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November 22, 2007
What talent does she have that would make her a good queen? What three things is she thankful for? Her favorite vacation? One of her craziest moments? What band would you tour with, past or present? What advice would you give to the 2008 presidential candidates? -----------------------------------------------------------
Queen says promoting festival will be 'a blast' by Janine Calsbeek Sioux County Capital-Democrat, Orange City IA (reprinted with permission of Pluim Publishing, Inc.)
ORANGE CITY – The day began with tingly hands and a stomach "feeling weird."
Tulip Pageant stress.
Of course, the day before, rehearsing the big walk down the runway with the rest of the Tulip Court, Katie Buntsma tried some steps of the stereotypic model's runway walk... one foot in front of the other, hips swinging, hair flipping.
She got some laughs, and everybody relaxed.
She did too, after band and study hall Monday. Her nervousness dissipated the rest of the morning, until the Queen's Tea that afternoon.
Actually, the tea wasn't so bad. The food was great – pumpkin bread, banana bread, windmill cookies. And Katie realized that she'd met one of the judges before.
She and her dad John have lobbied for the American Cancer Society in Des Moines, including years when Ken Veenstra was in the legislature. Veenstra, along with Audrey Korver Scholten and meteorologist Mike Zwier, served as a judge for the Queen's Tea and Pageant Monday.
The judges were all great, said Katie. Scholten, a former Tulip Queen, told stories about her coronation... wearing a purple robe for the big inaugural ceremony in Windmill Park that May of '59, said Katie. Then, when the queen and court traveled to promote the Festival, lots of townspeople traveled with them.
The Monday afternoon Queen's Tea began with Katie and the other girls, Jenna Woudstra, Julia Haverdink, Olivia Wielenga and Paige Blythe, drinking cider with their "tulip court moms." Katie and her "mom," Dorothy Hofmeyer, then met each judge individually. Later each girl had a private interview with the panel of judges.
Through the afternoon, she had plenty of time to talk about herself. Katie remembered biking to Le Mars with her mom Cheryl, who was training for RAGBRAI. Two-year-old Katie sat in the bike seat behind Cheryl, napped, then ate a big Laffy Taffy. When they arrived in Le Mars, they went swimming.
"It was fun!"
What talent does she have that would make her a good queen?
"I can sing," she said... which might come in handy when performing the road show.
What three things is she thankful for?
"My close-knit family," she said... she's the only child of John and Cheryl Buntsma.
Number two: "My friends, who are supportive through everything." They can tell each other anything, she said, and not worry about being judged.
And travel. "I love traveling, the chance to be out in God's creation."
Yes, she answered more questions... about more subjects than she can remember.
And the girls, as always, presented Orange City promotional talks.
A theoretical someone had just accepted a job in the area, and the girls' jobs were to convince that person and his/her family to move to Orange City.
Instead of adding costumes and multimedia to her presentation, Katie kept it simple and direct. She made a puzzle, with photos that she'd taken. Each piece represented a part of Orange City – the hospital, schools, Northwestern College, churches, business, safety, fine dining and entertainment, and the Dutch heritage. The pieces fit together on a big board... with the middle and last piece saying, "You and your family fit right in!"
Grilled salmon, canned peas
Katie gets cold easily, and she came home from the Century Home chilled. She donned sweat pants and a sweatshirt, then crawled under the covers for 30 minutes. Then she and her family ate some of her favorite foods – grilled salmon with dill and lemon, chicken rice-a-roni and canned peas.
She remembered everything she needed for the pageant – three outfits, jewelry, bobby pins, extra deodorant. The moms – their real moms – prayed with them before the pageant. And everything went well, said Katie.
After introductions, the girls each did a "special interest presentation." Jenna did a photo power point, focusing on four important parts of her life, and she sang. The technology worked like it was supposed to, thankfully.
