Cherry Bloggin’

Another year over

2008-04-06T23:17:00.003-05:00

Another Cherry Blossom Festival comes to an end. The Grand Finale drew a large crowd, as usual. The fireworks display, while cool, could have been longer. The fireworks at Wesleyan are always my favorite because there's nowhere else I have been where you are right smack dab under the fireworks - they're just so close that it makes them that much more spectacular.

Anyway, despite all the bad weather and cancellations, it was an OK festival this year. It was kind of disappointing that the Street Party got canceled and that there were no backup plans for it to be held indoors somewhere. At least we had sunshine for the last day. In fact, it also looks like now that the festival is over we're going to have a bunch of sunshine. :)

Click here for more images from Sunday's events.

Children's Parade short and sweet

2008-04-06T16:54:00.002-05:00

Click here for photos of the Children's Parade.

Here's some video Liz Fabian shot at the parade:

Crowds flock to Mulberry Street

2008-04-06T13:03:00.002-05:00

Well, the rain is gone, but the humidity is just awful today. I headed out to the Mulberry Street Festival a little before noon, trying to get there before the huge crowds and before it got too hot. But it's just no use in avoiding the heat in Georgia, I guess because it was already warm and sticky.

There was a long line at the Greek both by noon, and the other booths seemed to be doing just as well. Piggly Wiggly was even selling T-shirts this year, which I found amusing. But some of the shirts were actually funny. The crowd was fairly large for before noon at the arts festival. There were some empty booth spots where vendors just didn't come at all because of the rain, but who could blame them if they were coming from far away because gas is so expensive these days. There were a lot of jewelry booths set up this year, and a lot of dogs walking the streets. I don't know how it's gotten to be this way, but the Mulberry Street Festival is one that always gets people to bring out their pets with them. And some are so cute, like this one to the right.

Anyway, click here for images from the Mulberry Street Festival.

Images from Friday's CBF events

2008-04-04T16:46:00.000-05:00

Click here for more photos from Friday's events.

Mulberry Street Festival canceled Saturday, to go on Sunday

2008-04-04T16:43:00.001-05:00

From macon.com:

Mulberry Street Arts Festival canceled for Saturday
Staff reports

Weather is forcing a change with this weekend's Mulberry Street Arts Festival.

Due to forecasts of severe weather by the National Weather Service for Friday evening and Saturday, the Saturday portion of the Mulberry Street Festival has been canceled, according to the Middle Georgia Art Association's Web site.

The Mulberry Festival will still take place Sunday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Midday festivities move to Terminal Station, crowd follows

2008-04-04T12:26:00.005-05:00

I LOVE this photo of CBF Founder Carolyn Crayton with Queen Emily Alston. It was shot by Jason Vorhees. Carolyn is just so prim and proper that I would never imagine her licking away at an ice cream cone. It just goes to show that EVERYONE loves to get in on the cherry ice cream action.

And I mean everyone. The Founders Day Celebration, the final day of Third Street Park festivities, was moved a few blocks down to Terminal Station today because of the weather. I was expecting smaller crowds because of the weather and the quick change of location, but I was wrong. There were long lines outside at the ice cream stations, and a crowd inside for the cake and band, Still Cruisin'. I think the only disappointing thing about the event is that the Coke stand had run out of regular Cokes and Sprites by the time I got there, but that's not so bad.

Click here for a quick look at Friday's event.

A look back at Thursday's events

2008-04-03T20:03:00.000-05:00

Click here for images from Thursday's CBF events.

CBF Fashion Show & Luncheon serves up the latest looks

2008-04-03T13:47:00.005-05:00

The 2008 CBF Fashion Show and Luncheon served up fun and the latest fashions this afternoon.

Host Mark Ballard didn't disappoint, riding in for his grand entrance on a scooter decorated with pink blossoms this year (many of you will remember last year's lawn mower). He was a little bit nervous about riding it before the event but told me he'd been sure to wear underwear in case he fell off like Kimberly Stewart (Rod Stewart's daughter) did on the red carpet one year. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that he didn't toss any clothes into the crowd this year and have ladies jumping over each other to try to catch the items - that was a sight I will never forget from last year's event. He did, however, tell the crowd that he'd gotten a spray tan just for the event.

The food, well, it was OK. Pink soup was on the menu again this year, as well as chicken (a little bit chewy), and a delicious chocolate dessert. Each table also came with two wine bottles.

The crowd wasn't quite as crazy this year as it was last year, but maybe that had something to do with the dismal weather. I was also surprised to see a few more men in attendance this year.

The fashions (all from Macon Mall) were really, really cute. There was a lot of black and white, which is totally hot right now. The models did two walk-throughs this year instead of three, but the length of the fashion show was about the same as last year's, maybe a little bit shorter. There was a good variety of models, from young to old, and even Lacie sashayed down the runway.

Click here for a gallery of photos from the event.

Here's some video footage Liz Fabian shot.

Click here and here for more video from the fashion show.

Images from Wednesday

2008-04-02T18:10:00.001-05:00

Click here to check out what you may have missed Wednesday.

Seeing double in the park for Twins Day

2008-04-02T17:49:00.005-05:00

It was Twins Day in the Park followed by "A Bit of Macon's Own" for the musical acts of the night.

The kids were cute, of course - how could they not be? The youngest twins were 4 weeks old, while the oldest were 52. The 52-year-olds came out with their grandchildren, two of which were also twins and who won a prize of their own during the look-alike contest.

Click here for a look at some of the twins in Central City Park on Wednesday night.

The first band to perform for the evening was The Interference. That's them up top, and below is the little girl who kept sitting down next to me. The guitarist told me The Interference has been together for about four months and they perform cover songs and some of their own pieces. You can find them playing at different locations around town. They were pretty good, and I shot some video, but apparently if you get too close to the speaker the sound doesn't come out very well. Ooops. My bad. After them, Mainline was supposed to perform.

I was a little bit skeptical about turnout at Central City Park for the week when I saw the lineup but I'm pleased to learn I was wrong about attendance. I haven't been every night but I have friends who have and I hear turnout has been incredible, except for Saturday and Sunday nights when the weather just wasn't cooperating. Turnout tonight was pretty good, and if you're looking for the best time to come out for the rides, about 4:30 is a good time because the lines aren't that bad. If you come before 3 p.m., though, I think you get a better deal on the rides.

As for the weather. I don't know what's up with all this rain that's been forecast for the entire week, but I have yet to see any of it. Here's hoping it stays that way!

A look back at Tuesday

2008-04-01T19:56:00.001-05:00

From a shoe decorating contest during the Pink in the Park day at Central City Park to more free ice cream, click here for a look back at Tuesday's CBF events.

Rain won't stop the music

2008-04-01T09:45:00.001-05:00

From the CBF office: The weather won't keep Margaritaville night from going on. If it rains, there will be an acoustic version in the Round Building at Central City Park.

Dancing with blossoms

2008-04-01T08:12:00.002-05:00

Liz Fabian went the American Ballroom Classic last night. Click here for her footage.

CBF featured on Steve and DC radio show

2008-04-01T08:04:00.002-05:00

I got in the car this morning to come to work and Steve and DC (of a somewhat national morning show playing on 95.1) were talking about the Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, GA. I caught the tail end of it so I'm not sure how they got started, but they had at least one listener call in from Macon before they spoke with Stacy Campbell, marketing director of the festival. Stacy talked about Friday night's Party with a Purpose event and the upcoming Street Party. I thought that was a pretty neat way to start the day!

Images from Third Street Park

2008-03-31T17:04:00.000-05:00

Click here for images from Third Street Park.

Chilly weather doesn't keep crowd from enjoying ice cream

2008-03-31T12:14:00.004-05:00

This depressing weather doesn't seem to be deterring people from getting their share of free cherry ice cream. While the lines for ice cream were much, much shorter this year than in years when the weather has been sunny and warm, there were still quite a handful of people in the lines during the opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting for Third Street Park festivities. The line for carriage rides around the park was even pretty long. Here's hoping the rain will hold off so we can enjoy more free cherry ice cream the rest of the week.

Kaleidoscope of Cultures still one of my favs!

2008-03-30T21:36:00.003-05:00

This was my second Kaleidoscope of Cultures and I think that just like last year it was one of my favorite events of the festival so far. The Japanese drummers were back, and were still so much fun. It turns out they actually work at Epcot in Orlando, Fla.

Other countries featured were Sweden (the soloist had an absolutely beautiful voice), Taiwan (those ladies really know how to work their arms, and they did one of their routines to what I'm guessing was Taiwanese or Chinese techno, but I don't know the languages), Russia (awesome dancers and musicians who both got standing ovations), the Japanese drummers (they didn't cut up as much this year but were still very impressive), and the U.S. (represented by the impressive Southside Baptist Church in Warner Robins, who paid tribute to the different military branches and got the crowd on their feet for "God Bless the U.S.A.).

I can't wait for next year's Kaleidoscope. To the powers that be, can we get some Irish singers next year? :)

Here's some video of the Japanese drummers.

Parade of craziness

2008-03-30T16:05:00.003-05:00

This year instead of watching the parade, I was actually part of the parade. (These girls in the photo were on the float right in front of us. We sat behind them for a LONG time before the parade finally got moving.) And even though I walked beside The Telegraph's vehicles the whole time, I couldn't tell you who was on the sidelines at the parade or how long it all lasted. That's because we were handing out mardi gras beads with The Telegraph's logo on them, along with candy and shirts and Belle magazines the whole time. Basically, we had two drivers and two people out on the street, three if you include our photographer Grant Blankenship, who was sweet enough to follow us and help us out when we came across him. First of all, technically we are not supposed to "throw" items into the crowd - we have to hand them out. But our beads kept getting tangled up and kids kept running out into the street to get some - even "grownups" were running into the street for beads. It's no fun getting mobbed, let me tell you.

And this leads me to one of my biggest issues with the parade. If everyone in the parade was allowed to throw out candy, then a lot more more would actually throw out candy, and then no one would be running into the street for candy. And what's wrong with throwing out candy? A parade is just not a good parade when you can't get candy out of it - that's whole reason I loved parades as a kid. I'm sorry, but really, look at our parades. They mostly consist of a bunch of random people sitting in cars riding by. That's not fun to watch. If there were more actual floats, that would be something. But we don't generally have a lot of floats in the parades that ride through downtown Macon. That's why we need candy. Why can't we all just let the people have their candy?

The weather isn't a team player

2008-03-30T09:55:00.005-05:00

This weather is the pits today. It's not raining but it's completely dreary, windy and cold, putting a damper on all of the fun that's supposed to be had today. I guess the bright side is that I'll be so covered up today, there's no way I'll get more sunburned than I already am!

Here's some pictures of the Dixie Disc Dogs taken by Ryan Gilchrest to brighten the day a little and a video of dogs getting ready for the Pet Fashion in the park yesterday that Liz Fabian shot. Enjoy, and I hope you all still make it to the parade!

Balloon glow canceled but spectators still have fun

2008-03-30T09:52:00.002-05:00

The Balloon Glow was canceled last night because of the rain. I didn't head out there because I was so disappointed, but here's some video Liz shot.

Were lawn mowers meant to race?

2008-03-29T14:20:00.008-05:00

The Lawn Mower Grand Prix was, umm, interesting.

