The hair spray is ready, the neon-green leggings are out of storage, and “every breath you take, every move you make” to the first weekend of August brings Franklin closer to the annual 80’s Flashback Weekend.
For residents and visitors, these days mean the most colorful weekend of the summer is almost here.
Leading up to today means the final inspections, last-minute phone calls, coordinating volunteers and putting the finishing touches on hundreds of details to ensure the festival’s success. As of the 11 a.m. Friday, the stage was being constructed and will transform in something familiar to fans of big concerts. (Editor’s Note: pictured above is the stage under construction Friday morning and the completed stage in 2025.)
But while this event is a carefree weekend of music, food and nostalgia for locals and visitors, it is the culmination of at least a full year of work behind the scenes for the board and volunteers.
As one member put it, the organizers “voluntarily put in tireless hours making this event what it is every year.”
Dave Linn is the founder that most local know, now he serves as the executive director. The voluntary board was formed in 2023. Board members are:
- Tracy Griffith, president
- George Young, VP and treasurer
- John Witherspoon, secretary
- Maria Moran, pageant coordinator
- Lyndsey Henderson, volunteer coordinator
- Lora Barham, parade coordinator
- Lena Mathis, digital fundraising
Bigger and better
In the last few years, the festival has grown significantly.
One example is its move to Main Street for the 10th anniversary making it one of the larger events in town.
Organizers traded the relative comfort of managing an event at a local brewery with an existing stage, food trucks and paid staff. Now, the Flashback teams works with the town government and local law enforcement for road closures and crowd control, the stage, food trucks, and beverage vendors for all ages, while also devising a way to sell food and drink tickets, check IDs, manage the crowd, and raise money for the hospital.
With all that new work, what does the average visitor see? A bigger, better 80’s Flashback Weekend.
A festival built on purpose
So, why take this on? It’s the mission — supporting Shriners Children’s Hospital in Greenville.
Dave Linn was born with mild cerebral palsy and faced physical challenges from an early age. As a child, he was a patient at Shriners Children’s, and his desire to give back grew into a lifelong mission. That personal journey became the foundation of the 80’s Flashback Weekend.
What was his original mission 12 years ago is now the mission of volunteers, tourism officials, sponsors and many visitors.
“It’s one of the signature events in downtown Franklin,” Mayor Stacy Guffey said. “It fills the streets with families, visitors, local businesses, volunteers and organizations all working toward the goal of raising money to help children through the Greenville Shriners Hospital.”
Organizers often repeat a simple phrase: “It’s more than entertainment.” The numbers support that message. Thousands lined Main Street last year to see the parade. And what began as an event raising roughly $500 for charity, now generates more than $30,000 each year. Last year, 80’s Flashback donated $36,000 to Shriners Children’s Hospital Greenville.
Mayor Guffey believes the festival’s success says as much about Franklin as it does about the people who organize it.
“The fact that an event built around fun and nostalgia has raised tens of thousands of dollars for children in need says a great deal about the heart of this community,” he said. “It says that we’re a community that believes in giving back.”
A Celebration With a Purpose
This Friday and Saturday, Main Street will once again come alive with music, neon colors and people stepping back into the unforgettable decade of the 1980s. Most visitors will never stop to think about the months of preparations behind those few days of celebration.
For this event, success is not measured by the number of retro costumes on the street or the applause after a concert. It is measured by the children who will receive life-changing medical care because of this event — and by a community that continues to prove, year after year, that the best celebrations are the ones with a purpose.
The Schedule
