Facials in Arrington, TN

ARRINGTON, Tenn. (WZTV) -- Hundreds of people complained they waited hours in traffic in Williamson County to get to the Tennessee Renaissance Festival.

Residents that live near the event said they could not leave their homes all weekend.

Some festival goers dressed as knights and fairies, celebrated medieval times in Arrington.

The festival traffic stalled on roads leading into the festival grounds for hours, leaving residents frustrated.

“We’ve never had these issues in the past with traffic, not until Williamson county bought the fare and started routing traffic down our road,” Ashley LaQuiere, a 10-year resident, said.

“In the past, they've always blocked off our road,” LaQuiere said.

She said she lives less than half-of-a-mile from the fairgrounds and this year the county opened her road as a route to the event; something never done in years past.

“We probably waited two and a half. Thankfully, Ardyce had some UNO cards, so we just kind of played cards in the car while we waited,” Aidan Nichols, Murfreesboro resident and festival goer said.

Hundreds of people sounding off concerns on Facebook. Many asked if they'll get refunds.

Neighbors said they warned county officials about not blocking off their road, weeks ago.

“We feel like the county has basically said we don't care about you,” LaQuiere said.

“In my opinion, they're treating it as though all the matters is the money,” she said.

Williamson County Director of Parks said Saturday’s bad weather played a part.

“We lost over 200 parking spaces. And with an average of three or four people in the car, you're looking at anywhere from six to 800 people that we were having difficulty parking. Normally it's very well organized. But when we lost so much because of mud. It was a big mess and we admit that,” Gordon Hampton, Williamson County Director of Parks said.

He added they alerted people on social media to leave early.

The county posted last weekend as well-citing about traffic hold-ups at the fest.

Neighbors said they just access to their road back, like in previous years during the festival.

Nichols friend, Ardyce Mercier said although the wait was intense, they still had a great time.

“We didn't get to do a whole lot because we weren't in line for the turkey legs for a while but we still got to like walk around and look at the stuff but empty hats were really fun. But it was a great time,” Mercier said.

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Fox 17 News reached out to the director of parks to ask about refunds and if there will be traffic changes for next weekend, we are waiting to hear back.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) – For nearly four years, Isabella Pilkington was used to seeing William Sparkman in the halls of Page High School.

“You could just tell that he was a really nice and caring guy,” she said. “He had been there for so long at the school and all the kids knew him.”

After working for over three decades, he finally retired in August 2022.

“Seeing how kind he was and then what happened I was just really upset because I felt like he didn’t deserve that,” said Pilkington.

Pilkington says Sparkman didn’t deserve for his home to catch fire just before the end of the year.

“On our neighborhood Facebook page, they had posted saying that his, that the house across the street from us was on fire,” she said.

Pilkington, like many in the community, soon learned Sparkman had not only lost his home but also his wife in the fire.

“His wife Brenda who passed away, she drove the special needs bus for our school and she helped out at the school a lot, too,” she said.

Pilkington knew she needed to do something, so she decided to start a GoFundMe to just raise $5,000 for Sparkman.

“We were going to stop it like 24 hours later, and I wasn’t expecting it to get to even $5,000,” she said. “I was hoping it would get there.”

But in just four days, over $27,000 was raised from more than 400 people in the community.

“People started donating like crazy,” said Pilkington. “It was going up a thousand [dollars] every 30 minutes.”

And while the money can’t bring back what Sparkman lost, Pilkington hopes this small gesture shows just how important he and his wife are to this community.

“Everyone at Page was just impacted by what they did, but maybe didn’t really know it,” she said. “I guess making them aware of that too is something that was important to me.”

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Pilkington says they’ve also gathered clothes for Sparkman that she plans to give to his daughter later in the week.

Even among six-foot weeds, Kip Summers was stunned by the views of a hog farm that would eventually become Arrington Vineyards.

He saw the Harpeth River Valley at a distance, the land's rolling green hills and pastures, unblemished by roads or cars.

The north facing slopes, he thought, would be ideal for growing vineyards.

Summers, a co-founder and co-owner of Arrington Vineyards, saw what residents saw centuries ago: a perfect mix of a beautiful landscape and fertile land.

After the initial trip, he brought his family to look at the land.

His kids thought it looked apocalyptic. Ten years later, the business draws visitors from all over Middle Tennessee for its wine and picturesque views.

The vineyards, along with the rise of luxury housing and event venues, has helped put Arrington on the map.

Polly Grammer, owner of Peachtree Farms, a horse stable, moved from Brentwood to Arrington in the 1980s.

"I just needed more space," Grammer said.

When asked about Arrington in the past, Grammer laughs.

"Very laidback, lazy community with nothing going on," she said.

"There are million dollar houses out here," she said. "Before it was just country houses and country living out here."

About 30 years later, Arrington is still a quiet community in southeastern Williamson County, nestled between Franklin and Murfreesboro.

Residents still have to drive about eight miles to Franklin or 20 miles to Murfreesboro to shop at a grocery store.

