After 2 ½ years of shuttered doors, virtual programming, and canceled community events, the Franklin Fair was finally back and better than ever! Reviving this flagship event after all that time was no easy feat for our Mentoring Bigs; they drafted and sent out countless proposal letters, made dozens of cold calls, and faced setbacks and challenges in the months leading up to the day of this big community project. But thanks to their dogged determination and the incredible generosity of community partners, our Bigs came together on April 30th to organize one of the biggest Franklin Fairs in recent memory! Even more importantly, our Bigs were finally able to bring Franklin Gateway residents together to celebrate the diversity and resilience of their community.
This amazing tradition of our Bigs and Littles leading this day of community-building is made possible through the National Police Athletic League who funds our Marietta PAL/YELLS Mentoring Program. Just like us, National PAL prioritizes youth growing as change-makers as they give back through service projects. We also are truly blessed for local partners like Stablegold Hospitality, who became our signature sponsor for the Franklin Fair event. With that being said, let’s take a look back on some of the best highlights from the day…
The Big Day
The morning of the Franklin Fair brought with it clear skies and a brisk summer breeze, boding well for the action-packed day to come. With the event slated to kick off at 1pm, Mentoring Bigs and YELLS staff arrived early at the Franklin Gateway Sports Complex to set up the attractions and brief each other on what the day would look like. As community volunteers and local vendors began to trickle in and take their places, our Bigs began to feel the weight of this community project and what it would soon mean for this community.
“It was surreal,” said Daisy, one of the Mentoring Bigs this year who worked on the marketing for the Franklin Fair. “I didn’t expect it to happen, or for so many people to come to be honest but it was so cool to see it all come together on the day!”
Our Bigs all had their roles for the day– Jevyn, Tristan, and Malai were the designated Game Masters in charge of facilitating and refereeing the main tournament games. Ashanti and Alivia were responsible for holding down the Single Parent’s station, where they teamed up with The Hope Box to provide parents with free baby supplies like diapers, formula, cleaning products, and medicine, as well as connecting families with accessible community resources and social services. And then there was KaMya, who was the Franklin Fair MC for the day! With her mic in hand, KaMya was the official host of the Franklin Fair, welcoming guests, introducing the different performers, and keeping everyone on track throughout the day with updates to the event schedule. Shout-out to “Jessica It’s All Good” for bringing the DJ equipment and coaching KaMya to rock her role as MC! The rest of the Bigs and Littles took their places at their stations and prepared themselves for an exciting day of high-energy games and community service!
The doors to the Franklin Fair opened at 1pm and already people were arriving to the sound of music and the aroma of hot dogs filling the air. As people settled in, they had the chance to walk around and interact with the different community booths and play mini-games like limbo or four square. Eventually, MC KaMya introduced the first entertainment act of the day, a performance from the Marietta High School “Beta Phi” Step Team, led by Mentoring Big Malai! Beta Phi blew us all away with their energetic performance and synchronization, setting a high bar for the rest of the big events of the day.
Pie Eating Contest
Shortly after the hour mark, the first big tournament game of the day was set to begin– the pie eating contest! Contestants were given two minutes to eat as much pie as they could without using their hands, and people rushed to the field to snag a spot around the six contestants who were getting ready to chow down! A few of our Littles L-O-V-E pie and decided to compete, and they were joined by one of our Middles and even Sheriff Jameel Fraser from the Cobb County Sheriff’s Department! People cheered the contestants on as they shoved their faces into their pies, doing their best to inhale as much of the pastries as possible before time was up. When all was said and done, the winner of this year’s pie eating contest was one of our own Mentoring Littles, Williams!
There was plenty for people to do in between the main tournament games. The bouncy castle kept the kids entertained for hours, and community partners lined the field with their tables and offered a variety of services, supplies, and advice for members of the community. Our grill master was serving hot dogs all day which our Bigs handed out to anyone who asked. And whether it was soccer, limbo, basketball or cornhole, people had their pick of carnival-style games to play against their friends as everyone waited for the next big tournament game…
Potato Sack Race
Soon came time for the second big event of the day– the potato sack race! This hugely popular race brought contestants of all ages together to pair up and test their speed and agility against one another. Elementary schoolers versus high schoolers, police officers versus firefighters, we had many community members trying to edge out their competitors for a shot at first place. When all was said and done, the race really came down to a photo finish!
Water Balloon Toss
The last big tournament game of the afternoon was the water balloon toss! This game challenged contestants to work together in pairs to throw as many water balloons from one side to the other without bursting any in the process. With each round contestants took a step back, and inevitably there were splash casualties, but most of the balloons safely made it to the other side! This game was great because anybody could get involved and play, making it an entertaining tournament for everyone. The winners of the first round went head-to-head in the final, with two members of the Beta Phi step team taking home the bragging rights.
When all was said and done, over 300 people attended the 2022 Franklin Fair! It was a beautiful day full of flourishing community connections and an overarching celebration of the Franklin Gateway community. Eventually, after a full day of building community connections and having fun, people slowly started clearing the sports complex and returning home. As the sun began to set on the Franklin Fair, there was a feeling in the air that something truly monumental happened that day, and that our Mentoring Bigs were at the heart and soul of it.
“This past Franklin fair was just so incredible after a couple of years of the pandemic really not allowing people not just to have the Franklin Fair, but to have people gathered together,” said Board member George O’Donnell who attended the fair. “And to have an event like Franklin Fair where the whole community was able to come together and have fun and do things together, it was just an amazing experience.”
We want to thank all of the sponsors and partners that supported the Franklin Fair. Without their help, the Franklin Fair would not have been as impactful to this community as it was. Big thank you to Marietta PAL, the City of Marietta, Stablegold Hospitality, the Marietta Police Department, Cobb Collaborative, Catholic Charities Atlanta, Amerigroup, Marietta Fire Department, Krispy Kreme, Grace Chapel Fellowship, and the Franklin Road Community Association.
We also want to thank all of our vendors and community partners who provided valuable resources, support, and advice to Franklin Gateway residents who attended the Franklin Fair. Thank you to Girls Inc., FRCA, “Jessica It’s All Good”, Secrete The Boss, Amerigroup, Cobb Collaborative, The Hope Box, CORE Georgia, Marietta City Schools, Lockheed Elementary, and former Mentoring Big Miguel Enriquez.
See you all at the next Franklin Fair!
