After thirty years of living in Des Moines, I finally made it to Pella for the tulip festival. Pella, Iowa is only forty miles southeast of Des Moines, but May is such a busy time, that I never seem to make it down there. That is until this year, and what a fantastic time to go. The sun was shining and the temperatures were perfect.
Even though I worked in the morning, Mom and I drove down and arrived early enough to catch the parade. We parked at Vermeer Manufacturing and rode a school bus to the center of Pella. We immediately began seeing people dressed in Dutch garb, and you can't forget about the windmills.
The parade starts out with the scrubbers, sweeping and washing down the street.
I loved the bands and the floats, but I enjoyed seeing the children dressed in their Dutch costumes the most. These children were from Pella Elementary School.
And of course, then there are the tulips, gorgeous in all sizes and colors!
