International Cherry Blossom Festival
Each March, Macon becomes a pink cotton-spun paradise of delight as over 300,000 Yoshino cherry trees bloom in all their glory. And 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. It roots began with a man who possessed a deep appreciation for beauty and a passion for horticulture. The man in question was none other than the late William A. Fickling, Sr ., a local realtor, who while strolling about in his backyard discovered the first Yoshino cherry tree in Macon. 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 about town as to what the tree was. No one knew---not even his very own gardener!
Later on 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.
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.
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 festival founder.
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