Century 21 Dawson & Associates
Century 21 Dawson & Associates Inc. supports philanthropic initiative to aid children, families living with autism: Century 21 Dawson & Associates Inc. is announcing the launch of the 21st Century Child: Picture the Future photo-sharing contest. By participating, families throughout Franklin can help raise money to benefit children and families living with autism.

Ken Beck
ASK KEN: Arthur in ‘Inception’ used to be on ‘3rd Rock’: Dear Ken: Where have I seen the face of the actor who plays Arthur in the new flick “Inception”? That would be Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 29, who starred as Tommy Solomon in the sitcom “3rd Rock From the Sun” from 1996 to 2001. He has worked in plenty of movies since and has more lined up.

Luke Boyd
Luke Boyd's Gray on Grey: Some things I remember: I was somewhere not long ago when I noticed that practically everybody around me, kids and adults, were either talking on something, playing with something, or listening to something. There was a good number of people there but little human interaction. They were all in their own little worlds interacting with their electronic devices and whomever they happened to be linked to in another locale. It got me to thinking just how much our world has changed in 75 years. Everything was much slower paced — a pace that would be totally unacceptable to folks today. We had not come into that age of “instant” everything — from mashed potatoes to communication. Now, this is not one of those columns about how wonderful the “good old days” were and how society would be much better off if we could return to them. I have no desire to go back but there are some things about them I remember.

Ramon Presson
Commentary by Ramon Presson: Staying cool: Understanding anger vs. frustration part 2: By now you’ve heard of Steven Slater, the former JetBlue flight attendant who has become a folk hero of sorts. Several weeks ago Slater quit his job which is nothing unique or noteworthy, but how he did it has garnered plenty of attention. The irritated flight attendant used the cabin intercom to cuss out a rude passenger before grabbing a few beers from the beverage cart and exiting via the plane’s inflatable emergency chute. If that were just a scene in film I’d laugh and cheer the guy, but it wasn’t an actor and the plane was real as were the greatly inconvenienced passengers.

Spring Hill
John Maher Builders once again headline sponsor of Spring Hill Country Ham Festival Oct. 2: The Spring Hill Country Ham Festival committee announced this week that John Maher Builders will be the title sponsor of the event for the seventh year in a row. JMB, builder of over 1,500 homes in Spring Hill and Thompson’s Station, has been committed to the festival since its inception.

Sweet Tea Festival
Sweet (Tea) Success: First-year festival is a hit with more than 3,000 visitors: Estimates are that more than 3,000 people attended the first Sweet Tea Festival hosted by Homestead Manor in Thompson’s Station.

Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department
Award-winning children's theatre group plans auditions Sept. 12 for 'Seussical-The Musical': The Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department’s award-winning children’s theatre group, the Star Bright Players, is pleased to announce auditions and a performance schedule for the upcoming production of “Seussical-The Musical.”