Announcing Our History in Bloom Poetry Contest

To celebrate and honor Lorain, Ohio as “The Lilac City,” we are hosting a poetry contest in conjunction with our Second  Annual Lilac Sale!

 Since the first Lilac Festival in Lorain in 1931, lilacs have symbolized perseverance for the city. Residents in the early 1930s wrote songs about these intoxicating plants for a contest hosted by the annual festival. In similar fashion, for this year’s 91^st anniversary of lilacs in Lorain, we are encouraging residents of Lorain County to write and submit their own poem about “Lilacs and Lorain.”

Submissions will start being accepted on Friday, March 18th and can be sent to[email protected]. All submissions are due by ^{Friday, April 15}. Winners will be notified by email the week of our lilac sale (May 20^th) and will be announced on Lilac Day which is Saturday, May 21^st.

Questions? Please email [email protected] for more information.

“History in Bloom” Poetry Contest

 Theme: Lilacs and Lorain

Who: Open to all residents of Lorain CountyWhat: Submit one poem (free or formal verse) on the theme; 50 lines, maximum

When: Contest open from Friday, March 18th, until midnight on Friday, April 15th

Where: Submit to [email protected]

How: Poems can be submitted in the body of the email or in an attached Word document. List your legal name and, if applicable, your pen name. Provide your phone number and city/town.

Prizes (sponsored by Kelly Boyer Sagert):

First Place: Lilac-themed sugar cookies by Debralicious + 1 “The Lilac City” garden flag + a copy of Hidden History of Lorain County by Kelly Boyer Sagert + 2 poetry books

Second Place: 1 “The Lilac City” garden flag + a copy of Hidden History of Lorain County by Kelly Boyer Sagert + 2 poetry books

Third Place: a copy of Hidden History of Lorain County by Kelly Boyer Sagert + 2 poetry books

Important Notes

Submissions will be assigned a number; judges will not know your name

Poems cannot contain hate speech or sexually explicit language/themes

Only poems that follow the rules will be considered for prizes.

No poems will be accepted after midnight on May April 15th; to be fair to other entrants, there can be no exceptions

Winners will be contacted the week of May 20th and will be announced on Lilac Day this year, May 21^st on all Lorain Historical Society social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and through our enews).

Any questions, please email [email protected]