MACON, Ga. — Music notes will soon be floating down a mural of the Ocmulgee River in front of the Rookery on Cherry Street in downtown Macon, and you can help paint them!
They won't be just any music notes, though. They'll be from the chorus of Little Richard's song 'Southern Child,' which was covered by the band Blackberry Smoke at Capricorn Sound Studios in 2020 after his death.
But why Cherry Street, the Ocmulgee and Little Richard?
"Because Cherry Street is the heart of downtown," said artist Erin Hawkins. "I really wanted to have a design that encompassed Macon, and to me that's the river...that's our music."
Hawkins was commissioned by Bike Walk Macon to paint the mural with a little help from volunteers.
The group has been working for years to try and make Macon safer for walkers and bikers.
"The hope is -- coming up to it -- people will slow down because of it. Then, by the time they get to the crosswalk, it won't be an issue for pedestrians," Hawkins said.
She says it's important for the community to come out and help so the road can get finished within two days.
"The community is going to be involved. You can come and paint a part of the river, you can paint a music note," she said.
The mural will flow out of each side of the crosswalk. Each side will be about 10 feet wide and 20 feet long, so it will be at least 40 feet long in total when all is said and done.
Bike Walk Macon has done other projects around Macon, working with different artists to showcase art and safety.
"This is something that we're learning, but we're getting a lot better at," said executive director, Rachel Umana. "We're working on building a tool kit that neighborhoods can look at."
The toolkit will provide instructions on how people can make their own neighborhood safer for biking and walking.
Hawkins will be painting from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
They are asking people to dress warm, wear something that can get messy, and wear a mask.
Want to volunteer? Umana says you don't need to be experienced, and people of all ages are welcome to come and paint. You can sign up here.