Post on 30-Aug-2018
transcript
1
For the first time in three years, the stars of the Tulip Festival bloomed in early April,
highlighting a beautiful season which ran through early May. Hundreds of thousands of
visitors came to the Valley, taking home memories and
leaving their dollars behind. They came from eight Canadian
provinces, every state, and 95 other countries! Our busiest
day was Easter Sunday when over 1300 came through our
door, leading to a weekend total of over 2500.
None of this would have been possible without the strong
financial and emotional support of our sponsors who help
make Skagit Valley a better place to live, work, and
play…thank you!
As usual, we received excellent media coverage from the Skagit Valley Herald and the
Seattle Times, as well as other publications in Western Washington. The Festival was
featured in the Spokane Spokesman-Review in Eastern Washington, and in a variety of
websites, including “Red Tricycle” (geared toward family-friendly travel), “Garden
Destinations,” (for gardening enthusiasts), and “World Love Flowers,” whose title is
rather self-explanatory, and more.
In late-April, a Festival visitor posted a “Rant and
Rave” at the Seattle Times. Members of our staff
were interviewed on KAFE-FM in Bellingham,
KSVR-FM in Mount Vernon, and Executive
Director Cindy Verge was a guest twice on station
KRKO-AM in Everett.
We had television crews from all four major
Seattle television stations visit and help us spread
the word about our blooms. KING 5 routinely
2
reported on the state of the
bloom most mornings in mid
to late April, in particular.
SCRAPS, a new A & E show
about cooking with what
might otherwise be waste,
filmed in the tulip fields, with
the show scheduled to be
aired in the summer of 2017.
We’re thankful for Skagit Publishing, an Official Sponsor, continuing to support us by
hosting and maintaining our official website, www.tulipfestival.org. Activity on our
website remains strong, with 443,375 unique users generating just over 1.6 million page
views in the past year. About two-thirds of our visitors are first-timers and they visit
almost three pages. Use of a mobile device continues to increase, accounting for over
70% of the traffic.
The increased use of mobile devices encouraged us to develop, with help from Skagit
Publishing, an interactive map page, with points linking users to locations, hours, and
websites of some of our
sponsors. Our friends at
Frontier
Communications sponsor
the interactive map,
recognizing the need for
more user-friendly
website pages.
3
Facebook exposure continues to
grow, with over 53,000 followers
of our page. We use the page
throughout the year to welcome
new sponsors, share information
about events in the Skagit
Valley, and keep our friends
informed about the flower
fields. During the Festival, we’re busiest, of course, as fans post pictures, respond to our
posts, and generally stay in touch with the Festival. Particularly popular this year were
our almost daily updates on how the blooms were doing and travel tips. Our most
popular post, with 37,478 views was on April 16: “Just announced for April 16: Tulip
Town will be open until 6 pm; RoozenGaarde open until 7 pm, so if you are still on your
way there, you have plenty of time to see tulips! Go to your favorite garden and then
drive around and see the fields!” These posts prompted an end-of-the Festival
comment on our page: “Thank you so much for the constant updates! You don't know
just how helpful it turned out to be!! 🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷 ”
Of course, planning a local
festival with an international
reputation takes a lot of
organization and work. The
festivities officially begin in
November, at our annual
Unveiling Celebration sponsored
by our good friends at Heritage
Bank. The Unveiling, which
takes place at Skagit Valley Gardens in Mount Vernon, is the first opportunity to see the
new poster and products for the upcoming Festival. The 2017 poster featured the art
4
work of Bellingham artist Trish
Harding and was well received by
the close to 300 guests. Working
with Skagit County Chambers of
Commerce, we were happy to
include this as a county-wide
“After Hours Event.”
At our popular “Taste of Skagit,”
which takes place during our Unveiling Celebration, guests feasted on treats from great
restaurants (and sponsors) Max Dale’s Steak & Chop House, Swinomish Casino & Lodge,
Big Scoop Sundae Palace, Skagit River Brewery, and our most recent addition, Olive
Garden.
Guests also got to
sample the 2017 Official
Beer from Anacortes
Brewery & Rockfish Grill;
wine from Pasek Cellars
Winery; coffee from
Fidalgo Bay Coffee
Roasters; chocolate from
Forte Artisan Chocolates;
and cider from Tulip Valley Vineyard. The beautiful jewelry from Warren Jewelers was
also on display while our 2017 apparel from Bergsma Galleries was modeled by high
school cheerleaders. Guests got the chance to see other merchandise up close, as well.
