Party on the Green caps 10-day Cherry Blossom Festival
Fireworks, food, music and inflatables will be back as part of the Cherry Blossom Festival's final party.
The lawn at Wesleyan College once again plays host to the Party on the Green -- a free, family-friendly event that closes out the 10-day festival.
"There will be some food available there for people to purchase, but at the same time people bring their picnics and snacks," said festival president and CEO Jake Ferro. "It's wide open for people to bring their coolers and chairs and just enjoy the evening and the entertainment and then the fireworks."
Macon native Molly Stevens will be providing entertainment as part of the group Me and Molly. Stevens and Declan McGarry formed the group in 2015 and play a mix described as Americana and country.
The party starts at 5 p.m. and closes with fireworks scheduled for 8:15 p.m., Ferro said.
"Just a good family picnic type atmosphere. Very, very nice," he said. "We'll also have the visiting festivals from all over the country. There are about 19 of them. Hopefully they'll have their costumes on from their local festivals and be introduced as well."
Music, cars and dancing round out some of the other events going on during the Cherry Blossom Festival's final weekend. Here's information about some of them.
MUSTANG AND ALL FORD CAR SHOW
The Flag City Mustang Club is back Saturday with its annual Mustang and All Ford Car Show.
This Cherry Blossom Festival car show is in its 20th year and has traditionally set up on part of the lawn at Central City Park. This year's competition is moving to the Hutchings Career Center, located at 2004 Riverside Drive.
Folks can enter cars into the contest from 8 a.m.-noon for $25. The judging will take place from noon-2 p.m. with an awards ceremony at 4:30 p.m. It's free for spectators. For more information, call 478-365-1305.
MARY WILSON OF THE SUPREMES
Mary Wilson of the Supremes will be performing at the Grand Opera House on Saturday.
Wilson was the only founding member of the widely successful female group to perform with the group for its entire run. The Supremes ruled MoTown Records in the 1960s and are best known for hits like "Baby Love," "You Can't Hurry Love" and "Stop! In the Name of Love."
Since the Supremes disbanded in 1977, Wilson has gone on to release three solo albums, five singles and two autobiographies.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets range from $35-$49. For more information or tickets, visit www.thegrandmacon.com or call 478-301-5470.
BLOSSOM BALL
The upscale Blossom Ball rounds out Saturday with an evening of food, dancing and a cash bar at Idle Hour Country Club.
"It's semi-formal. Some people will have black tie on and others will have dark suits," Ferro said.
The Cherry Blossom Festival typically hosts a gala at the City Auditorium to start the festival, but Easter presented a conflict so this year they went back to a ball at the end, Ferro said.
"We have the Grapevine performing so it will be a lot of fun dancing and entertainment," Ferro said. "We'll also have the visiting dignitaries from the various festivals."
The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the ball runs from 7-10 p.m. The tickets, which are $45 and include food, can be purchased at festival headquarters, located at 794 Cherry St.
"The Blossom Ball is a lot of fun," Ferro said. "The Grapevine is a great group that everybody in Middle Georgia loves and it's a great way to celebrate the tail end of the 10-day festival."
The final weekend also will be a chance to start thinking about next year's festival, which has been set for March 24-April 2, 2017, he said.
"That's our 35th annual festival and those dates are firm," Ferro said. "Mark the calendars for next year because the final weekend is kind of the unofficial kickoff for next year. I'm from sports, and in sports the last game is always the warm-up to get ready for the next year."
This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Party on the Green caps 10-day Cherry Blossom Festival ."