First of all, it was really confusing to figure out what was going on. All of Third Street from Poplar to Cherry was blocked off and they set the one speaker up in the center of that area. However, if you wound up one end of the street to see better (like me), you had NO IDEA what was going on. I couldn't hear anything the announcers were saying, the activity didn't seem to start on time, and I didn't see any ugly lawn mowers for the Ugly Lawn Mower Pageant.

The police and volunteers kept coming down the fences around the streets to tell people to move back because they didn't want anybody to get hit if there was a wreck. Well, what was the point of having a certain portion blocked off? Couldn't they have just blocked off a little more? The orange fencing was so high it was difficult to see over. By the time the lawn mowers started racing around the track, they went about 10-15 laps before stopping. Then this one guy took a lap on his own so I assumed the whole race was over and he was the winner and started walking back toward Mulberry Street. Then, I finally hear the announcer telling the crowd not to leave because that was just the first round and they were going to do two more just like that. It was too hot for me to stick around for that.

I don't want to be all negative. I thought it was definitely a good idea for an event. I also liked that they were passing out earplugs for spectators because the lawn mowers WERE loud. I just felt like there needed to be another speaker and a little more organization - these are all things that can be tweaked for next year. I also think one set of the 10-15 laps would be plenty because that was enough to entertain me. And it was fun to watch for that one set of laps.

The only other thing I didn't like is that the race was set to start at 2. The bed race, which also happened downtown, ended even before 1:30, so if you were hanging around downtown for the lawn mower race to start, you didn't really have much to do besides hang out in the Beer Garden. Luckily, Creme de la Creme, a new shop on Cherry Street, was open and serving ice cream to help people cool off in the meantime. I just think the lawn mower race should have started immediately after the bed race if they wanted to keep a big crowd downtown.

Just my opinions, though.

Here's some video Liz Fabian shot of the event.

Bed race regains momentum

2008-03-29T13:53:00.006-05:00

This year's bed race put last year's to shame. The number of beds jumped from a handful last year to nine entries this year. And this year, you could tell the teams had fun. The Bed Rock Racer were probably one of my favorites. They all dressed up like cavemen and wheeled some wooden-looking contraption down Cherry Street. It looked like it would fall apart before they made it to the finish line, but that bed held up. I also liked the Magnolia Street Mafia, who I heard rode down the street in a hot tub! There was a huge crowd because of the warm weather and sunshine. That's right, I sad warm weather and sunshine. What happened to all of the rain and clouds we were supposed to be seeing today? Hopefully, that mess will all steer clear of Macon and it will remain nice throughout the remainder of the day.

Here's the list of bed race winners. They each get the chance to appear in tomorrow's parade, so we might get to see them again!

Fastest: Bud Light Bandits
Judges' Choice: The Children's Hospital AND Central Georgia Affiliate Susan G Komen Race For The Cure
Funniest: Bed Rock Racer
Most Original: Elberta Health Care

Here's everyone's times:
Pig in A Pit (I was glad to see a restaurant participating by the way): 28.53 seconds
Central Georgia Affiliate Susan G Komen Race For The Cure: 28.77
The Children's Hospital: 29.56
Bud Light Bandits: 21.05
Magnolia Street Mafia: 30.12
Elberta Health Care: 36.07
Bed Rock Racer: 31.85
L.E. Schwartz and Son Inc.: 21.25
Mid Georgia Apartment Association: 24.46

Congratulations to everyone!

Click here to view photos of the beds.

Pink pancakes prove delicious every year

2008-03-29T09:27:00.005-05:00

Of course I had to get up and go have pink pancakes again this year! It's one of my favorite activities - so much so that I'll get up early on a Saturday morning just so I can get there before the line gets really long. The pancakes looked even more pink this year than they have in years past, and they tasted just as good as they always do. The sausage patties were a little spicy this year - for that extra "wake-up" kick. Yum.

Here are some of the Macon-Bibb County firefighters making pancakes from scratch in a truck. Yes, that does look like a power tool they're using to stir the batter.

Here are some of the men grilling up spicy sausage patties. I was told it takes a special touch to separate the frozen patties from their paper sleeves before they make it onto the grill - but they wouldn't share their secret!

And here's the yearly shot of pink pancakes being made!

Liz Fabian also went out and spoke with the firefighters this morning. Click below to watch her video.

Gala, a prom for Cherry Blossom attendees

2008-03-29T09:18:00.005-05:00

The Cherry Blossom Gala Ball reminded me a lot of going to the prom. Everyone gets dressed up in a range of outfits - some in the more hoochie dresses, some in full-on beaded gowns, some in the more casual dresses, and some sporting hairdo's you would find in any hair-don't catalog.

There were hors d'oeuvres and desserts from Red Lobster, Satterfield's, Pig in a Pit, Healy Point, Natalia's and Wal-Mart, to name a few. (The chocolate mousse from Natalia's was D-E-V-I-N-E.) And The Grapevine are actually very, very good - I'd never heard them play before. They were a lot of fun.

The thing that most surprised me about the whole night was that so many people in Macon know how to ballroom dance. There were tons of couples on the dance floor throughout the night - young and old. Who knew?

I think I've also decided, and this is only after going to two events so far, that Mayor Robert Reichert's wife, Dele, is probably one of the best-dressed people in town. I'd love a peak at her closet! She had on this ruffled top last night that wouldn't look good on a lot of people - but on her it was so adorable!

Here are some pics:

Also, click on these links for video from Liz Fabian:

People really know how to boogie in Macon.

The Grapevine entertains.

Cherry Blossom royalty gets glammed up for event.

Pictures of cute tiger babies

2008-03-28T12:38:00.006-05:00

Michael Inks of the Marcan Tiger Preserve was kind enough to tell us about the three 7-month-old tiger babies with this year's Tigers of India Bengal Tiger Show. The babies are Orissa, a snow white tiger; Ravi, a golden tabby; and Sahib, a standard Bengal. They're from the same litter and will be part of the shows going on everyday. They'll appear at the end of the shows, so stick around! They're about 90 pounds right now - the size of a large dog - but were only about 2 pounds when they were first born. As for the adults, there are seven adult tigers with the show this year.

Click here for more tiger photos - sorry if I went a little overboard but they're so cute!

And here's some video by Liz Fabian.

Festival kicks off

2008-03-28T12:35:00.009-05:00

It's official! The festival has started. There were dignitaries, queens, princesses, poodles, Russian musicians and a dancer, JROTC, and Golden Boots. Now the fun can begin!

The Russian performers will all be at the Evening of Russian Dance at 8 p.m. Saturday at Porter Auditorium at Wesleyan College. They will also be at the Kaleidoscope of Cultures at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in the same location at Wesleyan College. Click here to read more about the performers.

Click here to watch Liz Fabian's video of the opening.

Click here for a gallery of photos from the opening.

Cherry blossoms blooming around the world

2008-03-28T07:51:00.004-05:00

I found these pictures on AP this morning. Cherry blossom trees just happen to be blooming in Japan and Washington, D.C., right now. The National Cherry Blossom Festival also kicks off in D.C. tomorrow.

Here's D.C.

Here's Japan.

I thought I'd seen it all

2008-03-27T12:14:00.000-05:00

I visited the Cherry Blossom Festival Gift Shop this afternoon to buy my 2008 festival pin. Did you know that you can now buy socks with pink poodles all over them? I'd thought I'd seen it all, but goodness. They almost match the T-shirts they have this year with poodles on them.

Tiger babies

2008-03-27T11:15:00.001-05:00

Apparently there are three seven-month-old tiger babies in town for this year's Bengal Tigers show in Central City Park. I don't know more details, but check back here tomorrow after the opening ceremony because I'm hoping to go with Liz Fabian to check them out tomorrow morning.

Lacie goes pink

2008-03-27T09:55:00.009-05:00

Telegrapher Liz Fabian got to watch this year as Lacie the poodle was transformed into Lacie the Pink Poodle. Click here to view a photo gallery of the whole process.

Also, click on the screen below to check out Liz's video capturing the event. It might take a second or two to load, but it's really cute!

Cannonball House event

2008-03-26T10:04:00.001-05:00

The Cannonball House sent out a press release for an event that was omitted from the official Cherry Blossom Festival events calendar. Here it is:

Candlelight Tours at the Cannonball House

A new evening event is planned for this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival. Cherry Blossom Candlelight Tours of the Cannonball House will be held Friday, April 4, from 6:00-10:00 p.m.
Living historians will be on hand to bring this historic home and its accompanying kitchen house to life during a rare evening opening. Some, portraying early Cannonball House residents, will greet guests in the front hall. Others will be busy at work in the old brick kitchen house. Not only will they interact with guests, they may also offer samples of food they are cooking on the cook stove, or perhaps a spontaneous musical interlude.
Civil War soldier reinactor-historians, a perennial favorite among Festival goers, will also be present. They will set up an evening camp in the back garden and explain to visitors about the evening activities of a soldier.
The Cannonball House is located at 856 Mulberry Street. It received its name because it was struck by a cannonball during the Civil War. The main house and its accompanying brick kitchen house/servants’ quarters are open for public tours daily during the Cherry Blossom Festival.
For more information, please call (478) 745-5982.

El presidente, are you sure?

2008-03-24T09:10:00.003-05:00

The cherry trees in north Macon are in full bloom and some are even sprouting little green leaves, which will soon push all of the blossoms off. I don't know if they'll be able to hold out until the end of the week for the first of the festival, but here's hoping they do. Most of the cherry trees in north Macon are likely to be bloomed out by the second weekend of the festival for sure. At least there's no forecast for rain during the week, which means the blossoms will have a better chance of holding on. I haven't seen downtown this weekend, but I'm hoping those trees are holding out a little more.

Get in the pink with Mark Ballard

2008-03-20T08:54:00.003-05:00

Mark Ballard is full of helpful tips for decorating when it comes to Cherry Blossom time. You can find a bunch of his columns and videos at www.macon.com/markballard detailing and demonstrating ways to create everything from pretty pink ribbons to festive bows. Click here to check out some of his suggestions.

If the president says so, then we must believe

2008-03-19T08:26:00.003-05:00

Telegraph writer Phillip Ramati spoke with CBF President Wright Tilley for an article in this morning's paper about the budding blossoms around town. Tilley says he thinks the blossoms will be perfectly timed with the festival's start:

"I think it's going to be perfect," he said. "We should have a good canopy of blossoms when it starts. It's going to be great for the early visitors to the festival. As long as we don't get heavy, violent storms, the trees should hold their blossoms."

If Tilley's correct and the blossoms are around for this year's festival, that will make 3 out of 4 years of such great luck under his charge. I still think maybe he's out singing to the trees at night.

Click here to read the full story.

Bashful blossoms

2008-03-18T09:31:00.003-05:00

There are few blooms starting to pop out in Third Street Park and along Riverside Drive in downtown Macon. There's one tree in Third Street Park, between Mulberry and Walnut Streets (see below), that always blooms early, and it's looking like it will be full of blossoms in less than a week. Most of the others are far behind it, though, and I'm hoping they will hold out until at least the first weekend of the festival.

The thrill of it all

2008-03-14T09:14:00.005-05:00

In the About This Blog section on the righthand side of this blog I question whether or not the Cherry Blossom Festival gets to be old news once you've done all the events before. I got this email from a former Maconite and wanted to share it.

