Let there be lilacs

June 1, 2008

If you’re looking for a reason to celebrate summer, head to Mackinac Island and join in the official kickoff to its season, the Lilac Festival.
“The festival celebrates [the island’s] most recognized botanical symbol, the lilac, while emphasizing its international, cultural and historic appeal,” says Mary McGuire Slevin, executive director of the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau.
What began in 1949 as a one-day lilac celebration called the Mackinac Island Lilac Day, is now a 10-day event, with an array of family activities.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
The celebration begins Friday, June 6 with music and the coronation of this year’s Lilac Festival queen in Marquette Park. The queen is selected by and from the nearly 75 students who attend Mackinac Island Public School year-round. Music in the local pubs downtown and a comedy show at the Lilac Tree Suites & Spa are featured nightly throughout the festival.
Don’t miss the West Michigan Bootscooters country line dancing on Market Street, an architectural tour of the island, the 10K Lilac Run and a “walk and talk” with International Lilac Society lilac curator Jeff Young, the first weekend of the festival.
“Hosting members from the International Lilac Society is a unique opportunity to gather the world’s foremost lilac experts and enthusiasts here on Mackinac Island,” says Slevin. “This is home to some of the country’s oldest, largest and most beautiful lilacs.”

100 VARIETIES
Brought to the island during the Colonial era, it’s no surprise that Mackinac Island treasures and celebrates its storied lilacs, typically known for their distinctive purple shades and pleasing smell. “We have over 100 varieties in all shades, including blue, yellow and magenta,” continues Slevin.
During the week, activities include history lectures, fundraisers for the Lilac Festival and the Feast of Epona (the Roman and Celtic goddess of horses and protector of all animals), bingo, a governor’s summer residence tour, the Grand Hotel Garden tour, a sunset ferry cruise, bike tours, wine and beer tastings, A Taste of Mackinac (experience the island chefs’ unique and multicultural creations), the Blessing of the Animals, as well as nightly comedy and musical entertainment.
Celebrate the final weekend of the festival at the Epona & Barkus Parade (the island’s tribute to Mackinac’s horses, ponies and dogs), the 3rd annual Mackinac Island Dog & Pony Show, and by attending the Lilac Festival’s Grand Parade.
“The entire festival is great,” admits Slevin, “but a few of my favorite events include the walk and talk with lilacs, afternoon wine tastings, A Taste of Mackinac, Blessing of the Animals, the Dog and Pony Show and, of course, the Grand Parade.”

GRAND PARADE
One of the largest completely horse-drawn parades in the country, this year’s parade starts at 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 15. Its theme is Classic Saturday Morning Cartoons. Expect flashbacks to American animated cartoons featured from the 1960s to the 1990s as Mackinac Island store owners decorate floats and window displays in keeping with this year’s theme.
The grand marshall of the parade is a secret, but the parade is led each year by direct descendents of Chief Mackinac, Don and Carl Andress.
The parade begins one hour later than normal says Slevin, “to better assist all of the groups coming to the island, and to ensure visitors get to experience a carriage tour. After 2 p.m., the carriage tours have to close because we need the horses for the parade.”

GET AWAY FROM IT ALL
Once you get to the island on one of three ferry lines, you can forget about the country’s gasoline problem for a while.
Motorized transportation (except for emergency vehicles) has been banned on the island since 1895 to protect the island’s horses – nearly 600 during the summer – and residents. Get ready to walk, bike, ride a horse or take a carriage tour.
If you plan on staying the night, the island has at least 45 accommodation properties totaling more than 2,000 rooms.
NEED A LILAC BREAK?
Bikers can bring or rent a bike (the tandem is a fun option) and ride the eight miles around the island, packing a lunch to eat along the way. For shorter rides, bike the many trails cutting through the middle of the island.
Leisurely visitors can choose to rent horses or take a carriage tour to key spots on the island, such as Arch Rock and Fort Mackinac.
The centerpiece of the 2,200-acre island includes Fort Mackinac, built in 1780 as a revolutionary war fort and used as a battleground during the War of 1812, changing hands between the Americans and the British several times.
Whenever you choose to visit, Mackinac Island – a National Historic Landmark – offers unlimited activities, guaranteed to keep all ages entertained.
It’s even listed in Patricia Schultz’s New York Times Bestseller, “1,000 Places to See Before You Die.”
So, why not plan a visit this summer? Wouldn’t it be fun to cross one place off the list?

For info, call the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, 1-800-454-5227 or visit www.mackinacislandlilacfestival.com.