HOLLAND, MI (WHTC) – The Grand Marshals for the three Tulip Time Festival parades next month have been named by officials of Holland’s annual signature event.
Leading the way in the Metal Flow Volksparade on May 10th will be Elsa Prince Broekhuizen, widow of Prince Corporation founder Edgar Prince, mother of US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince, and a long-time proponent for the historic preservation of the downtown Holland area. She was behind the establishment of the Commons of Evergreen at the site of the former Holland Christian High School, among other achievements.
The Yanfeng and Johnson Controls Kinderparade the following day will be led by students in the futurePrep’d program from the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District. This program gives participating students innovative tools and experiences that help in making positively-impacting future decisions, and one of their projects this past year was to help the festival increase interest in the Dutch Dance program among area high school students.
Finally, the GMB Muziekparade on May 13th will spotlight the City of Holland itself on its 150th anniversary of incorporation as a municipal entity. Mayor Nancy DeBoer and other city leaders will be atop a newly-created float which will be pulled by a customized vehicle.
Friday’s announcement of the parade’s Grand Marshals comes just over three weeks before the start of the eight-day festival on May 6th.
