A group of volunteers gave the Pella Parks Department a big boost as they plant tulips ahead of the annual celebration.

Parks Director Chandler Nunnikhoven tells KNIA/KRLS News members of the Pella and Pella Christian cross country teams as well as local middle school students dug up beds and placed rows of bulbs in the ground along Main Street.

“We’re going to do about 14,000 bulbs right now,” he says. “It’s a huge help, because this would probably take us three or four days to do this, and we’re going to do it in three or four hours, so we can’t thank the teams enough because it’s an awesome time.”

Pella Cross Country Athletes Thomas Gauley and Dakota Bigbee say they enjoyed the time helping their community with its biggest celebration.

“I feel like doing it as a team since we’re a team anyways, it’s a bonding experience…it just feels rewarding to us,” Bigbee says.

Each year, the City of Pella plants over 100,000 bulbs in parks and along main corridors ahead of the Tulip Time Festival in May.