FRANKLIN RALLIES AROUND THEATER WITH "SAVE THE CINEMA" EVENT AND BLOCK PARTY

For Immediate Release

Famed Event Planner Randi Lesnick at Helm of Heritage Foundation’s Special In-Theater Event

FRANKLIN, TN (October 30, 2006) -- The public is invited to a block party and special “Save the Cinema” event on Thursday, November 9 in downtown Franklin, Tennessee to rally support for -- and provide education on -- efforts to save the town’s historic Franklin Cinema.

Produced by the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County, the Downtown Franklin Association and the Williamson County Cultural Arts Commission, supporters can attend a block party on Main Street between 4th and 5th Avenues from 6:30-9 p.m. A $10 donation is requested for admission to the block party, which includes a showing of the film The Majestic on a giant screen in the middle of Main Street along with a video about saving the Franklin Cinema. Block party participants will enjoy soft drinks and popcorn with the movie.

Supporters can also attend a special “Save the Cinema” event inside the theater from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Designed by famed “Party Planner to the Stars” Randi Lesnick, guests will be treated to live performances, hors d’oeuvres with a theater theme, and a “Save the Cinema” video. Only 200 tickets for this special event inside the Franklin Cinema are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. They can be purchased for $50 by calling the Heritage Foundation at (615) 591-8500 or by visiting its office in the historic Five Points Post Office at Columbia Avenue and Main Street.

“The Heritage Foundation has heard from many citizens who are concerned that we will lose our historic movie theater at the end of the year,” said Heritage Foundation Executive Director Mary Pearce. “We are providing these events with the help of the Williamson County Cultural Arts Commission to make people aware of what it is going to take to keep an independent movie theater in our historic district.

“We suspect from the amount of interest this issue has generated that there will be more people than we can accommodate inside the theater so the block party is a way to include anyone who might be interested in this very important effort.”

Money raised will go toward expenses such as real estate appraisals, consultants from the League of Historic American Theaters and certified public accountants that specialize in preservation tax credits for which the cinema building is eligible.

“It will take much more to save the cinema," adds Pearce, "but we believe when enough people realize what a treasure the theater is to our downtown, the right person or people will step forward to keep the theater in operation.”

For “Save the Cinema” event designer Lesnick, it’s a rare opportunity to take part in an event in her hometown. “This is my home,” she says during a break from planning three simultaneous post-Country Music Association Awards events. “I love Franklin and I love the Franklin Cinema. I’ll do whatever I can to support the town and contribute to its historical charm.

“Most importantly, if you feel the same way and attend the special event, I guarantee you’re going to have a great time.”

The renewal and success of the historic downtown area of Franklin and its accompanying rising property values have threatened the future of the cinema. In need of renovation, the revitalized cinema could help meet demand in downtown Franklin for corporate, civic and church meeting space during the day while continuing to provide the cultural and community value to the area that it has for 70 years.

For more information about the Nov. 9 events, please call the Heritage Foundation at 615-591-8500 or visit its website at http://www.historicfranklin.com.

About Randi Lesnick

Randi Lesnick’s Franklin, TN-based company Hospitality Consultants is a full-service meeting planning and event production management company in business for over 10 years. It represents a wide range of corporate, entertainment and personal clients. From concept to completion, it delivers creative, well-managed successful events, executed with precision, professionalism and attention to every detail. Hospitality Consultants can be reached at (615) 662-3539

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Joe Pagetta
Fully Dressed Communications
joe@fullydressed.com
http://www.fullydressed.com/index2.htm

EVENT PLANNING TAKES CENTER STAGE DURING CMA WEEK; After the Awards, Randi Lesnick’s Party Planning Makes Music City Rock

October 23, 2006 (Nashville, TN) - For Nashville event planners, CMA week is clearly the Super Bowl of partying in Music City. While it’s a chance for the music industry to gather and celebrate its accomplishments, from performing rights organizations ASCAP, BMI and SESAC to all the major record labels and publishers, it’s also an opportunity for the town’s top event planners to strut their stuff in front of a who’s-who of musicians, music-business decision-makers and influential members of the media.

Randi Lesnick, president of Hospitality Consultants and Nashville’s “Party Planner to the Stars,” has been dealing with the pressure of this week for ten years. There’s never a dull moment for the Franklin, TN resident, and this year’s post-CMA bashes will include Lesnick-designed events for Lyric Street Records, Warner Brothers Records and a joint-event for Big Machine Records and Equity Records -- all in one night.

“I’m busy all year long,” says Lesnick, who was recently profiled in The Tennessean. “But CMA week is definitely crunch time in my office. Every client’s requirements are different, and every event has to capture that client’s unique vision and aesthetic. This is the music industry’s week to celebrate, from the people who run the companies to the artists they represent, and it’s my job to make sure they all have a good time.”

Making sure artists like Faith Hill, Little Big Town and Jack Ingram enjoy themselves at their respective parties might fluster the average event planner, but for Lesnick it’s familiar territory. She’s designed events honoring some of Music City’s biggest stars, like Tim McGraw, Wynonna, Shania Twain and Reba McIntire, and she’s worked with some of the town’s top entertainment names, like Leadership Music‘s Pat Embry, Lyric Street’s Doug Howard and William Morris’s Greg Oswald.

“Sometimes the person who hires an event planner, whether it’s the head of the event committee or the president of the company, has a hard time enjoying the event themselves because they are worried about so many details, “ says Lesnick. “Whether it’s a wedding or a corporate entertainment event, we always assure our clients that they’ll be able to go to the party and experience it like one of the guests.”

As far as who she’s rooting for at this year’s County Music Association Awards, Lesnick isn’t revealing much. “I love them all,” she says. “They’re all so talented and work so hard. Whether they win or lose, when they walk through the door to one of my events, they’ll be treated like the Entertainer of the Year.”

The Country Music Association Awards takes place on Monday, November 6 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville.

About Randi Lesnick

Randi Lesnick’s Franklin, TN-based company Hospitality Consultants is a full-service meeting planning and event production management company in business for over 10 years. It represents a wide range of corporate, entertainment and personal clients. From concept to completion, it delivers creative, well-managed successful events, executed with precision, professionalism and attention to every detail. Hospitality Consultants can be reached at (615) 662-3539

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Contact:
Joe Pagetta
Fully Dressed Communications
joe@fullydressed.com
http://www.fullydressed.com/index2.htm

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Read the story about event planner Randi Lesnick, written by Kathrin Chavez, in the Tennessean's Williamson A.M. section, 10/13/06.

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