Oh, this old thing? The 2023 Tulip Court donned traditional styles from the Dutch province of Friesland. (Photo: Orange City Tulip Festival)
This year’s Tulip Time in Pella benefited from some late bloomers. Some of them hung on for the big hurrah earlier this month.
The Orange City Tulip Festival, May 16-18, has the advantage of being a bit farther north, where spring typically springs a couple of weeks later. You can see for yourself with the interactive video “tulip tracker” in Windmill Park.
The festival started in 1936 and has slowly evolved over the years, blending traditions from the Netherlands (costumes, music, pastries) and small-town Iowa (a carnival midway and two daily parades). This year, the local theater group is producing “Footloose” but decided not to wear wooden clogs.
