Local Knowledge: Welcome to the ‘very’ Cherry Blossom quiz

If you don’t have a serious case of pink eye by now, maybe you can focus on the final round of cherry blossom trivia. 

Best of luck. There aren’t many gimmes this week.

1. Macon is not the only city that hosts a cherry blossom festival in Georgia. Where was the “other” festival held (March 22-23) this past weekend?

(A) Calhoun

(B)  Pooler

(C) Cherry Kee County

(D) Conyers

2. Macon native Steve Penley was the official festival artist in 2012, when he was commissioned to do a painting called “A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words.” Penley’s distinctive artwork has been shown on national television programs and featured in books. It has been displayed in exhibits at famous art galleries and museums. Two months after the inaugural Cherry Blossom Festival in 1983, Penley graduated from what Macon school?

(A) Academy for Classical Education  (ACE)

(B) First Presbyterian Day School (FPD)

(C) Mount de Sales

(D) Westside High School

3. This year marks the 40th anniversary of when Macon was selected as one of four national test markets for which product during the 1985 festival?

(A) Cherry-O’s

(B) Cherry Poppins

(C) Cherry Coke 

(D) Orville Redenbacher Bing Cherry Popcorn

4. This three-time Grammy winning musician played to a sold-out crowd at the Coliseum during the 1990 festival. He was famous for his expression, “Yeah, buddy,’’ and when he was presented with a key to the city, he responded with “Yeah, buds!!!” What was his name?

(A) Elton John

(B) Lou Rawls

(C) Jerry Lee Lewis

(D) Johnny Cash

5. Three years after the National Cherry Blossom Festival Festival began in Washington, D.C., in 1935, a group of prominent Washington society women participated in what became known as the “Cherry Tree Rebellion.” They chained themselves to Yoshino trees around the Tidal Basin to protest what?

(A) Removal of many of the trees to begin construction on the new Jefferson Memorial. 

(B) Rooseveltcare.

(C) DOGE

(D) The Tree Party 

6. Festival founder Carolyn Crayton was honored in 2023 when Macon’s Central City Park was renamed Carolyn Crayton Park. What was introduced and named in Crayton’s honor at the 1998 festival?

(A) Flavor of cherry ice cream

(B) Designer pocket book

(C) Pink Cadillac convertible

(D) Madame Alexander Doll

7. Sabrina Sikora, a graduate of Macon’s Central High School, was named Cherry Blossom queen in 2002 and was crowned Miss Macon two years later. She went on to become an international fashion model and appeared on what national television show in January 2005?

(A) “Survivor”

(B) “American Idol”

(C) NBC’s “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search”

(D) “Dancing With the Stars”

8.  What was the event called when festival-goers took the stage at Central City Park in 2004 and sang to recorded music?

(A) The Masked Singer

(B) Cherryoke 

(C) Macon’s Got Talent

(D) Walnut Street Idol

9. Barbara Eden was grand marshall of the festival parade in 2012. What 1960s situation comedy did she star in?

(A) “I Dream of “Jeannie”

(B) “Beverly Hillbillies”

(C)  “Green Acres”

(D) “East of Eden”

10. Which Macon poet penned these words? 

“Hear him on the cherry tree

From the topmost spray

With a heart brim full of glee

Pouring out of his lay.’’

(A) Judson Mitcham

(B) Seaborn Jones

(C)  Sidney Lanier

(D) Gordon Johnston

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ANSWERS

(1) D

(2) B

(3) C

(4) B

(5) A

(6) D

(7) C

(8) B

(9) A

(10) C

GRADES:

(9-10) Festival royalty

(7-8) Yoshino machine-oh

(5-6) Pretty in pink

(3-4) Blossom possum

(0-2) You have the right to remain silent