MS, AL, TN: Due to last week’s storms, the Natchez Trace Parkway is temporarily closing the Jeff Busby Campground, located at milepost 193.1, in Mississippi. The campground will reopen once damage assessments have been completed and mitigated.

For additional information and/or updates regarding the Jeff Busby Campground closure, visit www.nps.gov/natr or call (662) 680-4027.

MESSAGE TO FANS: ‘DON’T STAND IN LINE. BUY ONLINE.’

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — The legendary Franklin Theatre today launched its new web site at www.franklintheatre.com with a message urging moviegoers and music fans: “Don’t stand in line. Buy online.”

In unveiling the new site, the 290-seat theater made tickets available for its first month of current-run movies. All movie showings will be $5 for the first 90 days. Additionally, the theater revealed its first live-music performances, including:

• Tuesday, June 7: Vince Gill and Amy Grant headline the inaugural “Green Nights,” a music series celebrating the Franklin Theatre’s commitment to community and environmental sustainability.
• Saturday, June 11: Keb’ Mo’ plays the Franklin Theatre’s first Saturday-night concert, a new programming staple for the world-class live entertainment venue.

The Franklin Theatre, a 1937 historic landmark that closed its doors in 2007, re-opens on June 3 following a multi-million-dollar restoration. With just 36 days remaining, anticipation is building among fans who have waited years for the return of movies and music on Main Street.

“Interest is high and seating is limited,” said Lindsay George, Community Relations Director for the Franklin Theatre. “We’re asking all of our fans to be patient as we try to accommodate demand in the weeks ahead. The key is: Don’t stand in line. Buy online.”

The Franklin Theatre’s new web site — designed and developed by Franklin-based Birdsong Creative and JLB Works — features online ticket and merchandise sales powered by Agile Ticketing Solutions. Fans can sign up to receive email announcements and updates.

Check out the Franklin Theatre online for grand opening weekend details on June 3-5, including a 1930s-themed street party in downtown Franklin and screenings of film classics “Gone With the Wind” and “Casablanca.”

On April 26 and 27, several major storms impacted the Natchez Trace. High winds damaged or knocked down approximately 30000 trees within the boundary of the Parkway. The most heavily impacted areas were in Choctaw and Webster Counties in MS. Several other sections were damaged between Jackson and Nashville. Through the outstanding work of the Parkway staff and volunteers, the roadway is open and damage assessments are ongoing. Trail users should be aware of the possibility of debris or flooded sections.

1930s CLASSIC FILMS, STREET PARTY HEADLINE WEEKEND EVENTS

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — The Franklin Theatre today unveiled plans for its grand re-opening on the weekend of June 3-5, including a 1930s-themed street party in downtown Franklin and a late-night screening of the Oscar-winning film classic “Gone With the Wind.”

The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County, which owns the newly restored Franklin Theatre, announced plans to close Main Street on the evening of Friday, June 3, pending approval from the city of Franklin, to celebrate the historic movie house’s re-opening with a swinging ’30s-themed party. The Franklin Theatre originally opened in 1937.

“Beginning June 3, the Franklin Theatre will be back bigger and better than ever, and Hollywood will meet Main Street all over again,” said Heritage Foundation President David Garrett. “We’re going to throw the party of the decade to celebrate the theater’s rebirth and the return of movies on Main.”

Outdoor festivities — planned from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. CDT that Friday — include extended hours for Franklin’s downtown merchants and restaurants as well as free live entertainment. A swing band will perform on a stage constructed adjacent to the downtown Square. Sidewalk beer vendors will cater to adults with proper I.D. And an old-fashioned speakeasy will operate in Gray’s Drug Store nearby.

Giant movie screens will create Franklin’s version of a Hollywood back lot. Side streets where Fourth Avenue crosses Main will feature free simultaneous showings of two classic ’30s films — the original “King Kong” (1933), starring Depression-era diva Fay Wray, and everyone’s favorite musical fantasy “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) in Technicolor. Both are listed on the American Film Institute’s (AFI) top 100 movies of all time.

