Franklin committee sets festival schedule, agrees to dedicate Benjamin Franklin plaque during July celebration

The Franklin Civic Celebration Committee agreed on Monday to include a dedication for a new bronze Benjamin Franklin plaque during this year’s festival and set a three-day event schedule for July 3–5, with the plaque ceremony planned for July 5.

Committee members said the plaque and an associated “Liberty Tree” project were organized and largely funded by local donors and civic groups. “The fundraising went extremely well; I wound up with an extra $1,100 and what I want to do is either this year or next year — the question I want to put out there is should we be considering doing a dedication this year?” said Jim (no last name given), who presented the plaque project and described work with the Sons of the American Revolution, the Franklin Historical Society and commercial fabricators.

Why it matters: the committee is combining the plaque dedication with a busy festival weekend that will include live music, a parade, a pickleball tournament, a carnival and fireworks. Committee members focused on timing, crowd flow and infrastructure to avoid the congestion of traditional July 4 programming.

Key decisions and details: committee members said they were “pretty well in agreement” to hold the plaque dedication on Saturday, July 5, from about 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., so attendees can visit the ceremony before main-stage performances began. The festival program finalized during the meeting included headliners and time blocks: July 3 (set up and evening music), July 4 (children’s parade, Independence parade, carnival, main-tent acts, fireworks at 9:30 p.m.), and July 5 (pickleball tournament, carnival wristband day, additional bands). Pat McCurdy was listed to perform in the band shell on July 4 from 3–6 p.m.; other acts and time slots were read aloud and discussed.

Logistics and outstanding items: the committee reviewed vendor, electrical and safety status. Food- and non-food vendors were mostly confirmed; organizers replaced two departing vendors with a Mexican food truck and an ice-cream truck. The committee reported 10 food vendors tentatively signed and three non-food vendors so far. The committee was told the city’s new electrical boxes have been installed but the utility company must finish the mainline power hookup, an item staff estimated could take up to two months — vendors were notified and some were told to stand by with generators.

Other operational decisions announced included: tickets will be $2 each, beer and wine will sell for $6, soda and water $2, and festival koozies will be re-ordered with a Ben Franklin-themed design. Fireworks funding was left at the same display budget as last year ($30,000, according to the committee's display plan). The pickleball tournament was expected to bring up to 40 teams and donate $500 to festival funds; the tournament will start at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Volunteer, safety and permitting issues dominated discussion. Committee members said they still needed more volunteers (the meeting referenced 19 filled slots and a remaining need of about 13 spots for some shifts), including multiple people for beer tents and early-morning parking/ticket duties. The carnival operator was signed but the group discussed last year’s complaints about dynamic pricing and “progressive” game formats and asked to clarify signage and pricing. Several attractions (Bruce City Wrestling, others) remained “pending” while organizers awaited certificates of insurance. DPW requests included leveling high-traffic areas and final site restoration after electrical work.

Motion and appointments: during the meeting a motion was made to add Lisa (no last name given) to the committee roster; the mayor agreed to swear her in. The motion was presented as an addition to the volunteer/organizing team and the committee discussed shirt sizes and assignment of duties.

What’s next: the committee asked staff to include the updated schedule and the plaque dedication notice in the next city newsletter (early June) and to circulate a finalized PDF of the festival schedule so event contributors can pick a time window. Organizers also discussed using the roughly $1,100 in surplus plaque fundraising for promotion and giveaways, and asked staff to follow up with DPW and the utility about the electrical hookup timeline.

Ending: committee members closed by reviewing remaining open tasks — porta-potty placement, ticketing and ATM orders, volunteer recruitment, and arranging a temporary water or handwashing solution for the grounds — and set a follow-up meeting for March 31 to continue preparations.