(Orange City) — Thursday begins the 79th annual Orange City Tulip Festival which runs through Saturday. Mike Hoffman is the executive director for the Orange City Chamber of Commerce and says despite the recent cool weather, the
tulips are expected to be in full bloom for the annual festival.
Many of the townsfolk can be seen dressed in traditional Dutch costumes as they celebrate their Dutch heritage. Hoffman explains how and why the annual festival got its start.
Part of the traditional Dutch outfit is the wearing of wooden shoes.
Some of the highlights of the Tulip Festival include several food vendors, a carnival, a flower show, a craft show, and art show, the Dutch Dozen singers, windmill tour, and the Night Show Broadway musical of “Beauty and the Beast.”
Of course, the Orange City Tulip Festival wouldn’t be complete without the traditional street scrubbing followed by the twice daily parades. Hoffman says the street scrubbing starts at 1:00 p.m. each day, with the parade to follow, and the evening parade begins at 6:00 p.m. Next year, Hoffman says
the northwest Iowa Dutch community will not only celebrate the 80th edition of the Tulip Festival, but it will also be Orange City’s 150th Sesquicentennial celebration.
