As folks prepare to head out on summer vacations, the Downtown Macon Community Association wants them to realize there’s plenty of fun to be had close to home.
Mid-June promises a host of activities including the Juneteenth Parade, Make Music Day on the first day of summer, and 10 days of celebrating a consummate cocktail, the Bee’s Knees.
From June 13-22, 11 bars and restaurants will serve up their version of the alcoholic beverage that traditionally combines gin, lemon juice and honey.
In 2017, Vermont-based Bar Hill Distillery created Bee’s Knees Week and uses the event to boost pollinator habitats.
The company pledges to plant 10 square feet of bee-friendly environments for every picture of a Bee’s Knees cocktail posted on social media with the hashtag #beeskneesweek and tagging @barrhillgin.
Over a million square feet of pollinator gardens have been pledged or planted the last eight years and the company hopes to add 300,000 square feet more this month.
Macon participants can pick up a passport at participating locations and collect stamps with each visit. Those with a completed passport can enter a drawing for a $50 gift card to any downtown business.
NewTown Macon’s Vice President of External Affairs & Main Street Manager Emily Hopkins said these fun, collaborative events are what makes downtown special.
“Bee’s Knees Week is the perfect excuse to explore downtown, try something new, and make a real impact — one cocktail at a time,” Hopkins said in a news release.
The passport includes stops at Black Cat, Dovetail, Hotel 45’s Hightales Rooftop Bar and Loom Comfort Kitchen & Cocktails, JBA, Just Tap’d, Kinjo Kitchen + Cocktails, Oliver’s Corner Bistro, Piedmont Brewery & Kitchen, Quill at The Woodward hotel and The Man Upstairs at Downtown Grill.
Completed passports must be emailed to [email protected] by 12pm on Monday, June 23, with the winner announced June 24.
This month, Longleaf Distillery also celebrates its Southland American Gin as Spirit of the Month by offering a chance to win a $50 gift card by casting a vote for either the Sicilian Dragon or Basil of Baker Street. Longleaf marks National Gin Day with an $8 gin and tonic special.
Juneteenth parade and festivities
This year’s Juneteenth celebration concludes June 22 with a downtown parade at 4 p.m. followed by a family-friendly tailgate party and fireworks.
The parade will go up Cherry Street to Second Street and then down Poplar Street with the tailgating following in the parking lot of the Tubman African American Museum, which expects to release more information soon about its additional Juneteenth events, said the museum’s education coordinator George Crawley.
Macon Black Culture President Sheknita Smith said, “This year’s theme is homecoming, so there will be vendors and game trucks and bouncy houses and all different kinds of activities for families to enjoy the festivities after the parade.”
The party wraps up at dark with fireworks shot off from Luther Williams Field and visible from the museum.
In briefing the downtown association about Juneteenth activities, Smith said her organization is working with Kwanzaa Cultural Arts Center, Torchlight Academy, the Macon-Bibb County Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, and the Douglass Theatre in planning this year’s events.
The celebration kicked off at the Douglass on June 7 with a Junior Debutante Presentation followed by Friday the 13’s 20th anniversary of the Real Talk Hip Hop Summit and 7 p.m. concert at the theatre.
Sat. June 14, the Pleasant Hill Reunion begins at noon at the Mattie Hubbard Jones Playground and Tattnall Square Park hosts the Juneteenth Freedom Festival at 3 p.m.
Festivities shift back to the Douglass on Saturday with the Fathers & Family Juneteenth Celebration at 3 p.m. and the Performance Showcase featuring Lil’ John Roberts and the Senators at 6:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday, Black History Van Tours depart from Terminal Station at 5 p.m. For more information, call 478-718-8067.
Wednesday, Amber Jones-King hosts “Tales from the Culture” at the Sunset Suite & Lounge at 1410 MLK Jr. Blvd. from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. featuring Danny Glover, Erika Mack and Vinson Muhammad.
On the federal holiday, Macon-Bibb County will hold a wreath-laying ceremony to honor freedom and community unity at 10 a.m. in front of City Hall.
That afternoon at 2 p.m., the Douglass Theatre hosts an encore presentation of “Made for a King,” a documentary commissioned by Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful to document the last visit to Macon of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
For more information on these events, visit maconblackculture.com.
“We are wanting to make sure that all of us as a community can celebrate and enjoy this time,” Smith said.
Make Music Day
Macon’s Make Music Day summer observance traditionally falls on June 21, but will be two days this year as events occur across town in different venues, founder Gloria Stanley told the downtown association.
With the theme “Boots on the Ground, Where them fans at!” Stanley hopes to connect local artists and organizations and celebrate the city’s vibrant music community.
“Everything is family-friendly and it’s open to the public and it’s free,” Stanley said.
The celebration weekend begins that Saturday with “Boots on the Ground” boogies at Walmart on Zebulon Road from 10- 11:30 a.m., moves to First Baptist Church at 595 New Street from noon until 1:30 p.m. before shifting to Dillard’s at the Shoppes at River Crossing from 2-4 p.m. and wrapping up at Hotel 45 from 6-8 p.m.
“We may go a little bit longer there, depending on guest participation,” Stanley said.
On Sunday, June 22, Atrium Health Navicent’s Wellness Center at 3797 Northside Drive will highlight the Boots on the Ground song and popular line dance at 3:30 p.m. but athletic shoes are required, no boots or flip flops. Guests will be required to present a driver’s license and sign a waiver before participating.
This year’s finale will be at the Douglass Theatre from 7-9 p.m.
Since 2017, Stanley began with a Downtown Challenge grant and has organized musical activities ever since as part of a worldwide celebration in more than 1,000 cities in 120 countries.
Make Music Winter occurs on that seasonal solstice Dec. 21.
For more information or to learn how to participate, visit makemusicday.org/macon.
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
