Scenes from Blackberry Jam 2015

The 12th Blackberry Jam was on June 27, and tasty jams were heard all around with performances from Quintavious Johnson, Delbert McClinton and many other music acts from around the Franklin/Nashville area. Forrest Gump even made a special appearance out at Boyd Mill Farm at Blackberry Jam 2015.

We spoke with event organizer Steve Young and Ashley Pope, representative of the Hard Bargain Association, about the Jam, what Hard Bargain Association does and what has changed over the years.

The Blackberry Jam is the event that kicks off the picking season at Boyd Mill Farm. The farm will be open for picking on July 4 this year, and $20 will get you a gallon of blackberries that you can pick yourself, with your kids, family or anyone else.

The Blackberry Jam 2015 benefited the Hard Bargain Association, an African-American heritage non-profit organization in Franklin that supports the community with affordable housing initiatives and other helpful things. Hard Bargain Association recently had a home featured in Southern Living Magazine.

Boyd Mill Farm is run by couple Dale Whitehead and Carol Warren, singer songwriters that started the Blackberry Jam event 12 years ago by bringing their friends over and enjoying each other’s music on the front porch. Since then it has grown enough to benefit non-profit organizations in Franklin such as Hard Bargain Association.

Forrest Gump was played by Paul Dengler, a Forrest Gump impersonator that surprised everyone with his appearance at Blackberry Jam 2015. Find Paul on Twitter or Instagram @fauxestgump.

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