HOLLAND, Mich. -- With the 86th annual Tulip Time Festival almost upon us, final preparations are just about completed. The biggest change folks will notice this year is the "on-time" blooms of the tulips this year. You'll recall the cold weather in 2014 caused the tulips to bloom quite late. This year the early bloomers are already out, mid-bloomers are just about there, and late season bloomers are still in the bud phase.
Tulip bulbs are typically imported directly from the Netherlands for the festival. In 1929, a mere 100,000 tulips were planted at the first festival. This year, that number topped 4.5 million, in a variety of colors and varieties.
Other last-minute items being completed include information booths being installed in a few locations to help visitors to find everything. Sponsor banners are also being hung around the city, typically a task completed the last few days before the festival gets underway. In short, everything is completely on track for the nearly 450,000 people that are expected this year.
It takes about 800 volunteers to put the festival on, and more volunteers are always welcome.
The other last-minute item that needs completing? Assembling the carnival rides. While the actual food vendors may be in place, the carnival itself needs to arrive and be in place on the Monday before the festival so that workers can spend the week assembling the rides. We actually observed plenty of that in and along the festival midway.
The Tulip Time festival seems to almost be the unofficial kickoff to spring here in West Michigan. It has a ton of food, fun, entertainment, carnival rides, and three parades, and of course millions of tulips. If you come for no other reason, the tulips are certainly worth the drive!
Make sure to check the forecast at www.fox17online.com/weather.
