Pella's Tulip Time

My granddaughter, Kari, asked me to go to Pella’s Tulip Time with her but would turn her head when I wanted to take her photo.  Okay, I got you Kari, even if your mouth is full.

Kari’s friends, Missy and Mike and I found seats behind the queen’s court just to the right of the Tulip Toren. It’s a good thing that we saw the tulips in April because they were all gone by Tulip Time. This year’s queen, Alexa Zylstra, even carried silk tulips. Her whole court is standing under the Tulip Toren as they were introduced to the audience.

 

We watched the Dutchesses dance beneath the 130-foot tall 1850 replica of an Old Dutch mill called the Vermeer Mill. 

 Then we returned to our seats to watch the hundred or so people in Dutch dress as they scrubbed the streets in preparation for the parade. Even the little kinder helped.

 
 

   

The evening parade was beautiful. Bands from as far away as Missouri marched the route. Floats depicting tugboats, the dress of the ladies of each province, and even Sinter Klaus were in the parade but that my favorite float this year was the Delft Float which depicted the Delft tea service that Mareah Scholte had shipped to the USA when she immigrated. (Most of her dishes were broken in route.) Notice there are people in the cups.  If you want to see the photos larger, double click on the left side of photo.