Saturday was a scorcher. But hundreds of people still turned out to pound the pavement, dine on cookout fare and listen to live music for the second year of the Life is good Festival & 5K.

About 700 adults and 300 children registered to take part in the foot races through the Westhaven subdivision while many more were there just to take part in other activities that included a tongue-in-cheek World's Greatest Backyard Athlete competition, event co-chairwoman Melonee McKinney Hurt said.

The Life is Good Dinner kicked off the weekend's festival and 5k run at Green's Grocery in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee on June 6th, 2008. The event benefited the Boys and Girls Club of Williamson County and the Life is Good Kids Foundation.

"Life is good® Festivals bring communities together to feel good and do good. Fully 100% of festival funds raised are donated to the Life is good Kids Foundation. The Foundation donates every penny received from festivals to extraordinary charities helping kids who face unfair challenges, including the trauma of violence and poverty.”

Running a 5K in Tennessee summer weather can become a tricky proposition.

Heat avoidance and a later start for the Life is good Festival's runs, which meander through the Westhaven subdivision neighborhood, gives participants a jump on other activities pre-race.

"This year, we're moving around the scheduling a bit because we found that the runners didn't want to stick around for the festival after the race, and also it got really hot during the day," said event co-chair Melonee McKinney Hurt.

Last year, the morning 5K attracted almost 1,000 runners who raised about $30,000. Those funds were split evenly between the Boys & Girls Club of Franklin and Williamson County and the Life is good Kids Foundation, which distributes money to nonprofits that support children in need. This year's goal is $50,000.

Going green is a trend that's picking up momentum across the U.S. as homeowners struggle with high utility bills.

The green effort stretches all the way to this year's St. Jude dream home; the lucky winner gets eco-friendly house.

From an energy efficient roof to a special low flow commode, Fox 17's Laura Faber shows us some of what makes up nearly $50,000 worth of green amenities.

On June 7, Southern Land Company and Life is good® will join forces, once again, to host Middle Tennessee’s second annual Life is good® Festival & 5K at Westhaven.

The event will kick off at 3p.m. in the afternoon with festivities for the whole family. There will be games, music, and activities for children and adults alike to enjoy. The World’s Greatest Backyard Athlete competition will bring the crowd to tears with laughter at 4p.m. Last year’s competition brought a whole new meaning to the term athlete - a very funny and entertaining one too. Participants are asked to raise $500 for the charities. For information, go to www.westhaventn.com/lifeisgood5 k and click on the World’s Greatest Backyard Athlete icon.

Lace up your running shoes or attend an inspirational dinner with the Life is good co-founder to help needy kids.

This year's Life is good Festival, which raises money for The Boys & Girls Club of Franklin/Williamson County and the Life is good Kids Foundation, is scheduled for June 7.

Over 600 people came out to tour eight beautiful courtyard gardens May 16-18 during the 3rd Annual Courtyard Garden Tour. The event raised $6,420.00 for Waves, Inc., a Franklin based nonprofit agency that provides support and services to adults and children with developmental disabilities in Williamson County.

Jennifer Krayhenbill, Executive Director of Waves Inc., said “Waves is honored to be chosen as the beneficiary of ticket sales from the Courtyard Garden Tour. The money will be used to further our efforts to support children and adults with developmental disabilities in Williamson County. It is exciting to see the growth in participation each year. We so appreciate all the garden owners opening their courtyards to the public for three days and to Southern Land Company for initiating and promoting the Tour.”

FOX 17 airs a 3 part series, Medicine and Miracles, about the 2008 St. Jude Dream home campaign. It focusses on patient stories, the hospital and the Dream Home Campaign.

This weekend's Courtyard Garden Tour at Westhaven is really about gardening in relatively small spaces and in containers. And Barbara Wise, Westhaven's head gardener, is happy to share ideas that anyone can use.

Plants you can ignore: If you want plants that are very drought-tolerant and also low-maintenance sun lovers, she says to consider Agave, a thick succulent that provides color and texture if not flowers, as well as sedums, which come in different colors and make great ground covers.

Courtyard Garden Tour details
The Courtyard Garden Tour will be held from
10 a.m.-2 p.m. today,
10 a.m.–3 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Westhaven Residents' Club, 401 Cheltenham Ave., in the development, which is just west of Franklin off Highway 96.
Proceeds benefit WAVES, a nonprofit agency that provides support and services to adults and children with developmental disabilities in Williamson County.