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Lilac Festival celebrates Williams Lake’s official flower

Grosses $4,600 for the Station House Gallery
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Greg Sabatino photo Greg Willick (left), James McKay (right) and Alexa McCarthy (second from right) show off some of the impressive cakes they purchased during the cake decorating contest and sale at the Lilac Festival as Williams Lake’s Jannine LeBlanc (back, second from left) and Vermilion, Alta.’s Rugby Samuelson and Margaret West enjoy tea and lunch.

With lilacs in full bloom, the first ever Lilac Festival was celebrated in the lakecity on Saturday, May 26 grossing $4,600 for the Station House Gallery.

Visitors celebrated Williams Lake’s official flower through tea, a cake auction, a scavenger art project for kids, a tea luncheon and generally enjoying the beautiful day — all set with the sweet smell of lilacs wafting through the air.

The stunning decorated cakes — part of a cake decorating contest — were a highlight of the event, where people showed off their skills as an ode to lilacs.

“All in all it was a very successful event,” said Diane Toop, executive director of the Station House.

“A lot of work went into this, and we know that it was a worthwhile event because so many people attended and asked us to do it again,” she said.

While she suggested the Station House likely won’t host the festival next year, she said she’d like to see another organization do it next year to put their own stamp on it.

Toop said they raised $620 from the cake auction alone.

“I can’t get over how generous the buyers as well as the cake makers were,” she said.

Other funds raised came from the chance art draw, lilac sales, tea leaf readings and the luncheon.

“A lot of people for us to thank,” said Toop.

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Williams Lake’s Jannine LeBlanc (from left), and Vermilion, Alta.’s Ruby Samuelson and Margaret West, enjoy tea Saturday afternoon during the Station House Gallery’s Lilac Festival. Samuelson and West were in Williams Lake as part of a mystery bus tour, which stopped by the gallery for the festival.
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Lynda Pinette gets a tea leaf reading from Dorothy Ingalls, who was on hand throughout the day at the Lilac Festival.
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