THE COMBINATION OF colorful tulips and a mud puddle to play in were enough to make 3-year-old Ronin White, of Kalama, jump for joy at the Woodland Tulip Festival at Holland America Bulb Farm Saturday.
NADINE JOHNSON, age 2, of Vancouver, enjoyed the brightly colored tulips at eye level with her father Dan Johnson. They were visiting the Woodland Tulip Festival at Holland America Bulb Farm on April 12.
WOODLAND – Colorful fields of tulips greeted visitors who braved sometimes threatening skies on the first weekend of the Woodland Tulip Festival on April 11 & 12, at Holland America Bulb Farm.
Saturday’s festival saw only the most intrepid tulip lovers between downpours of rain and hail and chilly temperatures, but on Sunday the sun appeared and a steady stream of visitors picked tulips from the cutting field, chatted with vendors selling food, skin care products and crafts, and explored the Holland America gift shop.
Local honey was offered by Early Diamond Honey in Woodland. Owner Jody Hiday has been a beekeeper for six year, but says he spent five years studying bees before he began. He used to sell his honey to manufacturers, but he tired of seeing it pasteurized and losing the properties he most prizes. Now he sells his raw honey himself, at fairs and festivals like the Tulip Festival. He speaks passionately of the threats to bees in our environment and readily shares an education in the complex life of bee colonies.
Mike and Karen Rotschy of Amboy were sampling the wide variety of balsamic vinegars from OMG!, offered by vendor Victor Henrie of Graham, WA. Their favorite was the raspberry balsamic vinegar, which they like simply drizzled over a fresh salad. In fact, they purchased a small bottle at the festival last year and it didn’t last very long, so they were making sure to purchase enough the last until next year.
Children can get involved with the festival, either behind the camera or in front of it. Entries for the “Cutest Baby Contest” must be submitted by April 25, and the winner will receive a gift bag filled with items from the gift shop.
Youth under age 18 can enter the Youth Art Contest, formerly a photography contest which is now open to all media. Entries are due by April 25 and will be displayed at the Woodland Wine Tasting and Art Show on April 25. Farm staff will select winners of both contests and award prizes on Mother’s Day.
Because tulips bloomed three weeks early this year, flowers in the fields were in their late stage of blooming. But, fresh cut tulips were available in the gift shop from the farm’s greenhouse, where tulips are grown in a controlled environment and available for cut flowers from November through May.
The gift shop also featured their new private label red and white wine which is produced in partnership with Bethany Vineyard and Winery in Ridgefield.
Educating consumers about how to grow, plant and design with bulbs is part of the job at Holland America. The farm’s catalog includes three pages dedicated to growing information. In addition, the farm supplies flowers for the floral design program at Woodland High School, where students design and sell items like bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres.
The Tulip Festival will continue for a second weekend on April 18 & 19, at the Holland American Bulb Farm at 1066 S Pekin Rd. in Woodland. In addition, the second annual Woodland Wine Tasting and Art Show will be Fri., April 25 from 5-9 p.m. at the Holland America Bulb Farm.
Bethany Winery will serve Holland America private label wines along with other varieties which they produce, vendors will sell their art, and Brooks and John will perform live classical guitar music. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door, and include five tastings.
More information is on the farm website at www.woodlandtulipshabf.com.
