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Hamilton Spectator
26-06-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Local tulip farmer apologizes for weather-related spring festival dilemma
After Niagara-on-the-Lake's new tulip farm saw trouble during its opening weekend this spring, with heavy rain causing the farm to flood and hours of traffic, its owner paid a visit to council last Tuesday to apologize for the tumult and establish a better relationship with the community going forward. Frank Boendermaker and his wife Jill McCourt operate TASC Tulip Pick Farm, which opened its first farm in NOTL last October. TASC operates in Canada, the U.S. and the Netherlands and also has a tulip farm in Fenwick. Boendermaker appeared as a delegate in front of the general committee of the whole during its meeting on June 17. Multiple councillors welcomed him to the town after he gave his presentation. 'We want to be in a place that fits are values,' said Boendermaker. 'This is the place we want to settle in. Let's see how we can make out.' The big event for the company is the annual TASC Tulip Festival, held on its grounds from the last week of April to the first weekend of May — this year, it was held at its new location in town on Line 3 Road. However, trouble arrived at this year's festival on May 3, making for a uniquely difficult situation for TASC, its staff and many customers. 'It was opening weekend, and it got rained out,' said Boendermaker. 'There was a massive amount of rain, about two weeks. We opened up on Saturday morning, and at around two o'clock and people literally got stuck in the mud. They couldn't get in and they couldn't get out.' This event forced Boendermaker and McCourt to close the farm for two days to make sure everything was safe. While Boendermaker said it was 'disappointing' that he felt he let his neighbours and the community down by 'clogging up the roads' during an event that turned out to have serious setbacks, he also said he learned from the experience. 'I'm very proud of how we managed it,' said Boendermaker. 'We spent $40,000 to fix the mud … and in two days we were open.' 'We apologized to the neighbours, we told them 'We're sorry,'' he said. Boendermaker also said he never introduced himself to the community, which was another part of why he felt there were issues with the event. That was a big part of why he was in council. 'We want to be seen as a valued member of the community,' said Boendermaker. Boendermaker said the tulip farm has about three million bulbs that people can walk through during their spring festival. He also said about 20 per cent of NOTL residents visited his spring festival, and that about 73 per cent of people who came visited from more than 100 kilometres away. TASC's tulip farm in Niagara-on-the-Lake is now closed for the season. daniel@ Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
01-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Spring has sprung at NOTL's new tulip pick farm
Niagara-on-the-Lake is getting a Dutch makeover as TASC Tulip Pick Farm prepares to open doors at its first permanent location. Started five years ago by Frank Boendermaker, TASC's pick farm originated in Fenwick, Ont., and is finally calling NOTL its permanent home. 'It really fits well here — with the wine, the tulips, the downtown area, all the beautiful hotels and restaurants. We're thrilled to be here,' Boendermaker's wife Jill McCourt told The Lake Report. With an official opening date of April 30, the start of tulip season in Ontario, TASC's new farm, located on Line 3 Road, features 135 different varieties of tulip. 'Most people don't realize when they go to a tulip pick farm, they just think of the same ones they see in the grocery store — but we'll have so many more,' McCourt said. TASC wasn't always such a large-scale operation. Before planting roots in NOTL for its fifth year, the flower bulb importing company had smaller farms in Fenwick and Ridgeville for prior tulip seasons. Boendermaker immigrated to the U.S. from the Netherlands when he was 19, bringing his knowledge of tulip-growing with him. In 2020, he and his wife began business in Canada with a five-acre farm as a way of getting people outside during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'We found how important it was for people to connect with nature during that time and how much people enjoyed it,' McCourt said. With the farm's new permanent location, they will be able to run several events for the community — including a second grow season in August. The late summer season will feature sunflowers, gladiolas, dahlias and more. 'We want to show people that there's a lot of other bulbs that they can put in their own gardens to have a burst of colour,' McCourt said. Throughout the upcoming season, the farm plans to host several other special events, including paint nights, jazz evenings and wine tastings with NOTL wineries, McCourt said. Since moving to NOTL, the farm has partnered with companies and people in town, including Juliet Dunn and the TD Niagara Jazz Festival, for Sip, Savour and Sax nights on Wednesdays. TASC is also supporting NOTL businesses with food trucks on site, with vendors including Cheese Secrets, Sweets & Swirls and more. 'We also have someone doing some Dutch food,' McCourt said. McCourt is excited to welcome a new crowd of people to the farm. 'Niagara-on-the-Lake welcomed us with open arms. It's been phenomenal to work with (the town),' she said. TASC's NOTL tulip farm is located at 1173 Line 3 Rd. Tickets for the pick farm are available online at . Parking is free and the farm is accessible by bus. juliasacco@