I love your blog! And you can definitely do the same things at the festival every year and enjoy them every time!! I'm a Macon girl living in Raleigh NC, and our family loves to come to Cherry Blossom every year! Our children (8, 3 and 9 months) have such a blast at the pink pancake breakfast, the Mulberry Street Arts Festival and then whatever other activities we can find to do in a quick weekend before making a long ride back to NC!

We can't make it this year because of scheduling conflicts (when they moved the festival because of Easter this year, it bumped up against some other planned events), and I am really feeling the twinges of guilt!

So to everyone in Macon, paint your cars, wear your pink, and get those blossoms blooming!

Chandler Francis

I've been having a hard time getting motivated for this year's festival, which is very unlike me. Maybe it's all this funky weather, maybe it's the delay of events because of Easter this year, or maybe it's just that the 10 days seem daunting when I remember how tired I was at the end of last year's festival. Mrs. Francis, I want to thank you for reminding me about that feeling of excitement and anticipation that I've been missing. Your enthusiasm is contagious and has ME feeling twinges of guilt for forgetting about that and losing that thrill, even for just a moment.

Meet the 2008 Cherry Blossom court

2008-03-14T08:55:00.007-05:00

Belle magazine featured this year's Cherry Blossom queen and princesses in its March issue. The girls modeled prom dresses for a story about getting glamorous for prom.

Cherry Blossom Queen Emily Alston:

Cherry Blossom Princesses Chrystal McDowell and Elizabeth Taunton:

Cherry Blossom Princesses Natalie Lewis and Taylor Smalling:

Here's a look at the rest of the 2008 Cherry Blossom court:

Cherry Blossom Senior Queen Alberta Sims and Cherry Blossom Senior Princess Ruby Dunn:

Little Mr. Cherry Blossom Jay Sink and Little Miss Cherry Blossom Chanelle Washington:

We love our pink poodles

2008-03-14T08:32:00.003-05:00

Lacie, the unofficial pink poodle and mascot of the Cherry Blossom Festival (Petals the Poodle is now the official mascot, even though Lacie is much, much cuter), made the front page of The Telegraph this morning. Apparently a woman in Colorado was fined $1,000 for dyeing her poodle a pretty shade of pink. In Macon, we don't frown on such festive acts, we encourage them!

Click here to read about pink pets.

It's time to Think Pink ... maybe

2008-03-02T12:34:00.011-05:00

The Think Pink program held its official kickoff event leading up to this year's Cherry Blossom Festival yesterday, March 1. I stopped by about lunch time to get my car decked out in pink by Peggy Whyte and to see if this was an event worthy of attending again in the future. I have to say, I wasn't so impressed. Yes, there was a carwash going on if your car needed cleaning. Yes, there was a little bit of craft-selling and face-painting going on, but not a whole lot. And there was food, but again, not a lot of choice. There was also a band, which was good, but they went on break at lunch time so I sat in the car line for about an hour with very little entertainment except for the constant of moving my car forward and backward as directed by the crowd of volunteers. I was at least pleased to see there was a steady stream of cars lined up to get painted, so I know there are lots of other people out there ready for Cherry Blossom time just like me. While I am ready for the festival, I did think it was a tad bit early to get my car decorated. I know the car-painting event is generally held about the first weekend of March, but with this year's festival being pushed back into April, it just seems a little early to be riding around with pink flowers. I understand it was probably the best weekend for the event, with needing a rain-delay day, St. Patrick's and Easter all filling in the rest of the weekends before the festival, but still, come on, it's too early.

And I'm done.

2007-03-25T22:12:00.000-05:00

It's terrible to say this but I'm sitting at home on my couch right now thinking back on the past 10 days and all I've done, and the whole time I can't get the sing-song tune of "Ding dong, the wicked witch is dead" out of my head.

Don't get me wrong - I have thoroughly enjoyed this year's Cherry Blossom Festival and it's still one of my favorite things about living in Macon. I relish this time of year when everything is blooming and you can actually find crowds of people hanging out downtown in the middle of the week. It almost makes it feel like we live in a bigger city than we really do. As soon as the festival is over, you'll be hard-pressed to find crowds downtown unless it's First Friday or there's some other big event going on. It's sad, but that's the reality of our town.

Anyway, as much as I enjoy the festival and all of the fun it brings with it, I am so tired and so glad that it is over. I am ready to get back to my regular schedule, and frankly, I'll be just fine if I don't see any men in pink for a little while.

Looking back on the festival as whole, I feel like this year's was a success. I do think the middle section kind of dragged a little, and the second weekend didn't seem nearly as busy as the first weekend in my opinion, but on the whole it was still enjoyable. The blossoms did finally come out by the end of the festival, and here's hoping that maybe they won't be as finicky next year.

I do want to take a minute to offer a special thanks to all the people who participated and helped make this blog what it was, especially those who played along and let me capture them on video.

And that's it for this year's Cherry Blossom Festival. I'll spare you the horrible poetry that marked the end of last year's cherry blogging and just say good bye.

Let the countdown for next year's festival begin!

SLIDESHOW | It felt like the Fourth of July

2007-03-25T21:15:00.000-05:00

It felt just like the Fourth of July tonight at the Cherry Blossom Festival Grand Finale. There were families picnicking and chefs were grilling up burgers and hot dogs. Kids were playing football and Frisbee, and the United States Navy band Freedom was singing "Proud to be an American (God Bless the USA)." It was even so hot throughout the afternoon and early evening, it felt a little like the middle of summer. And, let's not forget the fireworks.

The afternoon started out a little slow. There weren't many families gathered yet about 5 p.m., but there were some who had already laid out their picnic feasts fit for kings under the shade of the cherry trees. A rock wall and inflatable toys set up on the lawn proved popular among the children, as well as a hot-air balloon. I got the chance to float up about 35 feet over Wesleyan's lawn in the hot-air balloon, which was tethered to several vehicle so that it couldn't float any higher up. Only three individuals could ride with the pilot at a time, and we each had to climb in and out of the balloon just as someone else was getting in or out so that the balloon's weight wouldn't change too drastically and start to float off the ground while people were trying to board it.

It was so hot and the crowd was so thin that I decided to leave for a while and come back later for the fireworks. By the time I got back, the crowd had really taken over the lawn and kids were playing Frisbee and football all over the place. The Navy band, Freedom, was pretty good and it was fun to see the lead singer get a little mobbed by kids wanting autographs and pictures after the band left the stage.

I was a little worried the fireworks might get delayed because the sun had not quite yet tucked itself into bed, but that fear was quickly cast aside when they started counting down to the fireworks a little before 8:15. Tonight's fireworks put Saturday night's display to shame. They were set off right from the Wesleyan lawn, which meant they were close to the crowd and not blocked from view by any neighboring trees. The proximity to the crowd also made them seem so much bigger and breath-taking. Not to mention the timing of tonight's fireworks was much better coordinated and the start-up was just as exciting as the finale. They were definitely worth driving out to Wesleyan to see.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL GRAND FINALE.

SLIDESHOW | Children add special touch to festival

2007-03-25T13:23:00.000-05:00

There aren't nearly as many people downtown at the Mulberry Street Festival this afternoon. I'm betting it has something to do with the fact that it's the last day of the festival and there's not a bunch of other events planned for downtown this afternoon and evening other than the Children's Parade. That and people may be getting ready to head out to Wesleyan College for the grand finale.

UPDATE 4 P.M.: The Cherry Blossom Festival Children's Parade went off without a glitch. The parade lasted about 10 minutes (MUCH shorter than last weekend's parade), with children from different clubs and organizations around town walking from MLK Boulevard all the way down to the Cherry Blossom Festival Headquarters Office. I thought the length of the parade was just right this weekend, but I think adding a cute little children's concert band or choir to the parade's lineup would have brought a special touch to the event. I was dismayed by the crowd's size, but it is hot outside, and I've never been to the Children's Parade before so I can't say if that's what the regular turnout is like.

On another note, I finally got my Greek gyro! YUM!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS OF THE CHILDREN'S SIDEWALK CHALK EVENT AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL CHILDREN'S PARADE.

VIDEO/SLIDESHOW | Fireworks, Little Big Town draw people to downtown

2007-03-24T23:33:00.000-05:00

There were SO many people downtown tonight. I don't know when the last time was that I saw that many people in downtown Macon at one time. If people weren't over on Cherry Street for the 2007 Cherry Blossom Festival Street Party, they were over on Coleman Hill for Fireworks Over Macon.

The street party started out slow this evening, with the bigger crowds mostly congregating on the lawn of the Georgia Sports Museum in front of the WDEN stage where Little Big Town would play later in the evening. Though the crowd was smaller at the B95.1 stage down at Third and Cherry streets, it was a little more active with a few people actually dancing to the music. By the end of the evening, crowds at both stages had grown rather large and were huddled close to the bands. There seemed to be steady business at the clubs and restaurants along Cherry Street in between the stages, though the foot traffic never got as congested there as it did at either end.

I was really surprised to see such a large variety of ages among the crowd, but as happy as that made me, I was even more dismayed by the complete racial divide along the street. It is Macon, so what did I expect? Down at the WDEN stage, the crowd was mostly white. And down at the B95.1 stage, the crowd was mostly black. I just wonder if anyone in the two separate crowds knew that the music was just as good at either end.

I also wonder if anyone on Cherry Street was able to see the fireworks when they went off. (Were you on Cherry Street? Did you see the fireworks? Please comment.) I have to say that even for Macon, the fireworks display was pretty pitiful. First off, most of the crowd had gathered in the middle of Coleman Hill to listen to the Middle Georgia Concert Band play before and along with the fireworks. The only problem with this was that when the fireworks started it turned out there was this giant tree blocking a large portion of the view. Who wants to have to get up from their picnic on the lawn to move to a better spot in the middle of the fireworks display? No one. Had the fireworks not been quite so low, that might not have been a problem.

But that didn't matter anyway because they didn't last very long at all. The whole thing would have been at least a little more exciting had the fireworks been timed a little better. They were set off too far apart time-wise in my opinion so that they never really seemed to blend in with each other the way great fireworks displays do. And then after the whole show was done and people started to get up and walk off, there were a couple of random sparks intermittently fired into the air. What gives fireworks people? Were you trying to taunt us? "Hey, no, don't get back on your big bus yet, we're not done. Oh wait, yes we are." I hope Sunday night's display is much better.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM SATURDAY'S STREET PARTY, INCLUDING PHOTOS OF LITTLE BIG TOWN.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FIREWORKS.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A CLIP FROM LITTLE BIG TOWN'S PERFORMANCE.

SLIDESHOW | Weekend starts with plenty of sunshine

2007-03-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

Well, I am so glad I got pink pancakes last weekend or I would have been thoroughly disappointed this morning! I strolled over to Central City Park about 10 this morning to get my second dose of those heavenly hot cakes and the line was trailing all the way out past the entrance to the park toward the parking lot. (That's the line in this top photo, but you can't even see how far it goes on.) I knew we might encounter a line at 10 a.m. since it was somewhat later and the weather was great, but I have NEVER seen the line that long before! One person we knew in line was not even at the halfway point and he said he had been waiting for 25 minutes!

