14 minute read
Bone Vivant
Bone Vivant
TOP PUP COSTUMES FOR HALLOWEEN 2020
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Get your spooky on this Halloween and don’t forget about the pups! We want to dress up too! Here are the top Halloween Dog Costumes this year from Halloween Express. They have everything from funny to traditional to scary! You can visit your local Halloween Express store in the big white tent located in the parking lot outside of Macy’s at CoolSprings Galleria, or shop online at halloweenexpress.com.
Happy HOWLoween! Ollie Pup
KING OF THE JUNGLE Hear the roar!
MAIL CARRIER Man’s best friend is on his way with a special delivery!
See more of Ollie and his adventures at facebook.com/OlliePupBoxer, on Twitter @OlliePupBoxer and follow OlliePupBoxer on Instagram.
DEADLY DOLL What a hoot! This one will have you dying laughing!
TOOTSIE ROLL Your K9 will be even sweeter in this yummy costume!
PANDA POOCH Perfect for Halloween, pet parades and celebrating the Chinese New Year!
STAR WARS A cuddly little Ewok costume for your favorite furry buddy!
PUP IN A BASKET Now your pup can walk down the yellow brick road in style!
HOT DOG Clever costume for your best friend in the world!
BEER KEG Your pampered pooch can be a true party animal! PET SPIDER If you’ve ever wanted a spider as a pet, well now you’ve got it!
Pumpkins, Ghords, Pansies & Mums! We are ready to make your fall decor fun!
HARPETH TRUE VALUE HOMECENTER
Located at the corner of Columbia Avenue and Downs Boulevard • 203 Downs Boulevard • Franklin, TN 37064 615.794.3641 • harpethtruevalue.com • Monday-Saturday 8am-5pm • Sunday - Closed
Hustle & Bus(k)le
THE STORY BEHIND DOWNTOWN FRANKLIN’S FAVORITE MUSICIANS
Strolling through the streets of downtown Franklin, particularly in the later hours of the day, there’s bound to be a melodic tune laced through the hustle and bustle that you cannot miss. The source? That would be local musicians and entrepreneurs Isaiah Mitchell and Jerome Eulentrop.
They are stationed on the corner of 4th Avenue and Main Street, and locals and tourists alike, can’t get enough of these two. Not only do they provide background music to an already picturesque scene in downtown, but not a person goes by that doesn’t also get a friendly smile or hello from them. While you may not see them playing together often, they are certainly a team. You’ll find at least one of them playing in downtown Monday through Friday between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. and practically all day on Saturdays.
It should come as no surprise that it was music that forged Franklin’s favorite buskers onto the same path. Though you’d never know it by listening to him play, Isaiah got what industry professionals would call a “late start” to playing violin. In fact, it wasn’t until about four years ago that he felt he started getting instruction that lead him to where he is today. After a year at college studying mechanical engineering, Isaiah quickly realized it wasn’t what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. With the encouragement and guidance from a mentor, he moved to the Nashville area to work at a music management company, all the while growing his skill set with the violin through his studies. It was during this time that he first met Jerome, who had been immersed
BY PAIGE ATWELL
in the music world since he was five years old. In fact, he says he barely remembers a time when he wasn’t playing violin. Growing up in St. Louis, Jerome was introduced to Nashville in 2013 when he visited to attend a music camp at Lipscomb Academy. He continued to participate in the program each summer and even started taking private lessons from the conservatory in 2015. That same conservatory had a touring band, and in 2018, Jerome joined them for their Christmas tour, and again for the fall and Christmas tour of 2019.
Isaiah and Jerome really connected when Jerome moved to Nashville in February of this year. He’d planned to work as a musician full time while also busking for extra income. Just a few months prior, Isaiah had left his music management job to busk more regularly and invest more time in his entrepreneurial ventures.
They had just gotten into a steady routine of performing in downtown Franklin when the pandemic hit full throttle in March. Even though there was barely a soul to be seen out and about at the time, those who ventured out can tell you of two people who were: these two. “We were out there when there weren’t even people walking,” shared Jerome. “I had a lady pull over in her car, she gave me a $10 bill and was just crying telling me how much it meant to her that somebody smiled at her as she passed. That was a big indicator of, ‘okay, I’m doing the right thing here, I’m where the Lord wants me to be.”
At the height of the pandemic, Isaiah and Jerome continued to play as
consistently as the weather allowed them to. By the time businesses started to reopen and more people started venturing out, they had become a staple to the downtown Franklin area and a consistent highlight for the locals.
“There was nobody around, but somehow collectively the locals and everyone that drove around decided, ‘oh hey, we’re going to help them get through too,’” said Isaiah. “We made enough to live, and that was almost exclusively thanks to the locals who decided it was cool and appreciated it.”
