Mother’s Day weekend in Macon County was a busy one, with several gem shows, Airing of the Quilts, a jazz concert and a car show fundraiser.

More photos by Travis Tallent and Betsey Gooder after the jump!

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Read2Me partnered with the Rotary Club of Franklin to host a county-wide writing contest. This year's patriotic theme was broken up in to three different categories.

Students were able to participate in either the “Greatest President” or “If I were President” essay writing or the “When I am President” poetry writing categories. Winners were selected based on grade level, writing quality, content, and creativity.

Earlier this month, The Rotary Club of Franklin honored the youth in Macon County by recognizing their educational accomplishments. As part of its annual Academic Excellence Banquet last Tuesday, Rotarians gave local students $18,000 in scholarships.

Western Carolina University Chancellor Dr. David Belcher addressed students as the event's guest speaker.

Some of the hardest working employees at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts are actually not employees at all. They are volunteers. Whenever guests have questions about the show, need help finding their seats, or just navigating the theatre, they go to the experts at hand, the ushers. With an average of 150 ushers rotating between the performing arts center's nearly 80 shows a year, the individuals that best know the ins and outs of the theatre are all volunteers.