The 2018 Tulip Court (L-R): Corinne Wiese, Josie Maasdam, Queen Juliana Tien, Haley Smit, Alexa Arends

Juliana Tien was crowned the 2018 Tulip Festival Queen on Monday, Nov. 13. Juliana will reign over the 78th annual Tulip Festival, set for May 17, 18 and 19, 2018.

A senior at Unity Christian High School in Orange City, Juliana is the daughter of Gale and Cathie Tien.

Juliana is joined on the 2018 Tulip Court by court members Alexa Arends, daughter of Troy and Darla Arends; Josie Maasdam, daughter of Kirk and Becky Maasdam; Haley Smit, daughter of Jason and Kara Smit; Corinne Wiese, daughter of Robert and Tricia Wiese.

Juliana and her court members spent Monday afternoon interviewing with judges Cassie Baker, Catherine Bloom and Jeff Wagner.

A pageant was held for the public in the evening. Each of the candidates answered questions on various topics and gave an individual presentation. Juliana was crowned queen as a conclusion to the evening.

Juliana and her court will serve as ambassadors for the Orange City Tulip Festival as they travel in the spring, making several media and public appearances.

Photo Courtesy of THE CAPITAL DEMOCRAT

2018 Tulip Court Election to be held September 20

Voting for the 2018 Tulip Court will take place from 12 to 8 p.m. at Stadscentrum, located on the corner of Central Avenue and Second Street North in Orange City.

Candidates for the 2018 Court are: Alexa Arends, daughter of Troy and Darla Arends; Megan Brower, daughter of Derek and Joan Brower; Jade De Kok, daughter of Scott and Becki De Kok; Kaitlyn Hulstein, daughter of Duane and Judy Hulstein, Josie Maasdam, daughter of Kirk and Becky Maasdam; Haley Smit, daughter of Jason and Kara Smit; Juliana Tien, daughter of Gale and Cathie Tien; Kyra Vande Brake, daughter of Steven and Mary Vande Brake; Corinne Wiese, daughter of Robert and Tricia Wiese.

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

The annual Tulip Festival Dutch Costume Exchange is set for Wednesday, April 5. The event will take place from 2 to 6:30 p.m. at Stadscentrum, located at the corner of Central Avenue and Second Street North in Orange City.

Individuals interested in selling Dutch costumes can bring them to the Tulip Festival office, located at 509 8th Street SE, on Monday, April 3 or Tuesday, April 4.

Sellers should determine the price of their costumes, and are asked to print and fill out the seller’s form. Please note that the Tulip Festival Steering Committee only accepts authentic Dutch costumes for the exchange.

Individuals interested in purchasing Dutch costumes don’t need to have an authentic Dutch costume to sell, and individuals interested in selling authentic Dutch costumes don’t need to purchase others.

 A variety of costumes will be available for purchase for children and adults.

Questions about the Dutch Costume Exchange can be directed to the Tulip Festival office at 712-707-4510.

The Annual Orange City Tulip Festival Extravaganza was held Wednesday, march 15, at Prarie Winds Event Center. The event featured a luncheon and program during which the costumes for the 2017 Tulip Queen and Court were revealed and the 2017 parade marshals were introduced.

Members of the 2017 Tulip Court are Queen Karli Lang is the daughter of Chris and Sherry Lang; Emma De Jong, daughter of Douglas and Jamie De Jong; Olivia Duesenberg, daughter of Gary and Rachel Duesenberg; Sydnee Olson, daughter of Jody and Denene Nibbelink and Chad and Amanda Olson; and Noelle Sampson, daughter of Brent and Teresa Sampson.

The costume this year is from the village of Hoorn which is located in the west Friesland region, in the province of North Holland.  This costume is circa 1850.

In 1850, Hoorn was a seaport village, known for its connection to, and wealth from, the East India Trading Company. The fact that rich sea merchants sought to parade their wealth is evident in the women’s expensive costume– at the time, the skirt would have been made from expensive floral chintz, the apron, and jacket made from a silk, which had probably been imported by the East India Trading company.  In addition, the expensive laces on the hat, the red or coral colored gemstones, dangling from gold earrings and the hats, as well as the gold oorijizer all speak of the affluence that this village boasted.

Queen Karli is wearing a dark red jacket with a peplum, and complimentary floral pattern of gold, greens, and dark red.  Her apron is gold as well.  The beaded purse, with the striking white beads atop the black velveteen, is a design that has been found in the Friesian area at this time period as well.

The Court is wearing a lovely blue jacket, also with a peplum, and the skirt is a floral of greens, dark pink, and gold, on a cream background, with green aprons.

The hats are also very interesting– on the crown, it is comprised of a black skull cap, followed by a lace overlay, and lastly, a layer of royal blue tulle. However, the most interesting part of the hat, in addition to the ornate gold oorijizer and hat pins, is the ruffle at the back.  While it appears to be rolled on dowels, it is in fact given it’s rolled look by an intricate pleating technique.

The 2017 Tulip Court also presented their traveling road show titled “Battle of the Tulips” for the first time. The road show, which the festival royalty wrote and will present to various organizations, schools, and residential care facilities this spring,  tells of the events and attractions at Tulip Festival and gives a detailed overview of their Costumes from Hoorn.