It's the same situation for restaurants, save for sandwiches served at the long standing Rapid Pak.

Besides a small strip of retail along Highway 96 — a mix of boutique clothing, antiques and home goods — there's just houses and farms.

Arrington doesn't have the hustle and bustle of cities like Franklin and Brentwood, but luxury development is on the rise in the unincorporated area.

King's Chapel started the rise of luxury housing in 2007.

Since its establishment, similar subdivisions like the Blackhawk subdivision and The Hideaway at Arrington have sprung up - and they're still not fully developed.

"I kind of had a vision of where I wanted to live," said King's Chapel Developer John Powell.

"A place where someone's backyard is not right beside me," Powell said. "A place where you could take your kids down to the pond, down to the creek."

Of the 700-acre property, only 350 acres will be developed. It's an intentional decision, Powell said.

Developers have capitalized on Arrington's scenery, pitching their neighborhoods as a peaceful escape from city living.

The neighborhoods are quiet, but still a short drive away from three major interstates: I-65, I-24 and I-840.

The average price for a new home at King's Chapel is about $700,000.

Past the gated entrance, custom homes built of stone and brick dot the subdivision.

New residents are welcomed with a $500 painting of their home, bottles of wine from Arrington Vineyards and dinner at the neighborhood's clubhouse.

The neighborhood even has a club director in charge of organizing neighborhood parties. At a late August party, the neighborhood paid for the flights and performances of Polynesian dancers who live in Florida and a steel drum band for the luau affair.

"We make our own lifestyle out here," Powell said.

About a 12-minute drive from King's Chapel, the Hideaway at Arrington, another luxury home subdivision, sits on more than 740-acres and boasts an 18-hole golf course.

Event venues have also taken off in recent years.

The Barn at Sycamore Farms opened in June 2016.

The venue's largest building has a high-vaulted ceiling where an 8-foot crystal chandelier, flanked by ribbons of cloth, hovers above the venue's wood floors.

A new concert and event venue, The Farm at Dolan's Creek, is also in the works.

Grammer said she understands what draws people to Arrington.

"Everything else is built up around," she said. "A lot of people still want a little bit of the country, a little bit of space around them."

Peaches n' cream corn, named for its sweet flavor, watermelon and more than a dozen other fruits and vegetables sit in crates at Burns produce stand, just around the corner from Arrington Vineyards.

Bobby Burns sits at the back of the stand, pointing at the two-lane road in front of the produce stand.

As a kid, he remembers Patton Road was just gravel.

"It was always dusty in the summertime. It had a lot of weeds growing up," Burns said. "The county never cut the road back, and there was just enough room for one car to go up the road."

He added: "If you ever met anyone, which was rare, you had to pull up into the weeds to let them pass."

The road is still quiet, but Burns said he can see cars line up on weekend afternoons when visitors drive into Arrington Vineyards.

After seeing the growth in other parts of the county, Burns doubts development will slow down in Arrington.

He said he hopes his business, which prides itself on its organic produce, can benefit from his new high-income neighbors.

Burns' family farm hasn't been immune from development pressure. The family has received numerous offers to sell their land, he said.

"We don't really want to sell it because this is home, this is where we've been raised," Burns said. "We've raised our children here."

"When you farm, you bleed, sweat and cry over the land at times. And the land becomes part of your soul," he said.

Two longtime Arrington families share the same passion for their farmland.

So much so, they made arrangements so the 590 acres of their farmland will remain undeveloped.

Perry Ozburn protected his 480 acres on Osburn Road in 2005.

Across the street, the late Lou Osborn Benson protected her 111 acres in 2001. Ginger Shirling, her daughter, now owns the land.

Keeping the land from development was made possible through conversation easements with the Land Trust for Tennessee.

Shirling said her mother began thinking about how to preserve the farm in the 1980s.

"Development was beginning. She could see there was going to be a lot of development pressure," Shirling said.

In 2001, the farm became the first property in Arrington and Williamson County to enter farmland into the conservation easement. Shirling's land may be sold, but it can not be developed, according to the easement.

"She was so relieved," Shirling said, referring to her mother.

Sixteen years later, Shirling said the decision to conserve the easement was perfect.

"My grandchildren think they're going to live here forever," Shirling said. "I hope they will."

Like Shirling's mother, Ozburn said he didn't want his property turned into a development.

"Over the last 10 years, I've probably had 10 people either drive up or call wanting to know if this property is available," he said.

"I have real strong concerns of killing the goose that laid the golden egg," Shirling said.

"If we think that this area is beautiful because of the rolling hills and green pastures, we might need to be careful to preserve that," Shirling said.

"But if we use appropriate planning and not allow growth until infrastructure can sustain it, then Williamson County can continue to grow and improve," Shirling said.

Near the back of her house, Shirling has what she calls her contemplation chair.

From the spot, Shirling can see horses graze on the land. The area is elevated so it catches gentle breezes from the wind.

"I can see the horses, the deer, the turkeys," Shirling said.

