Macon’s 26th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival be­gins March 28 and continues through April 6. The ribbon cutting ceremony, at noon on Friday the 28, kicks off events ranging from concerts to bed races. Although there are a number of events that cost money, it is outweighed by the amount of free activities that you can attend.

Free nightly concerts will be held in Central City Park with bands like an Allman Broth­ers cover band, a Blues night with Big Mike and the Booty Papas, a Margaritaville Night for the Jimmy Buffet fans and an 80’s night with the Mighty McFly, which is also College Night. Other than the concert series, daily activities such as an international food festival and 5k -15k road race will be happening.

If you’re a Macon resident, there is no better way to get involved with the commu­nity than the Cherry Blossom Festival. Not only is it a com­munity-wide event, but it’s recognized internationally as one of the largest Cherry Blos­som Festivals.

William Fickling is respon­sible for planting the Cherry Trees in 1949 that we now see in Macon. After noticing the trees in Washington, D.C. on a business trip, he decided that the trees needed to be a fixture in the town of Macon.

In later years, along with help from Carolyn Creighton, the Fickling family donated a number of trees to the neigh­borhood of Wesleyan Woods. Each year, the Fickling Com­pany donates thousands of trees to the Macon Community in order to keep Macon’s title as the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World.

For a complete schedule of the events of the Cherry Blossom Festival visit www.cherryblossom.com.

written by Brittany Stewart