doing this is nathan box here with jim de boer we're here for the johnson controls kinda parade looking forward to seeing lots of kids are the center noon oh man this is this is exciting i mean it's for for one thing it's gorgeous weather but there's people lined the streets one two three four people deep already driven we are into times office is great kids are pumped they're ready to go they are and it's a beautiful sunny day again we have had absolutely beautiful weather this year for the to look time festival the tulips have come out exactly when they were supposed to come out i don't think there has been a convergence of weather and tulips and trees and visitors like this ever before for the two times now it's like the perfect scenario i mean the early two looks are up yet the link to looks are up there they're all here they're all here and hard to believe one week ago today when mill island had three tulips and bloom three three one week ago today and a week ago tuesday it was snowing and home and here it is a beautiful mid seventy's day it's amazing and very grateful for it because we've got people from all over the state and the midwest and the world that are here we do we get visitors from we get visitors from all over a talk to some folks from the netherlands this morning oh really why did we have folks from canada obviously that's not too far away and you know yesterday we also had visitors from mexico and the delegation from japan as well actually my wife and i used to host people in our homes and couldn't find hotels we did that for about ten years we had a family once from russia wow that came over and it came all the way and they were in the united states i heard about two hundred they came to visit and i stayed in our house that's great and i i found those folks as well as the folks that come from other other states are really impressed with how wonderful how in michigan it's beautiful it's clean and i think today's a great example of all of the kids that get involved in this fast and i mean for one thing that tow does they they paint the streets literally with all the lines for the lanes right before to a time i'm always like ok it's old times we're paying the streets with the with the wind i think you know i i noticed the same thing myself also i'll see that truck go by painting the painting the probably though the more important thing is i'm a member of the board of directors for the total time festival i'm the vice chair of the festival this year i'm also a twenty year tour guide for the wall spent this morning hosting the taste of holland breakfast i'll be doing that again tomorrow it's a really busy week for me during the time festival but i love every minute about an opponent and testing i have to take a tour i would be happy to take you want to tour i would i would i take i do take locals on tours as well usually in the off season and people find out there's a whole lot about  holland that they did not know five looks or thirty years and i'm sure there's a bunch of things i don't know how cool is that well tell us about yourself i'm music teacher in holland i have taught here for twenty eight years wow so you know a lot of these kids and a lot of these kids parents i know exactly in fact i was talking to my know a lot of the kids here in high school in middle school and it's just a great time and we're going to have literally thousands of elementary school kids passing in spite of them all in school today we had half a day because kids have to get ready for the parade and they were wired from the minute they walked in the door you everything was different they knew they had a half a day of school they were excited about the parade and being at it and i'd say about half the students in each class said they were going to come today so do they wear their best customers at school today or do they wait until they get to the parade that wa what's nice is when they pass by we often get you mr bor as they come by students are going to be marching with their classrooms correct zachary and oftentimes the teacher is marching with them as well we're going to be seeing different themes for each one of the schools and in each one of the classrooms and the is am i correct in saying that they have kept those same themes for year after year for those particular classroom yes they do not necessarily for the classroom but by the school they keep it year for year by year ok and that school represent by grade level a lot of the props a lot of the costumes a lot of the band uniforms that the students where are the same ones that these kids parents may have worn twenty twenty five years prior you have the band uniforms we try to change more often for obvious where out reasons but for example today bands when she was that same age that that is the same windbreaker seriously i don't think it's the exact same right very good but it is that of the same group that she wore years and years ago but obviously the high school students like are getting them on a more frequent basis right now exactly yeah that's very true and and and and can you tell us a little bit about the band structure how many different bands there maybe from holland or from the other schools because i think a lot of the people that are watching think well ok holland and they've got a high school band sure there's more than just that band program in  the area schools generally starts in fifth grade ok you know in fourth grade they start learning how to play recorder you remember playing i don't remember playing the record i don't so i was never any good at it but i do remember playing it and it was it was hard for me to i grew up in chicago but you know i that's a universal instrument fifth grade and they're not in the parade yet ok until sixth grade so sixth grade their first opportunity to march in a first opportunity in this whole area you'll see sixth graders will be the youngest that will be playing in the states and then seventh grade and eighth grade they just get stronger every year the some schools combine grade levels you'll see some combine sixth and seventh and of course high school obviously aren't them by and you don't see like just the twelfth grade so we may see three or four bands from one school district correct and for example in holland you'll see in two or three parades during the tulip time festival six seven years in a row that's right whole lot of experience for these kids on how we get to be seen you know and some of them had the fed the opportunity to go in the rose bowl or the orange bowl parade because we've had bands marching that my  doesn't wasn't a she played the drums in a high school band in holland and marched in ronald