Since the pancake breakfast only runs until 10:30 and we were really hungry, we decided to just walk back over to Third Street Park to the International Food Fair to get some breakfast since it started at 10. By the time we got there craving some Greek gyros, though, they told us it would be another 20-25 minutes before they had food ready. It was just not our morning food-wise. We wound up eating so-so chicken fingers and corndogs. Not very international, I know.

Variety-wise, the food fair was still somewhat of a disappointment this year. If you're going to call it international, then there should at least be a little more variety. Really, they just ought to call it a food fair or bill it as part of the Mulberry Street Festival and stop taunting people with visions of multicultural cuisine dancing in their heads. The selection didn't expand much beyond Greek, Mexican and Jamaican. There was also a rib-eye place and the usual brats stand, but those don't count as international in my book.

As for the Mulberry Street Festival, it was drawing a huge crowd as usual. The weather, a little on the hot side, was definitely helping to get things going. Here's a tip, though, if you're going to head out there: You may want to wait until later in the afternoon so that maybe some of the buildings will be casting a shadow over Mulberry Street to make the sun a little more bearable. I was lucky and didn't come back home with a sunburn, but it was a close call.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM SATURDAY IN DOWNTOWN MACON.

Boot Scootin' the night away

2007-03-23T20:34:00.000-05:00

Photographer Beau Cabell told me tonight that he thought he'd seen everything when grown men started wearing bright pink coats about two decades ago, but that was until he saw them wearing pink cowboy hats tonight at the Boot Scootin' Boogie and Casino Night event at City Auditorium. And there were plenty of them wearing those pretty little light pink hats to be sure.

The event featured live music from the band Wichita, which stuck mostly to a country format but mixed in a little old rock like the Eagles to give the evening more variety. With the purchase of $35 tickets, guests received one raffle ticket and a $500 voucher to use to play in the "casino" to win more tickets. There was a mix of games that included such guilty pleasures as black jack, roulette and craps. After 11 p.m., guests were to "cash in" their chips to see if they had won enough for more raffle tickets. Among the prizes to be raffled off: a big screen TV and a natural gas grill. Not too shabby if you ask me.

SLIDESHOW | Founders celebrated on final day of Third Street Park festivities

2007-03-23T13:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I think it's safe to say Third Street Park was THE place to be at lunchtime this week. The crowds never seemed to dwindle, even today when the sun almost seemed a little too hot to be out and about. Just almost, though. Had the cherry trees been in full bloom, they would have provided a little more shade and comfort.

Friday was Founders Day in the park, giving us the chance to celebrate William Fickling Sr. and festival founder Carolyn Crayton, and the chance to partake of some yummy birthday cake. Former Mercer University President Kirby Godsey said a few words about Crayton, and the crowd got to hear the story of how Fickling became enamored with the Yoshino cherry tree. Even Mark Ballard the Artist showed up decked out in a pink coat to help celebrate the founders of all things cherry blossom in Macon.

The birthday cake never seemed to draw a huge line, but crowds swarmed around the table of food from Applebees and the lines for cherry ice cream never seemed to dwindle, with the one closer to Mulberry Street looping back toward the park it was so long.

It's been a fun eight days and the final day of festivities in Third Street Park makes me kind of sad. It means that even though we have two jam-packed days left, the festival is about to come to another close and we have to wait until next year to celebrate it all over again.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE FOUNDERS DAY CELEBRATION.

A cherry treat or two

2007-03-23T00:15:00.000-05:00

As you're preparing for this fun-filled weekend coming up, you might have started thinking about packing a picnic for the festival's grand finale at Wesleyan on Sunday evening. Here's a few specialties from AllRecipes.com to add to your basket just for the occasion.

Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Cherry Rum Balls

Cherry Blossom Fudge

Cherry Enchiladas

Chicken-Cherry Pie (seriously - that's what it's called)

And here's a few drink selections too, but maybe not for a picnic ...

Cherry Fizz

Cherry Bomb

Cherry Limeade

John's Tasty German Cherry Beer

Sangria by the Pros

Pineapple Cake Martini

I've been outed!

2007-03-22T16:53:00.000-05:00

www.wmcc.news.com

UPDATE: Well, there was a post all about me but it's gone now, so it's not your browser playing tricks on you and I'm not crazy!

UPDATE 2: The link works again! Yay! May the book deals commence!

SLIDESHOW | It's fashionable to lunch

2007-03-22T16:08:00.000-05:00

Thursday's Cherry Blossom Fashion Show and Luncheon at the Goodwill Conference Center was a fashionably good time. I would estimate there were probably about 300 to 400 people there - mostly women, of course - as there were probably about 30 or 40 tables of 10 each. There may have been even more than that. I certainly didn't realize the event, which has been a festival staple from the beginning, was that big of a deal so I was surprised by the turnout.

Host Mark Ballard (The Artist) was a hoot and had the ladies laughing throughout the lunch, and he even had them scrambling from their tables when he tossed a John Deere baseball cap he was asked to wear when he rode into the fashion show on a John Deere lawn mower out into the crowd. Yes, those "mature" ladies jumped from their seats to try to catch that hat. Ballard said before the show that he wasn't at all nervous about emceeing, he was just nervous about riding out into the crowd on a tractor.

The tables were beautifully set before the crowd was even allowed into the conference center. They were decked with bowls of what looked like a pink goulash labeled Vichyssoise. It tasted much better than it looked, and was really some sort of potato and onion mix. The pecan-crusted chicken and risotto that followed were excellent and moist as well, and the dessert was just out of this world. It was a chocolate pot de creme with raspberry coulis garnishment. Heavenly. Edgar's Bistro catered the event.

The piece de resistance at the table, though, would have to be the Menage a Trois bottles of wine made by the winery Folie a Deux. The company-printed labels invited drinkers to "Discover the excitement of our Menage a Trois." It went right along with the theme of the afternoon. During his invocation, which seemed to go on and on by the way, the Rev. Ronald Terry spoke of the "fragrance of love" and how "the Cherry Blossom Festival says let's get together." Then, during the fashion show one of the male models bent down into the crowd and kissed a guest. Ballard even joined in, joking that it was "getting warm up here" and that someone had a taken a picture of him backstage in his underwear.

While we all stuffed ourselves silly, the models showed off three different sets of clothes, as did host Ballard. They sported a casual look first, then moved to business and lunch attire, and finished off the show with formal wear. Fashions were courtesy of Macon Mall.

All in all, I thought it was a great event. I wouldn't wear all of the clothes modeled, but I did see some cute pieces. And, once again, that food - mmmm!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE FASHION SHOW AND LUNCHEON.

VIDEO | Oh greasy festival food, you had me at hello

2007-03-22T00:33:00.000-05:00

Mmmmm. The smells of festival food have been making my mouth water all week long. Those boiled peanuts were haunting me every time I visited Central City Park, but I had vowed to hold out on fair-like food until mid-week when I could sit down and write a post about it. Well, I finally got my boiled peanuts. And some funnel cake. And some lemonade. And, well I had to try those Australian baked potatoes too - for the blog, of course. They were all good. They were all satisfying. But they left me with a hunger. A hunger to know what other people were craving when it comes to festival food. Oh, all right, I'll spare you any more cheesiness. CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT WHAT FOODS MAKE PEOPLE'S MOUTHS WATER.

SLIDESHOW | Where was everyone?

2007-03-21T23:57:00.000-05:00

I got to Central City Park about 7:30 tonight for Latino night and there was hardly anyone there. Was there some other big shindig going on in town that I wasn't aware of? I didn't think so, but who knows. The band, Peralta, wasn't bad and they did have a few people in the crowd dancing to the beat. Even a few workers sitting all lonely-like in their booths were swaying a little to the beat.

I guess Ben Jones' pink sombrero didn't really make people want to jump in their cars and head down to park. Or maybe it's just that it's the middle of the week and everyone is tired like me and resting up to prepare for Saturday. Whatever the reason for the small crowd, I hope the turnout is much better this weekend for the street party. Rest now people - come Saturday we've got some partying to do!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT CENTRAL CITY PARK.

SLIDESHOW | Paintings, Posies and Punch just peachy ... er, pinky

2007-03-21T17:28:00.000-05:00

The ladies with the Federated Garden Clubs of Macon have been actively involved with the Cherry Blossom Festival since its beginnings 25 years ago. Chairman Bobbie Appling said the first exhibits coordinated with the festival mostly showcased flowers, but after a number of years the clubs began adding different collections to the festivities. This year's exhibit, Paintings, Posies and Punch, features artwork by Ann Marshall Bailey, Betty Perryman Treadwell, Angela Tomey and Mary Williams, as well as collections by the members of the clubs. Those collections include everything from antique dolls, such as this three-faced baby at right, and antique tools to linens and artwork.

The house, listed on the National Registry for Historic Homes, is absolutely gorgeous and is often rented out for weddings and receptions. It's worth a tour sometime if you have the free time, even if it's not during the festival. For the exhibit, each of the rooms in the home was divvied up among the garden clubs, and club members were tasked with decorating the rooms along with the exhibit's theme.

All of the art is for sale except for the works by Ann Marshall Bailey, who can be commissioned to paint portraits. One of the featured pieces of the Paintings, Posies and Punch exhibit is Bailey's portrait of Ryan Seacrest, seen at right, which she was commissioned to paint by the celebrity's mother. Appling said that since that commission, Bailey has decided to start a series of portraits featuring Atlanta celebrities. She did a good job with Ryan Seacrest, but I'm kind of intrigued to see what she will come up with if she sits down to paint portraits of Young Jeezy or OutKast.

Paintings, Posies and Punch will continue through Thursday. It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but will stay open longer to accommodate visitors. The group estimates that last year they had about 400 visitors during the festival, and Appling said the crowd kept the home open until 7 p.m. Tuesday. The cost is $3, which goes toward the upkeep of the house. The Federated Garden Clubs of Macon is located at 730 College St.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM PAINTINGS, POSIES AND PUNCH.

Schedule change

2007-03-21T17:00:00.000-05:00

Just a head's up that there's been a change in the Cherry Blossom Festival schedule:

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Cherry Blossom Festival will be unable to present the United States Air Force Band of the Reserve Full Spectrum Jazz Ensemble as listed in our schedule for Thursday evening. We are pleased to announce that the Rutland High School Pride of the Hurricanes Band will perform a free concert in this time slot at Wesleyan College in Porter Auditorium.

VIDEO | Dogs take over Central City Park

2007-03-21T10:33:00.000-05:00

There was so much going on this past weekend in Central City Park that I didn't have a chance to process video of the dogs at the Dixie Disc Dog Championships right away. Because I think the dogs are so much fun I decided to save this video as a special mid-week treat just so I could watch it all over again several days later. I hope you enjoy watching the dogs as much as I did! CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE DOGS PERFORMING AT CENTRAL CITY PARK THIS PAST WEEKEND.

VIDEO | Community leaders discuss their favorite Cherry Blossom events

2007-03-21T01:16:00.000-05:00

What's your favorite Cherry Blossom event? I've mentioned before that I think my favorite event may be the Kaleidoscope of Cultures, but I'd say the Dixie Disc Dog Championships aren't far behind. Over the past couple of days, I've gotten the chance to ask several elected officials what their favorite events are during the festival. Now, I want to know what your favorite events are.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO COMMUNITY LEADERS TALK ABOUT THEIR FAVORITE CHERRY BLOSSOM EVENTS.

