Witty, curious, and always on the trail of a good story—Francis the Fox is our official mascot, sniffing out the truth in the town of Marion.
Francis gets his name from Francis Marion, the Revolutionary War figure for which the City of Marion was named when it was founded in 1844. Just like his namesake, who was called the Swamp Fox, our mascot has a way of weaving through the underbrush and staying sharp when the stakes are high. But unlike the historical Francis Marion, this Francis Fox favors a pen over a musket.
We chose this mascot as a nod to our hometown heritage. But, we must recognize that history is complicated. Francis Marion was indeed a famous leader of the American Revolution, but he lived in a time when slavery was a reality he participated in. We don’t shy away from that truth. Our mascot isn’t about glorifying the past or making light of the cruelty of slavery. It’s about engaging with it thoughtfully while keeping our eyes forward. We hope our readers can take our silly little meddler at face value.
Francis represents our hopes to stay clever, stay local, and always keep an ear to the ground. You’ll find him peeking into news stories, popping up on social media, and always getting into light-hearted mischief.