the Orange City Tulip Festival.

Like all Midwesterners, I spend every winter and early spring eagerly anticipating the glorious late spring and summer weather we so desperately need. One of the best parts about that season is every weekend has some kind of festival. No one knows how to appreciate nice weather like Midwesterners, and we jam-pack every minute we can with celebrations. 

The Tulip Festival in Orange City, Iowa takes place the third weekend in May. Mom and I have been going every year since 2015, and it's one of our favourite traditions. 

Tulip Festival 2016

2015 doesn't seem like a super long time for a tradition, but considering 2015 was the first time we'd even heard of such a festival (as we are South Dakotans and rarely ventured into Iowa when I was a kid), it's a good long time.

Tulip Festival 2015

To me, the Tulip Festival marks the official kick-off to summer. It's either raining or blazing hot, like all Midwestern summers. The food stands and carnival rides are out in full force, as are the people. The Tulip Festival is a Thursday-Friday-Saturday event, and Mom and I always go on Friday. We do this because Friday was the day the Ellsworth marching band performed in the parade, and we loved to see James in action. Plus, the crowds were thinner on Friday because it was still a workday, and we didn't have to stand in line as long for our poffertjes. 

Ohhh, poffertjes.

Tulip Festival 2018

These little treats are the #1 Tulip Festival attraction - more so than even the tulips, I would argue. They are little Dutch pancakes served hot with powdered sugar and rum butter, and they are truly delightful. Over the years, Mom and I developed a pofftertje strategy: the poffertje stand ("the Little White Store") was always our first stop, where we would each get a serving of poffertjes (and inevitably end up covered in powdered sugar). At the end of our Tulip Festival Day, we would stop back and get a serving to share. Mom and I would usually sit on a bench outside the Little White Store and reflect on yet another successful Tulip Festival. 

Tulip Festival 2019

Our days began and ended with poffertjes, but there was plenty of activity in between. There was the street-cleaning and the parade, which showcased marching bands from all over the tri-state area. There was always Woudstra Meat Market to visit with their delicious wine and cheese samples, and we typically got lunch at their food stand next door. We would visit the street organ and sometimes catch a wooden shoe carving demonstration. We'd grab some late-afternoon coffee at Town Square Coffee House. Mom and I always stopped in our favourite downtown shops, like Next Door Boutique (with the loveliest owner named Jenni who remembers us from our yearly visits), the Hands Around the World global market, Holland House for the annual Tulip Festival t-shirt, and Windmill Park Jewelry, the local jeweler who creates a special piece of jewelry to commemorate each Tulip Festival. 

Mom bought me this jacket at Next Door Boutique last year, and I wear it CONSTANTLY.

And the tulips. Oh, the tulips. 

Seas of color. Tulips are one of my favourite flowers, and I love to see them in all their glory in Orange City. The varieties are seemingly endless. I couldn't even tell you how many hundreds of tulip pictures I've taken in Orange City over the years. They always lift my spirits and remind me that spring is HERE. We made it through winter alive, and the next few months are going to be glorious.

Are you wondering why I'm talking about the Tulip Festival in the past tense?

Because it's canceled for 2020.

When COVID really kicked off around here in early March, I wondered for a second if it would effect my beloved Tulip Festival. I didn't think too long about it because it was still two-and-a-half months off. COVID would surely be resolved by then. 

Obviously, it's not, and the Tulip Festival was canceled for the safety of all those involved. 

To be honest, I'm a little bit devastated. I look forward to the Tulip Festival every year, but I was especially excited this year. After having a baby in early March, the Tulip Festival would be a marker of normalcy for me. Yes, I'm a mom now, but I can still do the things I love with the people I love, right?

Of course, I know it's for the best. I don't want to put anyone in danger, and I respect the decision. But I can still be disappointed. 

Mom and I haven't missed a Tulip Festival since we first started going in 2015. We decided we're not going to count 2020 as missing a year - if there's no Tulip Festival happening, then there's no Tulip Festival to miss. So our tradition remains unbroken.

In the meantime, the tulips are still blooming. Festival or not, they're just as beautiful.