Julia brought out hats which represented different parts of her life... and she played pieces on the violin to emphasize each point. Olivia's entertaining speech, "What is a talent?"... told about talents that are easily displayed and those that aren't. Paige spoke and sang, about dreams, about times when dreams aren't fulfilled... but truly needing only Christ.
And Katie again opted for simplicity... no props, just a song, Eva Cassidy's "Over the Rainbow." Laird Edman accompanied her on guitar.
It's a beautiful song, said Katie. Eva Cassidy struggled with cancer, and her "longing for the intangible strikes a chord within me," said Katie.
Of course, the song comes from the Wizard of Oz, which has some profound elements too, said Katie. At the end Dorothy says, "If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again... I shouldn't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with."
And Cheryl appreciates "Over the Rainbow" because Cassidy was shy: "It's precious to have any of her songs recorded." Cassidy died of cancer, and Cheryl believes the song points to the hope that Christians have, beyond the rainbow, to heaven.
How and why
Oh, there were more questions at the pageant, of course... two written by Katie herself. Her favorite vacation? The 7,000-mile road trip with her mom, when they visited every state in western U.S.
One of her craziest moments?
The time in third grade recess at OCCS, when Katie tossed a stone. She was aiming at some other rocks by the sidewalk, but the stone went in the opposite direction, and hit a police car. "I thought I was going to die then go to jail," she said Monday night. But, after confessing to policeman Pete De Beer, she was granted amnesty.
The moral? "Police officers are nice.
"And always tell the truth."
What band would you tour with, past or present? That was one of the surprise questions that each girl answered, asked by 2007 Queen Rebekah Kuiken.
The Beatles, of course, Katie said. She'd just seen "Across the Universe" and loved the music. Besides, "all you need is love."
And Katie knew exactly how to answer the other surprise question, from emcee Todd McDonald, What advice would you give to the 2008 presidential candidates?
"I'd have them not just say they will fix things, but tell how they will fix things and why." Health care, for example.
It's her parents, who discuss politics with her, and her teachers – she's taking AP government – that made a question like that easy for Katie. And the lobbying. In fact, Katie was offered a job as a page in Des Moines, but said 'no' when she was elected to Tulip Court. "My community is more important."
The girls talked backstage all evening, they were entertained with stories by teacher Beth Oolman, they were helped into their evening gowns by a couple of women from the costume committee – a good thing since Katie's dress is "labor-intensive." They held hands. By the end of the evening, they were calm... mostly.
The queen is selected by a combination of public vote and the judges' decision.
Katie was surprised to be the one crowned. "I wasn't expecting it to be me."
She didn't cry though. "That would have been too melodramatic."
The next morning, after going out for ice cream with friends that evening, then staying up late to talk to her visiting cousin Jonna from Minneapolis, Katie had to be at swing choir rehearsal at 6 a.m. Later that day she visited Grandma Buntsma, who was in the Orange City hospital. Her grandma had fallen Tuesday morning, but was alert, telling everyone at the hospital that Katie was the new Tulip Queen.
The Buntsmas, on behalf of the entire court and their parents, thank the queen's committee and other people who worked hard to make the pageant a great evening. The queen's committee is Diane Westenberg, Sue Korver, Shelly Ritsema, Melanie Van Grouw, Molly Foss, Dorothy Hofmeyer, Peggy White, Beth Oolman, and Donna Durham.
It'll be a great winter and spring, promoting the Festival, predicts Katie. As queen, she'll probably talk more than the others, "and that'll be fun. I like to talk.
"It'll be a blast."
Tulip Queen Katie
She's the 2008 Tulip Queen, crowned Monday, Nov. 19 at the Queen's Pageant at the Orange City town hall. She's Katie Buntsma, daughter of John and Cheryl Buntsma of Orange City, a senior at MOC-FV High School. (Photo by Janine Calsbeek)
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Copyright © 2008 Tulip Festival Steering CommitteeVisitors Since May 6, 2008
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