Projects
Spirit of Pella Projects
Enriching Our Community
As the Spirit of Pella, we believe in community. We honor our treasured heritage. We are innovative and creative. We value connections and placemaking. We are advocates of the arts and vibrancy. The Spirit of Pella is committed to enhancing Pella through interactive public art, inspired gathering spaces, curated experiences, placemaking, live music, and magical holiday seasons. Our inspiration comes from our forefathers, their spirit and zeal, as we tap into their dream of building a beautiful Pella.
Check out projects below to see what has already been accomplished, what’s in progress and what’s planned for the future. Some images below are renderings of concepts and ideas, not official project scopes. Donate to your favorite projects to help these visions come to life!
Caldwell Park Chiller
We believe Caldwell Park is an underutilized local treasure, especially during the colder months of the year when outdoor basketball, skateboarding, tennis, playground activities, fishing, and lawn games are in hibernation. Taking advantage of the existing shelter structure and replacing the City’s temperature-dependent ice rink (which was only usable for three days during the last skating season) with a modern chiller, multiplies the positive community impact of the Park exponentially.
Caldwell Park
Ice Skating
Curling
Bumper Tubes
Oktoberfest
🍺🌭🥨THANK YOU, PELLA 🍺🌭🥨
A huge “Danke Schon” to everyone who joined us for Spirit of Pella’s first ever Oktoberfest last night! It was an evening filled with friends, family, food, and SO MUCH POLKA MUSIC FUN!
Special thanks to:
🌷 Pella’s City Council for saying yes! Together, Spirit of Pella and the City of Pella temporarily turned a beautiful-yet-often-underutilized community space into a buzzing hub of entertainment and joy for all ages.
🍺 Cellar Peanut Pub for partnering with us and serving up 20+ Oktoberfest beers & ciders to an outstanding crowd!
🍷 The Wijn House for bringing Iowa wines & ciders to those who prefer to raise a glass!
🛌 Pella Real Estate Services for providing a place for the band to lay their heads after the performance. Your Airbnb was perfect!
🍀Cloverleaf on Franklin for saying yes to authentic brats & sauerkraut, rootbeer & steins for the kids steinholding contest, and rootbeer floats that hit the spot!
⚡️Gritters Electric for coming in clutch and solving a one-of-a-kind problem
🎥 Pella Fiber for broadcasting live on their Facebook page and loaning their tent to the Alpine Thunder bandstand.
🛻 Pella Rental for generous support and great advice.
⛺️ Central College Athletics for loaning four tents to make our crazy root beer tent dream come true.
💪🏻Chandler Nunnikhoven for knowing what he knows and doing what he does SO WELL!
🍺 Promotions by Design and Pella Hosting & Website solutions for sparking our marketing (every time)!
🚿 Tedd Atchison and Atomic Power Washing for coming to our rescue with his trailer dolly!
We’re grateful to our fantastic food trucks: The Bread Board, Prime Country BBQ, Sweet Henry’s, Rob’s Nuts, Cloverleaf on Franklin, Central College Catering and Kartoffelsack.
And what would an event be without volunteers??? Hats off to Stuart Miller our fearless Spirit of Pella Events Chair, Jake Van Essen, Rene White, Sam Smith, Janiya Oliver, Ciara Ward, Doy Ousley, Monte Goodyk, Bob Zylstra, Heidi Vos, Teri Vos, Lisa Zylstra, Eric Sickler, Kyle Nelson, Jason Bandstra, Brady Dieleman, Susan Canfield, Karen Cashen and Christi Vander Voort.
💸 And finally we offer up an extra special note of thanks to those spectacular donors who purchased one of our limited-run first edition commemorative 🍻beer steins🍻 beautifully etched with the Spirit of Pella Oktoberfest logo! We have just a few left if you’re interested in chipping in a donation of $50! Write friends@spiritofpella.org to claim yours.
If you see a great photo on our social media feeds or website, it’s made possible by the talented and generous Doug Tupper! Make sure you follow Doug Tupper Photography on Facebook and Instagram, or check out all of his work at douglastupperphotography.com
Until next year – Auf Wiedersehen wit danken Ihnen von ganzem Herzen (with thanks from the bottom of our hearts)!
Christmas in Pella
Nothing says Christmas more than thousands of twinkling lights. Christmas in Pella brings the magic of the holiday season to life with the Tunnel of Lights, a walk-through ornament, lighted spheres surrounding the sundial in Central Park and 49 wrapped and lit lamp posts around the square.
This year we will be wrapping several trees with lights to further enhance the downtown all aglow. We continue to collaborate with Pella Fiber to offer free professional photos under the Tunnel of Lights over the Thanksgiving weekend. Last year we photographed over 200 families, individuals, friend groups and pets!
Kerstmark is Visit Pella’s festive Dutch Christmas market on the Molengracht. Residents and visitors enjoy traditional treats and spirits, handcrafted gifts, visits with Santa, local retail offerings and live music. We continue to support Visit Pella by donating funds to purchase more huts to expand Kerstmarkt.
Tunnel of Lights
Walk-thru Ornament
Kerstmarkt
Free Photos with Pella Fiber
Murals & Public Art
When arts and culture are woven into the fabric of a community, it boosts tourism, attracts diverse talent, fosters innovation, and grows the economy. From individual citizens, various organizations, businesses of all sizes, and government leadership—everyone in the ecosystem of the community benefits from the arts.
Art speaks a universal language of connection and contributes to the quality of life. We have a unique and beautiful community, a stunning canvas. We will complement our existing architecture and designs as we color in our canvas with sculptures, public and interactive art, and murals. We will showcase and honor our heritage and tell the story of Pella’s history.
Happy Days Mural
Forever Pella Mural | Pella, IA
Molengracht Seating
Positive Work/Life Balance
Tangible research provides staggering data supporting how simple changes, focusing on the idea of art, experiences, and placemaking, create an atmosphere of connection and enhance a community’s appeal and positive work/life balance.
Molengracht Courtyard
Placemaking is key to the long-term sustainability of a community. With workforce attraction and retention the primary challenge our major employers face, it is pivotal we elevate Pella with experiences, provisions, opportunities for connection, and a dynamic and captivating community.
We hope to utilize funding to elevate the currently, underutilized Molengracht Courtyard by adding an outdoor fireplace feature, planters, moveable seating for up to 100, overhead lighting canopy, and a stage for live music.
Spirit of Pella Fundraising Presentation mol
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Spirit of Pella Fundraising Presentation
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Spirit of Pella Fundraising Presentation
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Spirit of Pella Fundraising Presentation
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Klokkenspel Plaza
A beautiful setting for Pella residents and visitors, the Klokkenspel plaza boasts beautiful Dutch tile artwork and enriched history. To elevate the current space, we hope to add seating and tables, planters, overhead canopy lighting, and a mural on the Work of Our Hands building.
Cafe Seating in Klokkenspel Plaza
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Klokkenspel
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Spirit of Pella Fundraising Presentation
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