Franklin set for annual Firecracker Festival

At Franklin’s own traditional Fourth of July event, people will gather together again to listen to live music, play games and determine who is the fastest kid in town. When night comes, fireworks will light up the skies.

But organizers have a new twist to this year’s event: they’ve moved to a new location.

The Franklin Firecracker Festival will be set up on the downtown courthouse square in 2017, after being hosted for years at the Indiana Masonic Home. When rain forced the cancellation of the 2016 fireworks, the show was rescheduled for October during the annual fall festival, already centered around downtown.

The new location received so much positive feedback from both festival-goers and fireworks organizers that they thought they’d try it downtown again, said Holly Johnston, program director for Franklin Parks and Recreation.

Centralizing people around the courthouse square will also provide some opportunities for new events. Johnston is working on putting together a classic car cruise-in, with iconic automobiles lined up on Main Street.

Other activities, including bounce houses, a stilt-walker and music by rock band Living Proof, will keep people entertained until the fireworks begin. And as always, the Fastest Kid in Town race will let children leg it out to prove who is the swiftest.

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Franklin Firecracker Festival

When: 6 to 10:30 p.m. July 3

Where: Downtown Franklin

Cost: Free

Information: franklin.in.gov

[sc:pullout-text-end]