Link with the Dutch common to North American tulip festivals

Non-exhaustive list

OTTAWA, Ontario - Communities throughout North America will put their best foot forward this spring in a variety of tulip festivals announcing spring and their connection to the ‘Dutch’ flower and frequently Dutch heritage. In addition to Dutch growers often supplying significant quantities of the bulbs, Dutch North Americans frequently are linked to the festivals one way or other. The Canadian Tulip Festival of Ottawa blossomed from the annual gift of bulbs by Princess Juliana. The bulbs were a gift for the hospitality she enjoyed with her family in the Canadian capital during much of World War II when her country the Netherlands was occupied by the Nazis.

Each festival has its own unique ties to the Netherlands. A non-exhaustive list:

From March 19 through April 20, the Oregon town of Woodburn celebrates the 20th Annual Tulip Fest held at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm. For more information visit their website www.woodenshoe.com or phone 503-634-2243.

Some ways to the north, the Washington area around La Conner, Mount Vernon and Anacortes is the scene of the April-long Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Some of the fields in the area resemble the famed bulb fields of the Netherlands.

On April 16 and 17, Wamego, Kansas, organizes its own 2005 Tulip Festival. More information can be seen at www.wamegochamber.com or phone 785-456-7849.

On May 1, Huntington, N.Y. holds its annual Tulip Festival in the Heckscher Park.

On May 5 starts the three-day Pella, Iowa festivity, Tulip Time, a major Dutch heritage celebration. The Dutch-American town founded by Rev. H.P. Scholte and his followers offers much more on its Dutch heritage theme. For more information visit www.pellatulitime.com.

May 5 is in Ottawa/Gatineau the start of the Canadian Tulip Festival, which runs until May 23. This year, some of the celebrations tie in with the 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands. A Dutch pavillion - Prinses Margriet Café - adds a heritage touch. For more information visit www.tulipfestival.ca or phone 1-800-66TULIP.

From May 7th for a week, the western Michigan city of Holland, founded by Rev. A. Van Raalte and his congregation in 1847, celebrates its Dutch heritage with the annual Tulip Time Festival. The event is one of the largest spring festivals in the U.S.A. For a list of events visit www.tiliptime.com or phone 1-800-506-1299.

New York’s capital Albany holds its 57th Albany Tulip Festival on May 6, 7 and 8. The event’s site is at Washington Park. Albany has a colonial Dutch heritage, which dates from the mid 1600s. For more information visit www.albanyevents.org/tulip_festival.

Orange City in Iowa, founded in the 1870s by migrants from Pella, also has a vast Dutch heritage and showcases this, among others, with the Tulip Festival, held on May 18, 19, 20 and 21. For information on specific events, visit www.octulipfestival.com or phone 712-707-4510.

At the end of May (20-23), Truro in Nova Scotia organizes its 8th Annual Truro Tulip Festival. For more information visit www.nstulips.com.