If there’s one thing in life that’s better than free ice cream, it’s free ice cream and free cupcakes.

For this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival, Amanda’s Cakery joined in the tradition of free treats by handing out free cupcakes to customers lined all the way up Cotton Avenue, where her storefront is located.

“I just really wanted to be part of the downtown Cherry Blossom” events, store owner Amanda Meadows said. “It’s so awesome.”

Meadows and her staff had prepared 200 pink bags featuring vanilla-and-almond-pound-cake-flavored cupcakes, but they expected to give away 200 more beyond those for the store’s one-day-only event.

Meadows asked only that customers like her Facebook page if they liked the cupcakes.

Doris Marlowe, of Macon, who stood in line with her husband, Rex, said she had never tried one of the business’s cupcakes.

“I’ve never been here, but we decided to come out and see what is going on,” Marlowe said, adding that they also planned to go to the ice cream giveaway at Third Street Park.

Many people hoping for free ice cream Monday went away disappointed, however, as the 500 prepared scoops of cherry-flavored ice cream given away by a new sponsor, Bruster’s of Griffin, were gone within 20 minutes.

Officials said the free ice cream giveaway -- one of the festival’s signature events -- almost didn’t happen this year after longtime sponsor Mayfield Dairy dropped out in January. Karen Lambert, the festival’s president and CEO, said a board member had a connection with Bruster’s and asked them to come down for this year’s festival.

“Bruster’s stepped in a couple of weeks ago and filled a very important role,” Lambert said, adding that many people can’t imagine the festival without ice cream.

Lee Holston, part owner of Bruster’s, said his store was happy to step in and reach into a new market, several years after a Bruster’s closed on Forsyth Road.

“We felt like it was a good fit to expand down in this direction,” he said.

And people were anxious to get their ice cream.

“People had been sitting around the park just waiting,” he said. “Then, one person jumped in line, then everyone got on line. People have been thanking us for stepping in and helping out.”

The ice cream giveaway will continue every day from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. -- or until the day’s supply runs out.

To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334.