Marilyn Lennis, Annika Taylor, and Polly Varhol model the Warnerettes’ new winter look, complete with red bows on their hats.
Farmington’s Governor Warner Mansion and its namesake, Governor Fred Warner, saw a number of “firsts” at the turn of the 20th century. The Warner home was the first in Farmington to be wired for electricity. Fred was the first Michigan governor to serve three consecutive terms. And his progressive stance on women’s rights helped Michigan ladies achieve a monumental first of their own: receiving the right to vote in 1918, two years before the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granted suffrage nationally.
In 2009, nearly a hundred years after Warner’s work toward women’s suffrage, history enthusiasts at the Warner Mansion paid honor to his forward-thinking legacy with the formation of the “Warnerettes” parasol drill team, the umbrella-twirling precision group that marches in parades to reenact suffragettes campaigning for Fred Warner.
Now, six years after the Warnerettes stepped onto Grand River Avenue for their first Founders Festival parade, the group is keeping the tradition of innovation alive with a performance at a brand new local venue: Farmington’s first ever illuminated holiday parade, called “Light Up the Grand.” Held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 6 as part of downtown Farmington’s “Holly Days” festival, the parade will begin on Grand River at Warner Street, near Los Tres Amigos, and finish at Liberty Street.
Despite the prospect of a chilly march, enthusiasm ran high among the more than a dozen Warnerettes who eagerly signed up to participate. Per parade rules, all entries must be both lighted and decorated for the holidays. The ladies’ straw boater hats, usually adorned with faux flowers, have donned Christmas splendor in the form of red bows – the kind normally used on evergreen wreaths. Interestingly, the look is quite authentic: Sharon Bernath, the group’s founder, took inspiration from a photo of her grandmother wearing a hat that’s almost exactly the same style, oversized bow and all.
It’s true: the Gibson Girls of the early 1900s might have raised an eyebrow at wearing down puffers or snuggly shearling boots with their long black skirts and starched white shirtwaists. But the Victorians were fond of novelty, and we think they would have wholeheartedly embraced our idea for illuminating each parasol: long, narrow, multicolor glowsticks, fastened securely along the outside of the large black umbrella’s ribs. When twirled, the umbrella takes on the look of Impressionistic art.
“This is going to be a totally different kind of performance than our summer showing at the Founders Festival parade,” said Sheila Sigro, captain of the Warnerettes. “While the routines are the same, the overall effect will be an amazing and constantly-moving light show.”
Accompanying the Warnerettes in the parade will be Mansion volunteer Dirk van den Muijsenberg’s historic Model T, decked out in twinkling lights and complete with electric blankets for the passengers.
After the parade, most of the Warnerettes – and most of the spectators – will be heading two blocks down Grand River to the Governor Warner Mansion for the annual tree lighting event and Victorian Christmas open house. Join us for an evening of nostalgic holiday memory-making for the entire family.
At 6:30 pm, gather in the yard for caroling to welcome Santa Claus and help him light the towering Christmas tree in the outdoor gazebo. Hear a reading of “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” visit Santa, and enjoy complimentary cookies, donuts, and hot chocolate.
After the festivities, step inside the Warner Mansion to warm up and enjoy a free tour of the 1867 home, dressed in its holiday best and splendidly decorated as only the Victorians could. See the stunning indoor Christmas trees, hear live music on the Warner grand piano, and experience the Yuletide grandeur of a bygone era. At the Governor Warner Mansion, Christmas really is “the most wonderful time of the year!”
Mansion Musings 