The Pella Tulip Festival got underway Thursday as the central Iowa town celebrates its Dutch heritage. Pella Historic Village director, Patsy Sadler, says the periodic rain and cool weather haven’t hurt the flowers — just the opposite has happened.

Sadler says it made the flowers grow as the tulips think it’s weather just like in Holland. Sadler says the tulips won’t disappoint.She says "they’re looking good."

When it comes to how many tulips are in bloom — Sadler doesn’t nail it down to a single number. Sadler says there’s in excess of 100,000 tulips, "tulips every place." Sadler expects more people to visit the festival this year as people look for shorter trips to save money.

Sadler says most of the events are free to the public. The festival runs through Saturday. You can find out a complete schedule of events here .