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April 27, 2007
Friends encourage more friends at Festival
by Janine Calsbeek
Sioux County Capital-Democrat (reprinted with permission of Pluim Publishing,
Inc.)
ORANGE CITY – The pedicabs are here thanks to the Friends of the Festival.
So are the new curtains in city hall.
So are some new floats. Did you know that the cost of renting
a float for a year is $5,000? That's the word from Anita Bomgaars. Orange City
is fortunate to have volunteers who give of their time to construct and renovate
floats, she said. But even without labor expenses, a new float costs at least
$5,000, she said.
Again, we can thank the Friends of the Festival.
Bomgaars recently became chairperson of the Friends
committee. She's joined by Bill Kepp and Wanda Vande Kieft. The goal? To enhance
the Festival.
The Tulip Festival steering committee handles the
"operational budget," said Bomgaars. "And it's tight." The budget often relies
on weather... and some years, the weather is rotten.
Orange City hasn't had to go to corporate sponsors, which
some festivals have... losing local control in the process, said Bomgaars.
So, it's up to the Friends of the Festival to make some of
the extras possible.
This year Friends is financing a new StraatMarkt booth, which
will offer Tulip Festival paraphernalia... notecards, calendars, Tulip Festival
prints, Tulip Fest tiles, and a DVD of Festival history featuring local people,
produced by Tim Poppen.
Money from the foundation might assist in paying a large
repair bill, if something like the Dutch street organ needs work, for example.
Other Friends of the Festival projects are in planning
stages. Suggestions are welcome. Contact Bomgaars (737-4742), or contact Kepp,
Vande Kieft or a steering committee member with your ideas.
Bomgaars, by the way, believes that Tulip Festival is a
wonderful addition to northwest Iowa. "It brings families back, and friends in.
It shows off Orange City. It helps the regional economy."
Friends of the Festival is a non-profit, tax-exempt
organization, less than 10 years old. Those interested in donating may drop off
their contribution at the Windmill information office, or send it to Friends of
the Festival Foundation, Tulip Festival Office, 509 8th St. SE, Orange City IA
51041. Write checks to Friends of the Festival Foundation.
Pedal power at Tulip Fest
Did you try out the pedicabs last year? They're another new addition to Tulip
Festival, bicycle-powered transportation for two. "They're very European," said
Anita Bomgaars, "and fun." Volunteer bicyclists are needed. (Call Bert Aarsen at
737-4637.) Also needed are donations to the Friends of the Festival
Foundation... which funds Festival extras like pedicabs, floats, and a new
StraatMarkt booth.
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