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Macon Community News

The Macon Newsroom

Macon Community News

The Macon Newsroom

Macon Community News

The Macon Newsroom

Arts & Entertainment

New arts center named for soul great Otis Redding is open for education and expression

A crowd gathered in the Zelma Redding Amphitheater for the official opening March 18, 2025, of the Otis Redding Center for the Arts in Macon, Ga.
Grant Blankenship, Georgia Public Broadcasting March 20, 2025

A new center for music education and performance named for the late soul great Otis Redding is now open. The Redding Foundation, run by the family of the singer who electrified audiences...

Showcasing servants and enslaved people who brought luxury living to Hay House

Hay House executive director Aubrey Newby explains the role of Chester Davis as the first tour guide and docent of the historic home in Macon.
Liz Fabian, Civic Journalism Senior Fellow March 14, 2025

As a 16-year-old volunteer at the Hay House, Aubrey Newby led visitors through the architectural marvel, telling them the tales of the various owners of this magnificent home.  Nearly three decades...

Painting Macon pink for the 43rd annual Cherry Blossom Festival

Fatty's Pizza at Cherry and Second streets is just one of the downtown Macon businesses to Paint Macon Pink for the Cherry Blossom Festival March 21-30.
Liz Fabian, Civic Journalism Senior Fellow March 12, 2025

Predicting exactly when cherry blossoms will bloom is a tricky business, so Macon leaders want to make sure visitors see plenty of pink no matter when they arrive.  Traditionally, the Yoshino cherry...

Delta turns 100: It all started in Macon with the boll weevil

A group photo in 1929 shows the original Delta Air Service crew of pilots and mechanics including C.E. Woolman, second from left and John Howe, who piloted Delta's first scheduled flight, on his right. This photo is from the book, "Delta: An Airline and Its Aircraft: The Illustrated History of a Major U.S. Airline and the People Who Made It" by R.E.G. Davies, published by Paladwr Press.
Emma Hurt, Atlanta Journal Constitution March 6, 2025

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has become the first U.S. airline to reach its 100th year. It’s the nation’s most profitable airline with sights set on being the most premium global passenger carrier. But...

Tubman Museum Highlights Kazoo’s Mysterious History

A sign outside of the National Kazoo Museum Exhibit located in the Tubman Museum is seen Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Macon, Ga. The exhibit highlights the history and cultural significance of the kazoo.
Emma Warren, Murphy Center February 27, 2025

A Tubman Museum exhibit displays the history of an often-overlooked instrument: the kazoo. Macon claims to be where the kazoo was invented, however, those details have never been verified. Jeff Bruce,...

Tubman museum’s newspaper ad exhibition honors the humanity of enslaved people

Mercer University sophomore Taylor Boyd mounts a piece of the Freedom Seekers exhibit at the Tubman African American Museum in Macon in 2025. The exhibit features so-called “runaway slave ads” researched by students like Boyd. “They had everyday problems just like us,” Boyd said. “Reading their stories and reading that they were running away to families or they had lovers — that really just exemplified the importance of why we need to showcase this.”
Grant Blankenship, Georgia Public Broadcasting February 24, 2025

When enslaved people fled bondage in the 19th-century South, their enslavers were often forced to describe the people they considered property as human beings in "runaway slave ads" in newspapers....

Finding meaning, calling numbers at the Bingo Hall

The bingo machine that John Akaki uses is programmed to beep when the next ball should be called. The bingo machine and the board with numbers on it costs about $15,000. Although the cost is high, the quality of the equipment ensures the fairness of the games.
Taleen Hanna, For Georgia Public Broadcasting December 20, 2024

LISTEN HERE: John Akaki takes pleasure and finds meaning in calling bingo. GPB intern Taleen Hanna brings us this audio postcard. People go to all kinds of places in search of meaning...

Theatre Macon showcases the importance of community theater

Theatre Macon, located on 438 Cherry St. was founded in 1986 by Jim Crisp Jr.
Megan Jackson, Murphy Center December 6, 2024

In the heart of Macon’s lively downtown lies a community theater that continues to produce performances for the Middle Georgia area as its members take part in productions after nearly 40 years of musicals...

Back to Black: Re-thinking & Revitalizing Black Business in the Macon Community

Kendall Ross, Murphy Center December 6, 2024

Black-owned businesses are vital to the heart and soul of the Macon community. However, many of these business owners face several challenges throughout their business's lifespan—and their stories reveal...

36 Hours in Macon

Haleigh Dearden, Murphy Center December 6, 2024

Macon, a city full of rich music, history, and art, is visited by so many people a year to explore this place full of creativity and joy. There is so much to experience in just 36 hours. Macon’s downtown...

The Hidden Existence of a Catholic Retreat

A replica of The Grotto made by the Jesuits in the early 20th century. Stephen Reichert, one of the current property owners, replaced the replica of the Blessed Mother that rests at the top right niche. Reichert also said the middle niche is an altar used by the Jesuits, while the third niche on the far left represents the place where Bernadette uncovered the spring of holy water.
Piper Riser, Murphy Center December 6, 2024

https://youtu.be/nJL0GL-Uipk?si=rWtBF9ls6XzjFmPy The Grotto was once a stretch of land young men studying at St. Stanislaus College would visit for recreation and reflection as they journeyed into priesthood....

Rooted in Resilience: Sustaining Land for Four Generations

Taleen Hanna, Murphy Center December 6, 2024

Arena Acres owner, Samantha Lineberger is a fourth generation farmer who is working hard to keep her family’s land in Perry, Ga. viable with changing times. She opens her farm to everyone, allowing them...

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