The group responsible for the costumes of the Tulip Queen and Royal Court says their biggest goal is ensuring they are authentic for guests to enjoy.

Phyllis Zylstra and Jackie Craver with Custom Costumes say they spend a lot of their time not only making the costumes for the annual Tulip Time celebration, they try to research whatever they can to make sure what they produce is representative of traditional Dutch wardrobes.

“We go through a lot of books and online, and we look for details in pictures,” Craver says.

“It’s been a lot of fun to research the costumes, and we did have an opportunity to go to the Netherlands–they have lots of museums that show the costumes, and it’s a lot of fun to see the details that they put into their costumes,” Zylstra says.

Custom Costumes was recently selected as the first-ever PACE Alliance Heritage Award winner, for their efforts in maintaining Dutch traditions in the Pella community.