Acres
of tulips provide a color carpet each spring in Woodburn. Photo
courtesy of Patrick Johnson | Vibrant
colors, good wine and artists all in one location - Woodburn's Tulip Festival
By
Patrick Johnson
For Oregon.com
As a guy's guy, a man
that loves bacon, football and anything with a motor, when my wife told me that
we were going to the Woodburn Tulip Festival, I was anything but excited.
Visions of walking through acres and acres of tulips, talking about which shade
of pink or yellow flower would look best in our yard and the overuse of the word
"cute," were dancing through my head. But as it turns out, the organizers of the
event have more than just flower enthusiasts in mind.
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About
the Woodburn Tulip Festival
The festival is held at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm outside of Woodburn. The festival
features 50 acres of spring-time flowers, including daffodils and tulips. It was
started in 1983 and has grown to a major event for the Woodburn area. To find
out more about the festival, visit Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm's Web site at www.woodenshoe.com.
Tips:
"This
is a festival that takes place in working tulip fields, in April, in Oregon,"
Iverson said. "Make sure you don't wear your church clothes." Boots, hiking shoes
and clothes you don't mind getting some mud on are great ideas - because there
is nothing like being surrounded by the color in a blooming field.
Also, with 20,000 to 30,000 people visiting the farm during the five-week event,
traveling down the back roads to the farm can be pretty slow going, especially
on weekends. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time.
If you are in Portland and want to coordinate your visit with the blooming of
specific flowers, use the new "field report" tool on Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm's
Web site at http://www.woodenshoe.com/fieldreport.html. The report is updated
regularly and in the days before the event starts and you can see the progress
of the different flowers and plants. What
to bring:
The fields offer the most picturesque backdrop for any photo
you want to take, so make sure your camera's batteries are charged and you have
extra film or memory cards. Most, if not all, of your photos will be outdoors,
so picture taking shouldn't be problematic. Make sure you also bring extra cash,
as there are local artists and wineries selling their products. You can even purchase
wooden shoes - and watch someone make them. Season:
March
20 through April 22, open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The gift shop is open March
1 through May 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the same hours as the festival during
the event. Getting
there:
The festival is located about 45 minutes from downtown Portland
in the countryside. There are several routes to get to the event and for detailed
directions visit Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm's Web site. The main route to the fields
is to take I-5 South to Wilsonville-Hubbard Highway. Turn east on Arndt Road,
turn south on Barlow Road. Turn west on Oregon 211. Turn South on Meridian Road
to Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm. | | "We
really try to make it a family event," said Barb Iverson, whose family has owned
the farm that is the site of the festival since 1950. "We know not everyone as
crazy about flowers as we are, so we try to have other things to do."
A
shoemaker creates a pair of souvenir wooden shoes while you wait. |
The other
things include antique steam tractors, local winery and artist booths and even
a climbing wall. While the event is anchored in the very colorful tulip and daffodil
fields, other events and activities at the farm give something for the whole family
to do. And yes, there is even an area for the kids to climb and play. The
event started in 1983 when the family decided to open the fields up to the general
public - it has been growing ever since. This year Iverson said she expects 20,000
to 30,000 people at the April event. The festival normally starts at the end of
March and runs through late-April.
But the real question is, how do you know when is the best time to see blooming
tulips? We can thank the Internet for the answer. "We
can't control Mother Nature," Iverson said with a laugh. "But we have set up on
our Web site a map that shows what flowers are blooming. That way people can plan
their visit accordingly."
Iverson did say that on average the best time to visit the fields is the second
week in April - but again pointed out that she can't exactly push a button and
have the fields look like a stunning explosion of color.
With more than 50 acres of different types of flowers, there is usually something
in bloom, she said.
When attending the festival, be sure to swing into Woodburn. There are many other
events going on inside the city such as crafter shows, art exhibits and other
events. Woodburn also has a very large factory outlet shopping mall that attracts
thousands throughout the year. "There
is something for everyone this time of year," Iverson said. "We are an event that
caters to children, gardeners, young adults - the whole family."
The gift shop at the farm offers not only cut tulips, but also gardening decorations,
bulbs and tools and advice. Every year the Iverson family has many members on
hand to help answer questions, point out attractions and direct traffic.
"The weather always
effects how many people we have come out," Iverson said. "Having an outdoor festival
in Oregon, in spring, is a risky business."
Story by Patrick
Johnson, a free-lance writer based in Canby.
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