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And the Winner is... Summertime Souvenir!

January 25, 2010

De Ann Troen (of Happy Valley, Oregon) submitted the winning entry in the 2010 Portland Rose Festival's 'Name the Rose Contest' sponsored by Dennis' Seven Dees Landscaping and Garden Centers. Summertime Souvenir -- now the official name of the signature rose of the 2010 Rose Festival -- was chosen by a panel of judges out of 780 entries from around Oregon and Washington.

"I was bouncing off the walls when they called me. I feel so honored my name was picked," said De Ann Troen. "I used to enter the Festival's 'Name the Theme Contest' and always thought "Summertime Souvenir" would make a great festival theme, so I entered it for the Name The Rose contest." A full-time Mary Kay Team Leader and Charter Member of the One More Time Around Again Marching Band, De Ann has been collecting Rose Festival Pins for 28 years and marched in 25 Starlight Parades, 28 Grand Floral Parades and one Tournament of Roses Parade.

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The Rose Festival 'Goes Hollywood' with the Youth Silent Film Festival

January 21, 2010

Portland's Hollywood district, home to the nation's best all children's parade is going to get a little more festive this year. The Portland Rose Festival announced today two brand new events for 2010: the Youth Silent Film Festival and the Conchords Chorale concert "Let's Go To The Movies" at the Hollywood Theatre. Joining the Fred Meyer Junior Parade and the special movie screening "From One Rose," the two new events make it an all-Hollywood week June 6 - June 13.

"We're excited to partner with two new events that showcase our values of art and education with such diversity," said Liza McQuade, PRFF Sanctioned Events Program Chair. "The Youth Silent Film Festival is a revival of an old art form that can open a new world of creativity for young filmmakers and their audiences."

According to Marilyn Clint, Rose Festival Associate Executive Director, "The project is fantastic because it fits so well with what the festival did during the 2007 Centennial Celebration with our own Student Film Project." The product of that project -- the feature film "From One Rose" -- is scheduled for screening Saturday, June 12, following a showing of the top three award winning silent films and the announcement of the overall winner.

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The Portland Rose Festival is Now Official!

January 14, 2010

After 103 years the Portland City Council voted on January 13 to recognize the Portland Rose Festival as the Official Festival of the City of Portland. Commissioner Randy Leonard filed the resolution along with co-sponsors Mayor Adams, Commissioner Fritz and Commissioner Fish as recognition for Portland's oldest and most acclaimed festival.

"The Rose Festival is a unique celebration of what Portland values -- community, culture, fun and a commitment to nurturing the natural environment," said Mayor Sam Adams. "It was time for the City to commit to nurturing our home-grown festival."

The Portland Rose Festival Foundation celebrated the resolution in true festival fashion with clowns, a float on the front steps of City Hall, and musical performances by the One More Time Around Again Marching Band and Conchords Chorale. Additionally, the Royal Rosarians and members of the 2009 Rose Festival Court joined with festival leadership and dignitaries (like Governor Victor Atiyah, 85-year old wartime princess Phyllis Huwa and 6-year-old Aisha Ross) to thank the council for this historic designation.

Read It's Official! at the Rose Festival Blog!

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The Rose Festival Takes City Hall for Proclamation and Celebration as Portland's Official Festival

January 11, 2010

On Wednesday, January 13, the public is encouraged to join Rose Festival friends and fans in a show of appreciation as Portland City Council votes on a resolution proclaiming Portland Rose Festival as the Official Festival of the City of Portland.

After more than a century, the City Council wants to show its 'official' connection to the festival that helped brand Portland as the City of Roses, has driven economic activity for the region and has provided citizens with a common celebration. The Portland Rose Festival and friends want to THANK the city in a way that only a nationally prominent festival can -- with appearances by Rose Festival President, Robert Hansen, Executive Director, Jeff Curtis, Governor Victor Atiyeh, Mike Donahue, Mayor Vera Katz, Rose Festival Queen Rachel Seeman and members of her court, 6-year-old fan, Aisha Ross, the One More Time Around Again Marching Band, the Conchords Chorale, the Amtrak Cascades Character Clown Corps, the Royal Rosarians, the Rose Society, a visit by the Teddy Bear Float and more. And YOU can be part of the excitement by coming to City Hall!

Portland City Hall is located at Southwest 4th and Madison in downtown Portland, Oregon. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Get Bowled Over (by Roses) Right Here in Portland

December 18, 2009

No need to go to Pasadena to enjoy a great 'Festival of Roses'! You can SCORE the winning goal now with tickets to the most affordable grand floral parade on the west coast, Portland's own signature Rose Parade, the KeyBank Grand Floral Parade. On Saturday, June 12, 2010, magnificent floats covered in millions of flowers -- along with decked-out equestrian units and dazzling marching bands -- pass through the Memorial Coliseum and into downtown Portland, in an amazing all-floral parade.