With the Unveiling behind us, the staff turned its attention to the Official Skagit Valley
Tulip Festival brochure, delivered to the printer in December and distributed beginning
5
in mid-January. The 200,000 copies feature the graphic work of Guy Corp from
grafixCORP in Mount Vernon and went in the mail to over 2000 tulip fans around the
world and delivered to sponsors in
January. About 85,000 were
distributed from Tacoma to Metro
Vancouver, British Columbia as
well as on Washington State
Ferries. The brochures are popular
from January through late summer
as they’re full of information about
local activities, lodging, and restaurants. The centerfold map is especially handy.
On February 9, the place to be was Cascade Mall, site of our annual Tulip Festival
Ambassador program sponsored by KeyBank. Prior to the program, Festival staff visited
dozens of classrooms throughout Skagit County, meeting hundreds of fourth and fifth
grade students as they outlined the process of being named Ambassador. Some 75
students took us up on the offer and as the judges considered their choices, the
contestants ran down the hall
to spend some time at the
Children’s Museum of Skagit
County. Finally, it was
announced that fourth-
grader Ethan Petrick (Lincoln
Elementary) and fifth-grader
Savanah Garcia (Jefferson
Elementary) would represent
us as 2017 Ambassadors.
6
As has become a tradition, their first appearance was the following morning, being
interviewed on local radio stations KAPS and KBRC and, of course, they saw their
pictures in the Skagit Valley Herald
shortly after. They enjoyed a
behind-the-scenes tour at
RoozenGaarde/Washington Bulb
Company and greeted visitors at
Tulip Town’s Locals Night in April.
They also greeted visitors at the
PACCAR Open House, rode in the
US Bank/Kiwanis “Not-so-
Impromptu” Parade in La Conner, helped at the Opening Gala, and Woodfest. They
made a trip to Olympia to meet with Governor Jay Inslee and our local representatives.
To round out a busy spring, in late May the Ambassadors and their families enjoyed a
“behind the seams” tour of Safeco Field and a ball game, thanks to the Seattle Mariners
and took part in the Burlington Berry Dairy Days in June. Our Ambassadors and their
families work hard to share the good news
of the Festival and we’re so grateful.
Because we enjoy supporting our
community, the Festival had a booth at the
SICBA Home and Garden Show the last
weekend in March. In addition to
distributing lots of brochures to attendees,
we sold some of our 2017 merchandise and made some new friends.
7
On March 30, we were happy to welcome over 250 guests to our Opening Gala, held at
the Swinomish Casino and Resort in Anacortes, sponsored by our friends at Judd & Black
Appliance and Peoples Bank. The excellent food and company was enjoyed by all, as
was our
entertainment this
year, provided by
local performing artist
Chris Eger. Dozens of
local businesses
helped us out by
donating items for
our popular raffle, as
well.
The Director’s Award is an annual award presented to those who go beyond
expectations to serve the mission of the Festival. This year Cindy was pleased to present
the award to Don Danielson of Skagit Publishing, for his extraordinary work redesigning
our new website and getting the interactive map up and running.
The 24th Annual Skagit County Parks
and Recreation Tulip Basketball
Tournament, involving dozens of
teams of fourth through eighth grade
girls and boys. The late March event
was a boon for our local lodging
sponsors as teams came from
throughout the Northwest, with
parents in tow!
8
The Festival began in earnest on April 1, which was the first day fans could enter photos
in our fifth annual Columbia Bank Photo Contest. Our judges sorted through close to
350 entries to select our winners.
Our friends at the Burlington branch
of Columbia Bank held a reception
in to honor the winners in early
May. Each winner received a framed
print of their entry and a signed and
framed 2017 Festival poster. In
addition, the attendees selected a
“People’s Choice” from the
runners—up photos.
The start of April also brought the
opening of seven art shows
throughout the County and the start
of the Kiwanis Salmon BBQ, which
ran through April 23. Kiwanians
served over 11,000 meals, utilizing
almost 5000 pounds of grilled salmon and almost 13,000 baked potatoes! Thanks to
hundreds of volunteer shifts involving volunteers from La Conner, Oak Harbor,
Stanwood/Camano, and Mount Vernon Kiwanis clubs, some $72,000 will be distributed
by way of scholarships, car seats, donations to Boys and Girls Club, and many other
worthwhile non-profits in our area. The Mount Vernon Parks Department received
$15,000 toward the Kiwanis 25th Street Park alone.
The U.S. Bank “Not-so-Impromptu” Parade, always a hit, was led by our very own
Marinus Rouw as Grand Marshal on April 8. He preceded 26 entries in the parade
9
through the streets of
La Conner, where
business was booming!
The parade enjoys
great support from the
Kiwanians of La Conner,
both in the planning
and in the presentation
of the annual event.
