Summer 2010 - Northwestern College

Northwest Iowa offers diverse dining, sightseeingand cultural experiencesb y Ta m a r a Fy n a a r d tIf you missed Orange City’s annual Tulip Festival, there are still goodreasons to visit northwest Iowa. When you join us for Homecoming—ortake your kids to visit your alma mater—you can browse Dutch-frontedshops, visit windmill replicas along a miniature canal, and play 18holes among native prairie grasses at Landsmeer Golf Club. You can alsotaste alligator, buy jewelry from Peru, and explore a geological wonder.ShopAfter stocking up on Raider-wear from the Northwestern Bookstore,you can wander off campus to buy tulip bulbs, wooden shoes or Woudstrabratwurst. Among Orange City’s shops like the Dove Christian Bookstore andOld Wagon Wheel Antiques is one where buying is a way to give back.Hands Around the WorldIn the middle of our Dutch downtown, Hands Around the Worldcelebrates the global neighborhood by selling the fair-trade handiwork ofartisans in more than 30 developing countries, including Haiti. Friendlyvolunteer shopkeepers share stories of craftspeople who’ve fashioned thejewelry, tableware, linens, nativity sets, musical instruments and morethat fill the store. Proceeds enable the artisans—including women whohave no other way to earn a living—to feed and house their families andeducate their children.PlayOrange City-area recreation includes Holland Plaza Theatres, WindmillPark, and Kinderspeelland, where parents can chase their children up ladders,across bridges and through tunnels ill-sized for adults. If you come forHomecoming in October, you can also look for the Great Pumpkin.Pumpkinlandpumpkinlandiowa.comLocated just three miles north of Orange City, Pumpkinland is on thefamily farm of Helen and Dave Huitink ’71, also known to area childrenas “Grandma and Grandpa Pumpkin.” In addition to a pick-your-ownpumpkin, you can also go home with gourds, ornamental corn, andsquash from a selection of 35 varieties. After visiting Animal-land—withkittens, puppies, bunnies, peacocks, ponies, llamas and more—you mightlose the kids for awhile in the seven-acre corn maze.DOUG BURGBART COENDERSRICHARD SOWIENSKIARLIN VAN GORPOrange City’s Chamber of Commerce WindmillHands Around the WorldOld Factory Coffee ShopPumpkinland corn maze30 SUMMER 2010Northwestern Classic 31