HOLLAND, Mich. — Dutch dancing is one of the biggest draws at Holland's Tulip Time festival, with performances filling the streets during parades and nightly events throughout the celebration.
Few people know that tradition better than Biz TerHaar, 76, who has been dancing at Tulip Time for 60 years — longer than anyone else.
"I'm not the oldest, but I've done it the longest," TerHaar said.
It started when she was a child, watching her older sister perform.
"I had an older sister that danced. She was about nine years older than me, so I watched her dance, and I just waited till I could do it," TerHaar said.
Once she started, she never stopped. When I asked if she wears the 60-year milestone like a badge of honor, she didn't hesitate.
"This year I did. I said, definitely doing the 60," TerHaar said.
Among her many memories, one moment stands out above the rest.
"One highlight over all the years was when President Ford came through," TerHaar said. "I had to interview with the FBI. So that was pretty special."
TerHaar walked behind President Ford's car in the parade and got a wooden shoe signed by him.
Still, nothing compares to one particular experience on the dance floor.
"One thing that I really loved was when I was able to dance with my daughters," TerHaar said. "I love dancing with my girls."
That kind of multigenerational connection runs deep in Holland. Sue Hemmeke is passing the tradition down to her granddaughter.
"When my daughter wore this costume. We would street scum together, and our kids went through all in school, so they did the parades and dancing with Kinder dancing and Holland High School dancing, and so lots of good memories and fun times in the spring," Hemmeke said.
TerHaar once served as Tulip Time's dance director for 45 years. As for how much longer she plans to dance, she already has a goal in mind — Tulip Time turns 100 in three years.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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