Local Legends: The Event That Made Me Face My "Paper Tigers"

On August 1st, I stood in the Macon County Public Library and watched a dream become real. Local Legends: Franklin's Author and Artist Summer Showcase was my very first event, and it is one I will never forget.

I did not know exactly what to expect. I built this event from nothing but an idea and a lot of hope. What I got back was more than I imagined, even on the days it looked smaller than I planned.

The Day Itself

I welcomed 28 vendors into the library that day. Authors, artists, makers, and small business owners filled every table. Visitors played through Biggie's Trail Hunt, hunting down eight stops and a secret word. Kids created at the art station. Attendees scanned their way through a digital bingo card, collecting vendor passwords one table at a time.

I set up a photo booth with my author backdrop and handmade signs. I ran raffle drawings four times throughout the afternoon. Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz hosted a live Eerie Travels podcast segment right there in the room, with guests Cara Pace, Nancy Reeder, and Deena Bouknight.

And through it all, I hosted a Back to School Supply Drive for Macon County Schools. By the end of the day, I had 137 school supply items to donate to two teachers at South Macon Elementary. That number means more to me than almost anything else from that day.

Meeting My Vendors

One of my favorite parts of the day was simply meeting each of my vendors. It felt like being back in the classroom, remembering every one of my students' names. I wish I'd had more time to stop and truly visit with each of them and check in.

Maybe next time I can triplicate myself and do all the things. Still working on that one.

The Turnout

I will be honest with you. About 100 people came through the doors, and that was fewer than I hoped for. But I want to say this clearly: it was still an amazing experience.

My vendors were happy. They loved their gifts. They told me over and over how stress free and lowkey the whole day felt. They made real connections. Some walked away with new clients. That is the whole point of an event like this, and it happened.

The Moment I Will Never Forget

The most beautiful moment of the day came from the Dance Arts Co-Op, one of my sponsors. My daughter and two other dancers each performed a solo variation in their tutus, graceful and elegant in every way.

The library went silent. The entire room stopped and watched. Nobody moved. It was pure awe, the kind you cannot plan for or fake. Those dancers reminded everyone in that room, myself included, exactly what Franklin has to offer.

My Family, the True Heroes

I may have been a one woman show that day, but I did not do it alone. My family were the real heroes.

My husband is my biggest fan. He put aside his shy, antisocial side and manned my art station after a volunteer withdrew late in the process. Between him and my son, they helped kids make buttons, color, and craft the whole day. Without them, that station would have crashed and burned before it started.

My daughter was the MVP of the day. I was constantly gone, announcing and MCing, and she manned my booth in my absence. She was my P.A. sent from heaven. When I wasn't there, she had every answer. And then, on top of all of that, she stole the show during her ballet solo, performing to a standing room only audience and silencing the room in awe. Performer, P.A., and booth manager, all in one day, all for her mom.

A Quiet Moment at the End

By the end of the event, the adrenaline was gone and I was completely depleted. Some of the things I had hoped for did not happen, and for a moment I focused on those misses instead of the whole picture.

That is when Cara sat down with me for a few minutes. That small moment changed everything I was feeling. She helped me see what I had actually achieved. Who I had gathered. Who I had highlighted. She told me she was in awe of me, and she shared a quote from Amelia Earhart that stopped me in my tracks:

"The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life and the procedure. The process is its own reward."

I cried. I did not realize how much I needed to hear that. For the first time, I felt truly seen for who I am, a person who wants to build community, lift others, and make an impact. The old narratives are dying and being laid to rest. Actions speak louder than words, and at some point, they cannot be ignored. My light will keep shining, and it will only burn brighter.

The People Who Made It Possible

I did the work. I hustled, posted flyers, sent invites, and made ask after ask. But none of this happens without the sponsors who showed up and trusted me.

Kelly Penland of Realty One Group. Dance Arts Co-Op. Need More Glass. Alarka Expeditions. Mark Muncy of Eerie Travels. Tom Young. And a late addition I am so grateful joined us, New Vision Training Center.

They stepped up with generosity and faith in someone hosting her very first event. Their support paid for the art supplies, the marketing signs, the Facebook ads, and the Local Legends tote bags, screen printed right here by one of our own vendors and artists, Matt Gauck. Without them, none of it happens.

What This Event Gave Me

At the end of the day, my vendors surprised me with a card. Every single one of them had signed it, like my very own yearbook from my very first event. I keep it close. It reminds me why I built Fenix Rising Press in the first place.

This event was never really about the numbers. It was about the room full of people who showed up for each other. It was about a teacher who will hand out school supplies she did not have to buy herself. It was about three dancers who made an entire library fall silent.

What's Next

Right now I am waiting on my vendor survey. I will review the data, review my own notes from the day, and be honest with myself about what worked and what did not. There were mistakes made behind the scenes. I did my best to make sure no one ever saw them. But I know exactly what I want to change if I get to do this again next year.

And I do hope to do this again.

Balancing my author career with community building and event planning, without a team, has been a test of tenacity and pure adrenaline. This event proved something to me. I can do anything I set my mind to. My mantra is simple: I am going to make it happen no matter what. There is no room for failure, only pivot.

Rise with me. The story is just beginning.

Local Legends: Franklin's Author and Artist Summer Showcase was presented by Fenix Rising Press and the Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy.