Historic Macon Foundation

THIS JUST IN ... We are planning to have five Flea Market sale dates this spring, beginning in mid-March, with a limited number of shoppers at one time (who must wear masks while shopping.) Details on how to sign up for a shopping time will be forthcoming. Here are the dates and times, so mark your calendar and please help us spread the word:... VIP preview shopping night: Wednesday, March 17, 5-8 p.m.; Other Wednesday shopping days: March 31, April 7, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; Saturday shopping days: March 27, April 17, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. We also plan to restart Spy it, Buy it HMF's online marketplace this Thursday, Jan. 28. Stay tuned.

Our savvy Flea Market shoppers (and our volunteers) are the best! Not only did shoppers find exceptional deals at our warehouse over the weekend, they also brought in enough canned goods and other nonperishables to fill five big buckets for the Loaves & Fishes Ministry. We appreciate that! And here's some breaking news: We're having a half-price sale from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Dec. 5. You can register for a shopping time by going to our website, historicmacon.org, and clicking the blue button. Thank you for supporting our preservation mission!

Here at Historic Macon, we know that everyone’s mailbox and inbox are full of solicitations right now. As you consider where to donate, we hope you’ll prioritize giving to Historic Macon. We’ve worked hard to carry out our preservation mission in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The accompanying postcard shares just a few of our successes during this overwhelming year. It’s been challenging. We adjusted at every turn, but the pandemic has hurt us financially and made it ...difficult to carry out our core mission and the work that our supporters expect. The gift of a Historic Macon membership or an honorarium in memory or honor of a loved one is a great way to support HMF. We send a card to let recipients or the family know. You can also donate to HMF by going to our website, http://www.historicmacon.org/donate. We appreciate our members, our partners and all of those who stand with us as we build on our past with an eye to the future. Our work is important to Macon, but it is not possible without your generous contributions. We know this has been a difficult year for many people, so we appreciate your consideration. Thank you for supporting Historic Macon.

Here at Historic Macon, we like to get our members inside some of the places especially the historic places that we're working on or that we're involved with. Earlier this year, for example, new members got a chance to look inside the old Fire Hall No. 4 at Third and Oglethorpe streets, where work continues on what will become our new headquarters next year. Next week, our members will get a chance to see the substantial progress that Dover Signature Properties and Piedmo...nt Construction Group have made on the old Alexander IV Elementary School on Ridge Avenue. The former Fading Five site will become Alexander IV Senior Living next year. On Dec. 17, from 5-7 p.m., HMF members can drop by the old school to see what's been done so far. In order to safeguard everyone's health, we're asking members to register in advance (https://bit.ly/3qIgf6p) before they visit and to bring a mask to wear. If you're not a member, this is a good time to join! During the evening, selected paintings from the art collection of the late Stewart Cunningham will also be on display. Cunningham died last year, and he donated his beloved art collection to HMF. We hope to see you Dec.17 for this exclusive drop-by event.

"Hillbilly Elegy" began streaming on Netflix about two weeks ago, and if you see it, pay particular attention to the Macon sites in the movie that flash ever so quickly across the screen. Among them: the railroad overpass on Lower Poplar near the Terminal Station, and storefronts farther up Poplar that were transformed during filming. The movie, directed by Ron Howard, is an adaptation of J.D. Vance's 2016 memoir about the Appalachian values of his Kentucky family and their s...truggles with poverty, alcoholism, and abuse while living in Middletown, Ohio. In all, about 20 storefronts were part of the mix during filming in Macon. They became, among others: Flint’s Grocery, Weber’s Cafe, Jay’s Beauty Salon, a Radio Shack, the Rathman/Lewis drugstore and the Middletown Journal. While shooting was going on in Macon during the summer of 2019, we spent time talking with several members of the film crew to see what they thought about downtown Macon, its buildings and its history. You can find that blog post here: https://bit.ly/3goupVB

