Heritage Ball Chairs, Patrons, Kings and Queens Honored at Party

Marty Ligon

On Friday May 2, Marty Ligon, this year’s Honorary Chair of the 41st  Heritage Ball (pictured above), hosted a party for the past chairs, patrons, kings and queens at her home.

Generations of Williamson County residents have made a tradition of supporting the Heritage Ball, the community’s longest-running black tie event. Now, Brian and Lisa Beathard of the Hincheyville neighborhood in downtown Franklin have been named Chairs of the Heritage Ball, and their neighbor Marty Ligon, who launched the initiative 41 years ago, will serve as Honorary Chair.

“Historic preservation is about honoring the past as part of our present and our future,” said Mary Pearce, executive director of the Heritage Foundation of Franklin & Williamson County. “This is a long-standing tradition and a principal fundraiser, so it’s exciting to see a young professional couple as Chairs who want to continue the Heritage Ball legacy that the ones who came before them brought to life.”

Lisa and Brian Beathard, 2014 Heritage Ball Chairs
Brian and Lisa Beathard

Brian Beathard currently serves as a County Commissioner in the 11th district. A sales executive in the transportation industry, he is a native Texan and a graduate of Baylor University. Since moving to Franklin with Lisa and their two children, Payce (9) and Ava (11), the Beathards have jumped headfirst into community service. Brian currently sits on the boards of the Heritage Foundation, Franklin Tomorrow, the Williamson County Education Foundation, the Downtown Neighborhood Association and Carnton Plantation. In addition, he serves on the County Budget Committee and the Parks and Recreation Committee, and is also a member of the Franklin Noon Rotary.

Born and raised in Nashville, Lisa Beathard is an alumnus of Brentwood Academy and Belmont University. A scholarship athlete at Belmont, she has been a Registered Nurse at St. Thomas Hospital for 18 years. She volunteers on a regular basis with Poplar Grove School, where the children attend, and has worked in support of various events for the Heritage Foundation, including the Town & Country Tour of Homes, the Main Street Brew Fest, Pumpkinfest and the Main Street Festival.

“Lisa and I fell in love with Franklin when we first met, and we knew we wanted to raise our family here and be involved with shaping the future of the community,” Brian said. “Now, almost 10 years later, we’re honored to be able to head a talented committee that orchestrates one of the most significant events of the year.”

Marty Ligon, who also lives in the Hincheyville Historic District, was the leader of a core group of people who conceived and executed the inaugural Heritage Ball 41 years ago. Back then, Carnton Plantation was home to tenant farmers, and had fallen into disrepair. During the frantic renovation in advance of the first Ball, bare wiring and other hazards were discovered, potentially heading off disaster for what has become one of the region’s most popular Civil War tourism destinations.

Ligon says it required a Herculean effort to pull off the inaugural event. People who were involved back then are some of the familiar faces you still see at the Heritage Ball today – people like Sandy Zeigler, Ann Herbert Floyd, Rod Heller, Danny and Teresa Anderson, and Joe and Betty Willoughby, who were named King and Queen of the Ball last year, and so many more. I couldn’t be more delighted to serve as the Honorary Chair, and to share that recognition with everyone else who played a role.”

Since 1967, the not-for-profit Heritage Foundation’s mission has been to protect and preserve the architectural, geographic and cultural heritage of Franklin and Williamson County, and to promote the ongoing economic revitalization of downtown Franklin in the context of historic preservation. To learn more, visit www.historicfranklin.com or contact Torrey Barnhill at tbarnhill@historicfranklin.com.