SLIDESHOW | Pink poodle to dye for

2007-03-21T00:32:00.000-05:00

I've noticed at Cherry Blossom events this year that Lacie the pink poodle, seen at right, is always a crowd favorite. And it's not just the young who are enamored with Lacie and her brightly colored hair - she has quite a following among all generations. I think she might even be more of a Cherry Blossom celebrity than founder Carolyn Crayton herself.

I've even had a faithful reader ask the question, "Just how do they get that poodle pink?" Well, I happened to find the answer to that question in The Telegraph's archives. At the end of this post, you'll find a story written by former Telegraph staff writer Karen Shugart that was printed on March 18, 2005.

Not everyone thinks pink poodles are cute, but I happen to think that Lacie is adorable. And she seems to handle the fame as though it is nothing at all. It's not every animal that could handle her duties as a pink princess. Why, just Sunday, there was this white- and brown-spotted horse in the parade that had been dyed a hideous shade of neon pink. That poor animal looked more like a horrible blend of Pepto-Bismol and diarrhea.

Also, Lacie isn't the only pink poodle in town. I guess she started a trend because pink poodles are popping up everywhere from store fronts to gift shops. Just take a look for yourself. CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS OF PINK POODLES AROUND MACON.

---- story begins here

BRIGHTLY COLORED POODLE MAKES A SPLASH AT CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVITIES

Not many dogs have their own 1975 pink Cadillac Eldorado.

Not many dogs sport bright pink nails encrusted with nail art.

But then, not many dogs spend four and one-half hours getting their hair dyed.

Not many dogs are like Lacie, the Cherry Blossom Festival's unofficial pink poodle.

And that's not just any pink. Bright pink. As in the Manic Panic shade of hot pink, the shade punk rockers and teenagers use.

"When you do pink, you really get noticed. You really get noticed," says Lacie's owner, groomer Paul Williams of Macon.

The pink poodle has been a festival tradition for years, joining the ranks of other pastel attention-grabbers: pink pancakes, pink grits, pink jackets.

But it's Lacie - now in her second year as the pink poodle - that might draw the most year-round attention from children and senior citizens.

Her caretakers, Paul and Alice Williams, keep the canine in pink nearly every day of the year.

And that's a lot of hair dye.

Paul Williams says it takes several hours and between six and 10 bottles of dye to get Lacie's hair the deep color.

"Say, 'I'm worse than any old lady going to the hairdresser,' '' Paul Williams says to Lacie as he leans down to rub her near her rhinestone-encrusted black collar.

Lacie started doing the Cherry Blossom Festival circuit about two years ago. Before that, the Williams' late poodle Casper held the role, and before that another family's dog named Teddi was known to prance around with pink fur.

Her "responsibilities" take her to ribbon cuttings, Central City Park events - sometimes even fashion shows.

But as possibly Macon's most well-known dog, she makes appearances throughout the year, visiting nursing homes, vacation Bible schools and elementary schools.

When your hair is pink, you're in demand. And you have to keep up appearances.

"She's usually dressed to the nines, because she does get attention wherever we go," Paul Williams says. "If she's not pink, people are disappointed."

Sometimes those appearances can be quite impromptu, such as when motorists lean out their windows and urge the pink Cadillac chauffeuring the pink Lacie to pull over.

"People have actually chased us down," Paul Williams says. "She's quite a crowd pleaser."

The opportunity that got away

2007-03-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

Oh! I am so slow! I sat right beside the mayor last night at the Children's Concert (well, for about 15 minutes anyway) and I didn't even think about asking him about his shadow until this morning. I could have quickly asked him "Hey, who is that man that's been following you all over town?" But did the thought enter my mind? Nope. Not at all.

Actually, to be honest, all I was thinking was geez, the mayor sure is tall. Yes, I've seen him out and about around town, and yes, I already knew he was a fairly tall man. But there's something about having him sit down right next to you and kind of towering over you while his legs seem to stretch on for miles to make you just kind of go whoa. Anyway, he didn't stay for long and I'd like to think that it wasn't a pressing engagement that made him leave early, but that it made him nervous sitting so close to me being that he knows I work for the paper and all. That and the fact that I'm hot. Pink that is. :) (CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT ME ON WMCC NEWS.)

Thanks for the shout out! It's definitely helped re-energize me from the mid-Cherry Blossom slump I was starting to feel. It's only Day 5 of the festival and there are five more days to go so I can't get tired yet. It's hard to stay motivated in the middle of the week though when highlights of the festival mostly include organ concerts and more free cherry ice cream. I've already done the ice cream thing, though, and truthfully I'm not a huge fan of cherry-flavored ice cream so while some people could do that all week, I certainly won't. And I've seen the tigers already, one of the few exciting daily activities. I just don't know about these organ concerts. Maybe. There's always Posies and Punch.

Whatever I choose to do, I'll keep you posted. Also, I've still got plenty of things I'm working on for the middle of the week that have nothing to do with organ concerts. Just stay tuned.

VIDEO/SLIDESHOW | Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious

2007-03-19T23:32:00.000-05:00

I'm not big on school concerts; never have been. When I was growing up, I thought of school concerts as 30-60 minutes of sheer pain and boredom, and dreaded going to them - especially my brother's concerts. Not that he was bad, or that the band was bad. In my opinion, it just always seemed like the same tired old music. Even if it was performed perfectly note for note, I would rather have been at home than sitting in the school cafeteria listening to the band. That's just the way it was. And it's easy to imagine (not having any kids of my own) that the reason people go to school concerts is because they are parents and they have to, not because they really want to.

With all that said, one might be surprised to hear that I went willingly to the Cherry Blossom Children's Concert. Honestly, I've wanted to go the Children's Concert for the past two Cherry Blossom Festivals, but I haven't been able to make it because of work. Yeah, I know - me actually wanting to go to a children's concert sounds a little odd. The photos and stories we've run in the paper in the past have always made the kids look so cute and made the event sound like so much fun. Plus it's hard not to think little kids are cute and funny when they're singing about "icky romance," like they did tonight.

Tonight's concert was actually even better than I thought it would be.

Before the evening started, the mayor read a proclamation naming March 2007 Music in Our Schools Month, and Bibb Commission Chairman Charlie Bishop told a funny story about his own experiences trying to play an instrument when he was younger - turns out he was tone deaf.

The theme of the night was "Lights! Camera! Action!" and about 450 children from Bibb's public schools performed popular music and dance pieces from the movies. Pieces included the themes from "Mission: Impossible," "Superman" and "Star Wars," as well good old classics "What a Wonderful World" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Also on tap were children's classics like "Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious" and "Candyman," which was my favorite performance of the evening by the way. This teeny little kid dressed in a suit went "dancing" through a group of girls much older and taller than himself. He was too funny for words.

All in all, what made the concert good in my opinion was the variety of performances. It wasn't just a band - it was a children's choir, it was dancers, it was soloists. And the music choices made the whole thing even better because it was easy to tell the kids were having fun. And it was obvious that they had worked hard to prepare for the night. It made it kind of sad that the auditorium wasn't jam-packed. Don't get me wrong - it was crowded, but not as crowded as it could have been.

Anyway, here's hoping if I ever have kids their concerts are as fun and entertaining as the one I went to tonight.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE CHILDREN'S CONCERT.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO FROM THE CHILDREN'S CONCERT.

VIDEO/SLIDESHOW | Cherry ice cream on my mind

2007-03-19T12:23:00.000-05:00

Third Street Park opened with a crowd this morning. I don't know if it was the weather or maybe the thought of yummy free cherry ice cream, but it was so packed in Third Street Park that the lines at both ice cream booths never seemed to get any shorter. Festival President and CEO Wright Tilley mentioned during the ribbon-cutting ceremony that Dairyland served 20,000 cones of ice cream over the five days Third Street Park was open last year. 20,000!

After the officials pretended to cut the ribbon (so as to not have to cut the ribbon itself), the Mount de Sales choir entertained the crowd with songs like "Going to the Chapel" and "I've Got You Under My Skin." But if memory serves me correctly, "Going to the Chapel" was also sung at last year's opening. Hmph. How odd. Perhaps I'm wrong.

Also, I'm just a little curious about something. Does anyone know who this man in the back is behind Charlie Bishop?

Perhaps I should know because I work at the paper, but I have no idea who he is. He followed the mayor's car in the parade yesterday and handed out candy from the mayor's pocket to select individuals, and today he was waiting behind the stage. It's like the mayor's got his own little Secret Service man. I'm quite entertained.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE THIRD STREET PARK RIBBON-CUTTING.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO FROM THE THIRD STREET PARK RIBBON-CUTTING.

UPDATE! (March 20, 2007) I've been told that the mayor's shadow is his bodyguard Sgt. Kenneth Kennebrew with the Macon Police Department. Who knew the mayor of Macon needed a bodyguard?

VIDEO/SLIDESHOW | It's a standing ovation for Cherry Blossom Kaleidoscope of Cultures

2007-03-18T22:42:00.000-05:00

Wow! I think I found my new favorite Cherry Blossom event! The Kaleidoscope of Cultures at the Grand Opera House tonight was absolutely spectacular. There were performers representing Greece, Japan, the United Kingdom, Uganda and the United States.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE KALEIDOSCOPE OF CULTURES.

I think my favorite of the performances was the one by the Japanese drummers. They were funny and extremely talented. Not only were they incredibly rhythmically in sync with each other, but they knew how to play to the crowd. At one point, one of the drummers came out dressed as a hibachi chef and joked with the crowd about placing an order. Then he moved back to the table that was brought out and joined in with the drum beat with his cooking utensils.

Just watching all of the drummers made me wonder how much they have to practice in the day to actually be able to keep in sync like they did. And judging by the muscle tone in their arms, it must be an incredible workout for them, too, every time they play. (Hmmm. Not a bad idea for one of those workout videos they market on TV late at night.) They received a standing ovation when they were done with their performance.

Also receiving a standing ovation was Mercer University senior Krystal Morris, who represented the United States at the end of the program with the songs "At Last" and "Amazing Grace."

From the zitherist (as fun to say as it is to watch) to the Ugandan dance piece, I thought everyone did a great job. I know the parade was filmed live by GPTV this afternoon, but I think next year the the Kaleidoscope of Cultures should be added to that list. Evidence for that is found in the audience - I heard of at least one person trying to find out where she could purchase a copy of the evening's performances.

If you think I'm over-exaggerating with my praise, just watch for yourself.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE ZITHERIST REPRESENTING TAIWAN.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE JAPANESE DRUMMERS PERFORM.

VIDEO/SLIDESHOW | Cherry Blossom Parade draws large crowd

2007-03-18T16:34:00.000-05:00

Sunday's Cherry Blossom Parade, celebrating the festival's 25th anniversary, drew a large crowd to downtown. I don't think I've ever seen so many people at the parade or as many entries. In fact, there were so many that the parade lasted nearly two hours. The parade's length may have had a little something to do with the fact that it aired on GPTV this year. Parade participants, particularly the bands, were stopping at the corner of Cherry and Third streets to perform for the TV crews, and that's likely what made it seem longer. It also meant that parade-watchers on Mulberry Street got stuck with intermittent bursts of no floats or bands at all, which was somewhat of a downside because it made it hard to judge when the parade was actually over. Overall, though, I think the parade was a huge success and the weather couldn't have been better. There could have been candy, though. Nobody threw any candy.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS OF THE PARADE.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO FROM THE PARADE.

