14 maconmagazine.com | February/March 2026
34 Macon in 2035: Will it
be any different?
Celebrating our 40th anniversary
with a look back (and update) to a
1995 local leaders story
38 Fishing for
compassion
Loaves and Fishes hopes to take
a bite out of hunger
42 Cultural caretaker
creates new foodways
Rodney Mason uses gardening
to restore our roots
48 Heroes Among
Us: Justice
Verda M. Colvin
The judge discusses a life of
service and refusing to be
pigeonholed
52 Abundant greens
How BrightFarms is redefining
lettuce in Macon with the largest
and most advanced greenhouse
in the state
63 Seasoned in Service
Macon's food service veterans
of 2026
70 The spirit of success
The award-winning work of
Longleaf Distilling Co. is years in
the making
80 How stuff works:
A life of listening
Henry Ficklin acts as the
connector-in-chief for the
Macon-Bibb Department of
Community Affairs
84 Recipes that
remember
Family cooking creates a legacy,
reminding chefs of the
bittersweet taste of survival
across generations
Contents | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2026
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