Since then, Isaiah and Jerome have continued to be present in downtown Franklin. On evenings and weekends, you can hear them playing gentle notes of classics and crowd favorites such as Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Phantom of the Opera or even the main theme from Disney Pixar’s Up. But what makes them so good at what they do isn’t just the music, and anyone who has interacted with them can attest to that. Instead, it’s the way they go above and beyond to connect with each and every person that walks by.
“Half of it is about the music and half of it is about the connection with another person, another human,” said Isaiah. “There’s something very natural about someone walking by and you’re in their life for thirty seconds or even three minutes as they walk by you and you can interact with them as a person and make eye contact or make small talk, wish them a good day. I really like people and the opportunity to get to interact with and have threeminute friendships with people of all ages and all perspectives, all cultures and personalities; it’s really fascinating to me.”
Truth be told, that kind of outgoing, friendly nature is just who they are, and all in all, their favorite part of getting to do what they do. It’s also what makes them such perfect embodiments of the Franklin community. “We’re so blessed to be accepted into the community as much as we have been,” said Jerome. “Franklin didn’t choose us, but we kind of now have to represent Franklin to the best of what Franklin can be. They are so gracious and so loving in that way and so receptive of our love and the love we try to give them, and we’re really grateful.”
If you see Isaiah or Jerome in downtown, stop by and say hello! In the meantime, you can learn more about them and what they do by following them on Instagram at @the.chronicles.of.saiah and @fire_spittin_fiddler.
ARTOBER NASHVILLE CELEBRATES ARTS & HUMANITIES MONTH IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE WITH BOTH LIVE AND VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES
Artober Nashville, a program of NowPlayingNashville at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, is emphasizing both in-person and virtual experiences in a big way this fall.
Held from Septembr 28th to Ocober 31st, the annual monthlong celebration of the arts in Nashville and Middle Tennessee will highlight the depth and variety of the arts community and its many public offerings while encouraging participation in the arts virtually from residents and tourists alike.
Visitors to ArtoberNashville.com will find hundreds of arts and cultural events both online and in-person — many unique to the month of October — in every discipline, including visual and performing arts, music, history, language, and film.
In addition, this year will feature a variety of new programing: • Artober Learning Labs featuring activities for Metro Nashville Public School students, home-schoolers and children at home. • Artober Talks featuring discussions and panels about current issues in the arts including diversity, gender and funding. • ArtoberTV featuring events and ways to participate.
Nashville-area cultural highlights for Artober include: • Cheekwood Harvest with Chihuly Nights at Cheekwood (Sept. 19-Nov. 1) • (Virtual) Nashville Film Festival (Oct. 1-7) • (Virtual) Oktoberfest (Oct. 10) • (Virtual) Southern Festival of Books (Oct. 9-11) • (Virtual) International Black Film Festival (Sept. 30-Oct. 4) • Goblins & Giggles at Gaylord Opryland (Sept. 11-Oct. 31) • (Virtual) CMT Music Awards (Oct. 21) • (Virtual) Tin Pan South (Oct. 20-24) • (Virtual) Music City Bandwidth (Sept. 14-Oct. 31) • (Virtual) Tennessee Craft Fair (Oct. 9-11) • Boo at the Zoo at the Nashville Zoo (Oct. 15-31) • Fall Family Fun Festival at Lucky Ladd Farms (Sept. 19-Nov. 1) • (Virtual) Opera Jukebox (Oct. 24)
Artober Learning Labs include segments airing live on Artober Nashville and NowPlayingNashville’s Facebook, as well as YouTube at 10:15am each Tuesday and Thursday.
Content will be geared toward elementary, middle, and high school age groups and will feature special content from Cheekwood Estate and Gardens, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Frist Art
Museum, Nashville Public Library, OZ Arts Nashville, Southern Word and Studio NPL, Tennessee Craft, Tennessee State Library & Archives, Tennessee State Museum, and Tennessee State University. Offerings include: • Learn songwriting with The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum • Learn about Voting Rights from Frist Art Museum, Nashville Public Library, and the Tennessee State Museum. • Have story time with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. • Learn about poetry and spoken word from Southern Word and Studio NPL. • View digital-collection highlight that features an African American student at Fisk University in the 1920s memorializing his experience through a scrapbook.
“With limited in-person events, we aim to still bring Artober Nashville content to homes through virtual programs,” said Erin Holcomb, NowPlayingNashville manager.
“Artober TV, Learning Labs and Talks were created to shed light on arts and humanities offerings in the entire Middle Tennessee area,” Erin continued. “While 2020 has been a challenge in general, it has been a good opportunity for us to do more with Artober Nashville to engage and create awareness of arts across the country.”
