Cherry Blossom Purpose
We shall work to enhance the quality of life, community fellowship, and civic pride of all Macon and Middle Georgia residents through the encouragement, development, and coordination of selected recreational, cultural, and social activities. A secondary purpose of the Festival is to share our quality of life, community fellowship, and civic pride with visitors attracted by the activities of the Festival.
Our overall theme is “Love, Beauty, and International Friendship.” We will conduct, organize, promote, and maintain the Macon, Georgia International Cherry Blossom Festival by continuing as a non-profit organization which will serve to sponsor the Festival as an annual event in Macon, Georgia. The Cherry Blossom Festival Organization also produces and supports other events during the year throughout Macon-Bibb, such as our Veteran’s Day Celebration.
Cherry Blossom History
Each March, Macon becomes a pink, cotton-spun paradise as over 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees bloom in all their glory. For 10 days, festival-lovers are treated to one of the most extravagant displays of springtime color in the nation as they visit the town referred to by Congressional Records as the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World.
Originally a sleepy southern town, Macon has now become a bustling center of beauty and international friendship. The Festival’s roots began with a man who possessed a deep appreciation for beauty and a passion for horticulture.
Yoshino Cherry Trees
The man in question was none other than the late William A. Fickling Sr., a local realtor, who discovered the first Yoshino cherry tree in Macon while strolling about in his backyard. The year was 1949, and at the time of his discovery, he was unaware that the tree was a Yoshino species, rare to the South. Awed by the tree’s unique beauty, he began inquiring around town as to what species of tree it was. But, no one knew, not even his own gardener!
During a business trip in Washington, D.C. in 1952, Mr. Fickling spotted a tree that looked exactly like the tree he had discovered in his backyard. During a return trip, he compared a cutting from his tree to those around the Tidal Basin. It was a perfect match! Upon his return home, he learned to propagate the Yoshinos and began freely sharing them with the community.
A City Full of Trees
As the years passed, Macon’s Yoshino cherry trees grew quickly in number, attracting the attention and admiration of long-time residents and newcomers alike. One particular individual struck by their beauty was Carolyn Crayton, a woman who had relocated to Macon from North Carolina during the early seventies with her husband, Lee Crayton.
After admiring the trees’ unique beauty, Crayton had the opportunity to speak with Fickling at a company picnic.
“I shared with him a dream of mine, one where the entire town was bursting with thousands of the graceful pink cherry trees. I asked if he would donate trees to plant in my neighborhood of Wesleyan Woods, and he generously agreed, helping my dream become a reality,” said the festival founder.
To start the project, Fickling agreed to donate the trees if she would organize the planting. A community effort, spearheaded by local families and corporations ensued, leading to the planting of approximately 500 Yoshino cherry trees on Saturday, November 24, 1973, with the first trees planted along Wesleyan Woods, Guerry Drive, and Oxford Road.
Birth of a Festival
Carolyn Crayton’s vision did not end with the Wesleyan Woods project — “It was just the beginning!” As the Executive Director for the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission, she proposed launching a Cherry Blossom Festival to celebrate the beauty of the trees and to honor Fickling for all he had so generously contributed to the town.
As a result, The Cherry Blossom Festival was born in 1982 under the auspices of the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission. The first festival was held in Third Street Park as a birthday celebration for Mr. Fickling on March 23rd. Coincidentally, this is the peak blooming day of the Yoshino cherry trees.
The Cherry Blossom Festival was developed around the basic principles of “love, beauty, and international friendship.”
Cherry Blossom Capitol of the World
Despite its humble beginnings, the festival has become one of the Top 20 Events in the South, Top 50 Events in the U.S., and Top 100 Events in North America. It has grown from a 3-day festival with 30 events to a month-long celebration featuring hundreds of events planned to entertain all ages and backgrounds.
The Yoshino cherry trees’ numbers keep growing as the Fickling Family Foundation continues to donate thousands of cherry trees to Macon-Bibb residents each year. Their generosity helps keep Macon’s beauty alive as well as its distinctive title as the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World secure.
The Cherry Blossom Festival specifically acknowledges the YKK for their partnership.