Prime reserved seats are available inside and outside the Memorial Coliseum and are on sale now. Inside seating includes the chance to see the crowning moment during the Queen's Coronation presented by Pacific Power, followed by Portland's newest fitness parade, the Regence Grand Floral Walk.

Indoor tickets are $30, Outdoor prices are $30 for premium chairs and $25 for reserved bleacher seating -- please note that all ticket purchases are subject to handling fees. Tickets are on sale here at the website, at the Rose Quarter Box Office or can be charged by phone at 1.877.789.ROSE (1.877.789.7673). For group orders of 10 or more tickets, contact Carol Ross at the Portland Rose Festival Foundation: 503.227.2681.

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Princess Submission Deadline!

December 17, 2009

The last chance to be a candidate for Princess has arrived! The DEADLINE for submitting applications for the 2010 Rose Festival Court is December 18, 2009. All applications MUST be mailed! Applications must be postmarked before MIDNIGHT on December 18. Hand-delivered applications will not be accepted.

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You Can Put The Bloom (And The Name) On Portland's Rose!

November 17, 2009

A rose by any other fragrance needs an appropriate name, and the Portland Rose Festival Foundation is asking the public to come up with one for the festival's 2010 signature rose. Rose Festival fans are being asked to submit a name in three words or less for this 2010 limited edition rose. The winner will receive not only the honor of personally 'dubbing' the new rose, but a prize package including a Portland Rose Festival 2010 Season Pass and a Rose Care Package from Dennis' 7 Dees.

People can enter their rose names via email or by filling out an official entry form at Dennis' 7 Dees Garden Centers. Emails should be sent to rosename2010@gmail.com, and only one rose name suggestion per entry form or email will be considered for judging. DEADLINE for entries is 6:00 p.m. Monday, January 4. More information is available at:
Dennis7Dees.Com/nametherose

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It's Time To Apply To Be A Princess!

November 12, 2009

After successfully unveiling an expanded Court program in 2009, the Portland Rose Festival has begun recruiting applicants for the 2010 Rose Festival Court presented by Pacific Power. Applications are now available on the Rose Festival website. The DEADLINE for submitting applications is December 18, 2009.

The internationally recognized scholarship program opened its enrollment to an additional 28 area schools in 2009, adding its first-ever 'Metro' position to the court. Tigard High School's Breanna Burnett was the princess selected from outside the traditional Portland area. And for the first time high school juniors were invited to apply, resulting in Rachel Seeman, a junior from Grant High School, becoming the 2010 Rose Festival Queen.

"We were pleased to expand the Court this past year," said Robert Hansen, Rose Festival President. "It gave many more young women the opportunity to participate in the selection process, and it was a great example of our 2009 Rose Festival theme, 'Bridging Communities.' While many people are not thinking about the Rose Festival this time of year, our team of dedicated volunteers is well along in planning for our popular events and programs, like the Rose Festival Court. And we want to be sure the hundreds of eligible young women don't miss their chance to have the amazing experience of serving on the Court."

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2009 'Watch & Win' Contest Winner Announced!

August 29, 2009

Dave Holm won the 2009 JetBlue Airways/KeyBank Grand Floral Parade Sweepstakes prize package, which included two round-trip tickets from Portland (Oregon) to Long Beach (California), a four-night stay on the Queen Mary, two first-class passage tickets and a copy of a coffee table history book about the Queen Mary entitled, "The Queen Mary Story."

The package also included two $500 Key Possibilities® MasterCard® gift cards to be used as spending money on the vacation to Long Beach, California.

When contacted about winning, Dave said, "We haven't been on vacation in over two years. What makes this so sweet is that I will be presenting it to my fiance, Sable, for her birthday on August 27. She's been supporting me for the past year and a half while I was working on my Masters in Education, so this prize couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you!"

Support Festival Friends PGE and SOLV as You Root for the Beavers Labor Day Weekend!

August 28, 2009

In celebration of SOLV's 40th Anniversary, PGE Park will donate $2 for every Portland Beavers ticket purchased during Fan Appreciation Weekend, which takes place Labor Day weekend (September 4, 5, 6 & 7) at PGE Park. For 40 years SOLV has been planting trees, cleaning beaches and educating kids about taking care of the environment (with the help of 50,000 volunteers each year).

In addition to supporting SOLV, fans receive a $2 discount on tickets! To purchase a discounted ticket, visit Ticketmaster and enter the two keywords PGE Park. Then select one of the games (mentioned above) and enter the password SOLV. Questions? Please contact PGE Park (503.553.5555). For more information about scheduled events during Fan Appreciation Weekend, visit the PGEPark.Com website.