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ulips petal in for spring
BY ELIZABETH KESSLER
F o rty acres o f rainbow colored
tulips are open to the public. Sun
or rain, the Tulip Festival is open
everyday u n til M ay 1, from 9 a.m .
to 6 p .m ., for all to v isit and leave
w ith good m em ories.
The Iverson fa m ily o rigin ally
started cultivatin g crops such as
p o tato es, p eas, pole b e a n s and
hops. As their fam ily grew, so did
their fields. It has been more than
two decades since they started the
fe stiv a l and th e tim eless tu lip s
continue to flourish each year.
B esides view in g th e b e a u tifu l
tu lip s , th e fa rm also in clu d e s
crafter te n ts, a kids play area, a
gift shop, food, a tour train, wine
ta s tin g and a fie ld g reen h o u se
w h ere y o u c a n g e t fr e s h cu t
flow ers. It is a place for everyone
to enjoy. They also have fu n days
su ch as 3K and 5K w alk s and
ru n n in g th ro u g h th e fie ld s fo r
the dogs.
E m ily H ic k lin , w ho has been
w orking at the Tulip F estival for
10 years, said, “ A n estim ated two
to 2.5 m illion flowers are planted
each year.”
She also mentioned that it takes
the tulip fields seven to eight years
to grow, and so the fields are rotated
. every five to six years.
Other special events include the
annual photo contest, camera skills
classes, art classes in the field s,
early m orning photography, wine
wagon tours, a tulip trail run and a
steam tractor spark show.
One visitor said it is a visual feast
fo r the eyes. M an y o f the o ther
visitors agree in th a t it is a very
peaceful and tranquil place to come
and take in the beauty of the nature.
Karen L o n d o n , w ho has b een
going for a couple years w ith her
son, said, “ I th in k it’ s im portant
to bring your kids out in nature and
get them outside. For sure, it’ s fun
for fam ilies.”
Two other workers at the Tulip
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Festival said th at they were able
to meet people from overseas and
that its amazing that the festival is
known internationally.
One of the workers com mented
that they try to accommodate for
the p ho to grap hers b y le ttin g a
group from California go through
the fields with their horses and snap
some beautiful pictures.
F a m ilie s can b rin g th e ir ow n
food for p icn ics. Young children
can ride ponies or jum p around in
bouncy houses.
This is the perfect opportunity
not only for photographers to get
amazing photos of the tulips, but is
also a great place to start a tradition.