What you need to know to get started at the 2016 Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon
For the latest news and happenings during the festival, visit www.macon.com/CBF and read The Telegraph. Our daily coverage online will feature video, photos and more. Also, readers can submit their photos to www.macon.com/share. Pick up The Telegraph every morning for a look at the previous day and a preview of upcoming coverage.
Souvenir shops
Official Cherry Blossom Festival souvenirs can be found at the following locations:
Cherry Blossom Festival Headquarters: 794 Cherry St., 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Look for the booth during the Mulberry Street Arts and Crafts Festival, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 2-3.
Cherry Blossom Festival pin and discount card packages may be purchased online at www.cherryblossom.com, at local banks and credit unions, and Kroger and Publix locations.
Festival information
Cherry Blossom Festival headquarters, 794 Cherry St. Open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. 478-751-7429. www.cherryblossom.com.
This year's art and pin
The fine art and plate both were created by Leslie Sparrow of Macon. Georgia King, also of Macon, created the pin art. Sparrow's painting honors two people who were influential in the founding of the Cherry Blossom Festival: William Fickling Sr. and Carolyn Crayton. Purchase of the $10 pin comes with a discount card for 24 local restaurants and retailers and is valid through Dec. 1, 2016.
How it all began
Macon's Cherry Blossom Festival was first organized to celebrate the city's Yoshino cherry trees and the March 23 birthday of the late William A. Fickling Sr. In 1949, Fickling discovered the first such tree in Macon, although he didn't know what kind of tree it was at the time. He learned how to propagate the Yoshinos and began sharing them with the community. As the years passed, the number of Macon's Yoshino cherry trees grew quickly, attracting the attention of longtime residents and newcomers alike. One particular admirer struck by the beauty was Carolyn Crayton, who proposed launching a Cherry Blossom Festival to honor Fickling and to showcase the beauty of the trees. It began with 30 events and about 30,000 trees in 1982.
About the trees
The cherry trees in Washington, D.C., may draw more attention, but word of Macon's beauty during Marsh has spread far and wide during the years. Macon was designated "Cherry Blossom Capitol of the United States" in the 1983 Congressional Record by former U.S. Rep. R. Roy Roland. Later, the Japanese consul general named Macon "Cherry Blossom Capitol of the World." The festival is routinely features in national publications and travel guides. Estimates of the number of trees in the city range from 275,000 to more than 300,000. The trees blooms don't always coincide with the festival, of course. But when they burst forth, they provide breathtaking beauty.
This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 6:43 PM with the headline "What you need to know to get started at the 2016 Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon."