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June/July 2025| maconmagazine.com 41 arts and music festival in Unionville, Duval held two community meetings at Frank Johnson Recreation Center in April. Around 60 citizens turned out for the meetings that featured Duval providing an overview of the F.U.B.U. initiative, panel discussions, and an exchange of ideas around what the festival should look like. "The initial work on this project serves as a means for the community to say what they want and as a way for Unionville residents to share their stories. We're creating history every day, so it's important to capture it," Duval said. When asked why the festival had to be focused on art and music, she says doing so was a no-brainer. Besides both being her wheelhouse, she considers art and music creative forces. "It's very, very powerful to create. It's incredible to create something that did not exist without your agency." A r t i s t s J o i n I n A big proponent of the For Unionville By Unionville initiative and Duval fan is Unionville based creative and entrepreneur Matt Odom, owner of Matt Odom Photography. From his home passed down to him from previous generations not far from where Duval was reared, Odom has become a force in the world of photography. His works appear regularly on the pages of Macon Magazine in between images inside and on the covers, and in Georgia Trend Magazine, Sports Illustrated, ESPN Magazine, National Geographic, AP, and Bloomberg to name a few. Odom believes the festival will highlight the history of Unionville as a place with a storied past to be reckoned with. Where Black businesses once boomed and arts and music-related institutions like M.A. Evans-Gantt, Southwest High School, and Ballard Hudson High School held "It's very, very powerful to create. It's incredible to create something that did not exist without your agency." court whenever their marching bands hit the stage or streets. He also believes F.U.B.U. is an opportunity for the city to grow another part of town that has not been shown as much love as it deserves. Many benefi ts exist, he insists, with SPLOST improvements at Frank Johnson and the potential for new hotels, housing, and restaurants. "I would invite anyone to support this festival. On this side of town, it's prime season for investment," Odom added. "Unionville is a location that if you're coming through Macon, you will eventually have to pass through it to get to your destination. What Leah is doing is big. Her being young, ambitious, and creative allows her to see things in a diff erent way," he said. "The arts are a gateway to an increased economy, which means her festival is good for not only Unionville but the entire city." LEFT Leah Duval's graduation picture. Photo courtesy of Leah Duval. Information from the F.U.B.U. meeting, including old maps of Unionville. RIGHT Frank Johnson carries the 1996 Olympic torch and a section of the F.U.B.U. Fest website.