Pellet Fan
All Things Considered => General Discussion--Non food Related => Topic started by: Kristin Meredith on January 08, 2021, 05:29:13 PM
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Not food related but trying to tap into local knowledge. When we went on our short trip up to Michigan in the fall, we drove over to the pretty town of Holland and I learned a bit about their tulip festival. It is being held this year from May 1 (Sat) until May 9 (Monday). From some other posts, I gather they can have a million visitors in that period. I would really love to see the tulips, but am just not excited about fighting crowds.
So, for you folks up in that part of the world, is there any "shoulder season" for the tulips -- and if so, better to go a few days before May 1 or maybe go on May 10 or 11? Thanks for any insight.
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This is sort of related to your inquiry—it's an alternative. Iowa has quite a lot of people of Dutch ancestry. Two cities, Pella and Orange City have tulip festivals. Theirs are probably not as crowded.
Orange City info (https://www.octulipfestival.com).
Pella info (https://www.everfest.com/e/pella-tulip-time-festival-pella-ia).
EDIT: Corrected incorrect em-dash (—) display caused by server update.
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Thanks for that info Paul, I will check them out.
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Years ago I worked in Holland and commuted in the Tulip Time traffic. While it was busy, the traffic was not awful. A large percentage of the people who come are on tour busses, so they are fairly well self contained when they make their rounds to the various events. There are a lot of parades, Dutch dancers, and a variety of shows that can be fun; there really is a lot of community involvement. A good friend of mine lives right in town on Tulip Lane. He puts on his Dutch costume each year and plays his banjo on the street corner. That's something you're just not going to see everywhere!!
The festival is scheduled for May 1-9 this year. If you are interested in just seeing the flowers and some of the attractions, don't feel like you need to be there for the festival. They have early and late blooming tulips, so you can usually catch them before and after the festivities take place. Also, depending on the weather it is not uncommon for the flowers to peak a week or so before or after the festival. I can remember one year it was called the stem festival by the locals because it had been a long winter and they had not bloomed yet!
This may be one of the few times Covid may work in your favor. Last year they called off Tulip Time, but that doesn't keep the flowers from blooming! The only thing I see listed on the website for activities are the artesian market and outdoor garden tours. My guess is there is a good chance most of the events will be called off and there will not be nearly the normal sized crowds.
I hope you decide to come, there is a lot to see in Michigan. I do feel obligated to put in a plug for Northern Michigan! May is also when the cherries start to blossom, there are a lot of scenic orchards. It is a great time to see Lake Michigan and the Grand Traverse area!!
https://tuliptime.com/
https://www.awesomemitten.com/traverse-city-cherry-blossoms/
Only in Holland!
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I think if you avoid the actual events like the parade, the crowds are fairly manageable. We've been there several times during tulip season where it is busy but not overwhelming. You just do not want to be downtown during the parade if you are trying to avoid crowds like me.
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I really am just interested in viewing and being able to see the tulips. I read they plant thousands on, I think, Windmill Island and also a great display at a park (Dunston Park?). This is not meant as an insult to the folks of Holland, who I am sure work very hard on all the events, I just have no interest in parades or dance exhibits or shopping, etc. (well, I would buy bulbs!). The gardener is me just wants to see what seems to be a tremendous display of tulips.
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I really am just interested in viewing and being able to see the tulips.
I talked with my friend in Holland, he said he has not heard any official word on the Tulip Festival. However, based on the rumors he has heard (from unnamed but reliable sources) it is probably a good bet that there will not be a traditional festival this year with all the hoopla and parades.
However, the flowers will still be in bloom. Windmill Island and the tulip farms should still be open. If you are into more flowers and less hoopla, this would be a great year to come!
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Thanks JD, great info and I may be one of the few that benefits this year. Sorry for the people of Holland because I assume it is both and income maker and source of community pride, but I bet they will bust records in 2022!!!
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Alright, 1st road trip of the year already in the planning stage. Hope the fishing on Lake Michigan is good at this time of year, cuz me and Bonnie (an anyone else who wants to go) are going out!
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So, we are about a month out from our trip and really hoping we hit a time of good tulips. I am following "Tulip Time" on fb and they posted this video today. Not only is it incredibly beautiful, but just so peaceful to watch all those bulbs in bloom pass by. It must be incredible to live in Holland at that time of year!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEtASHewSEc
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Looks like we will be going a different route to Michigan this year, 1st night in Piqua OH, jut north of Dayton. Any eating suggestion from any one for this Berg?
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Looks like we will be going a different route to Michigan this year, 1st night in Piqua OH, jut north of Dayton. Any eating suggestion from any one for this Berg?
Just before Covid shut everything down last year my daughter and I were in Dayton on our way to Kentucky to check out schools. We ended up stopping for dinner at the Carillon Historical Park where they have a restaurant and brewery that is actually part of the museum. It was quite interesting. We got there too late to go in the museum, but the food was good. However, the menu is a very limited. If you have the time, stop at the Air Force Museum.
https://www.daytonhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2021_CBCFoodMenu.pdf
https://www.daytonhistory.org/
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I hear the tulips are blooming in Holland, but they are struggling in the north country. This is what we were dealing with yesterday morning!
