The sight of brightly colored pinwheels blowing in the breeze brings back happy memories of childhood days when no one else in the entire world was as important and special and loved as you. It is for the sake of children and building happy childhood memories that KIDS Place is promoting Pinwheels for Prevention during April for Child Abuse Prevention Month.

“We are very excited about this year's awareness campaign,” said Alisa W. Ashe, KIDS Place executive director. KIDS Place is collaborating with local businesses, churches, and other agencies to display more than 2,000 pinwheels in 48 pinwheel gardens in Franklin. "By displaying these symbols of childhood, we want to call attention to the problem of abuse in our community and encourage everyone to be a positive support for children and families." Additionally, the blue bows on lamp posts in downtown Franklin are to commemorate Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The Macon County Fireman’s Association (MCFA) is sponsoring its annual “Fireman of the Year” banquet on Saturday, April 13. Honorees will be treated to a special dinner and will receive an award in recognition of their outstanding efforts for serving the community as volunteers.

The respected “Firefighter of the Year” accolade has been determined by fellow department members within each district and has been based upon excellence of individual performance, participation and support as team members.

Friends of the Greenway's (FROG) Invasive Awareness Program will be presented by Kay Coriell at the April meeting of the Federated Franklin Woman's Club (FFWC) at the Boiler Room on Friday, April 12, at 12 noon.

The Invasive Awareness Program is a cooperative effort of FROG and the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee for the young people in Macon County. Approximately 250 children from the fifth grades, high school and Macon Early College participated in the program that was initiated last year. Coriell is a volunteer for the Greenway.

"The Federated Franklin Woman's Club mission is to increase the awareness and help the children of Macon County so we think this is a wonderful way to begin our year of programs for our youth," according to Valerie Eldred, program chairman for the Woman's Club.

Macon Bank’s 2nd Annual Banking on a Cure 5k run/walk and 1 mile walk will be held on Saturday, April 13, at the Greenway, Tassee Shelter in Franklin.

Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. at the shelter. The start/finish line will be in front of the parking lot at the Tassee Shelter (corner of Wells Grove Road and Ulco Drive), next to the Little Tennessee River. The 1 mile walk will start at 8 a.m. and will go towards downtown (to the left), for ½ mile, then return.

The registration fee is $15 (make checks payable to the American Cancer Society). All registered finishers of the 1 mile walk will receive a gift from the American Cancer Society. The 5k run/walk will start at 8:30 a.m. and will go toward the SCC campus, under the 441 by-pass.