Studio Tenn’s ‘Big Top’ raises big bucks, presents special award to Kathie Lee Gifford

There were circus performers, Broadway stars and the presentation of a legacy award to Kathie Lee Gifford.

And the icing on the cake of Studio Tenn’s One Night Only event Saturday night in Liberty Hall at the Factory at Franklin — more than $225,000 was raised for the Franklin theater company.

This was the first One Night Only fundraiser since 2019, with the last two thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 275 Studio Tenn enthusiasts turned out for the aptly titled “Broadway’s Big Top,” which allowed guests to mingle with circus performers, musicians and even a sloth and a ball python courtesy of the Nashville Zoo.