The Creston Valley is the lucky recipient of one of 140 70th anniversary Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Gardens being distributed across Canada. They celebrate the gift of 100,000 Dutch tulip bulbs sent to Canadians in 1945 as a symbol of appreciation for the role Canadian soldiers played in the liberation of the Netherlands, and the hospitality Canada provided to the Dutch royal family in Ottawa during the Second World War.
“We feel very fortunate to have received one of these gardens as we understand that the Canadian Garden Council, the organization behind the Friendship Tulip Garden program, received more than 400 applications,” said Jim Jacobsen, executive director of the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce.
The garden, consisting of 700 red and white tulip bulbs generously donated by P.E.I.’s Veseys Bulbs, will be planted at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the chamber.
Veterans, schoolchildren and the public are invited to attend the planting ceremony, where the story of the Dutch princess born in Ottawa during the Second World War and the history of the enduring friendship bond between Canada and the Netherlands will be retold so that it may live on for future generations.
Creston’s garden and the other 139 gardens planted across the country, will be symbolically linked to a 70th Anniversary Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Garden to be planted in Ottawa by the National Capital Commission and showcased during the 2016 Canadian Tulip Festival. It will also be featured on the 2016 edition of Canada’s Garden Route (www.canadasgardenroute.ca).
—CRESTON VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE