EDITORIAL: Downtown deserves a party

An event that has become a signature of downtown was about to crash and burn before Macon-Bibb County Commissioner Al Tillman caught wind that the New Year's Eve celebration was going dark. No music. No ball drop. No fireworks. No nothing. For as lively as the event has been, no one, not the even the sponsor of the Cherry Blossom ball drop and fireworks could pull together the resources to pay and manage the event.

Tillman went to the commission and secured $5,500 and another $2,000 from NewTown Macon. The location of the event will change, though. It will move from in front of the Terminal Station at the end of Cherry Street where the Sports Hall of Fame and the Tubman Museum are located to in front of the Government Center (formerly Macon City Hall) and in Rosa Parks Square across the street.

The quick turnaround really shouldn't be too much of a problem for Tillman. His Teeger Entertainment has been in the entertainment business for more than 20 years and most of the details are, as of this writing, already wrapped up. And he's had help. Vendors cooperate when they see someone trying to do something positive for other people and their community.

There are a number of other businesses, primarily media, that are best suited for staging this sort of event. With more lead time, they, along with NewTown Macon and the Cherry Blossom Festival could really make this New Year's Eve party a can't-miss event for years to come. After all, New Year's Eve comes around every year.

Downtown is in the midst of a comeback wave we've hoped for since the Macon Mall opened 40 years ago, and it deserves a party.

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 9:46 PM with the headline "EDITORIAL: Downtown deserves a party ."