Tulip Festival Queen's History

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2007 Tulip Festival Queen & Court

2006 Tulip Festival Queen & Court

 Queen Cassie Huizenga with her court of Janna Bloomendaal, Sarah Muilenburg, Emily Elsberry, & Autumn Wielenga

     Court members Janna, Emily, Sarah, and Autumn are wearing Afternoon Walcheren. The jak (jacket), rok (skirt), and schort (apron) are all made with a black polyester fabric. The girls all said they “really lucked out” by getting a “breezy” costume with short sleeves. “Black is also slimming,” they joked. Two notable pieces of Afternoon Walcheren are the beuk (or bodice) and the hat. The bodice is made of a beautiful light blue and burgundy flowered material worn under the jacket. The doekje (scarf) is white and is also worn inside the jacket. The hat consists of two parts: the ondermuts (under hat) and the bovenmuts (upper hat). Each is made with white lace and white broadcloth. Most notable are the metal ornaments at the temple. They are gold in color and have small antique gold balls and a pearl hanging from each side.

These five girls, Janna Bloomendaal, Emily Elsberry, Sarah Muilenburg, Autumn Wielenga, and Queen Cassie Huizenga, have been busy brushing up on their Tulip Festival facts and are now making numerous appearances to promote the festival. Although the work of the court is time consuming and a bit intimidating they all agreed that they “wouldn’t trade their experience for the world” and emphasized that they feel so lucky to be a part of this festival tradition. Each girl recalls a time as a child that she looked with awe upon the court sitting atop the most beautiful float of the parade. “I’d sit on the curb of the street and brag that the queen looked right at me,” said court member Sarah Muilenburg. How quickly this year’s Tulip Court has gone from little girls with their feet in the street gutter water, to young women ready to represent Orange City.

There are parts of the festival that the girls will have to miss this year, like marching with the Pride of the Dutchman or Dutch dancing with all their friends, but some of their favorite parts will stay the same, like “riding the float and seeing all the people!” said Autumn. This year’s court will also be a team for the second annual VandeFear, “and we’re going to win,” warned Janna. What is new about this year, however, is what the court is learning with each appearance and meeting. “Before this experience we all had such a limited view about the festival, but after seeing all the work behind the scenes we all have a greater appreciation,” said Emily.

One ‘behind the scenes’ committee is the Tulip Court Costume Committee. Headed by Cheryl Hiemstra, this group began preparations in June, months before the court was chosen. The 2006 Tulip Court’s costumes are from Walcheren, an island in the Province of Zeeland. Zeeland, or the “land of the sea”, is recognized as the “garden of the Netherlands.” The flower of the garden is Walcheren, for it is filled with beautiful farmland, and unique architecture, parks, and dunes.

Queen Cassie is dressed in the very colorful Party Walcheren, which dates back to 1860. Made with the same pattern as the Afternoon Walcheren, Cassie’s costume has a few unique features. First, instead of black, the majority of the fabric is navy. The apron and skirt add sage green and burgundy, and the scarf is sheer pink and white flowered cotton. Second, a zonmuts (or sun bonnet) is added to the court’s two-piece hat. Made with cream-colored linen and bordered with navy blue, the bonnet brings out the deep blue of Cassie’s eyes. In the back of the bonnet are two pieces of navy blue ribbon, pleated into rosettes, draping down the back of the costume. At the front, a burgundy and gold braid is held together in the front with a clasp. The most distinctive feature of Cassie’s hat is the large gold ornament placed across her forehead.

Finally, and most impressive, is the cream-colored bodice embroidered with numerous cross-stitch motifs. In December, Cheryl Hiemstra brought Cassie a large book outlining numerous symbols and their meanings that would make up the design of the bodice. “It was a lot to look at, but in the end I’m really happy with the choices I made,” said Cassie. There are more than a dozen cross-stitch motifs, each delicately embroidered by Cheryl, that carry unique significance to Cassie’s life. “It’s special because it’s personal, and as Cassie grows she can keep adding symbols relevant to her life,” said Cheryl. The girls on the court enjoy pointing to a symbol and then sharing its “deeper meaning”. For example, books symbolize knowledge and learning, the harp symbolizes music, praise, and worship, and a cross symbolizes faith. “My favorite is the yellow rose,” Cassie said as she pointed to the flower placed right in the center, “because it means friendship.”

Friendship and love are what surrounds the 2006 Tulip Court. They absolutely love their costumes. “We really like our hats because we don’t have to do our hair!” they joked. With each appearance they are learning to love new aspects of preparation for the festival, and are anxiously anticipating the arrival of those precious days in May. More than anything, however, they love each other’s company and friendship. They will forever be thankful for this opportunity and are honored to be able to represent their community in such a unique way.

2005 Queen & Court

Past Tulip Festival Queen's

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