reagan's second inaugural parade i remember that yeah they went to they she said they went to washington d c and got snowed out and so they had a make up the raid at disney world and they sent all the kids to disney world she was able to march in disney with all fun and you know that yeah so she got got a great opportunity to do that and travel with the band so there's a lot lots going on for these kids right here in holland michigan exactly nice part about our location this year it's a little different than the place we were before why the holland police department and the courts and across the way is the to look time offices it's wonderful for us to be able to look right there it's easy for me to get in and out and we've got a nice shot right up the hill up a street to be able to see the parade from a long distance yeah it's it's great and this is downhill for even better march in the parade and a lot of people in our viewing audience have but this is a nice stretch where you know it's downhill doesn't take much effort if you're pedal on a bike it's like ok it's break time but this is a great spot and people are lined up and they're excited and we're listening for the drums i mean i'm hearing something off in the distance and i'm starting to see the kids kind of lean way out and look down the road i think that the parade may be making its way down the hill where a little bit farther down the parade route than we were last year so it's taking a little longer for them to get here than before but i think i do see up at the top of the hill river avenue there i think i do see the flashing lights there the motorcycles police on motorcycles are here you know it's so cool about this time of year is is normally it's so warm the tulips downtown how and are you know kind of fading out how much dead but you know the ones right downtown that get so warm are still up and we're looking at pink tulips here by the lives in the city of holland to go to windmill island gardens to see all the two loops that are there can they do that at tulip time even though a lot of guests are there i made it there it does it is i believe it's free to go to the windmill island for anyone who is a resident of the city of holland all you need to do is show them your driver's license and it's also pretty nice because you really only need one person in the car to be a resident ok i took a group last week we had a group in from taiwan and i was taking them around town opportunity for people to be able to do that doesn't cost much anything at all and i think a lot of people who live in how long have not gone out to see the attractions i know because i've asked students i've even asked some teachers and there are some people on the we have right now front of us the holland police department on motorcycles getting ready to get the parade started off for us there with the flashing lights looks like two of those motorcycles are actually hauling police motorcycles and a couple of them on their segway i think those have been a great to the city of holland for for great duty i don't crowd control during the festival they're much easier to get around you have to why you think they were donated to the we know each other well they do great where people are standing and showing respect our country  followed right behind them are the banners for the can to put out which if you know your dodge stands for children's parade sponsored by johnson controls johnson controls is low one of one of holland bigger businesses and this is an all electric great exodus vanderbilt charter academy and their theme is the boys to the new world vanderbilt students are depicting the dutch settlers trip to america some students are carrying tools supply is that will be needed to survive in the new world depicting the paintings starry night second graders of mrs sternberg twirl brightly colored windmills for this year's festival to represent the mill bit by even rice dale and the banners carried  other holland christian students to pick paintings of the former holland christian art teacher sylvia  to flower cart as you can see going by and the third graders are waving flags with colorful flowers on them the fourth graders are already artists and they're coming into view soon carrying colorful pallets and  fields of real tulips we want our unit to be a splash of color for all to enjoy pine ridge mission school there followed up by the holland christian six grade band they actually have my favorite uniforms of any band in the parade i love the sweater vests and khaki pants this group is comprised of six grade students from both rose park elementary school and pine ridge christian school they have sixty two members and are led by director matt being threatened and i think they're timing it just right so that they can play when they get here i think they're calling every favorites that they're going to be showing today from the netherlands their dutch merits it reminds them of taken the blankets dutch rust and imported cheese you'll also see them going by with candles next up is the holland christian preschool float their equipping minds nurturing hearts and transfer me forming the world for jesus christ the christian preschool offers a variety of classes for three four and five year olds that meet at both rosa parks christian an award winning artist performer and children's author of several books and c d s join him and his puppet troupe on saturday for a move to the music a celebration of high energy dancing and definite disco for the family coming into view representing the program they're studying that's a big group too they've got they've got them walking and they've got a float and they've got another group walking the whole lot of students but also jim they've got a group of students on bicycles which is always i see it's like this spend some time decorating the bicycles getting them ready for the parade that's always fun when it was the older students whitely the fifth graders to decorate their bikes and be a part of the parade i remember doing that when i was a kid thirty call that was the chicago fire kind of kind of a special thing to be here the fifth grader at the top of the heap and be able to get that special special treatment to be able to be in the parade with your bike and you don't have to walk the you can ride for the whole thing and they're followed up by the by ready for school to holland zealand initiative ready for school is a broadly based paul and zealand hamilton initiative ensuring that every child enters kindergarten prepared to succeed what is the great idea this is to the world and they are there or me focus is that connection to the world you'll see first