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Tulip festivals herald spring
You know spring has finally come to the Midwest when tulips and tulip festivals command our attention.
In Holland, Mich., the Tulip Time Festival, May 3-10, celebrates Dutch heritage and culture. It features millions of tulips, 1,400 wooden-shoed dancers, traditional street scrubbers, multiple parades, carnival rides, live entertainment and fireworks. Shop for arts and crafts, lace, foods and more at the Dutch Marktplaats. You can view the tulip beds on a trolley, visit Windmill Island and the Dutch Village family theme park, attend a car show and concerts. Headliners this year include Ronnie Milsap, Tony Orlando and Jonny Lang. (167 miles from O'Hare, (800) 822-2770, www.tuliptime.org)
Pella, Iowa, has its Tulip Time festival May 1-3, with two parades a day and city tours past tulip lanes and gardens as well as historic points of interest. At Pella Historical Village you can tour the 126-foot Vermeer Windmill, the Wyatt Earp House, general store, mill and Dutch bakery. Other activities include an antique auto display, flower show, quilt show, organ concerts, tractor rodeo and Dutch craft market. (309 miles from O'Hare, (641) 628-4311, www.pellatuliptime.com)
Dig those dogwoods in southern Indiana
The blooming of the dogwoods in Orleans, Ind., is cause for celebration April 28 through May 3. The Orleans Dogwood Festival includes a parade, carnival, bake sale, antique engine and tractor show and live entertainment. (286 miles from O'Hare, (812) 865-3484, www.orleansdogwoodfestival.com)
Michigan orchards soon to bloom
Since 1906, the southwest corner of Michigan has celebrated its agricultural riches with a festival that includes the ceremonial Blessing of the Blossoms, one of several events during Blossomtime Festival. Activities April 27 through May 4 in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, Mich., also include self-guided driving tours through blossoming orchards and the two-mile-long Grand Floral Parade with flower-decked floats and marching bands from 24 area towns. (113 miles from O'Hare, (269) 926-7397, www.blossomtimefestival.org)
Welcome May in Amish country
A Whoopie Pie-eating contest and clogging performance are all part of the fun during MayFest in Shipshewana, Ind. The Amish community festival on May 2 and 3 also includes a parade, food booths, garden tractor pull, entertainment and children's activities. (150 miles from O'Hare, (260) 768-7589, www.shipshewana.com)
Draft horses go to work at New Salem
See what farming was like in Lincoln's time during the Antique Farm Show May 3 at Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site in Petersburg, Ill. Plowing demonstrations will use draft horses and antique farm equipment. (208 miles from O'Hare, (217) 632-4000, www.lincolnsnewsalem.com)
Be a race car driver for a day in May
The Fifth Annual Drive the Mile on May 4 will offer you the once-a-year opportunity to drive your own vehicle around the Milwaukee Mile race track in West Allis, Wis. Pretend to be A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti or Wisconsin's own Matt Kenseth. Have your photos taken with your car in Victory Lane and view 400 custom cars on display in the NASCAR Nationwide Garage area. Bring two non-perishable food items for the Hunger Task Force. (78 miles from O'Hare, (414) 453-8277, www.milwaukeemile.com)
Tall tales will be told in annual Storyfest
Since 1988 the Jackson Storyfest in Jackson, Mich., has worked to keep the ancient art of storytelling alive. This annual gathering of expert storytellers offers public and school performances and workshops with the next session set for May 2 and 3. (225 miles from O'Hare, (517) 782-4164, www.visitjacksonmi.com/thingstodo/calendarmore.php?CAI=1750)
Longaberger baskets come to Moline
John Deere is partnering with The Longaberger Co. to present Longaberger Basket Fest 2008 on the John Deere Commons in Moline, Ill., May 15-18. At Longaberger basketmaking stations guests can hand-craft their own commemorative John Deere basket with the help of Longaberger's expert basketmakers. Entry is free; cost for making a basket is $59.95 plus tax. Reservations for making a basket will be taken at (740) 322-5588 until May 1 after which walk-ins will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Longaberger Factory Store and Homestead At Home Store also available. (176 miles from O'Hare, (309) 765-1000, www.johndeereattractions.com)
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Mark your calendar for Holland events
The Netherlands is abloom with events in May.
Through May 18, the annual flower show, Kukenhof Gardens, will draw visitors to Lisse, Netherlands. More than 7 million tulips and other bulb flowers cover 80 acres.
May 10 is National Windmill Day throughout Holland. More than 600 windmills, water mills and pumping stations will be open to the public and millers will give demonstrations.
Art Amsterdam, formerly known as the KunstRAI International Art Fair, will draw collectors and art lovers from around the world to Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 7-12. Galleries from across Europe will present their exhibits in paintings, glass and jewelry.
((212) 370-7360, www.holland.com)
• Event details are subject to change; contact organizers for updated information.