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In 1945, the people of Holland presented Ottawa with over 100,000 tulip bulbs in appreciation of Canada’s dual role of harbouring the Royal family members and aiding with the liberation of the Netherlands. Researching the correct numbers of tulips available in the National Capital Region, we have asked Marie-Ève Létourneau from the National Capital Commission to help recover the right data. Here are her words verbatim. Please mention the source if you use the following text:
"Each Spring, between 3 to 5 million tulips bloom
throughout the region. This approximate number includes the 1 million
tulips that the NCC manages annually in its parks and on its properties,
as well as the many tulips planted by the Canadian Tulip Festival's
official partners and the general public. Most of our bulbs are renewed
every two years, except for the ones found on high profile attraction
sites, such as Parliament Hill, Major's Hill Park and the National War
Memorial. In this particular case, the NCC is responsible for changing
some 500,000 bulbs each year, and it is important to note that all bulbs
removed by our contractors are usually used to make compost. .
As for the most impressive tulip beds, they can be found on two Canadian Tulip Festival official sites, which are Commissioners Park, where the NCC plants 300,000 tulips each year and Major's Hill Park (40,000 tulips). The beds found on Parliament Hill are also known to be quite spectacular with 33,000 tulips blooming each year. You can also appreciate a considerable amount of tulips along Colonel By Drive (4 beds between Bank Street and Bronson for a total of 31,000 tulips) and Queen Elizabeth Drive (10 beds along driveway between Laurier Street and Bank Street for a total of 43,000 tulips).
The NCC buys tulips every year. For example, in Fall 2002, the crown corporation bought 400,000 bulbs, which were planted in various sites. In a scenario like this one, our contractors make sure that all purchased bulbs are supplied by Holland. Also, all bulbs donated to the NCC come specifically from Holland. A significant quantity is donated by Princess Juliana (10,000) and the Dutch Bulb Growers Association (10,000), who both have made a tradition of sending bulbs each year as a symbol of appreciation for Canada's contribution in the liberation of the Netherlands during World War II."
Marie-Ève Létourneau, Communications Officer, The National Capital Commission
Throughout the years, the tulip became a focal point in Ottawa's short spring time.
This Year's Pavilion (2005)
The festivities
take place in Major Hill Park, in downtown Ottawa behind the Chateau
Laurier overlooking the Ottawa river. The Dutch Pavilion will be part of
an International village with the Turkish and Japanese community.
Er wordt weer feest gevierd in de tent op het Nederlandse paviljoen in Major’s Hill Park. Naast het Nederlandse eten (poffertjes en haring, friet, kroketten, erwtensoep en worst) hebben we bier.
This year, The Virtuoze Matroze are back
.
De band treedt op gedurende de week en de weekendavonden.
Ook zal er een aantal verkopers aanwezig zijn. We zijn erg blij om dit jaar poffertjes aan te kunnen bieden, er zijn ansichtkaarten te koop van fotograaf Wim Kok, natuurlijk is er Marolize's delftsblauw en Lia's haringkar en er is een winkeltje in het tweede weekend, dat Nederlandse feestartikelen verkoopt en Across the Atlantic, een video over immigranten die emt de boot naar Pier 21 in Halifax kwamen.
De kinderen van de Nederlandse school zijn ook weer van de partij op de tweede zaterdag. Zeer vertederend. Er wordt dan een hommage gebracht aan de veteranen in het kader van 60 jaar bevrijding.
Voor ticket informatie voor het Tulpenfestival kunt u de website van het Tulp Festival bezoeken: www.tulipfestival.ca. U bent van harte welkom in het Nederlandse Paviljoen! Of bellen met het festival: Tulip Hotline: 1 800 66-TULIP (613) 567-4447
(photo courtesy: Roswitha Shaw)
Keep coming back to read the latest about the Dutch pavilion.
Every day ongoing activities:
Maps of the world, Dress up in Dutch Costumes, Creation of little wooden shoe necklaces, Rubber Tulips decoration, Bag-running, Sjoelen, Quiz, Souvenirs, Brochures, Dutch Food, Drawing, Playing cards, Herring, Tulip History, Video Films and Documentaries.
Bands:
t.b.a..
If you have a band and you are interested in performing at the Dutch Café in 2006 or even 2007, let us know. You need to be able to:
cater to a diverse audience (no hard rock or experimental jazz for example).
take at least two weeks off of work;
be from Nederland;
gifted, gezellig and good humoured;
maximum 3-4 people.
We can't pay you, but sponsors help us out to cover the travel, hotel and transport cost. Consider it as a break through in the North American market and two weeks of fun. It will look great on your résumé. You can sell your own CD's though. Send us a demo CD and a résumé. We look forward hearing from you. Interested? Mail us for details at the email address mentioned under the contact button of our web site. You have the option of selling CD's. They can be burned locally.
Previous performers at the Dutch Prinses Margriet Café in Ottawa, Canada:
2005: 4-tuoze matroze: web site
2004: local bands
2003: Coeur Vagabond: web site
2002: 4-tuoze matroze: web site
2001: Nachtbraker: web site
2000: Zingari: web site
1999: Doxi quartet (occasional band)
1998: Orkest Polytour: web site