We never really know what our Flea Market shoppers will bring to the checkout table on sale day. These good folks and 119 more found treasures galore Saturday morning, all at half price. Sure, it was a little cold at 8 this morning, but we're betting that everyone who came by to shop before we closed early this afternoon would tell you it was worth it. Thanks to all our shoppers and our volunteers who make it happen. You help sustain our preservation work in the midst of these trying times, and we appreciate it! See you again in April. #maconispreservation

The slots are filling up fast in advance of our Fall Flea Market opening VIP shopping night Oct. 21. Go to historicmacon.org and click the button for that date to reserve a ticket. They're $50, and they give you access to all of the goodies we've been bringing to the warehouse since early August. We'll also provide refreshments for those opening night shoppers. Also, we're partnering with Loaves & Fishes to collect food donations in advance of the holidays. We're asking all shoppers to drop off at least two nonperishable items canned vegetables, a box of granola bars or macaroni and cheese, for example when they come to shop. We'd like to help that deserving organization that does so much for our community. Thank you for supporting our preservation mission and Loaves & Fishes!

If you’re downtown to shop at our last Flea Market warehouse sale this Saturday or even if you’re not consider swinging by the old Roxy Theatre down the street to help prepare for Macon’s first food truck park. Volunteers, led by Weston Stroud, will work from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and again from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. On Saturday, they’ll clean up along the stream behind the Hazel Street theater, paint striping for parking, build benches and more before a lunchtime c...ookout. Volunteers should meet at Harrell’s and Son’s Barber Shop, at 1115 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Additional parking will be available at 1147 Third St. Lane. Water, snacks, masks, gloves and hand sanitizer will be provided. Wear your work clothes! About 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Storytellers of Macon will host and collect residents’ stories about the surrounding Greenwood Bottom neighborhood. (If you want to learn more about the old Roxy now on Historic Macon’s Fading Five list here’s a blog post from earlier this year: https://bit.ly/3ifHDTR Bike Walk Macon representatives will be installing safety measures for pedestrians, cyclists and cars including a bike lane. Please bring a mask to wear. Social distancing will be enforced. Come out and help Macon’s first food truck park! To learn more about Roxy Park, look here: https://bit.ly/3lzXeiD

Folks at Historic Macon have their own fields of expertise, but we’re continually surprised at the range of talent here, including that of our volunteers. In recent days, with Halloween on the horizon, HMF employees took time to, well, carve out a little fun. Now, we’re no pun-kings, but we think these creations are just gourd-geous! They’ll give folks pumpkin to talk about. ... OK, we're done.

We were delighted at the turnout for our second fall Flea Market sale on Wednesday. About 150 shoppers found all kinds of great deals on everything from albums to wicker furniture (That's almost A to Z.) Someone even checked out with the "Swing Easy" double-set album from Frank Sinatra Ol' Blue Eyes which we thought was cool. And right as we were closing for the day, a full load of new donations rolled in on our beautiful Historic Macon box truck. So, if you haven't rese...rved your shopping time for our next sale on Nov. 4, take a minute now to do so by going to historicmacon.org and clicking on the blue button. We're limiting the number of shoppers in our warehouse on sale days to safeguard everyone's health. We're also asking shoppers to bring at least two nonperishable items that we can give to the Loaves & Fishes Ministry. We'd like to fill several buckets for those good folks. Thanks to everyone who supports our Flea Market and our preservation mission.

At noon each Thursday of October 2020 LGBTQ History Month Historic Macon is releasing one video from barrier-breaking Maconites who share their stories during one-on-one interviews. Topics in the oral history series range from Macon’s public relationship with the LGBTQ community to the impact of 2015’s legalization of gay marriage. Tangerine Summers, Macon's most well-known drag-queen artist, is Episode 5's interviewee. The project, funded by a Downtown Challenge Grant f...rom the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, will preserve this important part of Macon’s narrative, sharing stories of our LGBTQ community’s history, culture and activism. Elliot James, a writer, journalist and performing artist, interviewed each participant. Rachelle Wilson directed the project. After all the premieres, the videos will have a permanent home on HMF's website, historicmacon.org. Historic Macon hopes the series will be just the beginning of our community’s commitment to preserve underrepresented parts of Macon’s narrative.

