Published: January 01, 2010 11:45 am      

Cherry blossom drop ushers in 2010 for Macon, Ga.

MACON, Ga. (AP) — It may not have been Times Square, but hundreds of people greeted the new year in downtown Macon with the city’s first cherry blossom ball drop.

The Telegraph newspaper reports that with the crowd roaring the final ticks of the countdown, a pink sphere of lights stopped and began sparkling with flashing bulbs.

Shouts of “Happy New Year” rang into the misty air as a blanket of fog settled in for the night.

Cherry Blossom Festival CEO Karen Lambert spoke with revelers from Milledgeville, Dublin and Warner Robins who traveled to Macon despite a persistent drizzle earlier in the day.

The ball was recycled from the festival’s old metal frame Christmas tree.

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Information from: The Macon Telegraph, http://www.macontelegraph.com