FRANKLIN
Burgess and Company, a downtown Franklin-based full-service tax prep, accounting and business consulting firm, won the second annual “Downtown Franklin Divas and Dudes” scarecrow contest Wednesday.

The competition was open to any downtown retail business in Franklin, and required them to create a scarecrow representative of their business and display it on one of the city’s lamp posts. The scarecrows were put up for display during Franklin’s Fall Festival the weekend of Sept. 30-Oct. 1.

According to Mary Morris of Mackan’s Office Supply and Printing, one of the contest’s coordinators, an anonymous person judged the entries. Each entry was graded based on its creativity and how well it represented its business.

Businesses were allowed to choose which lamp post would display their scarecrows and most chose the lamp post closest to their storefront.

The Cat’s Meow, a women’s clothing store, came in second place. Additional entries included Fred’s Restaurant, Mackan’s, A+ Pack and Ship, Coldwell Banker, Smith Jewelers, Jane’s Biscuits and Floor to Ceiling.

According to Susan Jones, also of Mackan’s, one of the main goals of the contest was to raise awareness of the various small businesses operating in the downtown Franklin area and encourage residents to patronize them.

“Most people don’t understand exactly how much it hurts their town or city to spend their money out of town, online or with a big box store,” Jones said. “As a business owner, I do because I know that when I spend my money, either personally or business-wise, with locally owned companies, more than half of what I spend goes back into my community for things like taxes that support local jobs, road improvements, schools, nonprofit organizations, salaries for the local government and much more.

“This, in turn, will build up our community and encourage more businesses and restaurants to open in my community, which will make Franklin grow and prosper.”