Earlier in the day, many
parade goers and others visited the annual PACCAR Open House, the only day each year
the facility is open to the public. That second weekend in April also found lots to do in
Anacortes, with the start of a weeklong “Art in Bloom” Fine Art Exhibition sponsored by
the Anacortes Arts Festival, plus wine-tasting. Not to be out done, that Saturday, saw
over 300 runners take part in the 32nd annual Tulip Run near the Skagit Regional Airport.
Residents of Skagit County took a break on April 14 as several thousand took advantage
of Locals Night, a way for the good folks at Tulip Town to thank the community for their
patience during the busy Festival. In addition to touring the fields, visitors danced to a
combo, enjoyed
visiting the gift
shop, were
refreshed with
coffee and wine,
and took full
advantage of
being part of our
gorgeous
community.
10
Our third weekend is traditionally a busy one and this year was no different, with varied
events to entertain our visitors. The Mount Vernon Downtown Street Fair was back for
its 33rd year, as
crowds enjoyed the
great spring
weather to visit one
of the finest juried
arts and crafts
shows in Western
Washington.
Intrepid souls
enjoyed the “Do the Bloom” Color Run in Anacortes, sponsored by the Anacortes Arts
Festival, while others took part in the 35th Tulip Pedal, sponsored by SafeKids. The
Friends of the Mount Vernon Library held their semi-annual Used Book Sale that
weekend as well. A new event for the Festival was the “O Canada Heritage Weekend,”
sponsored by the Skagit Valley Genealogical Society recognizing the sesquicentennial of
our neighbors to the north.
With financial
support from our
friends at COUNTRY
Financial we held our
second Tulip Charm
Princess Party with
the help of Cascade
Mall. Some 75
princesses enjoyed a
lovely time with
either Rapunzel or
Beauty on the final
11
Sunday of April. Also on the final Sunday of the
Festival was Bethany Covenant’s popular “Psalms,
Hymns, and Spiritual Concert” at their church in
Mount Vernon.
As a reminder that our local festival has an
international reputation, we’re pleased to share
that we earned the Gold Pinnacle Award from the
International Festival and Events Association for
our 2016 poster at the annual convention in
Tucson. This was our fifth year in a row and eighth
overall to achieve this distinction awarded by our
peers.
The Festival truly is an endeavor undertaken by people throughout the county and,
indeed, throughout Western Washington. Although we rely heavily on our good
sponsors, we also count on hours and hours of support from our volunteers. During
April, we
saw 28
Festival
volunteers
donate some
500 hours,
plus several
hours
donated by
local high
school
students and
staff at
12
Fortiphi, one of our newer sponsors. Our sponsorship program enjoys wonderful moral
and financial support from Creekside Continuing Care Community in Burlington and has
for several years.
We were grateful to Madeline Cavanaugh, Betty Bastai, and John Drummond, each of
whom served internships with us. Betty, a student at Skagit Valley College, designed the
program and invitation for and produced a video of the KeyBank Tulip Ambassador
Event. She also
designed the gala
invitation. John, also
at SVC, helped in the
office and with some
events. Madeline, a
senior at Evergreen
State College, spent
several hundred
hours with us, taking pictures (chronicling the progress of the tulip fields from snow to
blooming), helping with events, assisting with the office, and filling many roles from
January through the end of the Festival.
We continually strive to
improve the Festival,
trying our best to make
this year’s Festival better
than last. Thanks to our
growers for continually
working hard year-round
to produce the
incomparable gorgeous fields enjoyed by so many. Thanks to each of our sponsors for
trusting us to make your commitment to us one of which you can be proud.
13
Mark your calendar for
November 14, 2017
when we’ll enjoy the
Unveiling Celebration of
our 2018 merchandise
at Skagit Valley
Gardens, sponsored by
Heritage Bank, and kick
off our 35th Skagit Valley
Tulip Festival!
Photo Credits (in order of appearance):
Pam Headridge Columbia Bank Photo Contest Cover
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Megan Ching, Columbia Bank Photo Contest
Anthony Kuempel Columbia Bank Photo Contest
Rebecca Murray, Skagit Media Marketing
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Rebecca Murray, Skagit Media Marketing
Ryan Brown, Columbia Bank Photo Contest
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (4)
Susan Penwell, Columbia Bank Photo Contest
Carolyn Ford, Columbia Bank Photo Contest
US Bank
Kim Currier, Columbia Bank Photo Contest
Elizabeth Shore, Columbia Bank Photo Contest
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Christina Martin, Columbia Bank Photo Contest
Diana Lee, Columbia Bank Photo Contest
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (2)
Angie Gormley, Columbia Bank Photo Contest