Franklin Fest is Coming to Town!

(Photo Courtesy of Dean College)

Franklin Fest is coming to town! On April sixth, join the Franklin community to experience games, raffles, and food. Located at Longley Field, Franklin Fest will be hosting all kinds of outdoor activities for both the Dean and Franklin communities. There will be games like flag football, volleyball, Connect Four, corn hole, spike ball, and more, with all games being free to participate in. If you are feeling hungry from all the activities, the festival will have two food trucks, one will serve ice cream, and the second will be serving cannoli.

Later, the public will be able to take part in a 50/50 raffle with many different prizes, including various gift cards, a gift basket, and alcoholic beverages (attendees must be at least 21 years of age to win prizes containing alcohol).

The event is being hosted by students of the Event Management & Operations class held at Dean College. The class is taught by Professor William Gillespi, a former assistant venue manager for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The class helps Dean students gain organizational experience and skills, with every student of the class being involved in the production of the Franklin Fest.

Professor Gillespi states that “…The reasons I partition this class to the department is because of the practical application to learn…when people are invested in the event, when they get out in the real world, they can apply their experiences and skills to the real world. That is why I wanted to do this for a class.”

One class member and organizer, Michael Korizis, had this to say about the festival: “I think Franklin Fest has the potential to be a fantastic event that brings the community together while providing hands-on experience in event planning, marketing, and operations. It’s a great opportunity for my classmates and I to apply what we’ve learned in class to a real-world setting, from securing vendors and sponsorships to managing logistics and promotions. I'm especially excited to see how the event drives engagement, supports local businesses, and creates a fun atmosphere for attendees. It will be a great learning experience to navigate the challenges of organizing an event of this scale and adapting to any unexpected obstacles.”

Another student, Justin Tillinghast, has expressed optimism for the Franklin Fest. He states: “I feel like it is a good way to get the Franklin community and the Dean community together. That we can get together and have fun as a community.” Kyle Perry, an organizer for the event, also says: “I think it’s a great opportunity for a hands-on experience…in the past, I’ve been a part of the Dean Dash and 5K…this is my last hands-on experience at Dean, and I want to make it as successful as possible.”

The Franklin Fest will be located at Longley Field. The event will be held on April sixth from 10:00AM to 3:00 PM. You can register via the flyer located below.