The Lorain Historical Society encourages the community to celebrate the 91st anniversary of Lorain’s lilac story.
On May 21, 1931, the mayor of Lorain proclaimed the first Lilac Day in Lorain.
The original celebration included music, dancing, the planting of thousands of lilacs throughout the city, and the crowning of a lilac queen.
The history of lilacs in Lorain began in the 1930s, said Kaitlyn Donaldson, curator at the Lorain Historical Society.
“It was a combination of things, the tornado had just happened, and the town was recovering, in addition to going through a depression, and they saw lilacs as a symbol of perseverance, so they wanted to make Lorain a destination,” Donaldson said.
The Lorain Historical Society, 329 W. 10th St., takes orders for the second annual Bloom Lilac sale.
This year, three varieties of lilac bushes, high-end hanging baskets or garden flags are available for sale.
“Garden flags are new for this year,” said Barb Piscopo, executive director of the Lorain Historical Society. “Garden flags are nice if they can take care of things.
“We have garden flags because everyone loves a splash of color in their yard in the spring.”
The celebration and pick-up date is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 22.
“We’re very excited and hope this spring will be even better than last year in terms of people being able to go out and do things together,” Piscopo said.
The Historical Society also encourages Lorain County residents to write and submit their own poem about “Lilacs and Lorain.”
“The songwriting tradition is the nexus for this Lilac Poetry Writing Contest,” Donaldson said. “They’re known as a tough, hardy plant, and there’s a lot of symbolism in lilacs, so there’s plenty of opportunity to get creative.”
The contest is open until midnight April 15.
Applicants may submit a poem (free or formal verse) on the theme; 50 lines, maximum, per email or Word document.
Submissions are being accepted from now until April 15th.
Winners will be notified by email no later than May 20 and announced to the public on May 2, Lilac Day.
For more information or to submit a poem, email info@lorainhistory.org.
