MACON, Ga. — Macon turns 200 this year and has several events to celebrate, including the reveal of a very special song.
On Wednesday, the Macon Bicentennial Committee will unveil a surprise bicentennial anthem and music video at the Capitol Theatre.
The song is meant to honor the city's long music history and spark hometown pride in those who hear it.
"We have an afterparty where we're going to have three local performers, and in honor of Black Music Month, we're showcasing different genres and styles," Marketing Chair for the Bicentennial Committee Julia Morrison said.
Performers include Charles Davis and the Velvet Sound, Reese Soul, and CMD Styles.
Morrison says the committee worked to not only celebrate the city's past, but to get people excited for Macon's future.
"We really chose these artists that are performing because they represent not just Macon's music past, but Macon's music future. We have not only 200 years to look back on, but we have a future to look ahead on, and we're really excited about the direction where Macon is going," she said.
But why a bicentennial anthem?
Morrison says the committee rolled around a few ideas for a bicentennial recording and even considered a bicentennial album.
"Then, we found this song that already existed by a local Macon artist, so it was really by them, expressing their civic pride and heritage about this town, which was just fantastic," she said.
Morrison says the committee approached the artist and asked them to re-record the song in Capricorn Studios. Now, with some added instrumentation, a few edits, and a music video, the song is all set to premiere on Wednesday.
The song and its composer are both secrets until the reveal, but Morrison says to think really hard about the afterparty event and you might be able to guess.
Morrison says it's important to look back on Macon's past because the city has an exciting present and bright future. She's says Macon is on the cusp of so many great things like almost having Georgia's first national park, the Macon Mall Amphitheater construction, and Macon being prominent in the national tourism spotlight.
"What we want to do is inspire the pride of everyone here at home, so we are as excited as visitors are to discover Macon, Georgia," she said.
The Macon Bicentennial Anthem announcement is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Capitol Theater in downtown Macon. The event is free and open to the public.