News

Article courtesy of the Macon Telegraph and www.macon.com By DAN MALEY - dmaley@macon.com

Country singer Keith Anderson and ’80s-era funk group Midnight Star will be the headliners at this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival Street Party. Cherry Blossom Festival Marketing Director Stacy Campbell said there will be six musical acts on two stages during the March 27 party, held on Cherry Street between Terminal Station and Third Street. Anderson, the former bodybuilder from Oklahoma who sang “Pickin’ Wildflowers” and “I Still Miss You,” will perform on the south stage near Terminal Station.

The Atlanta Rhythm Section will perform before Anderson, “because we kept getting a lot of requests for Southern rock-style acts,” Campbell said. Young country trio Edens Edge will be the stage’s opening act. Midnight Star, who gave us “No Parking on the Dance Floor” and “Freak-a-Zoid,” will perform on the north stage on Third Street. Cupid, best known for “The Cupid Shuffle” and the line dance of the same name, opens from Midnight Star. A third act for the north stage will be announced later.

The party will start at 5 p.m. and end at 11 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the gate. Tickets for the street party and all other festival events will go on sale Feb. 15 at www.cherryblossom.com and Mercer University ticket outlets. The Cherry Blossom Festival starts March 19 and ends March 28.

Campbell said changes in the festival include a new name and a new location for the Balloon Glow event, a longtime family favorite. The event is now known as Tunes and Balloons and will be held at Macon State College Saturday, March 20th.

In response to consumer demand, the festival is offering for the first time special deals on carnival rides at Central City Park, Campbell said. Unlimited-ride passes will be $15 Monday and $20 Tuesday through Thursday.

The Cherry Blossom Think Pink Kickoff will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 27 at Acme Paint and Decorating at 1979 Riverside Drive. Festival boosters can have blossoms painted on their car windows for $3 each or $5 for a pair. They can also purchase wooden poodle yard decorations for $25 each. “We just want to remind everybody to start thinking pink,” Campbell said.