Lombard is in full swing with "Lilac Time"! Last night was the 51st Annual Lilac Ball honoring the 80th Lilac Queen and her court. It was truly a wonderful event!!! We had taken a couple years off from going but were so thrilled and honored to attend as guests of our friends. We are now back on track to making it a tradition again!
Our very first Lilac Ball was in 1998! We had never been to one before and enjoyed ourselves so much that we made it a tradition to go ~ especially in 2001 when our daughter Michelle was a Lilac Princess!!! I will always have special memories of that year with all the excitement that being a "Princess" brought to my daughter and the family. A proud moment it was! Last night at our table there were three sets of proud parents whose daughters were Lilac Princesses in previous years!
These are some of my favorite pieces of 'Lilac' items! See the teacup, spoon and tiara ~ well, our 'Princess' Michelle received the tiara from the Lombard Service League and the cup & spoon were received at a 'Lilac Tea' that was hosted by Bonnie MacKay from the Lombardian. I even kept a pink rosebud from the centerpiece ~ it's tiny but it's there on the saucer!! Bonnie began the tradition of the tea in 2000 and has continued to give each member of the court a teacup and silver spoon. It is truly a lovely event...
Each of the girls that are chosen to represent the Lilac Court receive a $1000 scholarship from the Village of Lombard as well as many other gifts from local organizations. Not only do these girls do a lot during their reign but they become a part of the history of our town's celebration of "Lilac Time"! At last nights Ball ~ the Lombard Historical Society had the program from the 'First Lilac Festival' that was held in Lilacia on May 17, 1930. The Lilac Queen chosen was Adeline Fleege and since then there are 79 additional young ladies that carry the title of Lilac Queen!!! According to a new book 'Images of America Lombard's Lilac Time', in the beginning the court was chosen by votes from the townspeople. You could buy a ballot for a flat fee of 5 cents or they were free if a purchase of more than a $1 worth of merchandise was made. There was no limit as to how many times you could vote either! The Queen was decided by popular vote ~ "Who is the prettiest, the most popular girl, or the one having most of 'It' in Lombard." There were different color ballots ~ white was good for 10 votes, pink for 8 votes and yellow for 5 votes. In today's day the girls are chosen by their academic accomplishments, community service involvement and their presentation. We've certainly come a long way baby...
Love your picture!
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