Have you ever heard of the cute little town Pella in Iowa? Pella is not only a cute little town, but it is also a Dutch town. I can go there to get my Dutch fix whenever I want. As long as the kids are being taken care of, that is!!! On the first weekend of May when this town celebrates their yearly “Tulip Festival”, it is a MUST SEE!
How did we find it?
In the first few weeks right after we moved to our town, people were telling me immediately about Pella, as soon as they heard that I am originally from the Netherlands. It was time to check that town out!
I cannot recall when the first time was, but it could have been a “Tulip Festival” weekend. J was about a year old, when my Dutch friend and I went to see this Dutch town.
The history of Pella, Iowa
In 1847, 800 Dutch immigrants led by dominee Hendrik P. Scholte, settled the area known as Pella. The name “Pella” is a reference to “Perea”, where the Christians of Jerusalem had found refuge during the Roman-Jewish war of 70. The name was selected because the dominee and the rest of the immigrants were also seeking religious freedom. You can read more about it here.
As you can see, Dutch immigrants settled in this area. When I first got to Pella, I was surprised to see so many well kept Dutch architecture, last names, food like “poffertjes”, and events, like the Tulip Time Festival.
One funny story about what happened to my mom and I in Pella one year:
We were standing at the play area in West Market Park. We were supervising J as she was climbing up a wooden play structure. My mom and I were just talking…..in Dutch. Suddenly a lady in front of us turned around and asked us which language we were speaking. I asked her if she was from Pella and she said “Yes!”. I couldn’t believe it! She couldn’t even recognize the Dutch language!!! Shame on her;) I think she was a little embarrassed when I said it was Dutch!
Compared to other Iowa towns this size (about 10,000 residents), Pella’s houses and gardens are well kept. You can see the same care and cleanliness/ neatness in the Netherlands. Everything seems to be nicely organized: the flower beds, painted houses, no clutter in the yard, etc. Sometimes it is just too much for me! When do these people have the time…and the money, to keep it so nice!
But…it’s fun and nourishing for me to see all these things Dutch at least once a year!
Tulip Time Festival
As I said, the Tulip Festival is always the first weekend in May. In 1935, the first Tulip Time was planned in just two weeks, following Pella High School’s very successful performance of an operetta called “Tulip Time in Pella.” They decided to continue a celebration called “A Tulip Day”. Six committees were formed to organize this big event. In the beginning they didn’t have tulips of course, but that fall, 86,000 tulip bulbs were planted for the next Tulip Festival. That first festival lacked tulips, so George Heeren, a local cabinet-maker, made 125 four-foot-tall wooden tulips which were placed in flagpole holes around the square.
Today 106,000 bulbs were planted in the fall and we can enjoy 87 varieties of tulips all over Pella. Last year an estimate of 200,000 people came to festival. Here is a great page with lots of history about Pella.
Here are the things to do during the Tulip Fest. It can be very busy and if you’d like to see more of the actual buildings , shops and tulips, you might think about to go a weekend before or after the event.
What to do during the Tulip Time Festival in Pella Iowa
1. Dutch architecture
Of course, the first thing you notice, after you park your car…somewhere;) are the cobble stone streets towards the square, the big Vermeer mill, the hotel and other building Dutch style architecture, surrounding the canal and draw bridge and lots of tulips on the square.
The best place to park is in one of the paid parking lots — Vermeer (exit 44) or Delta (exit 40). These parking lots have a minimal cost, plus a shuttle directly to downtown Pella. Delta is open Friday and Saturday. Vermeer is only open on Saturday. There is also parking at Central College (Exit 42) and on the north side of town for visitors coming from I-80. All have signage and shuttles running. The fee is usually only $5.
2. Parades
At 2:30 and 8 PM at night there is a parade through the town with all kinds of historical costumes, music bands, floats and historical facts. The evening one, has lights on the different floats. I remember one of the first times I went there and listened to the announcements, the lady was telling that every province in the Netherlands has its own traditional costume. I did NOT know that. Another thing learned, ha!
3. Museums
There are several museums open those days with fun facts and historical items to see and some of them are even FREE. There’s a tulip contest also. You can visit the Firehouse Museum, Pella Rolscreen Museum, Vermeer Corporation Museum and the Veteran’s Museum. One of the biggest museums there, is the Vermeer Mill.
4. Dutch Food
You’ll find many vendors alongside the square with crafts and food. Typical Dutch food too, like the “banketstaaf” or Dutch Letter (dough with almond paste inside), “poffertjes” (tiny pancakes with powdered sugar and strawberries), “stroopwafels” (thin wafels with caramel) and “Vet bollen” or “oliebollen” (deep fried dough balls with raisins).
We love a coffee shop and restaurant called Smokey Row and a restaurant called Dutchfix for a quick Dutch treat.
5. Dutch stores
There are several grocery stores with typical Dutch items, such as Jaarsma bakery or VanDerPloeg bakery, Ulrich and In’t Veld. The problem at the Tulip Time Festival is, that the lines to get in these stores, are huge. It seems though, that Americans don’t have a problem with standing in line for a long time;)
6. Dutch Craft Market
On of my favorite places at the Tulip Time Festival is the Crafts Market at Molengracht Market and West Market Park. You’ll find more than 100 vendors in this park. There is a wooden playground for the kids and sometimes even bouncy houses. Some of the vendors have unique items for sale like jewelry, wooden tulips in all colors and sizes, metal garden ornaments, clothing, food and personalized items.
I know I haven’t scratch the surface of what is going on that weekend in Pella, Iowa, but this is about the most we do in one day.
If you happen to be in Iowa the first week of May, visit Pella Iowa. You won’t regret it!
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Hello everyone,
Welcome to my Crafty Dutch Girl blog! Grab a cup of “koffie” and browse through fun blog posts about our Dutch family expat life in the USA, Dutch history, Dutch recipes, Dutch things to do in the USA and all kinds of crafts and activities. Don’t forget to connect with me for new ideas! “Groetjes en tot ziens”.