Tulip Time

In areas settled by Dutch immigrants, there is often a spring celebration timed with the blooming of the tulips. Some of the most well-known in the U.S. are those in Pella, Iowa; Holland, Michigan; and Albany, New York.

This photo was in a box of random, unlabeled photos I received. It's adorable, and certainly a celebration of something Dutch, but could have been taken anywhere.

Elsewhere in the box, however, is this photo:

The business names in this photo, along with Google street view, allowed me to determine it was indeed taken in Holland, Michigan. In searching online for a possible date of the photo, I came across the website harringtonarchive.com. Photographer Philip Harrington grew up in Holland, Michigan, and was the son of a former mayor. A photo at the Harrington Archive site is another view of the same marching band majorette and some of the band members at another point during the parade. That photo is dated 1939.

I don't know which of the hundreds (or thousands) of parade-goers took the snapshot in my possession. It definitely looks like an original printed 84 years ago. And it's definitely the Holland Muziekparade. I'll assume the little children in the park are also from Holland. I wonder if other random photos in box hold more clues.