Franklin committee narrows design, skips sponsor logos for 250th commemorative T-shirt

John Bergner, chair of the Franklin Civic Celebration Committee, said the committee plans a commemorative T‑shirt for the July 2–6 Independence celebration that will read “1776 to 2026” customized with “Franklin, Wisconsin” and use a small front pocket image with a larger graphic on the back.

The move toward a simpler, logo-free commemorative shirt followed extensive discussion about sponsor recognition and inventory. Bergner explained that donation tiers will carry complimentary shirt allotments — for example, a $500 donor would receive two shirts and a $5,000 donor would receive 20 — and that the committee has roughly 120 leftover shirts from past years to redistribute to donors or volunteers. “If they donate $500…they would get 2 complimentary of these t shirts,” Bergner said.

Committee members debated whether to include sponsor logos on the back of the commemorative shirt or reserve logos for another run. One member argued that having logos could encourage donations; others said a clean design would sell better to attendees. The committee resolved to skip sponsor logos on this year’s commemorative design and instead recognize sponsors via the newsletter and on-site screens, while still ordering separate volunteer shirts and a limited sales run for the public.

The group discussed design details: members preferred a prominent back graphic and a small front-pocket motif (options included an eagle or an Americana “250” mark), and debated shirt color, with many favoring a dark shirt (black or navy) for broader appeal. “I do like that,” one member said of a pocket-sized eagle; another remarked that black would likely sell well with the festival crowd.

Logistics covered pricing, ordering and fulfillment: the committee expects to sell commemorative shirts for $20, collect volunteer sizes via SignUpGenius, and sell surplus shirts at the festival. Bergner set a production timeline to finalize the front design before the donation-letter mailing and asked members to provide image files; she set an April 15 deadline for sending the fundraising packet to businesses.

The action leaves open several operational details: how many shirts to print in the initial run, the exact front image to use, and the split between volunteer shirts and sales inventory. The committee asked staff to prepare sample images for final approval at the next meeting.