Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Holland Happening celebrates its 48th year

Much of the Dutch heritage of Oak Harbor shone through Saturday despite dark skies and whipping wind during the parade of the 48th annual Holland Happening.

Dressed in traditional Dutch clothes and wearing wooden shoes, street sweepers started the parade, a tradition going back to their Holland homeland. Known for being meticulously neat (although some other Scandinavian types might claim the same fame) street sweepers always swept the route and a Town Crier announced the festival.

People packed the parade route, many huddled together for warmth or wrapped themselves in blankets. Candy shot through the air to kids lining Bayshore Drive. They scrambled to catch the treats tossed from groups in the parade and then anxiously awaited for the next sugar missile.

Tulips popped up everywhere. Colorful mounds of the famous Dutch flowers filled carts, buckets, wagons, oversized clogs and even “cooked” in a kettle over a campfire on a float.

Jacob Hutson pushed a huge wooden cart loaded with tulips as his brother, Alex Hutson, Sandy Mulkey and Markus Richards helped pass them out. Long before the end of the route, the cart grew lighter as the colorful flowers were dispersed one by one.

More than 100 entries comprised the parade that featured school marching bands, local farmers, and many organizations and clubs, ranging from judo to low-riding recumbent bicyclists. Ron Wallin, president of the Whidbey Island Public Hospital District Board of Commissioners, served as Grand Marshall.

Lasting about an hour, it ended just as a light rain fell that lasted less than 10 minutes. People then packed Pioneer Way, checking out the dozens of vendors. Others headed to the carnival.

“Last year, it was so hot, I was trying to keep my chocolate from melting,” remarked vendor Janine Verhulst, owner of the Coupeville store, A Touch of Dutch. “But this year, I can’t keep warm.”

Holland Happening is a four-day celebration of Oak Harbor’s Dutch roots that spread back to the late 1800s when many families from Holland emigrated to Whidbey and the Skagit Valley. Jan Ellis, considered the matriarch of Holland Happening, missed the event for perhaps the first time in 48 years. Friends said she’s traveling in China.

Sponsored by the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce, it also featured a traditional Dutch dinner Friday night. Sunday at 2 p.m., the popular Klompen Canal Races are scheduled. Decorated miniature wooden shoes race down a makeshift “canal,” which is slightly smaller than the famous canals of Holland.

Stuart Bassett with the Oak Harbor Middle School band attached a video camera to his trumpet to record the parade.

Stuart Bassett with the Oak Harbor Middle School band attached a video camera to his trumpet to record the parade.

Vicki Graham, center, consults with parade organizers on the number of entries in Saturday’s parade; 106 groups were expected. Graham planned four days of activities for Holland Happening as the events coordinator for Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce

Vicki Graham, center, consults with parade organizers on the number of entries in Saturday’s parade; 106 groups were expected. Graham planned four days of activities for Holland Happening as the events coordinator for Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Vicki Graham, center, consults with parade organizers on the number of entries in Saturday’s parade; 106 groups were expected. Graham planned four days of activities for Holland Happening as the events coordinator for Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Vicki Graham, center, consults with parade organizers on the number of entries in Saturday’s parade; 106 groups were expected. Graham planned four days of activities for Holland Happening as the events coordinator for Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce

Charles Wynkoop poses in front of some Dutch cookies and wafers at the street fair on Pioneer Way. His ancestors came to the area after leaving the Utrecht region of Holland.

Charles Wynkoop poses in front of some Dutch cookies and wafers at the street fair on Pioneer Way. His ancestors came to the area after leaving the Utrecht region of Holland.

Jacob Hutson, left, and Sandy Mulkey start trekking a cart full of tulips at the beginning of the parade.

Jacob Hutson, left, and Sandy Mulkey start trekking a cart full of tulips at the beginning of the parade.

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Jacob Hutson, left, and Sandy Mulkey start trekking a cart full of tulips at the beginning of the parade.

Jan Boonstra, left, and Jennifer Adema arrange tiles at the booth of Holland America Koffie Klets, a group that meets monthly in Oak Harbor to discuss all things Dutch.

Jan Boonstra, left, and Jennifer Adema arrange tiles at the booth of Holland America Koffie Klets, a group that meets monthly in Oak Harbor to discuss all things Dutch.

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Jan Boonstra, left, and Jennifer Adema arrange tiles at the booth of Holland America Koffie Klets, a group that meets monthly in Oak Harbor to discuss all things Dutch.

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Jan Boonstra, left, and Jennifer Adema arrange tiles at the booth of Holland America Koffie Klets, a group that meets monthly in Oak Harbor to discuss all things Dutch.

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Jan Boonstra, left, and Jennifer Adema arrange tiles at the booth of Holland America Koffie Klets, a group that meets monthly in Oak Harbor to discuss all things Dutch.

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Jan Boonstra, left, and Jennifer Adema arrange tiles at the booth of Holland America Koffie Klets, a group that meets monthly in Oak Harbor to discuss all things Dutch.

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Jan Boonstra, left, and Jennifer Adema arrange tiles at the booth of Holland America Koffie Klets, a group that meets monthly in Oak Harbor to discuss all things Dutch.

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Jan Boonstra, left, and Jennifer Adema arrange tiles at the booth of Holland America Koffie Klets, a group that meets monthly in Oak Harbor to discuss all things Dutch.

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Jan Boonstra, left, and Jennifer Adema arrange tiles at the booth of Holland America Koffie Klets, a group that meets monthly in Oak Harbor to discuss all things Dutch.

Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson tosses candy to the crowds who braved the cold.

Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson tosses candy to the crowds who braved the cold.

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson tosses candy to the crowds who braved the cold.

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson tosses candy to the crowds who braved the cold.

Dutch heritage showcased at Oak Harbor parade and fair

Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson tosses candy to the crowds who braved the cold.