2010 FRANKLIN, NC CALENDAR OF EVENTS

• January 15 - Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver ($15) He may be a legend, but while Doyle Lawson takes pride in a career that's stood at the center of bluegrass and bluegrass gospel for over 40 years, he's hardly resting on his laurels. Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• February 20 - Harris III ($10) His name is Harris, III (Harris the Third), and since receiving a magic set from his grandmother at the age of 9, he has been fascinated with magic, illusion and how easily the senses are deceived. At age 11 he gave his first public performances. Today, at the age of 26, he is a classicly trained, award-winning, master illusionist, and an expert in the art of deception. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• March 12 - Randy Travis in Concert ($45 - $55) Like the Beatles in rock, Randy Travis marks a generational shift in country music. When his Storms of Life came out in 1986, country music was still wallowing in the post-urban cowboy recession, chasing elusive crossover dreams. Travis brought the music back to its basics, sounding like nothing so much as a perfect blend of George Jones and Merle Haggard. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• April 2 & 3 - Franklin's April Fool's Trail Days - Come join in this celebration of the Appalachian Trail

  Friday & Saturday Night - Sapphire Inn - 5:00 to 9:00 pm - Waldroop Band, Talent Contest, Food
  Saturday - Big Bear Shelter, East Main Street, Little Tennessee River Greenway - 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Live Music, Food, Outdoor Exhibits.

• April 16 - James Gregory ($18) For over two decades, the unforgettable caricature of veteran comedian James Gregory has stood grinning: his shirt un-tucked, his arms outstretched, a carefree welcome to a down-home, hilarious comedy experience. It’s storytelling at its best. The trademark caricature is the essence of James Gregory’s comedy: rib-tickling reflections on life from the front porch. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• April 17 - 3 Redneck Tenors ($15 - $18) Buckle up for a musical extravaganza (which is Italian for super buffet). These boys are actually classically trained artists from Broadway and world opera stages cleverly disguised as mullet-wearing Billy Joe, Billy Bob and Billy Billee. The program includes some great humor and fun all hosted by the Colonel – who also happens to sing in a few of the numbers. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• April 18 - The Raleigh Ringers ($18) The Raleigh Ringers are truly unlike any other advanced handbell organization, but the best way to find that out for yourself is to get tickets to attend one of their awe-inspiring live shows! Formed in 1990 in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Raleigh Ringers are now well-known across the globe. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• April 30 - Ray Stevens ($30 - $40) Multi-platinum recording artist, songwriter and two-time Grammy winner Ray Stevens is celebrating 50 years in the music business this year. From his comedy hit, “The Streak” to the socially aware “Mr. Businessman" to his Grammy award winning pop standard “Everything is Beautiful,” Stevens continues to showcase his observant and witty songwriting. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• May 11 - Golden Dragon Acrobats ($20) The Golden Dragon Acrobats represent the best of a time honored tradition that began more than twenty-five centuries ago. The Golden Dragons are recognized throughout the United States and abroad as the premiere Chinese acrobatic touring company of today. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• May 14 - Julianne Hough ($25 - $32) A triple threat as a singer, actress and dancer, Julianne is already known to millions of fans as the two-time dance champion on ABC-TV's top-rated Dancing with the Stars (DWTS). The show, which pairs professional dancers with music, sports, film and television celebrities, has become a cultural phenomenonand Julianne its top star. SClick here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• May 18 - Mel Tillis ($15 - $20) Country music legend, Mel Tillis, started performing in the early '50's with a group called The Westerners while serving as a baker in the United States Air Force, stationed in Okinawa. In 1956, Webb Pierce recorded a song written by Mel entitled "I’m Tired", and it launched Mel's musical career.SClick here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• May 29 - Branson on the Road ($10) What do you get when you bring together a fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar, upright slap bass, rhinestone costumes, hilarious comedy and great classic country, bluegrass, rockabilly and gospel music...Branson On The Road®! Branson On The Road® has over 20 years of experience of performing at the top theatres. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• June 11 - An Evening with Lorrie Morgan and Pam Tillis - The sweet sounds of country music return when Lorrie Morgan and Pam Tillis take the stage at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts! Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• June 18-20 Taste of Scotland Weekend - For details call (828)524-7472 or e-mail: claire@dometrics.com

