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2014 Archives:

Rose Festival KPTV/FOX12 Agree to New Four-Year Deal

KPTV/FOX 12 and the Portland Rose Festival Foundation signed an extension of their current agreement (Monday, November 17), locking up another four years of telecast rights to the Festival’s three iconic parades. This agreement will provide the Festival with a solid long-term marketing footprint, to get its message out to a changing and engaged community…. Read more »

Rose Festival Announces New President at Annual Fall Meeting

The Festival Also Recognizes Outstanding Service and Welcomes New Members Like many before him, Frank Chinn (newly elected President of the Portland Rose Festival Foundation) first experienced the Festival as a high school student while marching in the Grand Floral Parade. Frank was a cymbal player for the Weatherwax (now Aberdeen, Washington) High School Marching… Read more »

Applications Now Available for the 2015 Rose Festival Court

Selected as the Best Community Outreach Program in 2014 by the International Festival & Events Association, the Rose Festival Court Program is now recruiting for the 101st Queen of Rosaria. (The Court is comprised of up to 15 outstanding young women chosen from Portland Metro-area high schools.) The 2015 Court will be selected in March,… Read more »

Portland Rose Festival Helps Meet the Challenge

The Portland Rose Festival announced the results of the fund raising efforts for its first Official Charity — the Knight Cancer Challenge — during the Petals, Pearls & Superheroes Dinner and Auction (Friday, October 10, 2014). A check representing $120,000 in contributions raised during the festival was presented to cancer survivor Monique Eska, accepting on… Read more »

Green is Golden for Rose Festival Clean Team

The Portland Rose Festival brought home 15 awards including five gold, five silver and five bronze medals from the International Festival & Events Association’s 59th Annual Convention & Expo, presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance on Monday, September 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Portland Rose Festival is once again recognized as the world leader… Read more »

Encore Rose Festival Events Run into July

Rose Festival Branches Out into Greater Community with More Arts and Events As Tom McCall Waterfront Park once again becomes an open gathering spot for joggers, walkers, bikers and geese, the Portland Rose Festival heads out to celebrate the greater community. The Portland Rose Festival’s encore events continue to fill the calendar with family outings… Read more »

Rose Cup 2014 Triple Regional Wraps Rose Festival

Go-Karts to stock cars kept the track hot, as the 2014 Rose Cup Races winners found a dry line to the trophy at Portland International Raceway concluding three days of SCCA sports car racing in the oldest amateur road-racing event west of the Mississippi River. Congratulations to Steven Streimer for winning the 2014 Monte Shelton… Read more »

Rose Festival’s Rose Cup Gets Extra Gass

The Oldest Amateur Road-Racing Event West of the Mississippi River Starts on Friday, June 13 Fathers Day weekend at the 54th annual Rose Cup at Portland International Raceway gets a boost of GASS with the addition of Great American Stockcar Series. This new event in the Portland Rose Festival’s final big weekend features identically prepared… Read more »

Emma Waibel Crowned
100th Queen of Rose Festival

Emma Waibel (a 17-year-old junior from West Linn High School) became the first Queen selected from the greater metro area, representing Metro East. The 100th Queen of the Rose Festival is the daughter of Robert Waibel and Shannon McBride. Calling herself a ‘Lumber Jill,’ Queen Emma enjoys lumberjack sports, enjoys outdoor activities and indoor rock… Read more »

2014 Spirit Mountain Casino
Grand Floral Parade Awards

2014 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade Awards FLOAT AWARDS Al Reser Sweepstakes Award (Most outstanding float in the Parade) Alaska Airlines Queens Award (Most outstanding non-animated float in the Parade) Reser’s Fine Foods President’s Award (Most effective overall floral presentation) Spirit Mountain Casino Governor’s Award (Best depiction of life in Oregon) Fred Meyer Royal… Read more »

Rose Festival OREGONLIVE Treasure Hunt Medallion is Found!

From Brush Prairie, Washington, wife and mother Melanie Bryant has been spending a minimum of two hours daily on the Rose Festival Treasure Hunt — much of it late at night after her sons were tucked in bed. Most of this time was spent ‘noodling’ — a term she and her fellow treasure hunters use… Read more »

Parade Fans Can Help Make a Grand Gesture at the Grand Floral Parade

Rose Festival to take up a Collection along Parade Route for Knight Cancer Challenge This year, Oregon’s biggest event weekend is dedicated to help end cancer as we know it, with a special parade route appeal for donations during the Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade. U.S. Bank volunteers in BLUE SHIRTS will walk along… Read more »

2014 FRED MEYER Junior Parade Awards

2014 FRED MEYER Junior Parade Awards BAND RESULTS Band Sweepstakes Pleasant Valley Middle School (Vancouver, WA) Open Class (100 +) First Place – Highland Park Middle School (Beaverton, OR) Second Place – Covington Middle School (Vancouver, WA) Third Place – Hazelbrook Middle School (Tualatin, OR) A Class (99 or less) First Place – Kingston Middle… Read more »

The Winner of the
Search for Queen Thelma Program

As part of the Rose Festival’s award-winning Living History, 2014 has seen the Search for Thelma — a contest that became a reenactment of the selection of the first Rose Festival Queen, Thelma Hollingsworth. Back in 1914, 17-year-old Thelma was selected by her boss to become a candidate for Rose Festival Queen. That year young… Read more »

2014 PGE/SOLVE Starlight Parade Awards

2014 PGE/SOLVE Starlight Parade Awards FLOATS Sweepstakes Award (Best Illumination) The Sikh Community The Portlandia Award Mysti Krewe of Nimbus Best Community Division First Place: Marimba Masikati Second Place: National Association of Letter Carriers Third Place: Oregon Falun Dafa Association Best Corporate Division First Place: The Oregonian Second Place: Portland General Electric Third Place: Z100… Read more »

Grand Floral Parade Fans Can’t Duct
Their Responsibilities

Ban on Pre-Parade Sidewalk Marking is Still in Affect Once again, parade fans are reminded that marking a spot on the sidewalk with duct tape, chalk, paint, chains, chairs or rope prior the Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade is an unlawful violation of city code. People are welcome to camp up to 24 hours… Read more »

The Second Rose Festival Weekend
Shines Under Starlight’s Glow

Rose Festival Court to Serve Rose Meals at Elmer’s Restaurant Friday Celebrating more than one hundred years of Making Memories, one of America’s Cleanest and Greenest parades highlights the second weekend of Rose Festival. The Portland General Electric/SOLVE Starlight Parade starts at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday (May 31), led by Grand Marshal, Mayor Bud Clark…. Read more »