VIDEO | Cherry Blossom tours of the town

2007-03-18T10:51:00.000-05:00

Telegraph columnist Ed Grisamore will be giving daily tours around town again this year. The tours are similar to the Cherry Blossom Riding Tours that depart from Central City Park and wind their way through Macon's neighborhoods, giving visitors the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the city's beauty when the trees are in bloom. Grisamore has been the guide to a few of the Riding Tours, but prefers playing guide to out-of-town groups who come in with their own bus. That's what he'll be doing this week. In fact, this week he'll be guiding a tour for his very first tour guests again - a group from Fort Payne, Ala. They loved him so much, they're coming back to Macon this year, and they wanted him to be their guide again. Talking with him, I found he's had some great experiences on the tours and has a lot of information about the trees and Macon's history to share.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO ED GRISAMORE TALK ABOUT THE BUS TOURS.

If you're interested in taking one of the daily Cherry Blossom Riding Tours, they're going on through Saturday. They depart from Central City Park at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. and they cost $10 per person. Riders should show up at least 15 minutes before the tours depart.

VIDEO/SLIDESHOW | I'm weak

2007-03-17T23:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm weak. I went to the Cherry Blossom Balloon Fest and Airshow at the Macon Downtown Airport this evening with every intention of staying out there through the twilight show and balloon glow. I really did. But it was extremely windy, and extremely cold. Well, maybe it wasn't freezing, but it sure felt like it. As the sun began to sink a little lower and the air show programming drew to a temporary halt, I decided I couldn't stick it out another hour or so until it got dark to watch the balloon glow. And I'm not the only one who ditched out early. There was barely a crowd there when I left about 7 p.m. - I think the weather got to a lot of people. I'm kind of disappointed in myself for not sticking it out because this would have been my first balloon glow, but my wind-burned face thanks me for not staying any longer than I did. I guess there's always next year.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS OF AIRPLANES PERFORMING STUNTS.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF THE AIRPLANES.

VIDEO/SLIDESHOW | His secret: A Philly cheesesteak

2007-03-17T22:48:00.000-05:00

Chicken wings were on the menu this evening at the Hooters Cherry Blossom Wing Fling wing-eating contest at the Macon Downtown Airport. The wing-eating contest was one of several events to take place at the Cherry Blossom Balloon Fest and Air Show. About 10 contestants were pulled from the crowd after successfully shouting "Hooters makes me happy" as loud as they could. The guys - and one woman - had five minutes to eat as many wings as they could. Some of them seemed to take it all in stride, but there were a couple who looked like they might be sick at any moment. Thank goodness that didn't happen - at least not in public anyway. The winner, a man named Randy, who is pictured here, ate 33 wings in five minutes. When Frank Malloy asked Randy what his secret was, he responded that he had prepared by eating a Philly cheesesteak sandwich not long before the contest!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS OF THE CONTESTANTS AS THEY COMPETE FOR THE TITLE OF WING-EATING CHAMPION.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF THE CONTESTANTS INHALING CHICKEN WINGS.

SLIDESHOW | A Cherrydazzling afternoon in the park

2007-03-17T22:21:00.000-05:00

There was a ton going on in Central City Park on Saturday afternoon and the weather seemed more than willing to cooperate. The sun warmed up a little and the wind wasn't quite as gusty, which made just hanging out and relaxing in the park lots of fun. A few of the activities on the agenda for the afternoon: the Kids Cherrydazzle, a pet fashion show, a dance-dance revolution tournament and the Dixie Disc Dog Championships. CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM SATURDAY IN CENTRAL CITY PARK.

It's a gala-glamorous event

2007-03-17T12:26:00.000-05:00

Click here to watch Liz Fabian's video of the festival's royalty being introduced at the Cherry Blossom Gala on Friday night.

SLIDESHOW/VIDEO | And they're off!

2007-03-17T11:51:00.000-05:00

I have to say Macon, I was quite disappointed at this year's turnout of participants in the Cherry Blossom Bed Race. There were a ton of entries in last year's race, but this year only five teams came out to participate. There were supposed to be six teams, but the fire department backed out at the last minute. The race was still fun, and it still drew a good crowd to Third Street, though I don't think it was as big as last year's but that may have something to do with the windy weather.

Reigning champions Walthall Oil Co. won the race again this year, and even though I love their designs, someone needs to get out there and give them a run for their money. The team's time of 18.5 seconds was about 5 seconds faster than any other team's times. Their bed looks light, and actually looks nothing like a bed, but crew chief Tim Still, vice president of Walthall Oil, and Frank Walthall, president of the company, both said it was actually a bed - it was made from a hospital gurney to be more exact.

LISTEN TO STILL EXPLAIN WALTHALL'S BED RACE SUCCESS.

Here's a picture of the team below.

Team runners were Matt and Josh Still, Tim Still's sons who participate with him each year, Troy Climber and Chad Skinner. And they were smart, too - they put a woman, Amanda Brown, behind the wheel to guide them on a smooth path. Much smoother than the bed that was driven by the Middle Georgia Apartment Association, which wound it's way all over Cherry Street. Straight lines are so over-rated anyway! This is the Middle Georgia Apartment Association's bed below. Their time was 24.2 seconds, but they also won the Judge's Choice award.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THEIR WILD RIDE.

They might have been really wobbly but they did make the race look like fun. And both Tim Still and Frank Walthall agreed that it's a lot of fun, and not necessarily about the winning - though it is good to win. Walthall said working on this event is a great way to bring the retail department and the wholesale people of their company together. He and Still both said they wished more Macon industries and companies would come and compete against them.

The company has been competing in the race for about 12 or 13 years, and has been pretty succesful. Still said he and his sons started working on this year's entry about three weeks ago, but they normally start planning two months ahead. Once they find out the theme, like this year's theme of 25 years of Cherry Blossom, they get down to work and let Katie Conner do all of the graphic part.

Other contestants in the bed race included the Macon-Bibb Transit Authority, which had a time of 23.08 seconds and was named the Most Original by the judges; Cricket Communications, which had a time of 24.26 seconds and was named Funniest by the judges; and the Robins Air Force Department's C-130 Paint Shop, which had a time of 23.24 seconds.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM THE BED RACE.

VIDEO | A pink tradition

2007-03-17T10:12:00.000-05:00

Those Macon-Bibb County firefighters are all heart. The pink pancake breakfast in Central City Park started at 7:30 this morning. It's not even light out that early any more with the time change, and there's no telling how much earlier they had to be there to start making enough pancakes for the 7:30 a.m. crowd. And those firefighters are quite chipper for a group who got up so early in the morning. I went over to talk with some of them while they were making pancakes and they were cutting up with the best of them. They were so much fun, especially Lt. Danny Angelo, who played along with the camera for me. As one of my breakfast companions said, "Those pink pancakes were $5, but that comedy was priceless."

I got there about 9:30 this morning and there was a steady crowd constantly rolling in for pancakes even though it was quite cold and windy. I guess those yummy pancakes have developed quite a reputation over the years, and yummy they definitely are. Because of my work schedule, I don't normally get up so early, but those pancakes are worth every bit of sleep I lose. They'll be serving more pancakes from 7:30-10:30 a.m. next Saturday in the same spot and you can bet I'll probably be there again! It's $5 but the money goes toward a good cause, so come on out and join me next week.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF THE PINK PANCAKES AND FIRE LT. DANNY ANGELO.

VIDEO/SLIDESHOW | Elvis, tigers and gospel, oh my!

2007-03-16T20:17:00.000-05:00

This evening I went to Central City Park for the Bengal tiger birthday celebration. The event was very similar to one of the regular tiger shows, but it also included people wearing party hats and a 10-pound birthday cake made of raw meat. Mmmmm ... yum! After the tigers played a little and showed off some of their tricks, and even after a couple of them relieved themselves in front of the entire audience, the three birthday tigers got to come back out of their cages for a special treat of meringue. The meringue was served in a cardboard box, though, and just like little kitties, the three found the box more interesting than what was in it. There were a few catfights, and one tiger finally succeeded in getting the box to himself before they were all put back in their cages to be served the beefcake. The cake was a little disgusting looking but entertaining at the same time, and it reminded me a little of France, where some people enjoy eating "steak tartar" - or raw meat. One little boy, Camryn Collier, who will be turning 5 on Tuesday, got to go up close and celebrate with the tigers as the Birthday Song was belted out and the cake was cut. Camryn didn't get a piece of this special cake, but he didn't seem to mind too much.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A PHOTO SLIDESHOW OF THE BENGAL TIGERS.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF THE TIGERS FIGHTING OVER A BOX.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF A TIGER DOING A TRICK.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF A TIGER PACING.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF THE TIGERS ENJOYING THEIR MEAT CAKE.

After the tiger birthday party, I wandered over to the main stage to see if the Elvis impersonators were milling about because they were supposed to go on at 6:30 before the Elvis Tribute featuring Kraig Parker, which was to start at 8. Alas, I only saw one Elvis and with the crowd he was starting to draw, it was almost as though he was the King himself.

After winding my way out of Central City Park and getting stuck waiting on the train to pass, I stopped by the Cherry Blossom Gospel Concert at the Grand Opera House. I don't know why I thought the concert might be somewhat stuffy and boring, but I was completely wrong. The group Cavalry's Way was funny and quite entertaining, and the local choir after them, Psalms 33, had the crowd on their feet. I've never been to Grand, and it truly is a breath-taking building. I moved from the bottom floor up to the balcony at one point, and the view is just as good from the top as from the bottom. It's definitely worth checking out when you have the chance.

Saturday should be a busy day and I might not be able to post much during the afternoon. It was really windy out tonight and it's supposed to be windy tomorrow, but I'm hoping it won't mean the cancellation of the air festivities. Last year the wind was so bad that one of the balloons topple over and pulled a van a little along behind it. Here's hoping the wind isn't that bad this year!

NO! It can't be!

2007-03-16T15:51:00.000-05:00

I got this note today from Telegraph staff writer Travis Fain, who is busy covering the Legislature in Atlanta this season.
"The blossoms are really starting to pop up here. There are several trees near my apartment on the top end perimeter and along my drive down I-85 into downtown Atlanta. I'd say these trees are a couple of days away from their peak - significantly further along than the pic. up on your blog right now."
What? The blossoms can't be doing better in Atlanta than in Macon! Isn't Macon supposed to be the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World?
That's all right. They can have their early smattering of blossoms because I'm sure they won't look anything like ours do when they hit full bloom next week.

VIDEO/SLIDESHOW | Don't rain on our festival

2007-03-16T13:03:00.000-05:00

The 25th annual Cherry Blossom Festival is officially under way. City leaders and Cherry Blossom officials cut the pink ribbon at lunch Friday to kick off the first weekend of the festival. The event was supposed to take place on the main stage in Central City Park, but because of a light drizzle, the ribbon-cutting was moved indoors. By the time the ribbon-cutting was over, the sun was starting to break through the clouds a little to make way for some sunny weather this weekend, even if it is a little windy.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A PHOTO SLIDESHOW OF THE RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF MAYOR ELLIS SPEAKING DURING THE RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY.