  June 18 - Ceilidh - Scottish Musical Party and BBQ dinner. Downtown Gazebo, Franklin, NC. 6:00 pm
  June 19 - 13th Annual Taste of Scotland - Street festival with all things Scottish including entertainment, clans, authentic Scottish foods, music & dancing, Pipe & Drum Bands, parade, Border Collie emonstrations, crafts, shortbread contest, children’s Highland games and many other contests. Free Admission. 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
  June 20 - Kirkin of the Tartans - First Presbyterian Church
  

• July 1-4 - The Inspirations Their record speaks for itself. Forty-seven years on the road, numerous awards and accolades, more than 65 recordings with more than 700 songs, millions of road miles, the successful Singing In The Smokies annual concerts, television appearances, consistently packed concert halls, and a reputation without blemish... there's no other like them. The Inspirations truly are an American treasure. SClick here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• July 3 - 4th of July Parade in Historic Downtown Franklin 9:30 am until 1 pm. Parade begins at 10:00 am. Contact Linda Schlott at 828-524-2516 for more information.
  
  
• July 3 - Franklin's Fourth of July Festitivities including largest fireworks show in WNC. Macon County Recreation Park. Call 828-524-3161 for information.
  
  
• July 7 - David Crowder Band ($25) The Dove Award-winning six-piece,crafts compelling, inimitably progressive electronic rock. Think Radiohead meets Linkin Park. Compare that description with the fact that some even call them a worship band. SClick here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• July 9 - Little River Band - Little River Band was formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1975. The original members came from other successful Australian acts from the '60s and '70s...Glenn Shorrock from The Twilights and Axiom, Beeb Birtles from Zoot (with Rick Springfield) and Mississippi, Graham Goble and Derek Pellicci (also from the band Mississippi), Ric Formosa, and Roger McLachlan. SClick here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• July 13 - Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers ($20 - $30) Over 50 years ago, Larry, Steve, and Rudy Gatlin started singing in their little hometown of Abilene, Texas, and from there went on to make music history. Over the course of a four-decade career that has taken the Gatlin Brothers from dusty Texas stages to White House performances, from Broadway to Grammy Awards to the top of the country charts. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• July 16 - Doc Watson and David Holt ($15 - $20) Recipient of the National Medal of Arts, National Heritage Fellowship, and five Grammy Awards, Doc Watson is one of our nation’s musical treasures. Grammy Award-winner David Holt is an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, storyteller, historian, and television host. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• July 16 & 17 - 7th Annual Franklin Folk Festival - A celebration of Appalachian heritage in Downtown Franklin. Over 50 living exhibits of authentic mountain living, food, entertainment and more. Call 828-369-7411 for detials. Sponsored by Macon County Folk Heritage Association. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• July 30 - Point of Grace & Laura Story ($15) Come be a part of a wonderful night of worship with award winning christian artists/songwriters Point of Grace and Laura Story. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• August 7 - Ronnie McDowell THE ELVIS PRESLEY STORY: Starring Ronnie McDowell and featuring memories of Elvis by his former backup singers and band members: The Jordanaires * The Stamps Quartet D.J. Fontana * Millie Kirkham. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• August 14 - Ricky Skaggs ($35 - $45) Sometimes in life, things come full circle. That's the story of Ricky Skaggs. By age 21, he was already considered a "recognized master" of one of America's most demanding art forms, but his career took him in other directions, catapulting him to popularity and success in the mainstream of country music. Now the road has brought him back to where it all began - bluegrass music. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• August 19 - Steven Curtis Chapman ($30) Steven Curtis Chapman is a name that anyone and everyone who listens to Christian music knows. His list of accomplishments include 50+ Dove Awards, 5 Grammys, an American Music Award, 2 certified platinum and 10 gold albums, 10 million total albums sold and 45 #1 radio hits. Chapman is also a huge advocate for adoption; so much so that his family has established Shaohannahs Hope, an organization that provides information and financial grants to families who want to adopt. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• August 26 - Peter Noone's Herman's Hermits - Peter Blair Denis Bernard Noone is a multi-talented entertainer, who has been delighting audiences nearly all his life. He was born in Manchester, England, where he studied voice and acting at St. Bede's College and the Manchester School of Music and Drama. As a child, he played "Stanley Fairclough" in the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. He was also featured in the television series Knight Errant, Family Solicitor and Monro's Saki Stories. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• August 28 - Diamond Rio ($25 - $35) - Diamond Rio has long been one of country music's most successful groups. The band released its platinum-selling debut disc in 1991. The following year, Diamond Rio won the Country Music Association’s Vocal Group of the Year award for the first time. They've scored nine No. 1 hits and placed 15 singles in the Top Five. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• September 17 - Dr. Ralph Stanley ($15) Although he needs no introduction, we'll go ahead and give him one anyway. Ralph was born in Dickenson County, Virginia, where he still resides when he's not on the road. After 55 years in the business, he's still the best banjo picker and tenor singer in bluegrass music. As a recording artist, he has performed on more than 170 albums, tapes, and CDs. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
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• September 18 - The Del McCoury Band ($15 - $20) - Vince Gill says it simply, and maybe best: "I'd rather hear Del McCoury sing 'Are You Teasing Me' than just about anything." For fifty years, Del's music has defined authenticity for hard core bluegrass fans-count Gill among them-as well as a growing number of fans among those only vaguely familiar with the genre. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• September 23 - Mark Lowry ($15) Mark Lowry has been making people laugh, cry and think for nearly 40 years. Singing publicly and recording albums and videos since age eleven, you could say that Mark has done this most of his life. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• October 22 & 23- 14th Annual Pumpkin Fest Weekend - Contact Linda Schlott at 828-524-2516

