Tulip Time Begins in Pella 1935 Main Plan and First Festival
A history recounts how 700 Hollanders led by Dominic Scholte settled Pella Iowa in 1847 and built a thriving community. In 1935 local business leaders launched Tulip Time a one day festival to promote trade. The program featured a May Pole drill Dutch songs and an operetta performed by high school students.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hartley
Kempkes
Wormhoudt
Pella
Lon B. Wormhoudt
I. W. Hartley
Anthony Tysseling
Garden Square
Downown
Burgemeester
T. G. Fultz
Leona Reuvers
Winifred
Donald Hesselink
Hans
Gretchen
Jacob Prins
Second Reformed Church
Hollandsche
Pella Tulip Time history and 1936 festival rise
City workers cleared curbs while citizens planted. Harry Sixsmith arrived from Des Moines to lead as advertising manager for Rosscreen in Pella and helped organize Tulip Time publicity. The revived Historical Society formed to preserve heirlooms, bought a museum site, and drew strong citizen support. the 1936 festival drew tens of thousands, featured Dutch Village, the Blue Tulip operetta, and a new Tulip Town park and tower designed by John Lautenbach.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
George Ver Steeg
Iowa Historical Society
Dominic’ Hendrik Pieter Scholte
Des Moines
Chiquaqua
Atlantic
Baltimore
Ohio
St. Louis
Mississipi
Keokuk
Iowa
Pella
City of Refuge
Central University
Central College
Harry B. Sixsmith
Rosscreen Company
L. W. Hartley
Lon B. Wormhoudt
John Res
Sassenheim
Netherlands
Holland
Jorical Society
Historical Society
Presi- Hugo W. ‘Kuyper
Tunis Kempkes
J. J. Sybenga
P. H. Kuyper
T. G. Fultz
B. F. Vander Linden
Arie Schilder
H. P. van Gorp
Wolters
West Washington Street
Delft
Robert C. Lautenbach
Hugo W. Kuyper
The
Harve P. van Gorp
George Francis Sadler
Chamber
George Heeren
Walter Stone
Harry Sixsmith
Kraschél
B. Sixsmith
Park Tulip
North Main
Chamber of Commerce
Verle Ver Dught
Wayne Pos
Lee Vriezelaar
Ralph Ver Meer
Harry Grootveld
Margaretta Slobe
Martha van Berksum
Janet Klyn
Leona Schilder
West Bet
Jacob Vander Zee
University of Iowa
George Wilson
Margie Veenman
Martha van Berkum
Helen Klyn
Virginia Kempkes
John Lautenbach
Dhitect
New York City
Garden Square
Pella’s Tulip Time born from 1935 festival plan
Pella’s Tulip Time began after an April 16 1935 school operetta inspired a festival concept. Citizens planned Dutch costumes tulips and wooden shoes, sent a delegation to Holland Michigan, and formed a committee to plant thousands of bulbs in 1935 for a future annual celebration.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pella
George Heeren
Holland
Michigan
W. D. van Sittert
George F. Sadler
George Lankelma
Dick den Adel
L. W. Hartley
Also Mentioned on This Page
Tulip
Tey
Pella Chronicle
I. J. Lutbers
Geo. H. Lankelma
Anne Tysseling
Lucille Plette
I. J
Sadler
Polla
Tulip Town
Sunken Garden
Town Crier
Geo. F. Sadler
John Nollen
Grinnell College
Nels Kraschel
West Market Square
George G. Gaass
Henry P. Scholte
Leonora Keables Scholte
Hendrik Pieter Scholte
Virginia van Gorp
Martha In’t Veld
Betty Lankelma
Ruth Heerema
Lenore Gaass
Scholte
Tom G. Fultz
Volk
C. GC. Buerkens
Federated Club
Freda den Burger
Joan Kuyper
Leatanne Vander Pol
Sixsmith
Anna Joyce Klein
Bernace Vander Linden
Nels
PAC
van Gorp Hatchery
Dominie Hendrik Pieter Scholte
Kles Scholte
G Star Oil CO
Independent Sovereign Service
Sabel
Arra Ues
du Pont Duco Enamel
Ena Volver
Kuyper Builders Material Co
Pella, Iowa
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!