Tag Archive | Music

Orange City, Iowa Tulip Festival

Apr25

Every year on the third weekend in May the Tulip Festival is held in a small town called Orange City, Iowa. This year will be their 74th year! It is fun to go see them in their parades wearing the authentic Dutch clothing and wooden Dutch shoes. They have multiple events going on for 3 days starting on Thursday May 15th and running until Saturday evening on May 17th this year. There is music and dancing in full Dutch attire, a theater production called “The Music Man” this year, the picking of the Dutch Queen who reigns over festivities, many windmills on display – including their Chamber of Commerce housed in a large windmill, Dutch delicacies to eat – lots of good food vendors, exhibits of people’s art, street scrubbing each day, a carnival midway, and so many other events are slated to take place. And not to mention the hundreds of tulips you can see in a variety of colors each year – they are just beautiful! You can also stop and have a pair of wooden shoes made in your size while you are enjoying other events – beautifully handcrafted! There are little stores that feature a lot of Dutch made products for sale that one can take home souvenirs of their visit. Always a lot to see and do and a great time for the whole family.

A little history about the town of Orange City, Iowa. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 6,004 people – this could be due in part to Northwestern College, a Christian liberal arts college with a little over 1200 students in attendance. The town was first called “Holland,” but was later changed in honor of Dutch royalty named after William of Orange. It is best known for its Dutch heritage and their celebration of the Tulip Festival every May. It is the county seat of Sioux County in N.W. Iowa. Many of the cities buildings are faced with Dutch architectural fronts and their courthouse is on the National Register of Historic places. Courthouse photo: Sioux_county_ia_courthouse

The town was founded in 1870 by some people from Pella, Iowa – who also hold a Tulip festival each year. The settlers were looking for cheaper and better land. Northwest Iowa has some of the richest black dirt excellent for growing!

Orange City is a nice little town to visit and the town comes alive during the Tulip Festival every year. To see all they have to offer this year for events, please check out the link below for photos and what is planned for this years celebration.

Orange City, Iowa Tulip Festival – schedule of events

Music…what kind were you raised around?

Mar20

Music was a big part of my life growing up. My mother played the piano and both my parents sang. The music I grew up hearing around our house was honky-tonk, bluegrass and gospel/Christian music. To this day I enjoy that music, but I am diverse in my music tastes and like variety in that with it all depending on my mood and what I want to listen to at that time. I enjoy Soft rock, some jazz (Kenny G), Celtic, Native American, some classical, instrumental, contemporary Christian (love to listen to K-Love radio), country music (not so much the modern), some pop music, some Hebrew, some reggae, and those mentioned above.

My mother in her younger days would play the piano with her sister for dances in the area. They only knew how to chord and did not have much in the way of formal training, but they were good and were asked many times to play. When we were in high school we started to go to a little country church not far from where we lived and she would play piano there and often times pick up the tempo of some of the hymns. She worried that people at church would not like the way she played them, but they actually loved her playing and asked her often to play for church services and others needing accompaniment while singing.

We were all encouraged to sing. My father used to sing in the choir in school and carried that on and sings for funerals and church services. My mother never sang solos, but would sing the harmony with me or my father. I have sang in church in various capacities and quite often until I came down with pneumonia one year and since then my voice has not been the same and have done very little singing since then – I miss it a lot!

I am a huge fan of music and believe that it can speak when there are no words to express what you are feeling at the time. Somewhere I read a quote that stated: “Music is the language of the soul” and I truly believe that.

Music has many benefits for us humans – it can reduce stress, improve our outlook, it can encourage and motivate, ease tension and frustration, studies have found it can boost your immune system, lower your blood pressure, and there is a growing field now in music therapy, which uses music to heal.

What do you enjoy listening to? What music did you grow up hearing? I hope you will share!!

Music is what feelings sound like

What role does music play in your life?

Jan26

Music – love it! I would probably not function well each day if I was not able to listen to it – it is like a life-giving source to me. It sometimes speaks what I am feeling even when I cannot put into words what I feel. It makes me want to move, dance, express myself. Music is a balm – it soothes my soul and can even lift my spirits when nothing else can. Music can express my mood and depending on that mood it also dictates what type/style of music I listen to at any given time.

I like variety in life and music is no different. I love various forms of music and each one affects me differently. I enjoy Celtic music, probably because of my Irish bloodline. I love Native American and Hebrew music with its beautiful haunting tunes. I love instrumental music because even though it does not have words – it still can speak to your whole being! I love country western/bluegrass music because I was raised around it and I love the sound of it. I love classic rock and roll – oldies, my era of 70-80’s music, and some modern day pop rock. My all time favorite is Christian music and the multiple levels of genre’s – Contemporary, Gospel, bluegrass, and the old classics such as An Old Rugged Cross. I was raised around this as well. I love to listen to the K-Love radio station every chance I get.

Music is a universal language and it can express different things to each individual and yet bring people together giving the same experience and feelings. It is a form of “therapy” and is a blessing in life! I believe the power in music is phenomenal and truly cannot be underestimated.

How does music affect your life or how does it move you?
I look forward to your comments!