Planners Prepare for Lilac Festival June 8 - 17
By Eric Fish

The 58th Mackinac Island Lilac Festival is fast approaching. With 10 days of events from June 8 to 17, the popular festival promotes Mackinac island and attracts visitors from throughout the nation.

The Lilac Festival is characterized by family events during the day and live entertainment at the Pink Pony, Horn's Gaslight Bar and Grill, Gate House, and Patrick Sinclair's Irish Pub in the evenings.

The 10-day 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.

"It seems to be growing, with more tour groups coming early and midweek the last couple of years," she said. "The Lilac Festival is very important to the economy of the Island."

To ensure that this year's festival

is a success, the Tourism Bureau has increased advertisements

state-wide. Aside from increased radio advertisements, more promotions have been distributed in Michigan welcome centers in addition to regional advertising in Traverse City, Petoskey, Gaylord, and Harbor Springs.

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.

Lilac 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 also 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. "Its 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.

It's considered important for Miss Hinchman, too.

"I just want to get the message out there to girls that you can do anything that you want to," she said. "It's important for young girls to get out there and do something that isn't just based on how they look."

She just completed her freshman year at Oakland University and is pursuing a degree in communications.

Grand Parade

The Grand Parade caps the 10-day festival. 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, 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, including an increase in horse hitches from previous years.

2007 Theme

Victorian-era stories and poems will be the theme for the 2007 Lilac Festival. Famous literary tales from the era include Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, and Rumpelstiltskin.

Businesses will compete for store window displays and festival goers can pick up a ballot at the Tourism Bureau office on Main Street and vote for their favorite.

Significance of the Lilacs

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 horse-drawn parade in addition to the hundreds of lilacs on the Island. It has grown over time into a 10-day commemoration.

Today, the float that scores the highest in the Grand Parade receives the Stella King Memorial Award.