CreekFest celebrates 10 years of Macon’s Americana, roots radio station

The Creek radio station is flowing into the future with CreekFest, a street party Saturday from 4-9 p.m in celebration of its 10 year anniversary.

The locally programmed station at 100.9 FM will mark the occasion on Cherry Street with live music from bands with deep Macon ties, music-related goods and a variety of local craft drinks. Attendees will also get a glimpse into the local music businesses that reflect Macon’s vibrant music scenes and history.

The lowdown on Saturday’s CreekFest

“CreekFest is more than a celebration of a radio station,” said Susie Cowan, general manager of The Creek. “It’s a celebration of Macon’s living musical legacy. For 10 years, The Creek has carried forward the stories and sounds that define this city. CreekFest brings that mission to life in the most authentic way possible: live, in the streets, with the community.”

Cowan said CreekFest performers represent “the next generation of Georgia artists that you hear on The Creek’s airwaves,” and added that most have newly released music to perform. 

The Lineup

Supper — An Atlanta-based five-piece band that digs deep into the rich cultural heritage that shaped the American sound to create soulful blues and funk.

Brother Wallace — A Georgia-bred artist who’s shared the stage with gospel legend Kirk Franklin, performed at historic venues like Madison Square Garden and served as a background vocalist for the rock band The Heavy. His own album is on the verge of being released.

Mike Mattison & Trash Magic — Mattison is a singer-songwriter and founding member of the blues/roots group Scrapomatic. He has also been a member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band and Derek Trucks Band for 22 years, penning some of their signature songs and scooping up accolades along the way, including two Grammys for best blues album, eight Blues Music Awards from the Blues Music Foundation and four Canadian Maple Blues Awards. “Turn a Midnight Corner” is the prolific Mattison’s third solo outing, for which he’s also working on a novella of the same name.

Andy Thomas — Thomas has worked his way up the ranks as an electrifying guitarist across the United States and abroad, whether fronting his Trongone Band or as guitarist for the acclaimed Americana act Yarn. His debut album, “Highway Junkie,” was produced by Dave Schools, bassist for Widespread Panic, and delivers fiery Southern rock and high-octane country blues.

But Cowan said not all the attention will be on the CreekFest stage located around the intersection of Cherry and Third streets.

“The theme of CreekFest is Music Made, and we’ve invited businesses and brands inspired by music,” she said. “It’s not going to be your normal arts and crafts market. Capricorn Studios will be there, The Big House, GabbaFest, Bragg Jam, Macon Pops and others with information about themselves and promoting their upcoming events. 

Cowan noted that there will also be music-related items for sale.

“Even though the acts at this event aren’t directly from Macon, they’re connected, and the entire event is about supporting music in Macon,” she said. 

Bottom line: Grab a lawn chair, get downtown, check out some booths, grab a meal at one of many outstanding restaurants, grab a beverage and enjoy some fine music — and maybe a toast to 10 years of The Creek on air.

A little Creek history: real people. real music.

The Creek’s airwave roots go back to the early days of Middle Georgia radio when, in 1945, it was WNEX-AM and featured the likes of Charlie “Peanut” Faircloth’s “Hoedown Party” and Del Ward’s “Across the Breakfast Table.”

After many iterations over the years, the pivotal Creek moment came when Wes Griffith, Rob Evans and Brad Evans took over and created a uniquely Macon station featuring Americana and roots music from Macon. While almost all other U.S. stations had turned to nonlocal, corporate programming, they did the impossible and made The Creek a viable voice for the city, featuring local personalities doing local shows and interviews with hometown folks and bands traveling through. There from the beginning was Macon singer-actor Charles Davis, who still hosts the signature “Creekside Mornings” show.

Other shows you won’t hear elsewhere include “Jukin’,” hosted by Big Mike of the Booty Papas; “The Whipping Post Big House Radio Hour”; Justin Cutaway’s “Local Load-In”; Kirk West’s “Into the Mystic”; Rev. Jake Hall’s “Gospel Gothic”; and more — so many more, including “Creekside Sports,” featuring renowned sports journalist Daniel Shirley of The Athletic and Steve Norris.

Though thoroughly a hometown Macon station, The Creek’s reach goes surprisingly beyond the city, thanks to online streaming. With that online factor considered, 75% of Creek listeners visit the station’s website, with the ranking of top user cities going in this order: Atlanta, Macon, Chicago, Dallas, Birmingham, New York, Miami and Warner Robins. As for countries, the U.S. is tops, followed by Canada, the U.K. and Germany.

The Creek rolls on

In 2025, Visit Macon bought The Creek, taking over operations. Most probably haven’t noticed changes, but a few are in store.

Don’t worry, though. According to Cowan — who’s been on the job as general manager for six months and brings a background in both radio and music marketing — the shift in ownership will not change the flavor of the station or much of what people are used to.

The idea is this: take The Creek’s proven foundation and utilize it to its fullest to purposefully market Macon, its music and all the other good things that bring people here.

“Visit Macon is the only tourism office in the world that owns a radio station, so what we’re doing is pretty fantastic,” Cowan said. “Our motto is that we’re broadcasting the Macon experience 24/7. We’re broadening our digital footprint, and we’re going to flip the script. 

“Where we were a local radio station with a global streaming service, we’re flipping that to be a global media company with a local radio station. We’re in the middle of a huge digital expansion. We’re soon going to be launching a new website. We’re going to be adding streaming, podcasting and other features. We’ll be telling the story of Macon from all different perspectives.”

The new website is set to launch in several weeks, keeping with The Creek’s actual birthday on July 8. There will be a new website address — streamthecreek.com — when it launches, but Cowan said the current thecreekfm.com will bounce visitors there when the time comes.

And another big, for-the-better change is The Creek’s location. Renovations are underway, and in 2027, The Creek will move to the ground floor of the old Bibb Theatre along with Rock Candy Tours and a Visit Macon gift shop. Plans are for The Creek’s on-air studio to be behind glass and visible to Third Street passersby and fans.

Pretty cool, huh? 

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com. Find him on Instagram at michael_w_pannell.