Artober 2020’s featured visual artist is veteran Nashville painter Omari Booker, whose work “Blueprint II,” one in a series created by Omari, is this year’s official backdrop for Artober Nashville.
A Nashville native and graduate of Montgomery Bell Academy, Omari earned a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from Tennessee State University. His work has been influenced by masters such as Vincent Van Gogh and Salvador Dali, as well as modern artists such as Charles White and Jacob Lawrence.
The forty year old studio artist specializes in oil paintings, mixed media, and works using found objects. His work has been shown at the Frist Art Museum and Vanderbilt Divinity School, and he has been a curator and artist-in-residence at Nashville’s Woodcuts Gallery and Framing.
Recent works have included President Barack Obama, Kanye West, and a mural titled “I Live Here,” which is painted on the side of an arts-focused affordable housing development in North Nashville.
During the ongoing pandemic and social revolution, Omari took to his studio to create a softer energy through his works and discover how we find human connection.
“My work consistently speaks to issues of social justice,” Omari said. “During the popularization of the Black Lives Matter movement, I was led to create work that speaks to the love that is needed to sustain a revolution and rebuild community when the battles are over.”
These works represent a new exhibition called “Need a Hug,” which explores the vulnerability that is integral to the human condition, alongside the incredible isolation and loneliness so many are experiencing these days.
The exhibit will be on display October 10th through November 21st at The Black Box Gallery in The Local Distro, 614 Garfield Street in the Germantown neighborhood.
Although NowPlayingNashville.com has been an organizer and presenter of Artober Nashville since its creation by the Metro Arts Commission in 2011, this marks the online arts and entertainment website’s fourth year operating the program. For more information or to add your event, visit ArtoberNashville.com.
Artober Nashville is funded by NowPlayingNashville, as well as Ryman Hospitality Properties Foundation and the Tennessee Arts Commission.
NowPlayingNashville.com, an initiative of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, is Middle Tennessee’s comprehensive event guide for Where to Go and What to Do, with information about music, theater, arts, sports, dance, museums, family fun, dining and more. Since its launch in 2007, the website has collaborated with hundreds of community partners, providing detailed information to support arts and entertainment organizations and enrich the Middle Tennessee community. For more information, visit NowPlayingNashville.com.
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee exists to promote and facilitate giving in the forty counties of Middle Tennessee and beyond. It does this by accepting gifts of any size from anyone at any time and by empowering individuals, families, companies, nonprofits, and communities to respond to needs and opportunities that matter. The Community Foundation works with people who have great hearts, whether or not they have great wealth, to craft solutions that reflect their intentions and goals. For more information, call 615.321.4939 or visit cfmt.org.
LOCAL MUSICIAN, JOLENE DIXON, RETURNS HOME TO RELEASE HER NEW ALBUM
Williamson County local, Jolene Dixon, released her new album Quiet Thunder on October 1st. Jolene, who describes her style as “hippie hillbilly” (a combination of her mom’s California dreaming and her dad’s Texan draw), says her album has several Indie Pop inspirations. “Maggie Rogers, Phoebe Bridgers and HAIM are all amazing artists that I gather stylistic influences from. And, I’m not going to lie. I am a sucker for today’s mainstream Pop like Taylor Swift and Lizzo,” says Jolene. “You could hit me all day with some Beibs. My tendency with beats when working on a new demo is to keep it simple, but hard hitting. I love the synth sounds and drum machine beats from the 90s that are back these days!”
Jolene grew up in Franklin but has called Southern California home for the last twelve years. “I am so grateful for all my time there, but I know that this move back home was the right next step in this journey with music. Both of my parents are musicians, so I grew up as a studio rat while my parents made music with some of Nashville’s greatest artists like Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris and, most recently, Leeann Womack which gave me the opportunity to soak in the creative synergy of making music from a very young age,” explains Jolene.
“Franklin is definitely home for me. It is very full circle that I am returning to the same town that raised me. I released a single this summer called ‘Borrowed Time’ as a tribute to all the seniors who weren’t able to celebrate together. It featured graduating classes of 1999, 2000 and 2001 from Franklin High School...my alma mater.”
See our full interview with Jolene at yourwilliamson.com. Follow Jolene on Instagram @jolenedixonmusic and watch all of the available music videos on YouTube under Jolene Dixon.
We miss you!
Though our timeline is unknown due to socialdistancing guidelines currently in place, we are reviewing options for our 2020-2021 season. We remain committed to bringing you quality, live theatre and look forward to seeing you back at Pull-Tight as soon as is safely and responsibly possible. Please visit our website and social media platforms for additional content and updates.
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