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61st Annual Mackinac Island Lilac Festival  June 11 to 20th, 2010

As spring slips in to summer the Mackinac Lilac Festival lures visitors with the fragrant scent of several varieties of lilacs including some that date back to more than 150 years. Horse drawn carriages clip-clop down the streets while a different  life style you have to see to believe still exists.

The idea: bring people to Mackinac Island to enjoy a great horse drawn parade amidst the lovely lilacs that fragrance the Island in June.

From June 11-20 the event offers nightly live entertainment, wine tasting, movies and even a street hockey tournament. Register to enter the Mackinac Island Lilac Festival Golf Tournament at the Grand Hotel Jewel golf course. Choose from many tour offerings from the Governor’s mansion, gardens and Island architecture.

Stay for a day or make reservations for a Mackinc Island Lilac Festival hotel or inn package. Take a carriage ride or just rent a bike and take your own tour of magnificent Mackinac Island in full bloom.

What began as a one day event called the Mackinac Island Lilac Day has blossomed into a Lilac heaven. A ten day festival. Celebrating Mackinac’s lilac collection began in 1949 after a conversation with Evangilene “Ling” Horn and Nurse Stella King who encouraged the then teen and today’s Mackinac Island Carriage Tours veterinarian Dr. Bill Chambers to have a parade on Lilac Sunday.

Let the festival begin.

For more festival pictures visit:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=11770&id=106126789411655&ref=pb

Visit http://www.mackinacislandlilacfestival.org/index2.php

for additional up-dated information.

Last weekend on Mackinac Island Mi, I had the opportunity to photography a very special wedding engagement proposal.  Steve called me prior to the date to set up this fantastic start to his new life with his sole mate.  We spent a little time planing and brainstorming on the phone then on May 30th, two hours before the photo shoot,  Steve and I staked out the site opportunities for set up.  His girlfriend had no idea that Steve had anything up his sleeve and that pictures were being taken,  “we were just going to have a glass of wine out by the water” that turned into champagne and was the start of the proposal.  Both sides of there family’s knew he was going to propose.  Just not the bride to be.

By this time there were many lookers on wondering if something was going to happen.  The excitement begins.

It’s really happening.  It took a while to get to this point.  Steve’s goes down on his knee.  Here we go!

An absolute blast. The opportunity to capture such a special moment in two peoples lives.

The anticipation .

I think she said “YES”.

The kiss you never forget.

The gig is up.  See that camera and the photographer over on the dock .

“Sole mates”.  Smiling memories and just so happens, a freighter in the straights of Mackinac.

I say the freighter is good luck wishes to the happy couple.

I am so excited for this couple and feel honored to have been a small part of the beginning of their engagement.  It was truly a photo shoot I will never forget.  I wish them a lifetime of fun together.

The magic of Mackinac Island is always happening around you.  Doesn’t matter where your at, it matters what is in your heart.  Anyone can pull off special moments just like this.   Just a little time and thought into your endeavors can put smiles on many faces.

For me, I’m ready to photograph any event for a life time of smiles and memories.