Pella Tulip Time: 3 things to know before you go

Pella's annual Tulip Time festival starts Thursday, drawing in an expected 150,000 people for the three-day event.

• Here's some tips if you plan on driving down for the festivities:

1. Don't pick them

• Rumor has it that if you pick a tulip in Pella, you'll be charged $100 per flower.
• While Pella Police Captain Paul Haase says that's not actually true, you aren't supposed to pick them and egregious offenders could be charged with criminal mischief.

2. Going Dutch

• If a flower catches your eye, the city allows you to dig up specific bulbs on May 15 starting at 7am.
• The Pella Garden Club also takes orders for bulbs from the Netherlands and ships them locally in the fall. Deadline is June 10.

3. Go a bit earlier

• Haase recommends visitors come on Thursday or Friday, as parking and getting into town on Saturday can be extremely congested.