The 2016 Tulip Court Election will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015.

Voting for the 2016 Tulip Court will take place from 2 to 8 p.m. at Stadscentrum, located on the corner of Central Avenue and Second Street North in Orange City.

Eligible voters are adults with an Orange City address and 7^th through 12^th grade students at MOC-Floyd Valley, Unity Christian High School, and Orange City Christian School.

The 2016 Tulip Court will be announced after 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10.

Candidate eligibility and general questions can be directed to the Tulip Festival office by email at tulip@orangecitycomm.net or by phone at 712-707-4510.

The annual Author’s Corner event taking place during the 75^th annual Orange City Tulip Festival will feature authors and cartoonists from the Midwest and the Netherlands.

Several local authors will join the Saturday event with their published works, including Orange City authors Renae B. Vander Schaaf, author of “A Place of Refuge,” and Lee and Bonnie Meier, authors of “Letters from Ralph.” Award-winning author James Schaap of Alton, Iowa, will also join the event with many of his books, including his most recent work entitled “Up the Hill.”

Bill Kalsbeek, an Orange City native and current-part time resident of the community, will join the event with his book, “Celebrating Our Dutch Heritage: The Story of the Orange City Tulip Festival.” Kalsbeek wrote the book to commemorate the festival’s 75^th anniversary.

Cartoonists Ken Alvine of Sioux Falls, S.D., and Dave Carpenter of Emmetsburg, Iowa, will also join the event with their books entitled “Cartoons and Rhymes for Senior Times” and “The Best of Senior Moments.” Alvine’s “How to Draw Cartoons” books and videos are distributed across the nation to schools and libraries. Carpenter’s cartoons regularly appear in well-known publications including The Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest magazine, and Better Homes and Gardens magazine, among others.

Mark Zegeling, a publisher and author based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, will visit Orange City during his international tour in both the United States and Canada.  In addition to joining Author’s Corner, Zegeling will give lectures at the Orange City Public Library at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16.

Zegeling’s book, “Little Kingdom by the Sea, a Celebration of Dutch Cultural Heritage and Architecture,” is considered a walking guide through history in the Netherlands. In his book, Zegeling tells the stories of the Netherlands houses that are replicated in Delft Blue miniature houses and given to Business Class passengers on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Author’s Corner will take place in conjunction with Tulip Festival’s ArtBurst event on Saturday, May 16. The events will take place on the lawn of the Sioux County Courthouse from 9 a.m.to 4:30 p.m. The events are free to attend, and attendees are welcome to visit with and purchase pieces from the authors and artists.

The Orange City Tulip Festival will host a cruise-in car show during its 75^th anniversary celebration on Saturday, May 16.

Individuals who own and maintain classic cars are welcome to join the event. Pre-registration is not required for the cruise-in. There is no entry fee for the show, and a freewill donation will be collected for the local Relay for Life chapter.

The annual cruise-in car show, a long-standing event at Tulip Festival, will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the corner of Central Avenue and 4^th Street North. Participants are invited to drive their classic cars in the Saturday evening parade as well, beginning at 6 p.m.

Questions about the cruise-in car show can be directed to the Tulip Festival office at 712-707-4510.

Orange City’s own Usual Suspects will perform on Thurs., May 14 and Sat., May 16.

Three bands will perform during Tulip Festival to kick off the Orange City Arts Council’s annual summer series, Onstage Orange City.

Orange City’s own Usual Suspects will perform on Thursday night, May 14. The band plays a variety of musical styles, including classic acoustic-based pop and rock, blues, contemporary folk and original songs. The Usual Suspects will also perform during Tulip Festival’s ArtBurst event on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to noon and 4 to 6 p.m. in the Straatmarkt.

Now Serving 7 will perform for the third consecutive year at Tulip Festival on Fri., May 15.

Now Serving 7, a Christian electro-coustic pop/rock band based in Pella, Iowa, will take the stage on Friday night, May 15.  They have performed with artists like Jeremy Camp and Superchick and at official NASCAR events.  Making their third consecutive-year appearance at Tulip Festival, Now Serving 7 will perform songs from their debut album, “I Will Go.”

Damon Dotson and his band will perform on Sat., May 16.

Damon Dotson is a singer-songwriter originally from Okoboji, Iowa. He performs in a variety of venues throughout the Midwest, including Minneapolis, Omaha and Chicago. He has opened for artists Willie Nelson and the Beach Boys, among others. Dotson and his band members will perform songs from their new and rising album, “Tumblin’,”on Saturday night, May 16.

“We’re excited to partner with the Orange City Arts Council to open their summer series during Tulip Festival,” says Juliana Pennings, Tulip Festival & Community Tourism Director. “We are grateful for the many ways the Orange City Arts Council continues to promote and bring the arts to our community.”

The concerts will take place at the band shell in Windmill Park at 7:30 p.m. each evening, and there is no cost to attend. The rain location for the concerts is the Orange City Town Hall.

Onstage Orange City is a program sponsored by the Orange City Arts Council, and brings in local, regional, national and international artists to perform throughout the summer. To view a full schedule for the 2015 season, visit orangecityarts.net. This summer will mark the sixth year of Onstage Orange City.

It takes hundreds of volunteers to make our event happen each year, and we need you! We have several areas of volunteer opportunities, and we’d greatly appreciate your assistance in filling them.

Some volunteer opportunities include:

• Float drivers
• Parade Announcers & Street Barkers
• Float Riders
• Straat Winkel Cashiers
• Pedicab Drivers

Please complete the volunteer form if you’d like to give of your time and talents. Thank you for your consideration!