Anne-Marie's singing career set to blossom (From Western Telegraph)

Anne-Marie's singing career set to blossom

Haverfordwest singing discovery Anne-Marie Riley has left for America, where she will receive VIP treatment in Georgia.

She and her partner, local PC Mark Taylor, will be in Macon for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Following her appearance at Folly Farm last year with the American country and western group Cathead Dooley, she is travelling to America with Cor Meibion De Cymru, who have appeared in Macon before.

They fly in to Atlanta, Georgia, today (Wednesday) for three or four days of leisure, and then they sing in a concert in the church on March 13th. Anne-Marie will be taken to Macon to be a VIP in the festival, of which one of the features will be a country and western concert with Cathead Dooley.

The choir travels on to Savannah, Georgia, for another concert before returning to Macon to take part in the rest of the festival there. Anne-Marie, who is usually pictured in leather gear, will need a ballgown for her appearance at a celebration ball in Macon. She will ride in the lead car in the procession, which takes more than two hours to pass through the streets of the city.

The annual Cherry Blossom Festival was the brain child of local tycoon William Fickling Two, who built an international business empire in pharmaceuticals, hospitals and real estate. In retirement to a farmstead at Macon (pop 70,000) he began planting Japanese Yoshina flowering cherry trees, which burst into delicate pink blossom on his birthday in March. A friend suggested planting these beautiful trees throughout the city of Macon and the Cherry Blossom Festival of some 300 events and over 300,000 cherry trees was born. Lord Parry of Neyland has been a regular visitor during the last 20 years.

LEFT: Anne-Marie Riley: Cherry Blossom Festival appearance.