VIDEO | The president himself

2007-03-15T15:08:00.000-05:00

Right now, Wright Tilley, president and CEO of the Cherry Blossom Festival, is probably one of the busiest people in Macon. Tomorrow, the 10-day festival that he works all year for is set to begin, and from an outsider's perspective, everything seems to be falling into place. Now, if only the weather would cooperate. Tilley and his staff seem pretty upbeat that the weather won't be a problem - just as long as it doesn't interfere with the weekend's air show. Aside from the weather, Tilley and I spoke about his pink wardrobe and whether he might be participating as a model in Thursday's fashion show. And, I wanted to know if he had any secrets for making the trees bloom, because the past two out of three years he has been in charge of the festival, it seems the blooms have been doing their best to cooperate. Find out what he had to say. CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO OF WRIGHT TILLEY.

In case of rain

2007-03-15T12:10:00.000-05:00

I spoke with Wright Tilley, the CBF president and CEO, today for a video that I'll post later this afternoon. This weather seems to not be sure of what it wants to do - it was supposed to be raining today, but it has yet to do so. It is also supposed to be raining tomorrow morning, so I checked with him on where the ribbon-cutting is going to be held Friday at lunch if it is raining. If it is just a light drizzle, the ribbon-cutting will continue on the main stage in Central City Park, he said. If it is raining really hard, the ribbon-cutting will still be in Central City Park - it will just move to the inside of one of the buildings, like the Round Building.

Hanging with Gris

2007-03-15T00:28:00.000-05:00

I spent part of the afternoon Wednesday talking with Telegraph columnist Ed Grisamore about his plans to serve as a guide on bus tours during the Cherry Blossom Festival. I plan to post some video later, but I thought this photo was great and wanted to go ahead and share it!

Riding in style

2007-03-15T00:13:00.000-05:00

When I learned Peggy Whyte was in The Telegraph's parking lot Wednesday afternoon, I immediately ran outside to make sure she didn't leave before decorating my car with Cherry Blossoms. I was out of town this year - and last year, too - the first Saturday of March when she was painting cars for the Think Pink Car Painting event at ACME on Riverside Drive, and had been somewhat disappointed that I was missing out on the chance to get my car all pimped out for the festival. I was glad to learn Wednesday that I hadn't missed my chance, and you haven't either if you still want to get your car decorated. She charges $3 for one blossom, $5 for two blossoms and $1 for text. To contact her, call (478) 737-3059.

VIDEO | Jewelry maker finds success with Cherry Blossom designs

2007-03-11T13:41:00.000-05:00

On my recent visit to the Cherry Blossom Gift Shop, I met one of the store's featured jewelry designers, Deborah Lynn Schwanebeck. Deborah Lynn has been designing jewelry for a little more than a year now and her work is featured in several stores in Macon and Warner Robins. Over the past year, her business has grown more than she could have imagined and she's even considering expanding it beyond Middle Georgia. Click here to listen to Deborah Lynn Schwanebeck talk about her jewelry.

Cherry Shoppin'

2007-03-11T12:50:00.000-05:00

Most people don't realize that the Cherry Blossom Gift Shop, located on Mulberry Street in downtown Macon, is open year-round. Like me, many people only really think about its existence when this special time of year starts to roll around. A visit to the store this past week proved that while the gift shop is home to many things Cherry Blossom, those special trinkets are only a fragment of the specialty items the store carries. Gifts for a new baby (or perhaps a new pet), beaded jewelry, and even knick-knacks such as a hammer that comes dressed as a high-heeled shoe are just a sampling of things you'll find at the Cherry Blossom Gift Shop. While you might not find many things for that special man in your life at the store, it's definitely a great place to consider when you're looking for a unique gift for birthdays, baby showers, and even Mother's Day. Just take a look for yourself. Click here to take a tour of the Cherry Blossom Gift Shop.

Up in the sky

2007-03-10T00:26:00.000-05:00

Columnist Ed Grisamore has spotted one of the first blossoms of the season! Read about it and see a picture of it here.

Blossom Watch update

2007-03-08T21:09:00.000-05:00

A couple of readers have asked about the Blossom Watch feature in the rail of this blog. I definitely plan to try to keep it as updated as possible so that you'll know when and where you can find blossoms throughout town. I can't make it everywhere in town everyday, though, so I would love some e-mails from readers letting me know if you see blossoms in your neighborhood. Please just drop me a quick note at cherrybloggin@yahoo.com and let me know about a specific neighborhood where you've spotted blossoms. I - and many other readers - will be most grateful! Thanks for your help!

Leaving a trail of blossoms

2007-03-06T14:57:00.000-05:00

City of Macon workers were out on Cherry Street today painting the town pink - well, the streets at least. The workers were busy repainting the cherry blossoms at each of the street corners along Cherry. These photos are from the intersection of Cherry and Second streets, right in front of Karla's Shoe Boutique.

Finale

2006-03-26T21:10:00.000-05:00

It's the final day of the Cherry Blossom Festival but I have to admit I'm not terribly sad. Yes, I enjoy the festival and yes, I had lots of fun galavanting all over town visiting the different events this year, but I'm tired now and all blossomed out. I did head back out to the Mulberry Street Festival today with my dog Sophie (Woody Marshall snapped this photo of her at the food fair — she's so cute). She was a little afraid of all the people but still excited to be out, and I think she was probably grateful I didn't make her wear a little pink doggy hat or boots. I also tried to get another gyro from the Greek booth today but by 3 this afternoon they had already run out of lamb to make gyros with. My little greek salad was good, but not as tasty as the gyro would have been — especially since I'd been craving another since yesterday. That salad and this posting mark my final Cherry Blossom fun until next year's festival. Hopefully it will be as great as this year's festival, but maybe a little warmer. On that note, I leave you with this little ode to Cherry Blossom (and please remember I'm tired):

C is for the corndogs I could eat each day
H is hot-air balloons toppling over in the wind
E is even more to do this year
R is for the racing beds that fly through downtown
R is really, really good timing by most of the blossoms
Y is yummy granny's apple dumplings in my tummy

B is for Ben Jones doing the "rain, rain go away dance"
L is looking for $2 green beer
O is only 355 more days until next year
S is a special Southern tea and Fleur-de-lis
S is for the Spanish who couldn't find the Ocmulgee trading post (you had to be there)
O is outings to Third Street Park for cherry ice cream
M is me taking a really, really long nap now.

Balloon Glow mishap

2006-03-25T21:17:00.000-05:00

I didn't get to attend the Balloon Glow tonight because I had to work, but I hear one of the balloons toppled over and then began dragging a van along behind it. Catch the full story and maybe a photo in tomorrow morning's Telegraph or at macon.com.

Saturday at Central City Park

2006-03-25T21:12:00.000-05:00

Here's a look at just two more of the events going on Saturday afternoon over at Central City Park. The first was the Flag City Mustang Club Classic Car Show. The other photo is of Candy Master Masaji Terasawa. He was very enthusiastic during his presentation and definitely having fun with the crowd!

The beds go zooming by

2006-03-25T16:15:00.000-05:00

After being pushed into second place by the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department at last year's Cherry Blossom Bed Race, the Walthall Oil Co. came back with a vengeance Saturday with a time of 18.23 seconds. Walthall, the winner of 2004's race, had some pretty tight competition with the fire department, though, which came in at 19.11 seconds. Both were the only teams to complete the race in under 20 seconds, though the Robins Air Force Base C130 Paint Shop was close with a time of 20.41 seconds. There were also other winners at Saturday's race. The judges named the Georgia Children's Museum Bed No. 1 most orginal and MRS Home Care won for being the funniest bed. I definitely agree with the judges' decisions on those. The Children's Museum entered two different beds in the race (both with pirate themes) but Bed No. 1 was just a little more superior in design than its counterpart. The MRS Home Care was absolutely hands-down the funniest bed, which included a slew of "doctors" and "surgeons" rushing their patient in a hospital gurney down Cherry Street. The True Faith Youth Department suffered the only major malfunction in Saturday's race when their rear left wheel came apart from their bed. They were good sports though and still finished the race in 64.45 seconds. Had their wheel not come off, they might have been good competition for the fire department and Walthall though, because it seems like all the beds with the fastest times had males pushing. Hmmm, what does that say? All in all it was a great race and I can't wait until next year. I'm even thinking that maybe we should get a Telegraph team together to show those Walthall members a thing or two about speed. :)
Here's a look at some of the contestants:

Walthall Oil Co.

Georgia Children's Museum Bed No. 1

MRS Home Care

Macon-Bibb County Fire Department

Phi Mu Sorority's Sleeping Beauties

Middle Georgia Apartment Association

Food with flair

2006-03-25T16:01:00.000-05:00

I was a little disappointed that there weren't more booths at the Piggly Wiggly Cherry Blossom International Food Fair. The booth that seemed to be the most "international" of all (particularly because I don't find things like ribeye steak sandwiches that exotic) was the Greek booth manned by Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church. I had a yummy gyro there with the best sauce ever. I don't know what was in that sauce but it tasted like a mix of cucumber or dill. Whatever it was it was delicious. My mom, who came down for the festival, noted that there could have been a little more lamb meat on the gyro, but she loved the sauce too so she really had no complaints. And the two Korean exchange students my parents brought with them really enjoyed the gyros, too. There was also a stage set up next to all of the tables to provide entertainment while everybody ate, but I don't know if I would call some woman butchering "Stand By Your Man" entertainment. But that's just my opinion.

Sights from Mulberry Street Festival

2006-03-25T15:45:00.000-05:00

I headed out to Mulberry Street a little bit before lunch time this morning. Booths were lined up along all of Mulberry from Second Street to about Broadway. Vendors were selling everything from wind chimes and jewelry to pork rinds and painted trash bins. The festival continues today until 6 and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Here's a look at what you might find.

Following the Cherry Blossom Trail

2006-03-23T20:22:00.000-05:00

My friend Karen and I went out in search of Yoshino cherry trees in full bloom this afternoon. We followed the map that has been seen in The Telegraph for guidance. Although cherry trees can be seen blooming all over town, the map's suggestions are places where the trees blooming are actually from cuttings taken from the original trees grown at the Rivoli Drive farm of the late William Fickling Sr. This fact alone makes these trees some of the town's oldest and largest trees. We figured the best places to start would be at the Fickling home on Ingleside Avenue and the Fickling farm. Both of these locations garnered a rating of "Full Bloom Beautiful" in our rating system. The trees are in full blossom at both of these locations and they completely cover the properties making it look almost as though the properties have been blanketed with a soft snow. While in front of the Ficlkling home on Ingleside, we came across an older gentleman from Florida. He told us this is his seventh year visiting Macon during the Cherry Blossom Festival. He and his wife travel here each spring and this year their party had grown to include five other couples. He was very excited about all of the blossoms this year, especially after last year's poor showing. He even noted that last year was the worst he'd ever seen blossom-wise. After visiting the two Fickling properties, we headed for Wesleyan Woods Drive, which is somewhat in the same neighborhood as the farm. The entire length of the street, from the moment you turn onto it to the moment you veer off in another direction, is in full bloom. The large white trees line the street, one after the other, as though they were chorus girls in a broadway show making their final curtsey; their graceful arms bedazzled with delicate gems. After riding down Wesleyan Woods, it was almost sad to head over to Coleman Hill and Third Street Park. We gave both areas a rating of "E for Effort: Better Luck Next Year," because while a few trees in each area are popping with blossoms, many have yet to emerge from their winter naps. This is sort of sad because many of these trees seem like they might not make their debut this year until after the festival is well over, but I'm not too down about it because it also means we'll get a second round of beauty to keep us excited until next year's festival.

