Symbol of Home stands tall

"Anyone new to Oak Harbor has likely noticed some pretty strange looking names while combing through the phonebook — Beeksma, Zylstra, Nienhuis, VanderHoek, Vanderlinder, Vande Werfhorst, and every Vander in between.

But in Oak Harbor, where Dutch immigrants were among the pioneers making early claim, these surnames are as common as Smith and Jones. That’s why windmills make appearances at pocket parks around town and on postcards sent to friends."

Symbol of home stands tall, an article in the Whidbey News Time, talks about the Dutch community of Oak Harbor (Island County, WA), the history of their Dutch windmill in Windjammer Park, and the annual Holland Happening Festival, a festival celebrating their Dutch roots that took place this weekend:

"Holland Happening, that is when the food of the homeland is enjoyed, tulips are in bloom, klompen are stompin’ and the Oak Harbor windmill stands tall in its glory."

Another article appeared yesterday in the same newspaper: City goes Dutch for Holland Happening. This article has some details about the program.

The Whidbey News Times is a newspaper from Whidbey Island, Island County, WA.