Honoring 50 Years of the Heritage Ball

It's Been a Ball... For Half a Century!

By Shelly Robertson Birdsong

I was interviewed recently about my involvement over the years with the Heritage Ball and it got me to thinking – because it’s really more than a ball to those who are a part of the history of this uniquely Williamson County event celebrating its golden anniversary this year. For those unfamiliar, the Heritage Ball is a fundraising event for the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County. It is the oldest and largest black-tie event held in Williamson County.

We may have penned it perfectly when I wrote with my co-chair, Damon Rogers, this sentiment in our event program in 2007: “This one evening is but a moment among the many years and hours of labor and love that have supported historic preservation throughout Franklin and Williamson County. As you all know, our home is what it is thanks to the efforts of groups like the Heritage Foundation. This ball is a night to celebrate those efforts along with the Foundation’s many accomplishments and over forty years of successful preservation. We salute everyone in this room tonight for their commitment and bravery and for believing in and preserving those things that make our community not only great, but truly American!”

Many people in our community may never attend the ball or perhaps haven’t even heard of it. In reality, yes, there are far more important things to consume our days with. So, I will just say this: It isn’t just a party that brought literally hundreds of people, in over half a century of existence, to put on this event. It was friendship, fellowship, a common goal and a common mindset: To fundraise for this place we live in – to give it a purpose beyond every town USA; or even worse – a nothing place where nothing is, and nothing happens. That’s where it began and how it has endured. Even if you haven’t taken part or don’t like fancy shindigs – this little stroll down memory lane for those who have and do, represents something to us all. Small groups of dedicated people, through seemingly small or even trivial actions, accomplish big things! Look around you – the proof is in every nook and cranny of Williamson County.

The foreword of a small book put together in 2008 by longtime Heritage Ball volunteers, Sandy Zeigler and Marilyn LeHew (also one of the chairs of this year’s ball), manages to encapsulate the sentiment of so many I have spoken with recently about the ball and its impact.

An Excerpt From: Flashback: Celebrating Thirty-Five Years of Heritage Balls

For thirty-five years the community of Franklin, Tennessee, and its environs, has labored for hours on end to produce a successful fundraising event that benefits the Heritage Foundation of Franklin & Williamson County. And have had a great time in the process. The event is called the Heritage Ball. Enthusiasts have donated money, supplies and energy toward saving an endangered slice of history called Franklin.

The story of the Heritage Foundation’s annual fund-raising ball, in fact, mirrors the story of the Foundation itself. A fledgling group got together in 1967 to form a preservation organization and signed a charter of incorporation. Five years later, in 1972, Mark Garrett and Ruth Anne (Garrett) Hancock hosted an elegant soiree at their historic home, Magnolia Hall. The Heritage Foundation was the recipient of donations from attendees. It was such a success that the idea of an annual fund raiser seemed like a very real possibility. And Marty Parish Ligon made sure that happened the next year!

After a few years of no ball… Caroline Cross and Mary Frances Ligon staged an exciting event in the cow pasture right alongside the then, endangered Carnton Mansion. Since then, the Heritage Foundation has evolved into an important community entity and a driving force in our county. And the Heritage Ball has evolved right along with it.

The ball’s earliest decorations were created with zero budget and a corps of volunteers. Outside of caterers, bartenders and the tent company (Nashville Tent & Awning), there were limited paid event resources. Volunteers devised lighting for enormous tents, planted flowers to then harvest for centerpieces, collected moss that sometimes harbored a snake or two, created level dance floors over rolling pastureland and stitched tablecloths on home sewing machines.

Heroes stepped in and made things work. For instance – when at the last-minute, part of the tent collapsed after a hurricane plowed through the area; or the year Jim Short, dressed in tux, rushed to the rescue and valiantly unstopped the women’s restroom (portapotty), all while next door the gentlemen’s restroom tent, was going up in flames. These heroes saved us from hurricane winds, painted dance floors that wouldn’t dry and dried out flooded caterer tents amongst many other debacles.

Of course, those who paid money and came in eager anticipation cannot be overlooked. So, the guests who supported the ball are so very important to its history too. Nor can those who went the extra mile and became Patrons – donating more than stipulated. The Heritage Ball couldn’t have survived without volunteer heroes and the generosity of the community.

As you peruse this cheerful and nostalgic book, some faces will appear over and over. The reason is obvious. These are the faces that have been there for all thirty-five years, wiring, painting, designing, driving nails, addressing invitations, soliciting funds, financially supporting, doing whatever it took to get the show on the each and every fall in Franklin.