On tap for Thursday

2006-03-23T00:23:00.000-05:00

We've been running a map in The Telegraph this week of where you can go to see cherry blossoms around Macon. Thursday, I'm going to take this map and go on the hunt to see just where and how well the Yoshino cherry trees are blooming.

Raaargh

2006-03-22T18:15:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I had never seen the Bengal tiger show before this year. They look like such soft and cuddly babies even though some of them may apparently get up to 600 pounds in weight, the show's announcer said. Another interesting tidbit he shared: The tigers have a 15-foot range when they take aim to go to the bathroom — but he may have been joking about that one. The trainer and the two other men working with the tigers seem to have absolutely no fear when playing with the giant animals inside the arena, which I just can't understand — they play with them as if they were little puppies almost. When the show starts, there are 9 tigers in the arena (3 cubs and 6 adults). The group is slowly whittled down as one by one each of the tigers performs the tricks they have learned over time, and then returns to its pens. The tricks range from sitting up on their hind legs to actually standing up on their hind legs and walking backward. And if you happen to forget to bring a camera to catch all of this excitement, the group sells disposable ones with an extra surprise — the first photo on each roll is one taken by the trainers featuring a photo of the tigers up close. I'd definitely say without a doubt that if you can only see one show during the Cherry Blossom Ferstival, the Tigers of India Bengal Tiger Family Show is what you should see. Shows are at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., and feedings are at 8 p.m. each day throughout the festival. If you stop by, give them a "Raaargh" for me.

Yummy yummy in my tummy

2006-03-22T18:06:00.000-05:00

I hit Central City Park this afternoon to enjoy some of the scrumptious fair foods. Choices include everything from corndogs and pizza to pork rinds and chinese food. While I personally believe no one should eat such things as Chinese food or seafood at the fair unless they're asking for a stomach ache later, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. In honor of the food and this being Cherry Blosoom, my friends and I wrote just a few haikus:

Bland polish sausage
Covered with onions, peppers
Could have been better

Take a real big bite
Turkey meat rips from the bone
Lasts me all week long

Warm apple dumplings
Cold ice cream swimming on top
No calories, right? :)

Tea time

2006-03-22T17:28:00.000-05:00

If I had to describe the Southern Tea and Fleur-de-lis exhibit going on at the Garden Club with one word, I think it would be "precious." Yes, I just said that. For those of you who have never seen the house, it is absolutely gorgeous inside and worth the walk-thru. It cost $5 to get in and tour the exhibit, which included tea or punch along with little cheeesy triangle sandwiches, nuts and candies that can be purchased in the group's gift shop. Upstairs, a photo exhibit features works by the Middle Georgia Camera Club. Most of the images were of nature scenes and my favorite was a really colorful piece titled "Stylized Orchid" by Alan Thiese. There are a few tea sets and linens set up upstairs, but the best tea exhibit is downstairs in one of the main rooms. Before entering the room, visitors are asked to read a wedding invitation, and then begin their tour of the room to the left. There were about 5 or 6 tables set up, each signifying a different part of the wedding weekend. One table, for example, represents the bridal shower tea, while another represents a sit-down after "the hunt." In my opinion, it's a very clever way to display everything. The final room is the tea room where guests can chose from either tea or punch and munch on sandwiches. The ladies hosting the exhibit (and a I saw one gentleman) were all very obviously excited about the event and full of energy. It was all quite "precious."

$2 green beer update

2006-03-21T17:26:00.000-05:00

One of my coworkers has informed me that there were some vendors selling beer for $3 last Friday night. That's closer to the $2 that they mentioned in the Official Schedule of Events instead of the $8 beer that we found at the Miller Lite tent, BUT IT'S STILL NOT $2 GREEN BEER!

A little rest

2006-03-21T17:15:00.000-05:00

There's not much on the Cherry Blossom agenda today except for the usual daily fare at the park and several concerts, and since I'm just really not that into organ music and too busy working to attend Margaritaville tonight, I'm taking a break from Cherry Blossom today. I'll pink myself out tomorrow instead. Besides that, I'm not in the mood to spend $8 on a poorly made margarita again - even if it is pink.
Tomorrow I'm hoping to jump back into the fun by getting up and visiting the Southern Tea and Fleur-de-lis exhibit that opens at the Federated Garden Clubs. (I'm also hoping they actually might serve some tea, but I'm thinking I might be out of luck on that bet.) Then I plan to head to Central City Park to enjoy a smorgasbord of greasy and way too sugary foods for lunch (I really can't wait to try the apple dumplings), and then I'm going to catch an afternoon tiger show. Hopefully the weather will cooperate with my plans.

Shop ’til you pink yourself out

2006-03-21T00:06:00.000-05:00

I visited the Cherry Blossom Festival Gift Shop over the weekend to buy my 2006 festival pin. The shop is nestled just between the SunTrust and a parking deck entrance at Mulberry Street's intersection with Second Street. I've been around for this festival for three years but in all that time I have never seen so much pink in one place. The shop has everything from the expected, like t-shirts (about $15) and ties (from about $15-$25), to the more outrageous, like pink suspenders and pink parasoles. If that's not enough, you can also find dog collars covered in pink jewels and earrings featuring cherry blossoms. They did also have a few items completely un-cherry related. For the Georgia fanatics out there, the shop offers quite a selection of UGA jewelry to chose from, and for those who could care less about the Bulldogs, the store also sells items representing a few of "those other schools."

Cherries n' Cream

2006-03-20T15:06:00.000-05:00

I think my illustration of Ben Jones doing the “rain, rain go away dance” partially worked — the sun has been poking out from behind the clouds off and on all afternoon. Way to go Ben! While the weather was still a little dismal at lunchtime, the atmosphere over in Third Street Park was anything but. True, the crowd was kind of thin and the lines weren’t that long for the first day of free Cherries n’ Cream ice cream. But with all of the chatter and children’s voices, the “royalty,” the horse and buggy riding in constant circles, a pink cow, and the sound of girls from Mount de Sales’ choir singing “There’s a somebody I’m longing to see,” it almost felt a little like a scene out of a movie. All that was missing was a little sunshine, a lot more blooms, and a little charismatic C. Jack working his way through the crowd. I can almost hear the scene’s director, Chip Cherry, yelling “Cut! That’s a wrap!”
I really enjoyed everything, but I do have a couple of recommendations for next year’s Third Street Park festivities. Instead of just Cherries n’ Cream, next year let’s have Chocolate n’ Cherries ice cream — now that’s yummy. Also, we need some actual food vendors out there in the park. We don’t need a lot, just a few will do. Since I don’t go to work until late afternoon, I had time to stay and eat lunch at one of the downtown restaurants if I wanted, but many people might be coming for about 30 minutes on their lunch break and not have time to grab food and ice cream quite as easily. Having vendors in the park would put everything together in one central location. Even a little Adrianna’s stand selling sandwiches just outside the restaurant would have been perfect. Mmmm … Adrianna’s and ice cream … .

No time for it to rain

2006-03-20T11:06:00.000-05:00

This nasty weather has got to go. I've conjured up an image of WMAZ's chief meteorologist doing the "rain, rain go away" dance to see if it does us any good. Shake your groove thing Ben and work your magic!

The never-ending parade

2006-03-19T18:04:00.000-05:00

I checked out the Cherry Blossom parade for the first time this year. Even with a steady drizzle coming down, there was a pretty good-sized crowd gathered on Cherry Street for the start of the parade. The crowd on Mulberry Street was pretty thin, so if you're looking for a real parade ambiance, Cherry Street would be your best viewing location, but if you want to be able to see all of the floats, you should definitely head to Mulberry Street. You could even head out late to the parade and still get a prime viewing spot on Mulberry to watch everything go by. The only downfall with Mulberry is that everyone's run out of candy to toss by the time they get to you! I wandered over to Cherry Street and caught the national anthem being sung before the start - I didn't know parades kicked off with the anthem so that was an interesting surprise. Then I headed back to Mulberry with my umbrella and stood on one of the sidewalks to wait for the parade to make it's way around the corner.
C. Jack was in the first vehicle to come by, and then Charlie Bishop - wearing all pink (thank you Charlie) - was close behind.

The parade was a lot longer and bigger than I expected it to be, and I was most entertained by the little things, such as floats and cars getting stalled because of the dancing bands ahead of them, which gave people in the parade like Nancy Grace a chance to chat it up and have a good time with the crowd.

I really enjoyed the bands and the dancers, though some looked a little confused at times, but I'll ignore that since they have way more guts than I do to get out in public and dance in costume.

But I think my favorites of all were the API float with hairdressers and wigs, and the Chick-fil-A float featuring a pink cow.

Here's a look at the rest of the parade:

A moment of silence

2006-03-19T14:36:00.000-05:00

I'm about to head out to my first ever Cherry Blossom Parade, but first I'd like to ask for a moment of silence. I realized this afternoon that I will NOT get to see any cows. I mistakenly thought the Mobile Dairy Classroom was scheduled to be at Central City Park today and when I looked back at the schedule of events last night I realized the cows were only visiting the park on Friday and Saturday of this weekend and they're not scheduled to return next weekend. :(

Macon Thunder

2006-03-18T23:29:00.000-05:00

Even though the sun kept trying to poke out every so often, it was a fairly dreary day weather-wise, but still warm and dry enough to do plenty of Cherry Blossom activities. I spent the afternoon checking out the Dixie Disc Dog Championships and Macon Thunder before heading into work for the evening. I had not been to Macon Thunder last year during its first year, so I didn’t know what to expect besides what I had seen in the paper. There were plenty of families crowded around the make-shift catfish pond, and the little kids weren’t the only ones dangling slimy things off the end of their fishing poles — there were plenty of moms and dads enjoying themselves as well. With some families, it was hard to tell who was having more fun, the kids or the parents. There weren’t many booths set up when I visited the trail in the early afternoon, and the music stage was in the process of being set up, but there were plenty of those inflatable type rides for the kids to enjoy. Those really weren’t that popular where I grew up when I was a kid, so I’m always kind of envious of the kids jumping around inside those big inflatable trampoline contraptions. I even saw the little teeny Cherry Prince and Princess running off to the inflatable slide and waving a bunch of money in the air.
I also grabbed some Fincher’s BBQ while I was at the trail and I finally saw a cow, though it was only a Chick-fil-A cow. I didn’t have time to go in search of the real thing today, but maybe tomorrow or later this week. It really was a great family atmosphere in the afternoon with plenty for the family to do, but if you’re in your twenties with no family like me, it might not be the most interesting activity for you during the Cherry Blossom Festival. And as a little side note, I do think the kids’ chalk contest is a better match with Macon Thunder, but I’m going to miss seeing all the chalk-drawings on Third Street throughout the week — that’s just one of the little things that made it Cherry Blossom to me.
I didn’t get a chance to go back out to the trail for the fireworks because of work, but I did catch them from The Telegraph building this evening. I also wish I’d been able to check out the evening portion of Macon Thunder to catch some of the music acts and find out if the atmosphere was any different at night than during the day. Maybe others who got to go to will share their comments with me and fill me in.