Safe travels!
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Heading out Monday!
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Heading out Monday!
48 or so hours from passing each other across I-81
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Can't wait to see you and welcome you to the Holland area.
Am I of Dutch ancestry?
Ahhh…
Is the Pope Catholic?
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The tulips are now blooming in the north country, so everything should be good to go in Holland!
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I am doing these posts on the phone and I'm simply not used to that so forgive the roughness. I believe our dining pictures will be a little more pedestrian than Lews We were given a free meal card at cracker barrel for a very bad experience coming back from Michigan last year and Zanesville Ohio. That's why we went there tonight and it's probably the last time. Sides were excellent, the beans were really good. The cold saw some of the best I've ever had. Kristin enjoyed the the broccoli and mashed potatoes (they were real) but the chicken and the chicken fried steak were subpar. We see Free Mr Tony tomorrow we are looking forward to that and we're looking forward to Hall's Hollywood diner.
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Looking forward to your updates on the trip. Have fun!
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I won't even try and pronounce the name of the city. Most of you will know where it is when you see the pictures. Wapakoneta, OH. I saw the name of the city on the freeway and new it had a significance. Not exactly sure what, but it soon came to me. Came by hoping that it would be open and is closed Monday & Tuesday. Par for the course!
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FMT is on his way.
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Speaking of tulips, these are in Mount Vernon, WA.
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Was very fun to see Jay AKA FMT. Too Short a time but enjoyable while it lasted. We ate at Halls Hollywood Drive-In not diner. Kristin had the Buster I had the '90s Buster & Deep Fried Cod. We had the onion rings and to me they were good, better than many, but like usual I think I built them up too much. The Cod was good but the batter was a little thick and it's it's hard to describe, but not as good as say a rice flour & beer. Mac and cheese was pretty plain, and it was a big cork screw past and not an elbow, so strike 2.
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Wapakoneta has a really nice restaurant downtown with wood fired ovens. They make thin crust crispy pizza in them which is unusual for wood fired. Try it if you go back through.
It was nice seeing you both and catching up. It's been alot of years in between. Tell trooper I said hello. Thanks for treating me to lunch.
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Went to Culver's excellent hamburger. It is a smash burger, a little to crusty for me, but still very good. The fixins are fresh and go great with the burger, It is a completely different burger from In n Out, but I still am gonna give the nod to In n Out. Culver's just surpassed 5 Guys as my #2! Pretty good root beer, the cheese curds tasted like Mozzarella sticks to me. I have only had them twice, the other time I've had cheese curds was at Lambeau Field and these were not even close to those! The shake was good but I think I would have enjoyed more of the Custard in a Sunday or something to eat it that way instead of a shake.
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glad to hear you had culver's and enjoyed it
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The pictures do not do their beauty justice.
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Completely spaced out on photo of Bonnie & Bill aka Trooper. My apologies, we had dinner with them last night. Wonderful people and great times had, we missed JD though! We went to Buddy Pizza in Grand Rapids. Detroit style. Wow, what a pie. Could be my ne favorite style. It was just pepperoni & sausage, but what a pizza! I had forgotten that this style pizza uses crumbled sausage. I know FMT highlighted that in his thread.
Sorry, no pictures of anything. Just great company & food.
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Completely spaced out on photo of Bonnie & Bill aka Trooper. My apologies, we had dinner with them last night. Wonderful people and great times had, we missed JD though! We went to Buddy Pizza in Grand Rapids. Detroit style. Wow, what a pie. Could be my ne favorite style. It was just pepperoni & sausage, but what a pizza! I had forgotten that this style pizza uses crumbled sausage. I know FMT highlighted that in his thread.
Sorry, no pictures of anything. Just great company & food.
Sorry I couldn't meet up with you for dinner and a proper goodbye. My daughter was up from Bowling Green OH and was visiting her boyfriend who lives between Holland and Grand Rapids. I was going to stop in and see her for a minute, say hi, and be on my way. When I got there, I discovered they had made plans to take me out for dinner. I couldn't say no!! I hope you understand.
I did enjoy spending the day with you, visiting Grilla Grill and tiptoeing through the tulips. As iffy as the weather was, you may have hit the best day of the week. Hope the roads were good heading back. Thanks for visiting our fair state!!
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Sounds like a fun trip. Anything you can share with us about your trip to the grill factory?
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The pictures did not come out very good. Grilla Grills has a distribution center in Holland, I believe they are manufactured over seas. They direct ship from there and Tony who showed us around said they had just opened a new distribution center in the Dallas, TX area also. They have the "original" round Grilla. And they also have several sizes of the latest model (whose name eludes me right now) which is the more traditional rectangular shape. They also sell a ceramic and a line of gas unit. They also offer modular sections that can be put together for an size outdoor kitchen area that you like.
(https://i.imgur.com/zKsVgdAh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/IfwLvDoh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/7AoYBV3h.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Y51Rnxrh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/OXk9ElGh.jpg)
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Nice display area.
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Very nice display area.