CLYMER, N.Y. — The smell of chicken barbecue, the sound of Klompen Dancers on Main Street and a sky lit up with fireworks can only mean one thing: the Clymer Tulip Festival is back.
Running Friday through Sunday, the community tradition brings a full weekend of events to the small Chautauqua County village, drawing residents and visitors alike for food, music, pageantry and a few new surprises this year.
Perhaps the most talked-about element of this year’s festival is the 47th Tulip Queen pageant. Ten contestants will compete for the crown at 7 p.m. on Friday in the Clymer Central School (CCS) Student Performance Center, marking the largest field of candidates since 1972.
“It’s the first time since 1972 that we’ve had a group this big — 1972 had 11 candidates,” said MaryKate Ganske, the festival’s queen coordinator. “Contestants are juniors and seniors and they sign up if they want to participate. They have really come together and worked hard on their own individual talents as well as their group portion of the program. They had to come up with a skit and dance that fit into the festival’s theme, which is ‘Red, White & Blue Wooden Shoes.’ To say that they are a special group would be an understatement. They all bring something unique to the table and truly are each other’s biggest cheerleaders.”
The judges, Ganske noted, are deliberately chosen from outside the community to ensure a fair process.
“We get outside judges, people who know nothing about Clymer, the Tulip Festival, or any of the contestants,” Ganske confirmed. “That way, they are unbiased. Our judges are in for an entertaining night followed by a very difficult decision.”
Contestants will be evaluated on a private interview with the judges, as well as a group skit they wrote themselves, a group dance they choreographed and individual talent performances. The program is expected to run about two hours.
The Tulip Festival has been a Clymer tradition since 1953, though it now takes place every two years rather than annually. This year’s edition brings a pair of fresh additions to the lineup.
A nine-hole mini golf course will be set up along Main Street across from the school, and a pickleball tournament, sponsored by Abbe Reformed Church, rounds out the new offerings, with registration at 1:30 p.m. and play beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday on the CCS courts.
The weekend kicks off Friday afternoon when the historic Little Red Schoolhouse opens at 2 p.m. at 7929 Clymer Center Road. May Day festivities follow at 2:20 p.m. on the CCS lawn on East Main Street, with the school’s food truck opening at 5 p.m. After the queen crowning, the evening continues with a Sausage & Sauerkraut Social at 9 p.m. and a fireworks-and-flares display at 9:30 p.m. at Clymer Town Park and Clymer Pond, 562 Clymer-Sherman Road.
Saturday is the festival’s biggest day. Early risers can lace up for the Wooden Shoe 5K, with registration opening at 7:30 a.m. at the CCS Student Performance Center, and the race starting at 9 a.m. A kids’ dash follows at 9:30 a.m. on the CCS track.
By 10 a.m., the full festival comes to life: food vendors will line Main Street, the municipal parking lot and the CCS front lawn; the Clymer Fire Department opens with Safe Child ID, a K-9 unit and more; a Kids Zone runs all day in the CCS elementary gym for a $5 all-day pass; and a petting zoo will set up on the school’s front lawn. The Clymer French Creek Library will host a book sale, quilt raffle and face-painting at 564 Clymer-Sherman Road.
At 10:30 a.m., the Groat Klompen Dancers take to Main Street for a performance of traditional Dutch dance — a nod to the festival’s Dutch heritage — as craft and vendor booths open along Route 474 and Freeman Street.
The chicken barbecue fires up at 11 a.m. in the CCS cafeteria, while magician The Real Magic Steve performs at noon and 1:30 p.m. at the Lictus Automotive show tent at 8706 E. Main St. The Chautauqua County 4-H dog program will also visit the show tent at 11:30 a.m.
The afternoon highlight comes at 2:45 p.m. with the traditional Main Street scrubbing, followed by a parade. Saturday wraps up with an evening concert by Ashes to Crowns at 7 p.m. in the CCS Student Performance Center.
Sunday’s schedule is lighter, anchored by the new pickleball tournament and the Little Red Schoolhouse, which opens again at 2 p.m.
The Clymer Volunteer Fire Company is asking attendees to be mindful of road closures throughout the weekend, particularly on Saturday when fire police will periodically close streets for events.
“Road closure signs aren’t a suggestion,” the department said in a statement. “They are placed there to keep attendees safe.”
Officials ask drivers approaching a closure to be patient and respectful, and remind visitors parking on side streets to avoid blocking private driveways.