“A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it.
It just blooms.”
Anonymous
Since
Joe and I had heard about Macon’s Cherry Blossom Festival a few
years ago, we wanted to go so this year we put it on our list of
places and things to do. This Festival occurs every year towards
the end of March and makes Macon a great destination during that
time. Please check online before you go to see the exact dates of
when the cherry trees are in full bloom in Macon. We both love the
beauty of cherry trees and heard Macon was overflowing in them, so
off we went on our next adventure. Macon is an easy two hours from
Augusta and we enjoyed the nice drive through the Georgia
countryside. The more we see of Georgia, the more we love it.
When
we first arrived in downtown Macon, we barely saw any cherry blossom
trees and we were thinking what was up with that. Then we saw a few
on couple streets downtown but still not to the degree of what we
thought. I knew there was a map you could download to really get to
see them so we downloaded the cherry blossom trail, a self guided map
and off we went. We hit the jack pot following the map and saw the
gorgeous cherry trees in their full glory while driving through nice
neighborhoods. If you go, make sure you download the map. We know
you will really enjoy the ride. As we were driving around there were
many other spectators doing the same thing.
Macon
is known as “the cherry blossom capital of the world” and boasts
of over 350,000 Yoshino Cherry Trees, more than 90 times the amount
that Washington, DC has. It all started with William A. Fickling,
Sr who discovered the beauty of the Yoshino Cherry tree when he
walked in his back yard and saw one back in 1949. He asked around
to find out what kind of tree it was and no one could tell him, not
even his gardener. Over the years, another resident settled in
Macon from North Carolina, Carolyn Crayton and she too had his
admiration for this special tree. She spoke to Mr. Fickling about
her dream of having an entire town with thousands of trees blooming
in the spring. Mr. Fickling loved the idea and the first year he
donated 500 cherry trees and organized a planting day on November 24,
1973. The first trees were planted around Wesleyan Woods, Guerry
Drive, and Oxford Road which is all part of the online tour.
Driving down these roads now you can see these cherry trees in all
their splendor. It was a beautiful sight and we were thrilled to see
so many trees.
Every
year the number of trees increases and the Fickling Family Foundation
continues to donate thousands of trees each year. These graceful
pink cherry trees bloom all over the city now and will only get
better every year. We will have to make it a habit to come and see
the new additions each year.
So
now every March since 1982, Macon shares with the world the
extravagant displays of color during the Peach Blossom Fest and has
become one of the top twenty events to see in the south. The theme
for the fest is, “Love, Beauty, and International Friendship.”
There is an area where there are amusement rides and many blossom
related events such as a Pink Pancake breakfast, Parade, many bands
playing, craft show, tours, and even a balloon lift. The fest now
goes on for over a week.
As
Joe and I strolled through the city that day, we noticed we were
walking in a sea of pink. Lots of people wore pink for the event
and we just had a fun day celebrating with the town folks. This is
well worth coming to see and we only wished we had more time to stay.
Add this to your list of to do’s in Georgia. Check them out at:
https://cherryblossom.com.
Advice
from a Cherry Tree
Celebrate
life’s beauty
Blossom
in your own time
Share
your gifts with others
Welcome
each new day
Spring
forth with joy!
(Your
True Nature quotes)
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