In a few weeks, the Park at Harlinsdale will be full of barbecue teams working to present their culinary expertise in the Great Americana BBQ Festival.

This year, the teams will not need to rely solely on their generators for power as the Franklin Noon Rotary Club in partnership with the city of Franklin introduced a new power source that will be available for all the teams to tap into.

The 1200-amp power grid, located on the north side of Harlinsdale park, will be able to provide power for all of the competing teams.

The Franklin Noon Rotary donated the money for the project from funds raised by the Great Americana BBQ Festival and the Franklin Rodeo through its foundation.

“Our club had a vision, our BBQ society wanted to do something to enhance the park,” said Franklin Noon Rotary President Patrick Baggett. “Our club wants to be a good citizen, we want to give back to the community and this was something that the park needed.”

The club partnered with Harlan Electric, Middle Tennessee Electric, EUTAW Construction, and the Friends of Franklin Parks to install the power panels. “This was a group effort,” said Paul Collins of the Franklin Noon Rotary. “The three panels will replace a lot of generators.”