The old Coaling Tower, which Historic Macon added to its Fading Five list in 2018, is back in the news. https://youtu.be/MWD26VWgBtw This unique structure was used as a coal chute until 1965, when its current owner, Transco Railway, bought the tract that it sits on. ... Built in 1910 for the Central of Georgia Railroad, the Coaling Tower is a relic of Macon’s booming industrial heritage. It was built to replenish coal for the busy rail yard close by. The chute sits on a 22-acre parcel that once housed the Central of Georgia Railroad car shops and massive roundhouse complex.

The first of our free-to-enter Flea Market sale days begin Wednesday morning. We've restocked the warehouse with all kinds of gems that shoppers will love. Remember: You've got to reserve a time to shop, since we're limiting the number of shoppers in the warehouse at one time for safety's sake. Go to historicmacon.org and click on the button for the day you'd like to attend. And if you're planning to shop, please bring a couple of nonperishable items that we can share with t...he Loaves & Fishes Ministry. We would love to fill several big buckets for that deserving organization. We've also solved the mystery of the lost wedding band. It was wedged inside a piece of wicker furniture that was donated to Historic Macon. While volunteers were moving it to the warehouse, the ring dropped out and hit the concrete floor. It's a fitting entry for "Ripley's Believe It or Not." The ring was stuck for at least 16 years. The family overjoyed and grateful for its return has asked to remain anonymous. "It is really a miracle," one family member said.

Today's post is at least threefold: to thank everyone who shopped at our Flea Market Wednesday evening; to show off some of their great finds; and to reunite a WEDDING BAND we found with its rightful owner. The ring is inscribed (in cursive font) with the middle initial "R" or "B," with a last initial of "W." We can't make out all of it. Call Historic Macon at 742-5084 if it's yours. In all, 35 shoppers turned out for our VIP preview, taking home all kinds of goodies. Fear ...not, though. We're restocking before our next shopping day, Oct. 28 (from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) Make sure to reserve your shopping time by going to historicmacon.org and clicking on the day you'd like to attend. And make sure to bring a mask to wear. Thank you for supporting our preservation mission! #maconispreservation

Each week of October 2020, Historic Macon is releasing one video from barrier-breaking Maconites who share their stories during one-on-one interviews. Topics in the oral history series range from Macon’s public relationship with the LGBTQ community to the impact of 2015’s legalization of gay marriage. Jim Crisp, Theatre Macon's founding artistic director, is Episode 4's interviewee. The project, funded by a Downtown Challenge Grant from the Community Foundation of Central Geo...rgia, will preserve this important part of Macon’s narrative, sharing stories of our LGBTQ community’s history, culture and activism. Elliot James, a writer, journalist and performing artist, interviewed each participant. Rachelle Wilson directed the project. Each Thursday at noon, one video will premiere on HMF's Facebook and Instagram pages. After all the premieres, the videos will have a permanent home on HMF's website, historicmacon.org. Historic Macon hopes the series will be just the beginning of our community’s commitment to preserve this and other important underrepresented parts of Macon’s narrative.

Today is the first day of our fall Flea Market! It's our VIP shopping night, from 5-8 p.m., and tickets for this kickoff event are $50. That will get you first crack at shopping at a full warehouse (and we mean full), as well as refreshments. Go to historicmacon.org and click the button for Oct. 21 to reserve a ticket. Also, we're partnering with Loaves & Fishes Ministry to collect food donations in advance of the holidays. We're asking all shoppers to drop off at least two nonperishable items canned vegetables, a box of granola bars or macaroni and cheese, for example when they come to shop. We'd like to help that deserving organization that does so much for our community. Thank you for supporting our preservation mission and Loaves & Fishes!