69th Annual Lilac Festival To Kick Off Mackinac Island Summer Season
Mackinac Island Lilac Festival - June 9-18, 2017
MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich., May 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrate Mackinac Island's rich history and blooming lilacs during the 69th Annual Mackinac Island Lilac Festival, June 9-18, 2017. From concerts to culinary events, horse drawn carriage tours, the Lilac Festival 10K, Mackinac Island Dog and Pony Show, and of course the Lilac Festival Grand Parade there is something for everyone during this 10-day celebration.
A few of the Mackinac Island Lilac Festival featured events:
Lilac Festival 10K • Run/Walk
Saturday, June 10• 9:30 a.m. • Windermere Point
A great Spring morning race on Mackinac Island. Each year, over 700 participants travel to the island to take in the early season beauty. The course will provide you with beautiful sights of the island. This is certainly a race you don't want to miss!
Farm Bureau Family Fun Area at Windermere Point June 9-12 & 16-18
Hours vary daily – Come jump, climb, crawl, squeeze, slide, and color your way to a fun start during the Lilac Festival! Free Family Fun Area located at Windermere Point. There is fun for kids and adults of all ages. Be sure to stop by and color your way around Mackinac Island on our 15 foot customized coloring mural.
Lilac Festival Grand Parade
Sunday, June 18 • 4 p.m.
Celebrating Mackinac's lilac collection began in 1949. The idea was to bring people to the Island to enjoy a great horse drawn parade amidst the lovely lilacs that fragrance the Island in June. What began as a one day event called the Mackinac Island Lilac Day has blossomed into a ten-day festival. This year's theme is Mackinac Island! A team of judges votes on all parade entries with this theme in mind as well as other criteria for selecting those who will receive the coveted parade trophies.
The festival was started when Evangilene Horn and nurse Stella King encouraged the then teen, and today's Mackinac Island Carriage Tours veterinarian, Dr. Bill Chambers to have a parade on Lilac Sunday. It was originally just the one day event called the Mackinac Island Lilac Day, but over the years has expanded into today's 10-day event.
For more information on the Mackinac Island Lilac Festival, and where to stay during the event, visit www.MackinacIsland.org.
The jewel of the Great Lakes, Mackinac Island. Enjoy beautiful vistas, shopping, and carriage rides during the day, and watch the city transform at night with its happening music and bar scene. Mackinac Island has something for everyone.
SOURCE Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau
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