Bicentennial Presentation: The Buffalo Soldiers

Diane Wiltz, Franklin Bicentennial Committee co-chair, searched for the word to best describe the next of Franklin’s bicentennial celebrations.
The word was “pinnacle.”
She stated that because Franklin was incorporated in April, the next bicentennial presentation will take place in April, on the 18th, “and it will be the pinnacle,” she said. “We have been building up to that day.”
The celebration will include a parade up Willow Street, focusing on the lives and sacrifices of the Buffalo Soldiers and local African Americans who have served in the military, and have fought for America.
According to Wiltz, the parade will cross Main Street and will culminate in a ceremony along the Bayou Teche, on Teche Drive.
A time capsule from Franklin’s 150th year is scheduled to be unearthed, and another from this year will be buried.
Wiltz also said a “humongous” cake will be unveiled, and she is requesting attendees to dress in period garb for the occasion—the 1820s.
“This is a once in a lifetime thing,” she said. “When you reach the milestone of 200 years of being around, through the ups and the downs, the good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly… that says something.
“So, I’m hoping that residents, those who have moved here, and visitors come and be a part of what small-town America looks, feels, sounds, and smells like.
“I’m hoping that people will take advantage of that. This is something to be a part of. You’ve got one time to be a part of it, and if you don’t, it’s not coming back again.”