graders caring and then wielding banners that represent the types of the windmill and second graders are carrying plate and third graders soon to come into view here are celebrating their favorite flower which of course and the fourth graders follow close behind which have the most popular here our students with the good and the adams and following them will be the fifth graders who will be hearing telescopes which i don't see right now but they guitar and go play music for the kids and they'll be singing along with them believe and bring other people and his band along and i'll be playing and singing for the kids on fridays there up kinda parade is a salute to the tulips from both the flower and do a great job of getting the kids all lined up together great they represent us literature and just came to school today excited i mean it was louder walk in the building than normal and in class they just were all wound up you could sell coming into view here shortly as another school and i have the privilege of teaching at this hall and heights k seven in school now kindergarten is year long and then school and here comes some more first grade and some of the teachers now the next thing coming into view here is the three blind mice their school theme is mother goose goes in fifteenth century europe may day festivities were celebrated with dances around the maypole celebrating a flourishing endangered flower symbolize the festival in the main community event was a picnic in the country that's along the shores of lake look at the multicultural the fact that we have in the city today you know we see people from all different races it's just wonderful that how it is become so diverse as a city that we see people from all walks of life  they thank the king of spain for saving their country he brings him presents from all over the chip all of children and adults intercourse also brings with him his white horse which he rides over the i look up ahead the white horse is on its way and he rides over the roof listening at the chimneys to hear if the children have been good and if so he puts goodies into their wooden shoes celebrating  primary years program their mission is to develop in wiring knowledgeable and hearing young people who help create a better and more peaceful world through it's a cultural understanding and respect parents are actively involved in school activities  freeze over an ice skating rink it's held the participants racing's will live in town for a distance of one hundred and twenty five miles make sure a school recreates this race with the students using roller blades lake shore of having a spanish a merchant program for students for the students in preschool through fifth grade spanish immersion classes are taught subjects in spanish and every year like her students hold a fundraiser for st jude's children's research hospital and ninety six they've collected over ninety six thousand dollars for this very worthwhile cause you know the spanish immersion program is i think in almost every school district i mean holland has managed immersion in many different grade levels now th first grade kindergarten second grade third grade next year fourth grade class where students just learn ninety percent of what's taught is in done in spanish i just want to point out that looks like somebody's got the same kind of car do you i just turn around to see if and all different flags from provinces of another and the classic wooden shoe with one of the children i remember your nephew right down there for years education the children of the holland america and coming into view is the corpus cristi crusaders catholic schools students that are walking they are presenting the diamonds of amsterdam and see one of the students with a diamond and it says diamonds are measured in herrings the city of amsterdam has remained an important diamond center since diamond trade it is to do this their purpose kristie catholic school celebrates that and economic  a gun addictions recovery program is a journey of healing where healing becomes a reality and providing professional addiction treatment to the residents of the lake shore area for forty years to fight for range of services visit our neighbors you know so much of living together community is what they just represent because being together as a family even though you may not be a relative you're and the work that they do with their students is absolutely remarkable for a school that serves students with physical and mental impairment some provides them with adoptive instruction to enhance their quality of life this is not a job this is a calling  i'll tell you what people are still enjoying the parade the weather is gorgeous and it is just still phenomenal downtown here people are having a great time eating drinking going to the food wagons the restaurants down here it's just awesome this is still the out warm weather in march we thought we need to do something so we wrote a letter to mother nature there you go we must award it right because it's been great but you know we've been today we're worried about the weather in today's parade and whether we're going to be able to get through the parade and here it is end of the parade and it's a beautiful sunny afternoon i'm starting to i'm looking out of the sky thinking i think we may go the entire day without rain companies having the great and if you're sitting at home watching this on t v feel free to come downtown now because of how fun is it to hang out downtown see people do a little people close for the rest of the week so you can come down and walk up and down the street talk to your neighbors these nights are actually some of my favorite parts of it you know time and love coming down watching my wife and my other family members not dance and then just standing around on the these little drones planes that are seriously flying overhead with cameras monitoring and it is it is really it is well i'm sorry i was i don't recall you know that that we had balancing television have a drone with a with a camera attached to it and i didn't realize th watch online yes through the city hall and dot com website so you can watch the parade and sure it's different times it's being scheduled you can add and mothers and children who had their kids in a parade today if gramma didn't get a chance to see it you can send them a link to me they can watch it anymore and as long as you've got internet access you can watch the two of us but probably more interesting i watch your exact child or grandchild in a parade exactly well i've enjoyed today was a great a great day it could have been better in any way shape or don't exactly thank you very much again for