  October 22 - Hayrides from Shops at Riverwalk on Highlands Road from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm, After School Treats for the kids in shopping center from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm.
  October 23 - 14th Annual Pumpkinfest Street festival along Main Street with crafters, Famous Pumpkin Roll, Live Music all day, Pie Eating Contest, Games, Costume Contest and Parade along with Food.
  

• October 29 - Rhonda Vincent & Gene Watson ($20 - $30) "The destination of life is an individual interpretation. Some know exactly where they're going. Others spend a lifetime searching." Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• November 11 - Veteran's Parade - Downtown Franklin - 11:00 am
  
  
• November 20 - Chonda Pierce ($18) Armed with an abundance of unpretentious Southern charm and laser sharp wit, Chonda Pierce has been entertaining audiences from coast to coast for more than a decade. An in-demand stand up comic, television hostess and author, Pierce has parlayed her gift for storytelling into a multi-faceted career. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.
  
  
• November 26 - Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony & Candlelight Service on the Square in Downtown Franklin - 7:00 pm - Free cider, cookies & music. Contact 828-524-2516.
  
  
• November 27 - Cookies With Santa - Town Hall - Free event for children - 10:00am to 12noon
  
  
• November 28 - Annual Franklin Christmas Parade - 3:00 pm - Through the streets of downtown Franklin. Call the Franklin Chamber of Commerce for information at 828-524-3161.
  
  
• December 3 & 10 - Window Wonderland - The first two Fridays after Thanksgiving from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm - This Holiday Celebration on townhill in Franklin features "living" window displays of the season, carolers and other sounds of the season, carriage rides, refreshments and more! Contact 828-524-2516.
  
  
• December 11 - Newsong ($15 - $20) - NewSong is a contemporary christian group that was founded in 1981, at Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia. They have had eight GMA Dove Award nominations. They are the founders of the Winter Jam Spectacular, the United States' largest annual Christian music tour. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.Performing Arts. Get tickets online.
  
• December 17 - Oak Ridge Boys in Concert With that unmistakable four-part harmony, have produced dozens of hit songs - including "You're the One in a Million," "I'm Settin' Fancy Free," "Sail Away," and, of course, "Elvira," - earned just about every industry accolade available, including Grammy, Dove, ACM, and CMA awards, and won millions of fans worldwide. Click here to get tickets online at the Smoky Mountain Center for the performing arts in Franklin, NC.