Babies, a princess and good music made for a great Lilac Days

In addition to crowning a Queen, Lilac Days has babies, a princess and music. 

Six babies vied for the title of the Lilac Baby. The former Lilac Queens judged. Babies won titles such as “Go Getter,” “Biggest Smile,” “Sleepiest.” 

William “Pokey” Anderson Yeates was crowned the 2025 Lilac Baby. 

This year’s Lilac Princess is 14-year-old Lilliann Otto of Basin. Her parents are Amanda and Steve Otto. She will be a freshman in the fall. Otto wrote and read an essay about the importance of women getting the right to vote in Wyoming. She will represent Basin throughout the next year at various events. 

The 5K run/walk was sponsored by Gottsche and CRH-Basin Clinic. Ben Mendenhall took first in the 0-19 age category. His brother Jon placed second. Marie Dahlberg was first in the 20-29 age bracket. Merrita Powell ran the fastest in the 40-59 age group. Robin Nichols was the fastest in the 60-plus group. A new category was added for the run/walk: the crazy costume.  First place went to the 80’s-90’s team of Darce DeWitt, Stacey Asay and Melissa Triplett. Honorable mention went to the Baril Family football team. Both teams were presented with Basin Chamber Lilac Loot to be redeemed in local businesses.   

The Basin Rec Cornhole Tournament was won by Avery Clifford and Cooper Zierolf. 

New this year for music was Adam Craw of Lovell. His music was a hit with the audience. 

Always popular is the Basin First Baptist free breakfast. Pastor Aaron Gesch estimates that 250-300 people were fed.  

Lilac Days is an event held the first weekend in June each year. Earlier Lilac Days were held in May, when the lilacs were blooming. However it often was rained and once snowed out. Basin was nicknamed the Lilac City decades ago because of all the lilacs. The event celebrates this history.