Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 27, the date for THE Summer Party, the annual fundraising event for Main Street Murfreesboro/Rutherford County. This year's evening of food and drink, music and laughter is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at historic Farmington, the stately residence of Frank Fly and Suzanne Williams at 3600 Manchester Pike.

This is your chance to support everything you love about Murfreesboro's downtown. The Main Street program annually brings to the community JazzFest, Friday Night Live, the Saturday Market, the Christmas Tree Lighting, Trick or Treat on the Square and so much more. Just $50 buys a delicious meal prepared by some of Rutherford County's best chefs, an open bar and music provided by The Back 80, a bluegrass ensemble.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Farmington contributes significantly to the county's architectural traditions, according to Carroll Van West, Ph.D., director of the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation and Tennessee's state historian. "Not only does it grace the landscape with its Greek Revival-styled entrance commanding respect from any travelers along the Manchester Highway, the interior has so many historic features intact - its beautiful curving staircase, 'bullseye' details, its original mantels and historic ash floors," he says. "Farmington is an outstanding example of the evolution of domestic architecture for the county's planter class between the early settlement era and the time of antebellum prosperity."

The property features a 1946 pump house that covers the original well, hand-dug in 1816 and lined with limestone blocks. A 35-foot-tall concrete silo, built in 1916, is among the oldest such silos still standing on a Rutherford County farm. The dairy barn dates back to 1916, as well.

Initially known as Henderson House, the home on the estate today incorporates the original one-story frame built in 1816 and additions that tripled the size of the home in 1842. The original owners, Logan and Margaret Henderson, received the property as a gift from her father, who earned the 3,000-acre land grant for his service in the Regulator movement of 1771. The Hendersons were among the founding families of Rutherford County and known for entertaining. Fly and Williams' decision to host the Main Street fundraiser is in keeping with that century-old tradition.

Make reservations for the party by calling the Main Street office at (615) 895-1887 or by visiting www.downtownmurfreesboro.com.

The Main Street Program is affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center and follows the tenets of that program. Main Street capitalizes on the unique character of the courthouse square and the surrounding business district with the goal of transforming it into the cultural, social, professional and retail center of Rutherford County ... in essence, the hub of community life.