Some feared early blooming would turn this year’s Pella Tulip Festival into more of a Stem Festival, but event organizers say there are plenty of the fragrant flowers intact. Patty Sadler is director of the Pella Historic Village, and says many of the later varieties will bloom and give them plenty of flowers.About 100-thousand visitors are expected during the three-day festival, which begins this morning. Besides the thousands of tulips on display, Sadler says another big attraction at this year’s 66th annual Tulip Time Celebration is the “Mollen Grot” canal which is new this year. It also features several Dutch buildings, eating places and a real Dutch drawbridge.The parades run twice daily — at 2:30 in the afternoon and the lighted parade around dusk at 8:30 or so. There are also wagon tours, a Dutch market in the park and other musical and dancing entertainment — all within a five-block area.
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