Spring Festivals In Georgia Towns Sidelined By Coronavirus

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Macon Cherry Blossom Festival Board Chair Alex Habersham announces the cancellation of the festival Friday. / GPB

The social distancing advice around coronavirus that has stopped March Madness and closed theaters in the nation’s biggest cities has filtered down to festivals in the mid-sized cities and small towns of Georgia.  

The Forsythia Festival in Forsyth? Suspended. In Dublin in Laurens County, what is usually a whole month of St. Patrick’s Day festivities, including a parade, has been canceled. Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon? The same.  

In each case, organizers say it was simply the right decision to make to keep their communities safe.  

In Macon, city leaders gathered in the pink blazers they had been prepared to wear throughout the 39th annual Cherry Blossom Festival to hear festival board chairman Alex Habersham deliver the news.  

“This was an extremely difficult decision to make, but one that we understood was necessary for our organization and for the community,” Habersham said. “Even with the plans being made for additional hand-washing stations, ride cleanings and regular reminders, there was to be a risk by having a large number of people in close proximity.”

The cancellation means the loss of an estimated $10 million dollar infusion into the local economy where total county government revenues are usually in the neighborhood of $150 million.  

In Dublin, the month of St. Patrick’s celebrations ended well before the mid-point of March. Rebecca Johnson of Visit Dublin says the community has just begun grappling with how they can support local businesses banking on an annual windfall.  

“So we're going to sit down as a community this afternoon and really have that frank conversation of, ‘How do we rally around you? How do we make sure that the economic, and that kind of community heart that exists in Dublin, how do we make sure that it remains strong?’” Johnson said.  

In Forsyth in Monroe County, Carrie Buckindale said social distancing for coronavirus means a decision to suspend the Forsythia Festival, named for a small, yellow flower. How they will shore up local businesses is still in question, too.  

“You know, obviously, we're still in the triage stage. We just decided last night. The festival is supposed to start tomorrow,” Buckindale said.  

Buckindale said that for some, the cancellation was based on advice local leaders heard from Governor Brian Kemp during one of his press conferences. It took coronavirus from an abstract idea to something they needed to be aware of in their community. 

“You know, there were some people that were surprised. There were others, community members, vendors that were half expecting it,” Buckindale said. “You know, it wasn't an easy choice. And if you'd asked me yesterday morning, were we going to cancel? I would have given you a different answer.”

Buckindale said this doesn’t guarantee no Forsythia Festival in 2020. It’s suspended, not canceled she said. When things get better, there may yet be a party.