"Looking over the area that my grandfather farmed, I think about how nature impacts us everyday," Shirling said.

"This," Shirling said, pointing to the vast swath of land, "is why we wanted to retire and spend some time on the farm."

Reach Melanie Balakit at mbalakit@tennessean.com.

CFP^® Professional Joins Atlanta-based Wealth Management Firm To Lead Nashville Expansion

NASHVILLE, Tenn, July 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BIP Wealth, one of the Southeast's premiere wealth management RIA firms, announced the addition of Ashley Arrington, CFP® as lead Personal Wealth Advisor in Nashville, the first in the market for the firm. Arrington will help support BIP Wealth's expansion into Nashville with a new office in Gulch Union opening later this fall.

Arrington was previously a Financial Consultant with Fidelity Investments, located in Franklin. She brings to BIP Wealth a range of financial planning experience from investment consulting to retirement planning, charitable giving, generational wealth management and relationship building.

"From my very first conversations with everyone at the firm, I knew BIP Wealth would be the perfect next step and challenge in my career," said Arrington. "What the firm itself is doing for our clients to improve their lives, coupled with getting to help build our expansion into Nashville—my home—it's an exciting adventure all around!"

Arrington came from humble beginnings and is proud to be the first to graduate from college in her family, with a degree in finance from Louisana State University. This same pride carries her today in the way she serves her clients to the highest moral and fiduciary standards.

"Ashley is the perfect choice to help us lead the charge as we expand our footprint across the southeast with a new office in Nashville," said Bill Harris, CFP^®, Co-Founder and CEO of BIP Wealth. "Ashley has lived and worked in the Nashville area for the last 10 years, so we're thrilled to have her join our wealth management team and make an immediate impact."

Arrington, alongside her husband, attorney Ryan Arrington, who served ten years in the US Army, is based in metro Nashville with 2 dogs, and a cat, who thinks he's a dog. In her spare time, Arrington can be found catching more bass fish than her husband and also baking professional-level cakes.

About BIP WealthBIP Wealth is a leading registered investment advisory (RIA) firm with over $2 billion in investment assets under management (AUM) for its clients, which include high net worth individuals and families. BIP Wealth is a wealth creation engine that integrates financial planning with public market investing and private equity. There is a focus on technology innovation, as well as a deep commitment to openness and transparency. Founded in 2007, BIP Wealth operates in Atlanta & Alpharetta, Georgia; Scottsdale, Arizona; Columbus, Ohio; and now Nashville, Tennessee. Find more information about BIP Wealth on LinkedIn, Twitter @BIPWealth, Facebook, and at bipwealth.com.

SOURCE BIP Wealth

Born in 1937 in Newport, TN to Jim and Imogene Arrington, Bob was one of 4 brothers, Wayne, Jimmy and Gene Arrington. Bob graduated from Oak Ridge High, Oak Ridge, TN in 1955. After high school he followed work which lead him to Nashville, TN and then to Oklahoma City. Where in 1957 he met and married Joyce Martin and they had 2 beautiful daughters, Gina and Jill. During his career at the Oklahoman, he continued his education while working a full time position and graduated with a Engineering Degree from OSU, all the while being an avid OU fan. He went to most of the OU home games with his dear friend Mike Shannon who worked with Bob for many many years at The Oklahoman. Bob was a Christian and attended Council Road Baptist Church as well as the Baptist Church in Mustang and then Midway Baptist Church in Sulphur, OK. Bob was a gardener and could grow wonderful fruits and veggies to feed the neighborhood. He was “Papa” to Abby and Lanee, and loved spending time being a grandpa, fishing and “riddin the gator” with his “girls”.

He joined The Oklahoma Publishing Company October 31, 1955 and retired July 31, 1995, but continued to do consulting work until the passing of his wife in October 1996. He started out working with linotype typesetting machines, as an operator and mechanic in the newspaper’s composing room.

As The Daily Oklahoman evolved in the 1970s with changing technology, he did as well, studying electrical engineering. He helped install and maintain the paper’s early computer systems, and with every technological advance, he took on greater responsibility. He was greatly instrumental in the evolution of the newspaper’s production methods from analog processes to digital systems. At the end of his career, he directed the newspaper’s pre-press production department and was responsible for the news and advertising departments’ computer terminals, and the production department’s computer systems, typesetters and platemakers. Bob is preceded in death by his parents, his brothers, Wayne and Jimmy. Survivors’ include his daughters Gina Starr, her husband David and Jill Centala, her husband John and their children Abby and Lanee Centala. His brother Gene Arrington, his wife Barbara and their son Darrell of Farragut TN. Nephews Eddie and Jeff Arrington, nieces Kim, Christy and Susan Arrington of Tennessee. Many cousins, neighbors, friends and co-works that he loved and cherished in his life. Funeral Services will be held 10:00 am, Wednesday, September 27th at Hahn, Cook, Street and Draper, 6600 N Broadway Ext., Oklahoma City, OK with Interment to follow at Rose Hill Burial Park.