Mackinac Island Lilac Festival Begins Friday

The 58th Mackinac Island Lilac Festival will start this Friday, June 8, and will continue through the festival's finale, the Lilac Festival Grand Parade Sunday, June 17.

This year's festival theme is stories and poems from the golden age of fairy tales, and the festival and island businesses will reflect that theme. The annual business window decorating contest gives people the chance to vote for their favorite decorations, and be entered to win a two-night vacation for two on Mackinac Island. People can stop by the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau to get a ballot, vote for a window, and get entered in the drawing for the vacation.

The 10-day festival will offer more than 100 activities and family events during the day, with live entertainment in the evenings at the island's bars, restaurants, and hotels. Schedules of events are available at the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, the St. Ignace Area Chamber of Commerce, and online at www.mackinacisland lilacfestival.com.

The event draws as many as 15,000 spectators and participants and has remained popular over the years, despite the decline in Michigan tourism, said Mary McGuire Slevin, Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau director. Similar to the annual Michilimackinac Pageant over Memorial Day Weekend in Mackinaw City, the Lilac Festival is used to gauge tourism for the summer months. So far, the outlook looks good, she said, with an overall increase in tourism seen so far this year.

"Anytime you get Mackinac out there … it's always good for business," said Armand "Smi" Horn of Mackinac Island Carriage Tours.

The lilac is Mackinac Island's most recognized botanical symbol, and the fragrant blossoms decorate public parks and private lawns each spring. The event began as a celebration of the new summer season, and the idea originated with lay health nurse Stella King in 1948, said Mr. Horn.

"She talked the school into having a school trip," he said. "We went to the Holland Tulip Festival and we said, 'Gee, we can do something with lilacs on the Island.'"

The festival began in 1949 as a single day of celebration designed to allow people to enjoy a horsedrawn parade in addition to the hundreds of lilacs on the Island. Today, the float that scores the highest in the Grand Parade receives the Stella King Memorial Award.

Events will begin Friday, June 8, with a live performance by the Alex Graham and Grand Hotel Orchestra in Marquette Park, across from the island marina, followed by the coronation of the Lilac Festival Queen and a reception. Other festival highlights are noted here.

Lilac Festival Queen

It is customary for Mackinac Island Mayor Margaret Doud to introduce the new Lilac Festival Queen and her court each season in the event's opening ceremonies, during which the crown is passed from outgoing queen to the new queen. The queen and court are selected from students at Mackinac Island Public School.

Miss Teen of Michigan has been on hand for the past four years of the event. The 2005 winner, Nicole Hinchman, will be back for another year June 8 before a new Miss Teen of Michigan is crowned in July. Miss Teen of Michigan is selected for academic achievement and community service and reigns for two years.

"It was such a beautiful, beautiful festival to be at," Miss Hinchman said of her experience last year. "It's breathtaking with the lilacs blooming."

She is scheduled to give a speech at Marquette Park in addition to welcoming the queen.

"I thought it was important for our festival queen to meet other girls her age that represent their community, with Miss Teen representing the state," Ms. Slevin said.

Festival Highlights

Activities will continue Saturday, June 9, with a 10-kilometer race, bicycle tour, run and walk, book sale, hiking tour, a concert by the String Orchestra of Kalamazoo, a street dance on Market Street, and other live entertainment.

Sunday's events will include the Lilac Festival Lybster Brunch to commemorate Lybster, Scotland, Mackinac Island's sister city. A cello concert with the Suzuki Academy of Kalamazoo, lilac walk and talk, architectural tour of island buildings, and evening entertainment are other highlights.

Events Monday, June 11, through Friday, June 15, will offer wine tasting events, walking and bicycling tours, a golf tournament, a sunset cruise under the Mackinac Bridge, a history tour, a jazz and wine night, garden tours, a lesson on black ash basketry, Epicurean events, and a historic inns tour. Friday will also offer a Feast of the Epona Blessing of the Animals at Mission Hill Stable, preceded by a 4-H Youth Club lemonade fundraiser and tour of the stables.

Saturday, June 16, will be Kids Day at Fort Mackinac, more walking tours, the Epona and Barkus Parade of dogs on the Mackinac Island boardwalk, and the third annual Mackinac Island Dog and Pony Show at Windermere Point, featuring trick horses and an agility dog show, as well as dog rescue groups. Tricky Dicky and the Spoonmen will perform live at Marquette Park across from the marina, followed by other evening entertainment at island businesses.

Events will wrap up Sunday, with another Lybster Brunch, a clown show, the Grand Parade, and evening entertainment.

Grand Parade

The Grand Parade caps the 10- day festival Sunday, June 17, beginning at 4 p.m. A public concert at Marquette Park at 1 p.m. features Scottish Tattoo and the Grand Traverse Drum and Pipe Band, the Glen Erin Pipe Band, and Sault Ste. Marie Pipe Band.

Hailed as a local legacy event by the Library of Congress, the parade is also one of the few parades in North America where all the floats are pulled by horses.

The parade is led by brothers Don and Carl Andress of Mackinac Island, who are direct descendants of Chief Mackinac. This year's selected Grand Marshal is Dynamite the Clown, who will celebrate his 25th festival parade.

Ms. Slevin said that about 80 entries are registered for the parade, showing an increase in horse hitches from previous years.