How it all bloomed: A little festival history

The seeds of our Lilac Festival were first planted in 1982 by Judy Watkins, then owner of The Pine Cone Parlor, the original restaurant where today La Leña Mexican Restaurant operates. A way to forget winter and welcome the approaching spring and summer, the Festival started out as little more than a bake sale and a Maypole Dance. Today the Festival has grown into a full-fledged Frazier Mountain Community tradition.

As the years progressed, so did the Festival’s size, eventually blossoming into a permanent, annual event sponsored by the Pine Mountain Club Commercial Property Owners Association (PMCCPOA). Rosetta Burgelin took over as Event Chair and successfully put on the event (with a lot of help, of course) for the next 25 years or so.

After Rosetta’s retirement, another longtime member of the community, Mark Bailey, who then owned Madd Bailey’s Pub, took the reins for a number of years along with help from various very dedicated volunteers. In 2023, the new President of the PMCCPOA, is Debbie Bailey (Mark’s wife), she is a real estate agent with Fenton Real Estate based out of The Perch Restaurant (previously Madd Bailey’s). Mark and Debbie have been very involved in our local community and village events for many years, including our annual Wine in the Pines Festival.

Starting in 2024, Elizabeth Gower – current PMCCPOA President – took over running the Lilac Festival. Elizabeth and her husband Tony Gower are the owners of the Pine Mountain Inn. Elizabeth has a great team of volunteers to help run this event for many years to come! 

Early years of the Lilac Festival also incorporated a small car show for locals and visitors to show off their hot rods and classic cars. The car show grew in popularity and is now a separate event – the Run to the Pines Festival  – typically held in August each summer. The Lilac Festival has always had a parade to kick things off. The parade was originally directed through PMC’s Village Center, but because of the size of the event growing it soon was held on Mil Potrero Hwy (the only main road that runs through PMC).