Inside the Franklin Theatre, moviegoers will enjoy a late-night screening of “Gone With the Wind,” the 1939 classic starring Hollywood legends Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. The nearly four-hour epic, set in the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction, won 10 Academy Awards and is the leading ‘30s film listed on the AFI’s top 100.

Friday night’s screening of “Gone With the Wind” is open to the public and begins at 9:30 p.m. CDT, immediately following a red-carpet reception for major donors who helped underwrite the Franklin Theatre’s multi-million-dollar restoration. An additional showing will be at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets in the 290-seat venue will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and can be purchased online when the theater launches its web site on April 28.

“Indoor and outdoors, we couldn’t think of more iconic films to set the stage as we raise the curtain on the new Franklin Theatre,” said Mary Pearce, executive director of the Heritage Foundation. “We’re grateful to the city’s leadership for their support and efforts to make this very special night a reality for the entire community.”

Rounding out events for the theater’s grand re-opening weekend will be a Saturday morning kids’ movie on June 4, “Charlotte’s Web” (2006), followed by the additional showing of “Gone With the Wind” in the evening. On Sunday, June 5, the theater will offer two evening screenings of the film classic “Casablanca” (1942), starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

Tickets for all of the grand re-opening movie screenings, as well as future movies and events, can be purchased online April 28 when the theater’s new web site goes live at www.franklintheatre.com.

RECAPPING: FRANKLIN THEATRE GRAND RE-OPENING

Friday, June 3

• 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. CDT: Downtown Franklin street party featuring live swing music, extended merchant hours, speakeasy at Gray’s Drug Store and outdoor screenings of “King Kong” and “The Wizard of Oz”
• 9:30 p.m.: Indoor late-night screening of “Gone With the Wind”

Saturday, June 4*

• Morning kids’ movie “Charlotte’s Web”
• Evening screening of “Gone With the Wind”

Sunday, June 5*

• Two evening screenings of “Casablanca”

* Times to be announced

The Natchez Trace Parkway will host period re-enactors who will erect lodges (tents) on the grounds of Mount Locust similar to those used by frontiersmen for shelter during the years 1790-1810. Visitors are invited to view the encampment on Saturday, April 2, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30p.m. The public is invited to watch frontier lifestyle demonstrations that include cooking and tomahawk throwing. Period toys will be on display.

Tours of the historic Mount Locust Inn will also be available.

Mount Locust is located at milepost 15.5 on the Natchez Trace Parkway, about 15 miles north of Natchez, Mississippi. These programs are free to the public.

A special program of dulcimer music will be provided by the North Mississippi Dulcimer Association from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, 2011, at the Parkway Visitor Center located at milepost 266 near Tupelo, Mississippi.

The North Mississippi Dulcimer Association teaches dulcimer history, tradition, craftsmanship, and music by sharing its knowledge and talents. The Appalachian mountain dulcimer is the first instrument developed in the United States. Dating back to the early 1800s, the dulcimer is an instrument whose very name means “sweet sound.” The National Park Service and the North Mississippi Dulcimer Association invite everyone to listen to the soft sweet sounds of the dulcimer and learn of its extensive history.

This program is free. For additional information, call 662-680-4027 or 1-800-305-7417.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the scheduled program by the North Mississippi Dulcimer Association on Saturday, February 19, 2011, at the Parkway Visitor Center has been canceled.

The next scheduled program by the North Mississippi Dulcimer Association will be from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, 2011, at the Parkway Visitor Center located at milepost 266 near Tupelo, Mississippi.

For additional information, call 662-680-4027 or 1-800-305-7417.

The Tombigbee Pioneer Group will perform living history demonstrations that show the challenges faced and creative solutions developed by those Americans who lived in the area from the 1700s to 1840. The demonstrations will take place at the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center (located at milepost 266 near Tupelo, Mississippi) from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 26, 2011. The public is invited to watch pioneer lifestyle activities that often include corn-shuck doll making, basket weaving, beading, and quill pen demonstrations. Leatherworking and mountain dulcimer demonstrations will also be offered throughout the day. Children are invited to participate by dressing up in pioneer clothes and trying these activities firsthand.

This program is free to the public. For additional information, please call the visitor center at: 662-680-4027 or 1-800-305-7417.