Macon New Year's Eve event set to ring in 2016

Revelers will ring in the new year in downtown Macon this year, after all.

A last-minute plan to throw a New Year's Eve bash has come together and will begin at 9 p.m. Thursday at Rosa Parks Square in front of the Government Center on Poplar Street. The free event will feature music, food vendors and bounce houses for children.

This year's New Year's Eve event almost didn't happen. In mid-December, officials announced the cancellation of the annual Cherry Blossom Ball Drop.

Planning the logistics for another celebration began Dec. 15, the same day the Macon-Bibb County Commission voted to spend up to $5,500 for an event, assuming another group would step up to help with organizing it. Commissioner Al Tillman, who sponsored the resolution, said Monday that it took about 48 hours after getting the funding to garner the support of enough businesses and agencies to pull off the party.

The event will cost $7,500, which includes $2,000 in donations. This year's affair will not feature the signature ball drop or fireworks, but it will have plenty of entertainment, said Tillman, who has promoted events for two decades.

"Everything is locked in and ready to go," he said Monday afternoon. "We're just hoping the weather holds up."

On Dec. 14, the Cherry Blossom Festival announced it was unable to host this year's event without help producing and directing it. The organization is now helping promote the new celebration by advertising it through social media, said Jake Ferro, Cherry Blossom Festival president and CEO.

NewTown Macon, a nonprofit booster organization for downtown, has also come on board to manage the finances of the celebration. NewTown President/CEO Josh Rogers said the organization is pleased to work with Tillman and to have a role in ensuring an event that typically draws several thousand people to downtown will happen.

With more time for planning, Rogers said he'd like to see the event grow and become financially stable.

"Going forward, I think it's a great event that highlights downtown, and we're very anxious to find a way to continue it," he said.

Promotion of the event includes commercials airing on various local radio stations such as Love 103.7, Majic 100 FM and others owned by Cumulus Media and iHeartRadio, Tillman said.

"Everybody is working to make it a success," he said. "There is no one particular radio or media sponsor. Everybody came together to be a part of it."

With a radio signal that reaches almost to Augusta, Love 103.7 is looking to draw people from places such as Irwinton and Toomsboro, said "Big George" Threatt, the station's director of operations.

Tillman also said a last-minute change to the resolution that was suggested by Commissioner Elaine Lucas was critical in getting enough support from commissioners. After some commissioners balked at having Macon-Bibb County run the event, Lucas' amendment required other agencies to help with the management.

To contact writer Stanley Dunlap, call 744-4623 or find him on Twitter @stan_telegraph.

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 9:11 PM with the headline "Macon New Year's Eve event set to ring in 2016 ."