the election results. I want to also offer my complements to those who ran unsuccessfully. Your willingness to place your name on the ballot and campaign for office took courage and fortitude, and I appreciate the effort. I hope you found the experience valuable. And to Aldermen Pam Lewis, Robert Kriebel and Ernie Bacon, thank you for your dedicated service to our community. Come to Pumpkinfest This Saturday This Saturday from 10:00am to 6:00pm Historic Downtown Franklin's 21st Annual Pumpkinfest fills Main Street with pumpkins, Halloween costumes, activities for children, a full schedule of entertainment, a chili cook-off, hayrides and fall arts/crafts. Pumpkinfest is free and open to the public. Activities include: • The Franklin Tomorrow Chili Cook-off on Fourth Avenue North • The People's Church children's area on Third Avenue South • Autumn and holiday arts and crafts around the Public Square • Two stages offer continuous entertainment • All Things Pumpkin area • Franklin's Sister City, Carleton Place, Canada, brings down the great pumpkin that will be on display in front of the Franklin Theatre with a chance to guess the weight; the Leiper's Fork Carvers will display their professionally carved pumpkins in this area as well! • Bring an item for the Second Harvest Food Bank--a jar of peanut butter, tuna or other protein item--and get a free trick-or-treat bag. • Sponsors, vendors and merchants will hand out candy to children in costume throughout the event. For more information please call 591-8500 or visit www.historicfranklin.com. Franklin Tomorrow Chili Cook-Off at Pumpkinfest The Franklin Tomorrow Chili Cook-off lets the public decide who makes the best chili in town. Their giant tent will be at the intersection of 4th Avenue South and Main Street and they will be offering chili tastings from 11:00am until the chili runs out around 5:00pm. Cost is $6 a tray with 2-ounce tastings from each competitor. Tasters get to vote for their favorite chili from this year's teams: St. Paul's Episcopal Church, The Bunganut Pig Pub & Eatery, Jamison Station, Sol & Red Pony Restaurants, Monell's at Franklin's Historic Jail, Thompson's Station Grill, Jim 'n Nick's Barbeque, Southern Land Company Homebuilding, Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant, and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Help Select the Historic Franklin License Plate At Pumpkinfest, Franklin Tomorrow will be unveiling the three finalists in its Historic Franklin License Plate Contest, and the public will be invited to vote on-site. Franklin is the first city in Tennessee to have its own specialty license plate, and the only specialty license plate designed and voted on by the community. The winning design will be emblematic of the charm, the people, and the history of our city. The license plates will serve as traveling billboards on the bumper of thousands of vehicles, reminding people of what a beautiful place Franklin is to visit, work, and live. Tennessee Scenic Rivers Receives Grant from REI Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association (TSRA) was awarded a grant from REI to improve river access along the Harpeth River. REI is a national outdoors retail cooperative committed to inspiring, educating, and outfitting individuals for a lifetime of outdoor adventures. A portion of REI's profits are set aside each year for support of environmental stewardship and outdoor recreation causes. This goes along with the goals of the TSRA Access Committee, which is working to increase accessibility on the rivers and streams of Tennessee for paddlers, fishermen, and nature lovers. With the REI grant, TSRA will be working on three access sites. In Franklin, they will be coordinating with the Williamson County Parks Department to improve the site at the Recreation Center along the Harpeth River near Hillsboro Road, and with the Franklin Parks Department to improve access at Pinkerton Park. For the third site they will be working with the manager of the Harpeth River State Parks for another access within the park system. For more information check out the TSRA website at www.paddletsra.org.